Mario & Luigi: Brothership (Nintendo, Switch)
FOR Mario’s Switch swansong, Nintendo has turned to the black sheep of the family. A mainstay on handhelds, Mario & Luigi’s mix of platform-hopping and role-play started life on the Game Boy Advance back in 2004, though we haven’t had a new game since the decade-old 3DS charmer Paper Jam.
For the series‘ debut on a home console, it’s all hands on deck for some seafaring shenanigans that leave the Mushroom Kingdom in their wake. Rather than saving Princess Peach, an entire archipelago needs our heroes‘ help, with a vast collection of islands disconnected from their energy source in the land of Concordia.
Kicking off on the floating Shipshape Island, a floating base camp that has splintered into numerous parts, our superstar sibs step in to save the day in a breezy RPG that sees the brothers sailing the high seas, firing themselves into parts unknown for a delightful dose of platforming, puzzle-solving and turn-based battles.
All the trappings of a big-boy RPG are here, with experience to gain, gear to upgrade and a growing arsenal of moves. Equipping with Battle Plugs enhances the pair’s combat chops, though each has a limited number of charges, and hot-swapping perks during fights gives our brothers a tactical edge.
Also new is Luigi Logic, where gaming’s second most famous plumber experiences flashes of inspiration that can either uncover secrets or introduce game-changing tactics during boss battles.
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Being a Mario game, the platforming and battles often take a backseat to scene-stealing mini-games, which range from synchronised dance routines and hide and seek to helping a disco dancer get his groove (and hair gel) back.
Platforming and battles often take a backseat to scene-stealing mini-games, which range from synchronised dance routines and hide and seek to helping a disco dancer get his groove (and hair gel) back
Visually, Nintendo slathers on the kind of razzle-dazzle that was impossible with the series’ handheld past. Rather than aping the Mario Movie, cutscenes have a Saturday morning cartoon charm while the animation of our brothers has never been more jiggly. Mario’s always been big boned, but Brothership puts the ‘plump’ into plumber as our heroes wobble and sway like fat-camp escapees.
Musically, there’s many a ditty of brotherly love, with a big band soundtrack from Hideki Sakamoto, who finally gets to score Nintendo’s crown jewel after noodling on Pokemon and Super Smash Bros.
Brothership isn’t always plain sailing, though. While I love me some Mario role-play, the latest is far too easy, with aggressive handholding that ensures younger players are brought along for the ride at the expense of series vets.
While M&L’s handheld efforts were designed for bite-sized dips, Brothership sacrifices brevity for a 30-hour run-time that’ll test the patience as much as the game tests its ageing hardware, with chugging frame rates that make your paradise-hopping more stutter island.
Still, for some entry-level role-play starring gaming’s most famous siblings, Brothership’s slapstick seafaring is always nautical but nice.
