Written by Matthew Whitaker

In November, I decided to give Mario & Luigi: Brothership a try. Some history first: I never got into the previous Mario & Luigi games. First I played Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story when that came out and lost interest about midway through the game. A few years later, I tried Mario & Luigi: SuperStar Saga on Wii U Virtual Console, but quickly lost interest in that one. So for me to spend $59.99 on a game in a series which I have a history of not enjoying was a bit of a risk, a bit foolish. Regardless, I went to GameStop and bought it on launch day because I was looking for a new game to play.  

The Gameplay

In Mario & Luigi: Brothership the player explores a variety of unique islands with the goal of connecting them to your base of operations, Shipshape Island. I really enjoyed this play structure, as each island has its own story with a clear beginning and end. This makes for perfectly-sized gaming sessions; it’s easy to complete an island a day. There is a ton of variety between the different islands which range from a tropical forest to a giant merry-go-round. The gameplay is also varied across the islands:  some are very battle-focused, while others place more emphasis on puzzles and exploration. I enjoyed every island in the game and found myself constantly saying, “I’ll connect one more island” before I ended a play session. But the islands that featured exciting battles were my favorite, as I really enjoy turn-based RPG battles.

As a lifelong Paper Mario fan, the Mario & Luigi series’ similar gameplay was always attractive to me. This is especially true for Brothership, which features an incredibly fun turn-based battle system. You control Mario and Luigi separately, teaming up for most of their attacks with their actions mapped to the A or B/X or Y buttons. Essentially, every attack (especially the Bros) is a minigame, requiring button presses at specific times or wackier actions such as controlling an unwieldy tornado with the control stick. Plus, dodging or countering enemy attacks also plays like a minigame, as Mario and Luigi time jumps or hammer swings to protect themselves. System add-ons are Battle Plugs, special items which give Mario and Luigi all sorts of unique abilities and benefits. One might give Mario and Luigi’s attacks a shockwave effect to hit nearby enemies. Another gives a weakened brother a free Mushroom to heal in a pinch. Some plugs even have special effects when set at the same time, resulting in crazy things like a shock wave which drops iron balls on enemies! This is the most engaging and pleasurable RPG battle system I’ve played in recent years. There’s always something new to discover with these battles!

The Visuals and Sound 

I couldn’t get into the previous Mario & Luigi games because they felt so much less immersive and open than the Paper Mario games I knew so well. I just couldn’t really enjoy exploring them on handheld video game consoles and in 2D. The fact that Mario & Luigi: Brothership is in 3D got me interested in the game, and it made a huge difference in how I experienced it. The world feels open, expansive and explorable with a wide range of visuals. The islands I visited were colorful, vibrant, and full of cool characters and made the world of Concordia come alive. The 3D character animation is incredible for a series whose last entry utilized 2D sprites. Cutscenes are abundant with expressive character animations and music hand-crafted for many scenes. In fact, the music is a huge highlight in itself – catchy, joyful, and all-around excellent.

Most islands have their own unique music tracks and there were no tracks I disliked in the entire game. I spent a lot of time on Shipshape Island, but the tune playing never got old and created a real sense of seafaring adventure. The initial island Mario visits in the opening of the game has one of the best tracks I’ve heard in a video game in all of 2024. I can’t wait for Mario and Luigi: Brothership’s soundtrack to be added to the Nintendo Music app on smartphones. The music also adds to the game’s many cutscenes, amplifying important moments in the narrative.

The Story

The Mario & Luigi series has always been known for having more in-depth stories than Mario’s usual platforming adventures. Brothership takes this to the next level with its immersive 3D world and lovable characters. The narrative in Brothership has a surprising amount of emotional depth, with many surprises along the way. The main story – helping a young girl named Connie reconnect the separated continent of Concordia – is bolstered by the subplots of each sea and island you explore. You’ll find yourself caring about each of the characters, from the misfit children of IDLE to a lovestruck couple trying to bridge the divide between their home islands. Snoutlet, our guide character who tags along for the whole adventure, is a superb companion for the Mario Bros. (Remember:  Snoutlet is not a pig!) The narrative has an incredible sense of payoff as you follow your adventure to its conclusion.

The Problems

Mario & Luigi: Brothership is not perfect. The pacing has some minor issues; the earliest portion of the game feels a bit slow. It really picks up after you get past the initial few islands. Another issue is the game’s technical performance. It’s pretty decent but it has a few hiccups along the way due to the aging Nintendo Switch hardware. These performance weaknesses won’t hinder your enjoyment, however, just whet your appetite for the upcoming successor to Nintendo Switch. Aside from that, there aren’t any other notable issues with Brothership. It’s an incredibly polished and well-crafted game, truly worthy of the all-important Nintendo Seal of Quality.

The Final Word

Mario & Luigi: Brothership is not only my favorite game of 2024 and one of my favorite Mario RPGs. It’s also one of my favorite RPG games ever. Every minute spent with this game was a joy, and I had a “what do I do now?” moment when I completed the story. I highly recommend it. It’s a game anyone will have a blast playing. The theme of connections is especially relevant these days, as is the positive message of unconditional love and friendship despite our differences. Mario & Luigi: Brothership helps us realize how important such connections are.