The duo's return proves Mario is better when he's not a solo act in this shipshape ocean adventure!
Preview by Eric Francisco
Video by Hal Dimond
Preview by Eric Francisco
Video by Hal Dimond
Category
🎮️
GamingTranscript
00:00No heroes should have to work alone. Batman trained Robin, Bill and Ted changed history, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, well, let's just say they went on their own terms.
00:11In video games, the most iconic duo is easily Mario and Luigi. Since 2003, Nintendo's flagship brothers have headlined Mario and Luigi, a spin-off of the iconic Super Mario franchise that places equal emphasis on Mario and Luigi as a team.
00:26The cornerstone of this philosophy is how all critical button inputs boil down to the A and B buttons which correspond to Mario and Luigi respectively.
00:35The siblings have been enjoying a well-earned vacation for the last decade, since Mario and Luigi Paper Jam on 3DS, but we caught up with the pair to demo their latest Mario and Luigi brothership on the increasingly aging Nintendo Switch.
00:49After an hour in their company, it's clear that there's little in the way of mechanical innovation in this successor.
00:55Yet, the little things, the dressings and accoutrement to this mushroom dish have left me thinking about it for days.
01:02There's enough to justify this brotherly reunion entirely.
01:06Mario and Luigi find themselves on Concordia, a colourful ocean planet made up of disconnected islands.
01:12It's up to the pair to reconnect them through the power of brothership, or, well, the ship-shaped island.
01:19A moving buccaneer ship that's a giant island itself.
01:22It floats all around Concordia in a big loop.
01:25A mighty helpful navigational map occupies the left corner of the screen that allows players to see where, on Concordia's route, ship-shape is passing in real time.
01:33Interacting with the onboard telescope allows Mario and Luigi to target a nearby island, stuff themselves into ship-shape's cannon, and blast themselves off to explore.
01:42There you partake in the usual series fare, battling enemies and solving puzzles, before finally reconnecting to the ship-shape.
01:49It's worth noting it's possible to revisit islands after connecting, where Mario and Luigi can and will discover new things that weren't present on their first visit.
01:58Brothership is classic Mario in terms of narrative structure and design in this way, only now with a high-seas twist.
02:05It's like someone binge-watched Indiana Jones' most thrilling scenes while blasting the relaxed tunes of Jimmy Buffett, and thought, what if we made this a Mario and Luigi game?
02:16The Nintendo Switch is over seven years old.
02:19Old age for gaming hardware.
02:20But Brothership proves that even the old dog can still pull off new tricks.
02:25The turn-based gameplay of Mario and Luigi, Paper Jam, remains intact in Brothership, down to its strikingly familiar user interface, and the real-time inputs that allow a boost in damage based on timing accuracy.
02:36Even Paper Jam's battle cards are back, now dubbed Battle Plugs, which give Mario and Luigi all sorts of combat perks.
02:43A personal favourite, getting perfect timing during combat drops a spike ball on my chosen enemy.
02:48I'm a sucker for stacking damage in RPGs, and with this battle plug, it never ceased being delicious, forcing an enemy to lose more HP after giving them a proper wallop.
02:58To be clear, the combat is still tremendous fun.
03:01The game's cartoonish animation, in concert with its specific sound mixing, a cacophony of bubbles, metallic hammers, and airy pops, makes it so that you as the player want perfect timing in combat, because it feels so good.
03:14Anyone who has spent time in Paper Jam will find themselves right at home in Brothership.
03:19It's a culmination of all that's come before, its simple concepts refined into a wonderfully moorish loop that make it stand out among Nintendo's library.
03:28The reliably consistent and wholesome vibe of Mario is nothing short of impressive.
03:33The delightfully innocent nonsense has stuck with me since my demo.
03:36Brothership is a perfect example of what makes the bros so iconic.
03:40Mario is the closest thing gaming has to a Disney, Miyazaki, or Muppets equivalent.
03:45We really should not be surprised at the billions the Super Mario Bros movie grossed at the box office last year.
03:51With over 20 years and now 6 games accounting for this fan-favorite sub-series, Nintendo has more than proved that Super Mario isn't and shouldn't be a solo act.
04:01It's hard for Mario to cast a shadow over his brother when Luigi stands a solid 6 or 7 inches taller than him.
04:07Mario and Luigi Brothership doesn't reinvent Mario.
04:11It doesn't need to.
04:12My short time with Brothership was underscored by some proper laughs and grins at the unapologetic fun packed into almost every scene.
04:19On the first island I visited, the primary mission was to retrieve hair gel for a self-centered music DJ.
04:25There's a traversal mechanic where Mario and Luigi can link up and spin into a floating tornado.
04:30The still animation has them in a tango.
04:32And when Mario and Luigi reconnect the islands to Ship Shape, they take out oversized electrical plugs, which emanate a magnificent golden glow, which they insert into Ship Shape's sockets.
04:44The cutscene ends with Mario and Luigi joyously jumping in a circle, their gloves hands held.
04:49Whether it's cute moments like this, the constant sense of discovery across Concordia, or the thrill of whacking enemies in perfect timing with your brother,
04:57Brothership is able to become something more.
05:00In other words, the vibes are simply immaculate.
05:03So, are you excited to jump into this new Mario and Luigi story?
05:07Let us know, and as always, make sure to stay with GamesRadar for the latest news, previews, and more.
05:19Let us know, and as always, make sure to stay with GamesRadar for the latest news, previews, and more.