When AlphaDream closed its doors in October 2019, many fans thought it was the end of the Mario & Luigi RPG series. However, this is clearly not the case Mario and Luigi: Brotherhood It marks a brand new entry on Nintendo Switch, with some of the developers from the past returning to create this new adventure.. Brotherhood It manages to deliver some of the most entertaining features of past games, including slapstick humor and rhythm-based combat. The result is a largely enjoyable RPG that doesn’t change the formula too much; This should be welcome news for those who missed the series.

Mario and Luigi: BrotherhoodIts name comes from Shipshape Island, the place the brothers call home base for most of the game. Shipshape Island is the location of a Uni-Tree seed that has the power to hold all of Concordia together. The connection to land has been mysteriously cut off, and the siblings must travel between islands to reconnect them to Shipshape. Reaching different islands occurs as players explore and connect with new currents in the sea. Once an island is located, Mario and Luigi can be launched to that location using a cannon on Shipshape Island. If the heroes cannot reach the cannon while the island is within range, they will have to wait for it to approach.

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Luckily, the Toads have created an option to make Shipshape go faster early in the game, allowing players to speed things up if they’re trying to reach a more distant island. Once Mario and Luigi restore the Connectar flow that connects these islands to Shipshape, players will be able to travel freely between locations via the Warp Pipe as citizens normally separated from each other. Aside from the islands, Concordia’s seas are also full of smaller islets to explore and reefs, which factor into one of the game’s side quests.

The main theme works well and adds some interesting story beats as well as side quests for the heroes to complete. As a result of Concordia’s departure, families and friends have also been separated, and players can help reunite them. This adds a little more heart to the narrative, but there’s also a lot of humor and there are plenty of giggle-inducing moments in the story. As mentioned in our hands-on preview last monthMuch of the play’s humor comes from the physical demeanor of the two main characters. Mario and Luigi remain silent, but the characters are more expressive. Brotherhood more than any other video game. His facial expressions help convey his emotions very well, and the slapstick quality is one of the best parts of the game.

Anyone who has played Mario RPG should have a good idea of ​​what to expect from the battle system. Mario and Luigi: Brotherhood It features turn-based combat that combines rhythm and platforming. The duo’s attacks deal more damage when pressed in time with commands, and they can block most enemy attacks in the same way. It starts out pretty simple, with Mario and Luigi working together to make each other’s basic attacks do more damage. As the game progresses and players become Bros. Things get more and more complex as you learn things like Attacks or Luigi Logic. Missing the beat or pressing the required button can quickly become costly, and the difficulty is manageable but higher than players might expect. It might take a few tries to get it right with some moves, and even after some practice I would slip and end up in trouble.

everything in the world Mario and Luigi: Brotherhood It is inspired by electronics and this extends to the combat system. As players spend a few hours in the game, they will discover a new mechanism called Battle Plugs. Mario and Luigi can craft Tokens in battle, which have various effects, such as reducing the damage taken by certain attacks or increasing damage dealt to airborne enemies. Only two Plugs can be inserted into the Power Tap at a time, and they can drain quickly, requiring players to switch and recharge. This forces players to think carefully about when to use them. If I have one complaint about the system, it’s that Plugs don’t stay in the Power Tap when they run out of charge, so even after recharging, players have to reinsert them from the menu to use them again. It can be easy to forget this and as a result I would go great distances without using them.

One of the more interesting elements Mario and Luigi: Brotherhood is that players are given a handful of opportunities to make choices that will shape the overall narrative of the game. Sometimes this is as simple as choosing the order of islands to visit, but other times it’s a bigger deal and can have an impact on the difficulty level. There are even some limited-time side quests that can only be completed at certain points in the game. Sometimes these side quests add a little extra to the story, but sometimes they allow siblings to unlock items and gain extra experience. The game does a great job of letting players know which missions are limited and which aren’t, thanks to a helpful menu and special color patterns assigned to each. The little extra freedom these choices provide is nice, but I found myself pressured to do limited-time missions for fear of missing out on something special.

Presentation Mario and Luigi: Brotherhood It is mostly strong. The graphics don’t quite push the Nintendo Switch to its limits (there are better-looking games on the console); but developers find plenty of ways to impress, from beautiful water effects to cool character animations. The music is also very enjoyable, with many tracks that will stay in your mind long after a playing session is over (I hope they come to Nintendo Music quickly). My personal favorite was the leveling music, and Mario and Luigi’s celebratory animations are a highlight every time.

While the presentation and world are clever, there are times when the character designs fall a bit flat. All of Concordia’s inhabitants have faces inspired by electrical outlets, in keeping with the overall theme of the game, but this can make NPCs blend together, causing some to be forgotten. Luckily, the design team found some clever ways to separate the cast, and the writing makes sure a few of them, like the IDLE members, stand out. Fortunately, enemies don’t have the same problem, as there are some very powerful villain designs that are similarly inspired by electronics.

Over the past year, Switch fans have been treated to remasters and remakes of two of the best Nintendo RPGs available. Super Mario RPG And Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. Mario and Luigi: Brotherhood it doesn’t quite reach the same heights as those games; No Standout original characters like Vivian or Geno and the overall adventure aren’t all that memorable. However, the high points Mario and Luigi: Brotherhood They make the game an easy recommendation and a reminder of why the series is so compelling. There was a point where these games came out too frequently, but after a long hiatus between new entries I found myself hoping we weren’t waiting another nine years until the next one.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Mario and Luigi: Brotherhood It will be released on Nintendo Switch on November 7. For the purpose of this review, a code was provided by the publisher and was reviewed on the Nintendo Switch OLED.