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In a year when Nintendo has released two brilliant turn-based Mario RPG games, it's an achievement in itself that Mario & Luigi Brothership – like no other, a truly original game – deserves your attention.
If you judge all three as first-time experiences, Brothership doesn't have as strong characters or scenarios as the all-time classic RPGs Super Mario and Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, and is sometimes let down by some by some. blunt puzzle. But otherwise, this is a highly dynamic, inventive and vibrant adventure, with enough original ideas to set it apart – even if you've sunk hundreds of hours into Mario RPGs this year.
While the other two Switch games are dream-come-true remakes for many fans, the prospect of the first new Mario & Luigi series in nine years is extra special. And, while Paper Mario et al's games haven't taken off over the last decade, there's no doubt that this is the best original Mario role-playing release since those classics.
Like the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS titles with which it shares DNA, Brothership is an adventure filled with colorful worlds, original characters, hilarious dialogue, inventive mechanics, and a pair of expressive protagonists, all supported by the comfortably familiar mechanics of a strong game . turn-based fighter.
Switch's entry sees a pair of plumbers visiting the mysterious land of Concordia, where life is a mix of biological and electrical devices, and the people look like a mix of bushes and sockets. It's inspired art direction – and the game itself is gorgeous – with creatures shaped like familiar electronic equipment, like HDMI cables and speakers. This also results in some top-notch puns (the game's main NPC, who tends a giant electricity-generating tree, is described as a 'Watanist', who wants you to collect 'Luminade').
Mario & Luigi find the land of Concordia in trouble, having split into dozens of islands, spread across the vast ocean. The main goal of the story is to reconnect them, while also trying to return to the Mushroom Kingdom. The game's theme of reconnecting communities becomes the basis for a story about the bonds between brothers and community, similar to Death Stranding with Goombas.
The plumbers explore Concordia using Shipshape Island, which is a kind of world-connecting ship that can sail around the ocean. Players can decide where to send Shipshape by plotting a path across the map, like a train on a track, and then locate any islands they pass by using a telescope that doubles as a cannon to launch towards them. This is a really cool idea and a refreshing base for this adventure.
By dividing the game into a series of islands, developer Acquire was able to add a variety of environments, but also ensure that they felt part of a cohesive world. This also provides a very satisfying sense of progress, because once connected (by a giant lighthouse with a plug-in extension cable, of course), each island is truly attached to the Brothership and will follow it around the ocean, like a fleet of islands.
For those who, like us, picked up the third Mario RPG series in the last 12 months, the Mario & Luigi games are different in a number of ways. Overall, there is a greater focus on action and platforming compared to the turn-based combat in the Paper Mario games, with players controlling Mario and Luigi simultaneously in often frantic scenarios.
“Overall, there is a greater focus on action and platforming compared to the turn-based combat in the Paper Mario games, with players controlling Mario and Luigi simultaneously in often frantic scenarios.”
The pair's actual walking movements are synchronized, but players can independently control their jumps and attacks for some pretty unique platforming gameplay. The pair also have Bros Moves they can use during exploration, allowing them, for example, to transform into a UFO to traverse large gaps, and Luigi can be instructed to destroy nearby scenery chests using the L button, which results in quick coin and item mining.
Ahead of launch, Nintendo said that it was bringing the Mario brothers closer together than ever for this entry, and it really feels like it: The Brotherships animations are very expressive, with the brothers helping each other to perform acrobatic moves, or lifting their fallen sibling. fell. their shoulders when defeated.
The relationship between the pair also feels warmer, with Luigi no longer acting as the weak sidekick, but the smarter of the brothers, who throughout the game often finds solutions to puzzles and boss fights with his hilarious 'Luigi Logic'. animation.
Personality goes a long way in this type of game, and like previous handheld entries in the Mario & Luigi series, Brothership is a very wholesome adventure, with fun, irreverent dialogue and creative plot points. The characters here aren't as memorable as the TTYD and SMRPG casts of all time, with an over-reliance on similar designs, but overall, we enjoyed exploring their backstories and solving their problems through a large number of side missions.
Surprisingly, with less play time compared to other Mario RPGs in terms of playtime, the turn-based combat proved to be our favorite part of the adventure. The combat is very traditional, with Mario & Luigi able to level up and customize their stats, but it's also always fresh thanks to a fun amount of interactivity, a variety of enemies and moves, and a powerful Battle Plugs feature.
Like previous entries, Mario & Luigi's turn-based combat is highly interactive. Paper Mario's timed button presses are here, but the dynamism is increased. When attacking, players can combine attacks from Mario and Luigi, by pressing A and B at the right time, depending on which brother is visible. Well-timed moves can result in long combos, which can see Mario jump on top of a baddie and then Luigi kick him back for another hit.
“Personality goes a long way in this type of game, and like previous handheld entries in the Mario & Luigi series, Brothership is a very wholesome adventure, with fun, irreverent dialogue and creative plot points.”
This is even more interesting when defending, as each enemy attacks in a variety of patterns that can each be blocked once you figure them out, such as by jumping at the right time to avoid an attack, or throwing projectiles at the enemy. It's a satisfying dynamic and means you get to be more involved in the action compared to more relaxed turn-based games.
Bros Attacks also return, which are special moves performed by completing a series of spectacular QTEs, such as kicking a shell like a football, with each pass between the brothers resulting in a more powerful attack. But the most significant feature in combat is the aforementioned Battle Plugs, which allow players to activate various bonuses, such as enhancing certain attacks making it easier to counterattack, preventing effects such as dizziness, or adding automatic healing.
Unlike similar modifiers in Paper Mario games, Brothership Plugs are not found, but are created via the pause menu, using currency found by exploring the various islands. Most importantly, it also expires, so you can choose to recharge or exchange it. This means you're essentially forced to experiment, rather than sticking to the same favorites, and throughout the game's long story, we appreciated how this made us consider each encounter, rather than brute force ourselves.
When it was first announced, the prospect of another 50 hour long Mario RPG did make me feel a bit weary. So, Mario & Luigi Brothership's singular approach was truly a pleasant surprise. The series' home console debut retains the vibrant character and action-oriented platforming of its predecessors, coupled with fantastic exploration and satisfying combat mechanics. The campaign has some uneven moments, especially around backtracking and obtuse puzzles, but overall it's a triumphant return to the Mario & Luigi series.
Those are the three best Mario RPGs of the last twelve months. If you're picking one up to play for the first time, it'll be hard not to point to the other two classic remakes, but Brothership does offer something truly different, and the fact that it stands in such close proximity is a huge compliment. .
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