The Mario & Luigi series came as a shock to players when it first debuted way back in 2003 with Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga on the Game Boy Advance, bringing the famous plumber and his brother, Luigi, into the role-playing realm for the first time since Super Mario RPG. Since then, the franchise has remained a bright spot in Nintendo’s RPG lineup, with new titles and remakes of previous ones showing up throughout the years to the delight of fans. The newest outing for the duo comes by way of Mario & Luigi: Brothership, promising to take us on an exciting journey with our two favorite plumbers once again.
If you’re considering picking up Mario & Luigi: Brothership and have a few lingering questions about what to expect, here’s what you need to know about this role-playing adventure.
Is Mario & Luigi: Brothership a direct sequel?
The Mario & Luigi franchise often features returning themes and characters, but you don’t need to have played the previous entries to understand the newest.
The altest games takes players to a brand-new world called Concordia, which is located far from the Mushroom Kingdom the brothers are used to saving. Here, they meet an entirely new cast of characters, such as their new flying pig-like companion Snoutlet, and set off on an adventure across multiple islands to restore the shattered world of Concordia.
You spend your time sailing across Concordia on Shipshape Island—an island that functions as, well, a ship. This acts as your main hub, where you’ll send the brothers out to explore other islands in the sea by firing them out of cannons. It’s a unique system that helps the game feel much more expansive than previous titles in the series.
What kind of game is Mario & Luigi: Brothership?
As with all of the other games in the Mario & Luigi series, Mario & Luigi: Brothership is a role-playing game that features turn-based combat akin to games like Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest—albeit a bit more family-friendly and accessible. The game’s battle system allows you to assign specific attacks to Mario and Luigi separately, such as hammer smashes and jumps, as well as combine the brothers for attack combos that can deal devastating damage.
When you’re not in battle, you explore Concordia’s various islands where you engage with NPCs to expand upon the world-building and complete side quests. This entry in the series even includes Bros. Moves, which helps you solve environmental puzzles you encounter by letting the brothers use fire and ice spells or even roll into a ball.
How long is Mario & Luigi: Brothership?
Mario & Luigi: Brothership is the longest game in the Mario & Luigi series, spanning around 30 hours for an average playthrough. This would include pushing through the main campaign while casually dabbling in a bit of the optional content on offer.
Those looking to see everything in Mario & Luigi: Brothership, however, can easily squeeze another 10-20 hours out of the RPG doing all of its side quests and supplementary mini-games for a total of 50 or more hours of total playtime.
What do the reviews say about Mario & Luigi: Brothership?
Mario & Luigi: Brothership has received mixed reviews. Most reviewers have praised its enjoyable combat and generally likable cast of characters. However, many have bemoaned the overabundance of dialogue, endlessly repetitive jokes, and excessive hand-holding. Perhaps most importantly, some critics say the game feels much more geared toward a younger audience than previous titles in the series. As such, Nintendo may have overcorrected toward that demographic just a bit too much.
Given Mario & Luigi: Brothership’s somewhat polarizing reception, I’d recommend watching or reading a variety of reviews to weigh how these various pros and cons might affect your enjoyment of the game before you spend your hard-earned money on it. Everyone’s different, of course, and what bothers some folks might not bother you at all.
Is Mario & Luigi: Brothership co-op?
Though Mario & Luigi: Brothership teases the idea of co-op by name alone, you may be disappointed to hear that this role-playing outing provides no multiplayer functionality whatsoever. This is an entirely solo experience wherein you control the two plumber brothers with a single controller.
If you’re looking for a Mario title with some multiplayer fun, though, you can always hop into the new Mario Party Jamboree with some pals. Just don’t bite each other’s heads off in the process.
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