Way back when I played Mario & Luigi RPG games on the Nintendo DS, I always got a kick out of how they cleverly combined the controls for Mario and Luigi with the button mapping. As a result, it felt like you were taking both brothers on an adventure. The Nintendo Switch gets a new Mario & Luigi title just as the Nintendo Switch feels like it’s at the end of its life cycle, and while the game is a bit of fun, its graphical performance is making the Switch show its age.
We’re in a weird place for the Switch right now. The good games keep on coming, but a Switch 2 it’s a product that Nintendo has already acknowledged is coming next year. Meanwhile, Switch games are starting to feel like they’re holding down the fort for that console’s arrival, along with a potential slew of new games made specifically for it.
As much as I’ve enjoyed my hours playing Mario & Luigi: Brothership so far, it’s a familiar formula for Nintendo. Turn-based RPGs with time-based mechanics have been plentiful on the Switch, from Paper Mario: Origami King on the set of Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door. This is the first Mario & Luigi game since Bowser’s Inside Story on the Nintendo 3DS in 2018, though, so fans of that particular series are probably excited that it’s back again. But to me, the Mario & Luigi and Paper Mario games share a lot of gameplay style and a quirky sense of humor, so it doesn’t feel like a long absence.
Brotherhood has an interesting setup, where a giant island-shaped ship travels the ocean, discovering other lost islands, on a journey to reconnect the adorable world of Concordia. The ocean-bound exploration reminded me a bit of the classic The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, although the on-rails nature of how the ship travels on rail-shaped currents to find new areas also felt like the old Nintendo DS game Zelda Spirit Trails (deep cut there!).
Finding the islands, uncovering the secrets and challenges on each one, and collecting upgrades and new battle techniques for Mario and Luigi as they wander the 3D islands and do some weird platforming is most of what it’s all about this game. Battles, which are triggered when an enemy approaches you, can get tiring after a while. I felt this way about the turn-based battles in Origami King as well. Sometimes I just want to move on and find the next island or interesting boss battle. The story and discovery are what interested me, not the battles.
The platforming style of some parts of the game is fun, but it’s still more of a turn-based RPG.
Brotherhood’s laid-back style lends itself to playing on the go, and nothing feels overly demanding so far. What is a bit disappointing is the game’s frame rate at times. It gets especially shaky during moments that otherwise feel like 3D instances of a Mario and Luigi live-action cartoon.
Everything is playable, but it’s kind of a compromise that I’ve gotten used to in the last few games on the Switch. The 7-year-old device has had a great performance, but it’s time for a console upgrade that can make these games shine even more.
Am I deeply in love with Brotherhood so far? Not exactly. Do I like playing it? Absolutely. Like a solid book you can lose yourself in, this does the trick. But it also feels a bit forgettable in a deep list of amazing Nintendo Switch games.
FINDING Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom to be more my style, but Brotherhood is another really good RPG in a bunch of impressive Nintendo RPGs already on Switch. Do we need another one? I didn’t, but it’s hard to complain. I just hope that Brotherhood and many other recent Switch games are on deck to get nice upgrades once Nintendo finally announces the next-gen Switch sometime next year.