Mario & Luigi: Brothership – Everything We Know

The brothers Mario and Luigi are set to make a grand comeback with the upcoming game Mario & Luigi: Brothership. It is a pleasant surprise, considering that the series’ original developer filed for bankruptcy in 2019. Fortunately, the Bros haven’t lost their charm with the gaming community, and Nintendo appears to have high expectations for the game.

The announcement of Mario & Luigi: Brothership has caused quite a stir in the gaming community. Fortunately, Nintendo has shared enough information and content to show what to expect clearly. Here is a comprehensive overview of everything we know about the upcoming game.

What is Mario & Luigi: Brothership?

Mario & Luigi: Brothership is the latest game in the Mario & Luigi series. It is a turn-based RPG that follows Mario and Luigi on an epic adventure across a new world called Concordia. Notably, the game retains the main concept and charm behind the Mario & Luigi series but makes one major change: modern graphics. The game boasts a cel-shaded, cartoony art instead of the pixel art in the series’ previous entries.

Nintendo announced Mario & Luigi: Brothership at the June Nintendo Direct event. Notably, it was the first game Nintendo announced, demonstrating the developer’s confidence and enthusiasm. Interestingly, it will be the first game in the series not developed by AlphaDream, the original developer.

Notably, while the first three games in the Mario & Luigi series earned critical acclaim, the rest didn’t fully meet the gaming community’s expectations. Hopefully, Mario & Luigi: Brothership will receive a better reception.

Story

Unfortunately, Nintendo didn’t share much information about the game’s story. This is understandable, as the players will have more fun unraveling the story as they play. However, we can already tell that the story will be funny, considering Luigi’s easy-going and clumsy personality.

Gameplay

While Mario & Luigi: Brothership features better and sharper graphics, it retains the game’s classic gameplay style. The two brothers go exploring on an epic adventure across the beautiful world of Concordia. They come across old and new friends that they interact with, as well as enemies that they must fight and defeat.

Adventure is a big part of the Mario & Luigi: Brothership gameplay style. Notably, Nintendo describes the game as an island-hopping adventure. The brothers go exploring various islands scattered across the world called Concordia on a huge structure called ShipShape, which is part island and part ship. They use a cannon on ShipShape (similar to the cannons in Super Mario Galaxy) to launch to islands across the world.

The islands feature diverse environments, ranging from cities to pristine tropical forests. They also feature environmental puzzles and obstacles, such as moving platforms and gaps in the terrain, that the brothers must overcome to proceed along with their adventure. Interestingly, the brothers come across old friends like Peach and Bowser and new friends like Connie and Snoutlet. Notably, some NPCs help the brothers on their journey, while others hinder them.

Besides friendly and unfriendly NPCs, the brothers also come across enemies seeking to harm and stop them. The enemies come in various types resembling bears, chameleons, plants, and other bizarre creatures. Moreover, they possess different weapons and attack styles, necessitating a strategic approach to each fight.

Mario and Luigi must fight and vanquish all their enemies based on the game’s turn-based combat system. Notably, the combat system supports Quick-Time-Events (QTEs) to perform diverse and complex attack and defense moves. Moreover, while the turn-based combat requires quick real-time inputs, the controls are easy and player-friendly.

Notably, the gameplay design requires players to swap the A and B buttons when controlling Mario and Luigi during exploration and combat. Moreover, you can use Bros. Moves to overcome environmental obstacles and Bros. Attacks to defeat your enemies. Fortunately, the smooth mechanics make it easy to control and coordinate both characters.

Development

Interestingly, the developers of Mario & Luigi: Brothership haven’t been announced. Fans speculate that it could be Next Level Games or Grezzo. Notably, Grezzo worked on the 3DS version of Luigi’s Mansion, while Next Level Games was acquired by Nintendo in 2021 and is currently working on Luigi’s Mansion 2HD, making them the top contenders for this game.

However, certainly, AlphaDream is not involved in the game’s development, as it declared bankruptcy in 2019. Regardless of who the developer is, the game sounds and looks good, and most fans don’t care about who’s behind the wheel so long as the game comes out on time and is as good as advertised.

Trailer

The official trailer for Mario & Luigi: Brothership is both smart and entertaining. It has dozens of sequences that highlight the game’s numerous aspects, such as exploration, combat, and more. Notably, numerous situations in the trailer highlight the game’s unique personalities and qualities. For example, in the opening sequence, Luigi runs away from bees and nearly falls off a cliff, showing him as clumsy and frivolous, whereas Mario comes out as the more responsible one.

Interestingly, the first half of the trailer showcases the brothers’ adventures as they explore the new world, while the second half showcases their battles with various enemies and bosses. As expected, the gameplay involves the brothers running, hopping, and jumping all over the place as they explore around and fight enemies.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Mario & Luigi: Brothership will launch on 7th November 2024. Notably, all Mario & Luigi games have always been exclusively available on Nintendo handheld platforms. For example, the first game, Superstar Saga, is available on Game Boy Advance, while the last game, Bowser’s Inside Story, is available on Nintendo 3DS.

Similarly, Mario & Luigi: Brothership will be exclusively available on Nintendo Switch. It is the perfect platform for the game as it supports both handheld and TV playability. The game will not have any special editions. Notably, it is already available for pre-order at the Nintendo eShop, Best Buy, and GameStop.

So, what’s your take on our preview of Mario & Luigi: Brothership? Are you eager to play the game? let us know over our socials here or down in the comments below.