It’s been far too long between outings for Nintendo’s critically acclaimed Mario & Luigi RPG. This problem is believed to have been rectified with a stunning remake of two of the series’ most acclaimed titles, as well as Mario & Luigi: All-New Adventures of Brotherhood.
This interesting release strategy is a smart move on Nintendo’s part, and it makes sense given how beloved RPG spin-offs of some of Nintendo’s most iconic character sets have become. But just because the series is based on a strong legacy doesn’t mean Brothership is guaranteed to be a success. In fact, it’s mostly a disappointing entry, despite how many units the RPG will be moving in the coming months. I have to say, this is the first one that blew me away.
Developer AlphaDream then became the MVP of the Nintendo 3DS. Dream Team, Paper Jam, Superstar Saga, and Bowser’s Inside Story all improved on consistently innovative concepts, sketching out the Mario legend in classic JRPG style with neat mechanics and memorable boss fights. did. The simple formula was all but guaranteed, but Brothership’s flimsy story, nauseating obsession with holding hands, and generic puzzles result in a half-baked comeback.
This doesn’t bode well for Acquire, the startup development company that replaced AlphaDream after it filed for bankruptcy. But perhaps that’s what makes it a more solid, less eccentric entry in the Mario & Luigi series. Acquire is best known for serious RPGs like Octopath Traveler. As far as I know, this is the first time this developer has worked on a first-party Nintendo title. Dare I say it, it shows.
It’s not a pig, guys.
Until the excellent Mario vs. Rabbids came along, Mario & Luigi was the most entertaining spin-off series from pop culture’s most famous Italian plumber. Each story was fueled by an overly indulgent and quirky sense of humor that worked extremely well, especially when it involved everyone’s favorite misanthropic lizard, Bowser.
Brotherside is a sad exception. The rather mechanical hand holding is very constantly annoying and takes away the fun of the first few hours of the game. And while the tendency for overlong cutscenes and painfully obvious dialogue takes a step back as the game progresses, the unevenness taints the overall gameplay.
you are mario We lose Luigi for all but five minutes and end up in an alternate universe, a fractured continent in desperate need of saving. The archipelago is divided into multiple islands and your mission is to connect them via plugs. It’s simple, easy to understand, and interesting. As you can see, at its core, Brothership is about the need for connection, told through on-the-nose metaphors, like a blocky character walking around with a plug in his head.
While tasked with reconnecting all of Concordia’s islands, you’ll meet a number of supporting characters, all of whom compare to the colorful and well-drawn characters from previous Mario & Luigi games. and will be completely forgotten. The most troublesome are the snoutlets, a type of flying socket that vaguely resembles pigs. The new assistant likes to snuggle under Luigi’s hat and only tells one joke. It’s to remind everyone that Snoutlet is not a pig.
The dad-level humor makes the dialogue even more difficult to understand and breaks the immersion.
The battle is definitely the highlight
Most of the game’s opening time is spent barely walking a few steps before starting a new, overlong series of interactions with Snoutlet or another NPC that explain obvious solutions to obvious puzzles. This gets incredibly boring after a while, especially since the “fast forward” option where you hold B isn’t fast enough. This means that puzzles that take just a minute can take much longer simply because you’re spending more time rummaging through text bubbles than you are playing the game. Masu.
Given that people’s overall ability to pay attention is famously decreasing, regardless of age, Nintendo has come up with a better way to get past the over-the-top dialogue tendencies of traditional JRPGs. I think it’s better. Gamers aren’t as patient as they used to be.
Nintendo still manages to incorporate a lot of style into 34 hours of game time. Visually, the cutscenes are impressively rendered and engaging. I love the cartoon art used in most of the game. It feels fully fleshed out and far exceeds the potential of a 3DS title. That said, the denizens of Concordia seem lazy and blocky, while the early game enemies lack imagination.
Nintendo has introduced some new mechanics to make the game interesting, but this only really works when it comes to the game’s solid combat mechanics.
Luigi Logic is an interesting concept, but it completely blocks the use of Luigi in many puzzles. Mario & Luigi RPG was a lot of fun because you have to use the brothers to solve puzzles. Now all you have to do is watch Luigi come up with an idea and press L to execute it. Basically, Luigi teaches you how to solve puzzles with mostly guesswork. Literally, when an NPC forces you to hold your hand, the game loses any sense of reward.
So the title lives or dies in combat, but thankfully it’s still fun with quick-time events and interesting bros attacks. However, you’ll need to play at least half the game before the combat becomes even slightly difficult. Nintendo continues to make the game interesting by introducing battle plugs (like Paper Mario’s badges), which are modifiers that can be used to improve various stats during battle. This allows you to combine different combos smartly, adding an extra layer of strategy to your battles.
However, there are some battles that can be considered “a little difficult”, so they don’t feel very rewarding. In most cases, timed jump/hammer attacks and alternating recovery are best. This is pretty much the same problem Pokemon has. There’s a lot of room for strategy, but very few battles require strategy.
final thoughts
I wanted to love the brotherhood more. The Mario & Luigi RPG series gave the entire Mario series its most original moment of the 3DS era. While we may wish the Switch’s big debut had been more creative, a penchant for constantly long dialogue, over-the-top hand-holding, and simplistic mechanics puts this one in our favorite red and It’s been very average for the green duo.
3 stars (out of 5 stars)
Highlight: Adds even more fun combat mechanics to the series. A great message of connection and friendship. Battle plugs add an interesting dynamic to combat. great boss fight
Cons: Too much dialogue. Luigi is powerful and automated. outdated sense of humor
Developer: Acquire
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Available: Currently
Review was conducted on Nintendo Switch using a release code provided by the publisher.
