As a longtime fan of the Mario & Luigi series, I must say that Brothership is a delightful addition to the franchise. The game combines all the elements we love about the series: humor, exciting combat, and a charming art style. It’s like stepping into a candy-coated world filled with whimsical characters, much like stepping into Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory!
Upon AlphaDream’s dissolution in 2019, it seemed to me that the Mario & Luigi role-playing game series might have come to an end. These games were recognized for their brief lifespans but packed with humor, focusing on quick, rhythmic button presses for fast-paced gameplay.
Ever since the debut of Superstar Saga, I’ve been a dedicated fan. Hearing about its demise left me quite disheartened. However, my spirits were lifted when Nintendo unveiled an unexpected sequel: Mario & Luigi: Partnership Beyond Worlds.
It sends our misguided brethren into the peculiar, isolated realm of Concordia, where they embark on a delightful and more substantial journey within the vibrant series.
I’m On a Boat!
Once upon a time, in the world I inhabit as a gamer, Concordia was bound by a colossal Uni-Tree that was a blend of life and technology. If you can imagine an energy source merging both organic and electric elements, then you’ve got it right. This tree broadcasted a force called Connectar across the land until, all of a sudden, it was brought down to dust. The aftermath left chaos as everything began to separate, with the once unified land fragmenting into numerous islands.
Mario, along with his brother Luigi, collaborate with a chatty pig creature called Snoutlet and a youthful Wattanist named Connie in an effort to resolve the issue at hand. Remarkably, Connie had anticipated this by sowing a seed from the Uni-Tree in Shipshape Island, serving as the game’s central hub area.
In Brothership, the storyline was acceptable, but it didn’t leave a lasting impression on me. Granted, there were some thought-provoking topics like the importance of camaraderie, but I found the antagonists unimpressive.
The Extension Corps are their name, and they serve under a villain known as Zokket. While they offer an interesting contrast, none of them captivated me as the antagonists from the previous game did.
Additionally, I find the initial presentation a bit lacking as well. Instead of being told through narrative, it seems focused on a situation where Luigi narrowly escapes peril, only to be rescued by Mario.
In some manner, it creates an entrance to Concordia, drawing in multiple inhabitants from the Mushroom Kingdom.
To be honest, I wasn’t hoping for literary masterpieces. Instead, I was hoping for a more detailed explanation as to why certain events transpired. Fortunately, the narrative isn’t the main draw of this game, similar to how gameplay trumps story in most Mario & Luigi RPGs. So, let’s dive into the gameplay experience instead.
Link It Up
It’s possible that you’re curious about how a pair of plumbers, along with a young Wattanist, can reconnect the land. The solution lies in connecting them to the Uni-Tree. Each island features a lighthouse, and when activated, it reveals a massive flying cork.
Mario and Luigi navigate their way back to Shipshape Island, securing it to the Uni-Tree which serves as an anchor, allowing the island to follow closely behind them. Let’s not dwell on the mechanics; after all, even I didn’t give it much thought!
It’s exciting to note that after connecting, villagers can journey to Shipshape Island, offering additional missions if they choose. Furthermore, Connectar Flowers will blossom, revealing previously unseen areas on the island. Additionally, mysterious Sprite Bulbs will emerge from their hiding spots.
Additionally, you have the option to visit any connected island through the provided Teleportation Device. With this tool, you can quickly return to Shipshape or any other linked island instantly if needed.
As a dedicated fan, I must say what truly left me awestruck about Mario & Luigi: Brothership was the sheer abundance of content it offers. Unlike past installments, this game presents you with significant choices at various junctures. One such instance is deciding whether to rescue Billdit or Maykit, both renowned for their crafting prowess in gloves and accessories respectively.
Later on, you’ll make choices such as sending Princess Peach or Luigi on an undercover mission.
Even though the main plot stays consistent, it’s enjoyable to have multiple chances to play through. Regarding the additional missions mentioned earlier, many of these require prompt completion due to their time constraints. Therefore, it’s wise to address them early on in your gameplay.
Luigi Hates Cannons
The primary gameplay involves navigating using your Sea Chart to journey toward different tides, uncovering islands along the way, blasting them with Mario and Luigi via the Large Cannon. Connecting lighthouses is also part of the routine. However, you’ll find there’s a considerable amount of combat scattered throughout your adventure.
It’s great that once more, Mario & Luigi: Brothership excels in this aspect. Wisely, they chose to structure the adventure as a full-fledged RPG instead of one where battles are just an option, like in Paper Mario: The Origami King.
As you advance in levels, your statistics will improve. Reaching specific achievements will grant you promotions, enabling you to select a passive advantage, like enhancing the damage of hammers, progressing through levels faster, or even extra equipment slots.
In the earlier versions of Mario & Luigi games, I regretted not being able to customize my character’s stats freely. However, I found the system where everyone had an equal footing to be reasonable and well-balanced.
Furthermore, each brother tends to specialize in specific areas as they advance. Mario leans towards boosting his speed and strength, while Luigi takes on a more defensive role, with an emphasis on both defense and stache points.
Over more than 20 hours of playtime, I developed Luigi into a master of hammer use, while Mario honed his skill in leaping.
Hammer and Bounce
In this game, combat operates in a sequence where each action has its own time slot. Despite using the same A button to choose actions for both characters, you’ll press A for Mario and B for Luigi afterwards.
As a fan, I’d advise you to stay alert to enemy signals to discern which sibling they’re after, and you can even employ an innovative feature called Emergency Guard if you’re unsure about the timing. However, do remember that your stats will still be affected by enemy reductions when using this ability.
In the heat of combat, you can choose to attack enemies by leaping onto them or striking them with hammers, when available. If an enemy has spikes, it’s best to opt for the hammer, and if they’re airborne, you’ll need to jump on them.
Additionally, you’ll accumulate a variety of Bros. Attacks, but this won’t be due to your character level progression. Instead, these attacks are created by a quirky genius and provided to you.
Those include the Red Shell, Green Shell, Zapperator, Bomb Derby, Jump Helmet, and my personal favorite, Hatch Me if You Can.
Timing your attacks perfectly will earn you an Excellent rating, inflicting significantly more damage. Unlike other games, in Brothership, brotherly attacks switch to a nearly first-person view prior to requiring A and B button presses.
In this game, what makes it stand out are the Battle Plugs and Power Taps. As you journey through the islands, you might stumble upon elusive creatures known as Sprite Bulbs.
In due course, you’ll find yourself amassing these items without yet understanding their purpose, but rest assured, they will eventually serve to craft Battle Plugs from the menu. The Power Tap, which governs how many of these items can be active simultaneously, will expand as your story progresses.
Various Battle Plug configurations yield distinct outcomes, including infecting particular enemy types with adverse conditions, immobilizing clusters of adversaries through freezing, and raining spiked projectiles upon them when a superior attack sequence is achieved.
My only complaint about this novel system is that each Battle Plug has a limited number of uses before they have to be recharged, and doing so takes quite a while. Every action you use ticks down the timer, but it’s usually in excess of 20 or more turns.
Given that many typical battles conclude within 2-5 rounds, this battle seemed unduly prolonged. Moreover, the game doesn’t provide clear indications when a Battle Plug is fully powered up.
Platforming Plumbers
Despite being a Role-Playing Game (RPG), the Mario & Luigi series offers ample opportunities for platforming as well. In this game, Luigi naturally trails behind Mario, but by using the ‘L’ button, you can guide him to engage with any luminescent items visible on the screen.
Here’s one way of paraphrasing it in natural and easy-to-read language: He does tasks such as picking vegetables from the soil, breaking open boxes with his hammer, and flipping switches. It feels like he’s a colossal Pikmin character, while Mario takes on the role of Captain Olimar, which I found amusing.
Additionally, you have the option to operate each brother individually. To make Mario leap, press ‘A’, for Luigi, use ‘B’ to jump, and utilize ‘X’ and ‘Y’ to swing their hammers accordingly.
To successfully tackle a multitude of puzzles together, they must coordinate their actions effectively. This process, filled with excitement, will involve passing items back and forth, maneuvering through complex platforms and labyrinths, skimming over lava, among other thrilling activities.
The Brains of the Operation
In the game, what I enjoy most is a feature known as Luigi Logic. This aspect pays homage to the humor that I found delightful in earlier versions of the game.
Luigi’s bursts of creative ideas enable the siblings to employ novel methods, such as the unique Bros. Transformations (distinct from Bros. Actions). These allow them to merge and change into bizarre new shapes, helping them traverse their surroundings more effectively.
With the UFO Hovercraft, you can glide over deep gaps, while the Small Ball enables you to maneuver through narrow passages. Later on, you’ll unlock the Fire and Ice Flowers, which let your characters freeze and thaw obstacles as needed. Additionally, you’ll master supplementary skills – for instance, the UFO can collect coins automatically, or the Small Ball can speed up hills much like a certain mascot hedgehog does.
Beyond that, it’s worth noting that Luigi Logic is crucial during tough boss fights as well. By mastering short minigames, you can momentarily stun the boss, providing an excellent opportunity to inflict substantial damage before they have a chance to regain strength.
Beautiful Boneheads
In terms of appearance, Mario & Luigi: Brothership has a sweet, vibrant style that aligns well with the series. The characters resemble a hand-drawn aesthetic similar to The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.
In Concordia, the design for its inhabitants offers a playful touch, with each resident featuring a socket-like face and either being as thin as a rail or having a rounder, plumper shape, similar to characters like Mario and Luigi.
As a gamer, I found myself really digging into the unique design of the Extension Corps, a squad that gives off a vibe similar to what Fawful would be like if he were part of a boy band. The music in this game is quite lively and carefree, though it might not stick with you as strongly as some other soundtracks.
Regarding user-friendliness, Brothership offers a decent balance in its design. The narrative effectively signals when a decision presents a greater challenge, and the game frequently auto-saves to ensure progress isn’t lost.
In many places, you can easily come across Savings and Recovery Blocks, which made me feel financially secure as there were always plenty of them readily available.
On Shipshape Island, it adjusts its speed when nearing an intriguing island or object, making navigation effortless thanks to the convenient Return Pipe. However, despite these features, the game didn’t quite meet perfection yet.
Room For Improvement
Earlier, I expressed my dissatisfaction about the Battle Plugs, as I believe they could have been designed more efficiently and user-friendly, considering they are presented towards the end of the process.
I find myself slightly frustrated with the speed at which the game progresses. It took me around 3 to 4 hours before I met my first boss, and I felt that it came a bit too late in the game’s flow. However, once the action started, things definitely got more exciting.
To be honest, towards the end, I found myself questioning some parts of the game that seemed unnecessary or appeared sparingly.
As a devoted fan, I stumbled upon secret Grandpa Turnips along my journey, imparting their “wisdom” as I went. It wasn’t until the climax of the adventure that I realized I had earned something for engaging with them. Additionally, those captivating Brother Groove segments had me tapping my foot and wishing there were even more of them to enjoy throughout the game.
Closing Comments:
In a vibrant and energetic addition to the Role Playing Game (RPG) series, Mario & Luigi: Brothership delivers engaging and entertaining combat, a dash of humor, and an unexpected level of replayability through various branching choices and side quests. However, there are some aspects that could use improvement, like the Battle Plugs and Power Tap mechanics, as well as moments where the pace of the adventure feels sluggish. Nonetheless, fans of turn-based RPGs are likely to discover plenty of enjoyment in this exclusive title on the Nintendo Switch.
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2024-11-13 21:10