As a seasoned gamer who has spent countless hours exploring the vibrant worlds of RPGs, I found myself both captivated and somewhat disappointed with Mario & Luigi: Brothership. This game, being my first foray into the series on the Nintendo Switch, was touted as a grand adventure that would keep me engaged for hours on end. However, what I encountered felt more like an exhausting trek rather than a joyful journey.
Over a decade past, I penned my inaugural review for RPG Site. The game, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, was largely amusing as an RPG but seemed to linger too long, with tedious rhythm, prolonged playtime, and overly abundant tutorials. With well over a hundred reviews under my belt now, Mario & Luigi: Brothership brings back a sense of familiarity; it’s almost like I’ve been here before – a rather unfortunate sense of déjà vu.
It’s nice to assume that most people have a good understanding of what they’ll find when diving into the Mario & Luigi series. It’s not about experiencing deep, emotional storytelling or intricate team-building strategies, but rather enjoying a lighthearted, action-packed journey with unique characters and vibrant battles. In this regard, Brothership largely delivers on those expectations.
In simple terms, the story begins with an introduction that’s straightforward to understand. The characters, Mario and Luigi, find themselves transported to a unique world called Concordia, which is built on water and has a giant tree at its core, connecting all the individual islands. Unfortunately, this central Uni-tree was devastated by evil forces. Now, it’s our heroes’ mission to help create a new Uni-tree, restoring the connection between the separated islands once more.
The central element powering this scenario is Connie, a youthful expert in Wattanism (similar to botanist), diligently cultivating a novel Uni-tree. Her hat seems like an electrical outlet, and interestingly, the faces of all Concordians share a resemblance with electrical outlets too. This game’s unique selling point is its heavy use of circuitry jokes and design. It might be a bit corny at times, but I find it endearing nonetheless.
As a dedicated gamer, diving into the first console installment of Mario & Luigi felt like stepping into a grand cinematic spectacle. Unlike past games, this one boasts fully realized characters and settings, and even includes some substantial choreographed cutscenes – something the franchise was previously devoid of. Overall, I’m generally pleased with the direction the series has taken, although I must admit I still hold a special place in my heart for classic sprite work. However, I found myself needing to adjust to the consistent blue shading used throughout the game, as it occasionally gives the illusion of color bleeding around certain characters.
In this game, I find myself immersed in a world named Concordia, where the storyline heavily emphasizes on themes of bonds and unity that are as tangible as the virtual landscape itself. There’s a hint of shonen anime vibe to it, which may seem odd, but it works. Friendship, determination, and camaraderie are woven throughout the game in a way that’s hard to ignore. It’s a straightforward theme, but I can’t help but appreciate its simplicity and impactful execution.
In Brothership, the Bros voyage from one island to another within Concordia, finishing tasks on each island to link them to the Uni-tree. The main base, Shipshape Island (nicknamed Brothership), is both home to the Uni-tree and a vessel capable of navigating Concordia’s waters, hence its name. Your ship’s course in Concordia’s waters is usually marked on the UI’s upper left corner. Once an island is linked to your ship’s Uni-tree, you can revisit it whenever you wish, which you might do often if you enjoy completing side missions.
In Brothership, there’s an unusual feature early on where you can choose a destination on your Concordia sea map, but it takes actual time for your ship to reach the new island. If you’re traveling a great distance, the journey might take several minutes. During this travel period, the game encourages you to explore previously visited islands or work on improving your ship by leveling up and earning money. A tutorial hint suggests that you can use this downtime for grinding, if you prefer.
The ‘time-wasting mechanism during ship travel’ in this game seems quite peculiar, yet fortunately, it doesn’t last long. Notably, you quickly acquire a means to speed up your ship significantly, reducing the wait time almost completely. While I appreciate that the game acknowledged the need for a solution to the travel mechanic and spared me from lengthy waits each time I wished to visit a new location, it leaves me pondering why such a concept was ever considered in the first place.
In Brothership battles, you’ll find a familiar rhythm if you’ve played previous Mario & Luigi games or other Mario RPGs like Super Mario RPG on Switch. In this game, it’s just Mario and Luigi who fight, and while the combat is turn-based, you need to press specific buttons for each attack to maximize its impact. The moves are generally straightforward, but the Bros. Attack requires more intricate coordination and timing. This is the sixth installment in the Mario & Luigi series, and by now, the battle mechanics have become a staple of the franchise.
In Brothership, a unique feature introduced is the Battle Plug system, distinct from anything seen before in the series. At first glance, these plugs may appear similar to badges in games like Paper Mario, offering various enhancements to your abilities. However, their use is significantly different.
Essential facts about plugs include: 1) They can be activated at any moment, even during combat, and 2) They have a finite number of activations and require recharging, which takes a specific number of turns. Unlike badges in similar games that are primarily prepared and set beforehand, plugs will regularly switch in and out of your equipment. Initially, their capabilities may be limited, but they’ll develop more as you progress deeper into Brothership.
In the game, I might choose to equip my characters with plugs that enhance their attack power and flawlessly perform actions based on player input. Additionally, I’d add plugs that boost the number of charges for these enhanced attacks, enabling me to deal considerable damage early on. Later in the fight, I would replace those plugs with defensive ones that decrease the damage taken or make it easier to execute counters. For tough optional bosses, skillfully swapping plugs can significantly impact your combat skills.
Speaking frankly, I felt that Brothership could delve a bit more in-depth on this topic. While some compatible connections between certain features are noticeable, once you identify those few pairings, there isn’t as much variety to explore as I anticipated. Furthermore, the limitation of recharging plugs only when they’re completely depleted feels somewhat arbitrary and restrictive (consider if your phone could only be charged when it’s completely drained instead of before). Nevertheless, I appreciate the Battle Plug feature in Brothership and hope it will be developed further in the future.
Regrettably, despite finding the combat mechanics engaging and smartly designed, Brothership stumbles in various aspects. My main observation from Brothership is quite similar to my previous critique of Dream Team a decade ago: the game feels overly prolonged, with my total playtime exceeding 40 hours when accounting for all side activities. To put it frankly, I was eager for the game to conclude about 15-20 hours before the end credits appeared.
The length of a game isn’t always an issue, it’s true, and there are numerous RPGs longer than Brothership that are highly rated. However, Mario & Luigi RPGs aren’t typically built for extended adventures. Shorter games like Superstar Saga and Bowser’s Inside Story, which typically fall within the 20-25 hour range, are often well-received. The gameplay progression in these Mario & Luigi titles doesn’t provide as much diversity compared to other RPGs. You’ll acquire a handful of new Bros. Attacks throughout your journey, and the Battle Plugs offer some differences, but you’ll find yourself repeating similar jump and hammer animations frequently.
It feels like everything in Brothership takes about 25% longer than it should, from battles, to dialogue sequences, to storyline lengths, and cutscene duration. There are also numerous tutorials scattered throughout up until the end of the game, and I couldn’t help but recall similar takeaways to earlier games in the series. I’m thankful there’s a dialogue speed-up option, at least, even if it only seems to up the pace slightly. There are also no “Giant Dream Luigi” sections to slow things down, either.
In simpler terms, the game seems overly prolonged with numerous battles, tutorials, and unnecessary sections that might have been eliminated for a smoother experience. The pacing is exhausting, dialogue can be repetitive, and some elements feel unrelated to the overall storyline. Additionally, there appears to be repetition in both narrative and mechanical aspects of the game. By the end, I found myself feeling drained, which isn’t an uncommon sensation when playing Mario & Luigi titles.
Could it be possible that, since Superstar Saga was the first full-priced game in the series at $60, the developers felt a necessity to ensure the game offered a certain playtime duration, making it more attractive for potential buyers? After all, Superstar Saga is still a fantastic game, but one might find it hard to justify spending sixty dollars on a 20-hour experience if Mario & Luigi had been console releases much earlier. In the end, though, I can only suggest that those embarking on Brothership exercise some patience during their journey.
It’s disappointing yet expected that Brothership, being exclusive to Switch, encounters performance issues due to its platform. The game’s performance is generally inconsistent, as it frequently struggles to sustain a smooth framerate during most of its playtime. A consistent 60 FPS framerate would have significantly improved the game, but unfortunately, this isn’t an option. One can’t help but question if the game could have benefited from being released on Nintendo’s next-generation system instead. Regrettably, such thoughts are becoming increasingly prevalent with Nintendo games today.
The bond between Mario and Luigi has never been more expansive and dynamic within the series, introducing fresh battle strategies and vibrant visuals. Regrettably, a lengthy playtime and tiresome tempo diminish the overall enjoyment in both storyline and gameplay. If Brothership had been streamlined and more concise, it could have ranked among the finest installments; however, it falls short by extending its stay beyond what’s needed. In essence, it offers an entertaining game that wears out its welcome once more.
7
Versions tested: Nintendo Switch.
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2024-11-05 04:26