Mario & Luigi Brothership is one of Nintendo Switch’s new releases, undoubtedly a masterful game of combat and visual spectacle, weighed down by an unforgettable world, with overly chatty, cute and charismatic characters.
Mario & Luigi Brothership unparalleled work of art
When it doesn’t get in its own way, Mario & Luigi Brothership is a lot of fun. The fights require concentration, the enemies are engaging, and the game does an excellent job of gradually introducing new mechanics that add layers of strategy.
Mario & Luigi Brothership begins with Luigi being chased by a swarm of bees. Accidentally falling off a cliff, Mario catches him before he falls and that act of heroism opens a portal that sucks the plumbers into an unknown dimension. Mario lands alone on an island and, after a bit of introductory platforming and a fight or two, follows Luigi’s ghost to a giant moving island called Shipshape, where Luigi returns the favour and saves Mario from falling off a cliff. It doesn’t make sense, and that’s okay.
On Shipshape Island, you’ll meet Connie, a resident with a face that looks like an electrical plug who lives on Concordia. The land was once united by a great tree that was destroyed by a mysterious force, leaving the different kingdoms of Concordia floating in the sea as islands. Mario and Luigi agree to help reconnect each island and set sail. Before the plumbers can explore and connect each island, they must first find them.
In Mario & Luigi Brothership, navigating the oceans from Shipshape Island consists of opening a map and selecting a stream to navigate. There is nothing to explore beyond these linear tracks and the process is painfully slow. The idea is that you race to complete side quests as the ship makes its way from one point of interest to another, but the game is so long (and the rewards for these side quests so paltry) that after 30+ hours I wasn’t going to waste any more time on them.
Fortunately, you get a speed boost very early in the campaign. When you approach a reef or an unknown island, Shipshape will automatically slow down and give Mario and Luigi enough time to run to the telescope/cannon on its far right. From there, you can see the island on the horizon and fire the plumbers like cannonballs at their target.
These animations are incredibly funny. Mario always lands on his feet while Luigi struggles to stay on his feet, crashing into walls or falling over in classic comedy. Each island has its own unique animation, and over time Luigi’s landings improve, which is a lovely touch.
Rumbla Island was an early favourite of mine. It’s home to artists whose creations are destroyed time and time again by a talentless man who just wants some attention. There is also an endearing (if unoriginal and lengthy) love story told on three islands that play on the duality of fire and ice: Heatfreeze Island, Skorcheen Island and Slippenglide Island.
Mario and Luigi have no lines of dialogue, but babble something akin to Italian in conversations that are often too long. In a Mario RPG you expect a lot of reading, but I felt like I was hitting the fast forward button and pressing the next button for too long. The scripting itself is solid, so if you’re looking for a game with amazing storytelling and gameplay, as well as easy gameplay this Nintendo title is for you.