As the very first Mario & Luigi RPG to be released on a full-fat home console, we've been champing at the bit to discover whether or not Nintendo would capitalise on the extra grunt of the Switch to serve us up the biggest and best turn-based Bros. romp yet in the form of Mario & Luigi: Brothership.
We had some concerns during our preview. As much as we love the new graphical stylings and flashy additions to the series' core combat, early areas were rather small-scale and not quite as challenging or inventive as we'd been prepping for. However! Fear not intrepid explorers, for more alluring high-seas hijinks, as it turns out, were waiting just around the corner. They have corners at sea, right?
As you'll know by now, Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood sees everyone's favourite plumbers take on the challenge of reconnecting the fragmented land of Concordia, where the entire Mario gang — and a bunch of other Mushroom Kingdom tag-alongs — find themselves after a mysterious warping incident. We've all been there.
And so our dynamic duo proceeds to fire themselves willingly from a great big yellow cannon aboard the game's delightful Shipshape Island hub in order to deal with an ever-growing menace. It seems the denizens of Concordia are being struck down by a gloomy illness, one that makes them feel like being alone, like disconnecting from everyone and everything around them.
It's all about connecting in Concordia, you see, and Mario and Luigi now need to travel to each fragmented land to reconnect the world in its entirety, whilst also defeating the big bad at the heart of what's gone wrong. We really can't give too much away as there are lots of bits and bobs we can't talk about, but the adventure that follows has genuinely surprised us with its scale and scope, as well as in terms of its challenge and, yes, that all-important variety.
Those already familiar with the turn-based combat of the series will immediately find themselves at home here, but we've now got a system of attack and defence that drills down into the whole connection and Brothership motif of the game, making you work together more than ever before to get the job done. The series has always had you command each brother to jump and attack on separate buttons — it's the beating heart of the whole thing — but now these sequences of attack and defence have been fleshed out, making for incredibly rewarding combat that never really grows old.
In attacking; jump and hammer assaults make up the backbone of what you're doing, with each bro playing their part as you rhythmically press buttons to have them smash their hammers as hard as they can, or get the most air possible in their jumps for maximum damage. Then, on defence, you'll need to figure out the timings of enemy attacks (of which there are many) in order to dodge and counter incoming shots.
On top of this, we then add Bros. moves, big fancy upgradeable specials that see you work together to fire off red and green shells (and a bunch of other stuff we are not allowed to reveal), as well as an all-new Battle Plug system that adds a ton of strategy to an already engaging system.
Plugs initially seem like a fairly standard way to allow you to add little boons and boosts, stuff like extra defence to help out in a tricky scrap or added AOE damage on a jump. It's how far this plug system then develops out, though, that really gives the game the kick it needs to rise above all previous entries.
Once you start getting a little further into the campaign, Battle Plugs become more interesting, giving you the ability to automate healing and BP potions so you don't have to factor them into turns, preventing elemental damage, dropping surprise iron balls, and more. Then it introduces the ability to mix plugs together, resulting in stuff like loot boosts, anti-air specialisations, and a bunch of things we haven't even managed to unlock yet after a solid 40+ hours of playing. Yep, this is a big old game, and it's got depth.
Battle Plugs also allow you to adjust certain parameters of the game's difficulty on the fly, in effect. You can take a bunch of the sting out of enemy shots, automate dodges and counters, and those auto-healing and potions give you a big advantage. If things are still too tough, or you just want to chill to the max, the difficulty can be dropped right down to a story-focused mode that makes our protagonists unstoppable tanks in battle.
Further to Battle Plugs, you've also got Luigi Logic moments. You'll already know from our preview that Luigi's moments of inspiration are used during exploration to bust open boxes, press switches, and so on — again, this aspect is also fleshed out in lots of fun ways — but it can also be used during boss battles for some very fun, big moments. Get to certain checkpoints during a boss fight and some environmental detail will grab Luigi's attention, leading to the chance to do big damage that can change the flow of a fight.
All of this stuff makes for a bright and busy, comedy-infused combat system that's a genuine blast to dig into, one that's enhanced by a roster of excellent enemies (there's so much fun stuff around how the enemy varieties switch up later in the game), and an art style which makes for the most emotive video game iteration of Bros. we've seen. There's so much detail and expression in how this pair carry out attacks now, in how they dodge incoming shots by the skin of their teeth, and sweat and panic at the thought of what's next. Luigi, in particular, with his awkward landings and anxious demeanour is a constant source of joy.
It all fits snugly into this whole idea the game's got of connecting on a more meaningful level, and we get to connect that little bit more to the characters of Mario and Luigi thanks to the OTT expressions that the old-school, anime style the devs have chosen here gives us.
And so, the only piece of the puzzle that's left now, is the actual world of Concordia itself and, as it turns out, that's the best, and most surprising part of the whole thing.
We genuinely were a tad concerned after completing the first area of the impressively large ocean world. The islands that we visited were fun and colourful, for sure, but at that early stage it was all a little samey and safe. Thank goodness, then, that as Concordia opens up, as you discover new sailing routes whilst blasting around at full speed aboard Shipshape (a fun little reef-spotting minigame in and of itself), Mario & Luigi: Brothership 100% ups the ante and serves up a world that constantly gives us new mechanics, environmental obstacles, twists and turns.
The islands and islets (mini challenge areas!) that you map out as you sail around begin to take on a Mario Galaxy-lite feel. Of course, there's no full-on platforming or anything like that, but the differing gimmicks, wildly different environs, and fun things to do outside of combat make for a world and a story that you'll absolutely want to push on to see in its entirety. From rolling around on timed platforms as a great big Mario Bros. ball to changing the weather from hot to cold in an instant to kill foes, there's always some new thing to do. Smashing up paths, diverting lava flows, working closely with electricity (the citizens of Concordia are little plug sockets, after all) - there's so much variety to keep you fully plugged in.
Side missions can be taken on at your leisure from the various NPCs you meet, and these open up the replayability factor that emerges from revisiting islands when you've connected them to Shipshape. Once you've hooked them into your hub, you can return to find new paths opened up, new areas to visit, and challenges to complete. There's also a whole bunch of collectibles to find, of course, and nabbing everything that pops up on your map and getting to all the good gear and secrets takes a whole lot of working together to figure out the tricks behind islands that are uniformly well-designed.
Added to this constantly evolving creativity, we get a story that actually goes some places, writing that keeps the comedy aspects of this series alive and well, and a menagerie of bosses that keep the wacky challenges coming. We should also mention that there are some in-built achievements to set about completing, which is always a big bonus for us absolutely terrible cheevo fans.
There are a couple of negative points to mull over. If you don't like random encounters of the old-school, turn-based RPG nature, well, there's a whole lot of that going on. You can flee 90% of them without trouble, but there's no easy or slick way to avoid these battles as the game is more focused on whether you or your enemy strike first for a foot-up.
Gear too, is fun in its naming and there are plenty of cool items to find, but we can't help but feel it's a missed opportunity not to allow us to change our appearance a little. Boots, overalls, and gloves that all look the same is just...it's a bit bland, innit. We get it, and we know why it is how it is, but the fun we could have here with gear that changes how you look! Maybe next time?
Apart from these minor issues though, and with performance in both docked and handheld that is decent apart from the odd minor wobble in busy areas, what we've got here is easily the best Mario & Luigi RPG yet. The combat is on point, the worldbuilding is impressive throughout, platforming and puzzles are clever, and it's got variety in spades. Nintendo just seems to keep finding ways to squeeze more and more magic out of this seven-and-a-half-year-old console. You love to see it.
Conclusion
Mario & Luigi: Brothership takes this long-running RPG series to new heights in a high-seas adventure that's packed full of top-notch combat, inventive variety, a positive and thoughtful story, and lots signature comedy from the dynamic duo themselves. This is a big game, packed full of surprises and fun, and the all-new Battle Plug system, alongside lots of flashy specials, a fittingly emotive art-style, and a world that brimming with puzzles and challenges, make for a must-play in our book.
Comments 171
Had the game preordered since it was announced but ended up cancelling this week just because I don't think I'd get around to playing it for at least a while and I'm trying to get out of the habit of buying games that I think I want to play but then never end up getting around to. Glad that it turned out well though, hopefully I'll find the time to pick it up and play it eventually.
Vamossssssss!
Great review! I will get the game eventually for sure as i will get every game eventually for sure.
Sounds like a 10/10 for me. Got my voucher ready for Thursday.
still able to pre-order from currys for 25% off, including a key ring.
really glad that the game sounds as good as i hoped it would be
The only first party release I’m tempted by this year. PJ’s reviews are top-shelf so that’s very encouraging.
So far from I see, Yes indeed.
But, the fps can be better.
No one’s going to make a joke about “Battle Plugs” and the “Plug System?”
…no?
That's some high praise for sure, definitely picking this up one up on the Switch 2. 🥳
This looks great! I already pre-ordered the game and it's ready to play on release. It seems like after the Super Mario RPG and TTYD remakes and this game, the Mario RPGs are back to the greatness they once were! So glad to see a new Mario & Luigi after so long, and this seems like a great return. Hopefully we continue to get more Mario & Luigi games after this! (and maybe a Partners in Time remake?)
IGN gave it a 5, probably too much water XD Honestly most people (including myself) haven't been taking IGN seriously especially when it comes to reviewing games, so I don't really care what they say.
I'd have to say this is EASILY the best Mario & Luigi game to date.
The IGN reviewer gave this game a 5/10 LOL! The duality of man.
Dang, that's some high praise! I think most of us would agree Superstar Saga is a masterpiece, but to say this game is "easily" superior? That's crazy. Really looking forward to picking it up. This has a good chance of being my game of the year.
Paper Mario: TTYD is my favorite game of all-time, but as happy as I was for that game to get a remake, it's also kind of a known quantity. I've played that game so many times, I remember all the lines of dialogue, all the plot twists, all the fourth-wall breaks. But this is the first original Mario RPG in ages, and I can't wait.
My only complaint is that I think it's a massive bummer Yoko Shimomura isn't involved in the soundtrack. None of the music I've heard so far in this game has really done anything for me. Yoko is the best in the biz, so it's a huge missed opportunity that she isn't on board (no pun intended) with this game.
I hope the writing is good, above all. The combat and overworld gameplay look great, so no complaints there. So hopefully there will be an engaging plot with compelling characters.
I'll be sure to post my early impressions on my channel when the game launches!
Ok I'm very very confused about how different the reviews to this game are...
IGN gives a 5/10
Nintendo Life a 9/10
Should I send my copy back or should I play it ?
Thanks for the review, I'm going to start this as soon as my physical copy arrives and I'm so glad to see Mario & Luigi back first and foremost and even more so since it's better than ever!
IGN just gave it 5/10, I was shocked as I thought this was going to be great, saw the 9/10 from Nintendo life and this is what I was expecting, cannot wait to play it and see for myself!
It’s coming home
All these comments...
IGN gives a 5/10
Nintendo Life a 9/10
This.is.a.Nintendo.website.
There has, and always be some sort of biased. I don't think NintendoLife would ever rate a Nintendo game less than 6 or 7 on their scale. Yes the IGN might hate on Nintendo or just has more of an unbiased view on it.
DigitalTrends and some others down in the 70/7's. I don't really care for any reviews at this tbh, but they're interesting to see nonetheless.
As someone whos never played a Mario/Luigi game, as an RPG is it more similar to the first two Paper Marios (N64 and Thousand Year Door) or the later installments? Definitely plan on watching some gameplay once this officially comes out, but if someone wants to share their input it'd be appreciated!
Reviews seem all over the place on this, I’m happy I trust PJ and his opinion. Really looking forward to this
@milonorth yeahhhh
probably because ppl have different expectations as this is a new game in the franchise that has been dormant for ages maybe? or ppl are expecting more or something brand new!? i don't know.
Nice, sounds like a very good time. I will play it as soon as possible, but maybe I should finish Unicorn Overlord first.
Interesting.
IGN gave a much more negative review.
I still have it preordered, and I’m curious as to which way I’ll swing. Generally I find myself more aligned to Team Hookshot then I am to IGN these days as far as games review.
Otro indispensable para Nintendo Switch! Best console ever!
Switch going out with a bang, 9/10.. Good to see.
Lol the implication that this game is worse than Paper Jam to IGN. Trust me guys, I played Brothership through a leaked copy and this game is easily better than Partner's in Time, Dream Team and especially Paper Jam
I still can't believe IGN gave it a 5/10...
@Anti-Matter can't buy this one on the PS5 though
@ViewtifulCool There's no bias. I get sent a code, play the game, score it. It's really that boring, I'm afraid.
As a person not based in US, I'd like to remind everyone IGN has many subsidiaries and all except ".com" scores have been ranging from 9-7.
Lately, main IGN site has been handing out outrageous scores hoping it would increase traffic (at least that's my theory). That is literally the only way I can explain The Penguin season review situation 😃
@jojobar If you're really influenciable by a website like IGN you should reconsider your priorities.
@PipeGuy64Bit my main concern is that, like Paper Jam, the game would just be too bloated with dull environments and minigames? Does the game now outstay it's welcome do you think?
Also the IGN reviewer (Logan) is a massive Nintendo nerd and a big fan of the series, he hosts IGN's nintendo podcast, I'm sure he's not trolling and his review is worth considering. Though of course i hope he's wrong.
@Nickakyoin
And why should any other website be more valid ?
Nice review! Only played Superstar saga on the GBA eons ago, so this might be a good time to revisit the series.
I'll play this right after I finish Persona 5 Royal (55 hours in and looooving it).
It looks nice but not 9/10 nice and saying this game takes the series to new heights is a bit of a stretch tbh. I mean don't get me wrong I'm getting it myself and I'm looking forward to it but this is certainly not something we haven't seen before.
"...Bros. moves, big fancy upgradeable specials..."
Wait wait wait, roll back. Upgradeable? Please tell me it means the "Advanced Bros Attacks" from Superstar Saga is back!
@ViewtifulCool NintendoLife gave Endless Ocean a first party Nintendo game a 5 soo...there is no bias lol
@Aurumonado Is that really a big deal? people like different types of games. It's just his own personal opinion on it so it shouldn't bother you in the slightest.
I was lucky to play the game early and I would say I would gave it a much closer score to IGN than Nintendo life in this case. For me it's a 6/10 and it's easily the worst in the franchise in my opinion. It's very repetitive and the writing is pretty bad. Also performance is fairly bad and I'm surprised this isn't mentionned in the review, there's lot of frame rate drop pretty much everywhere in the overworld.
Maybe the ign reviewer couldn’t beat the tutorial
@jojobar
"IGN gives a 5/10
Nintendo Life a 9/10
Should I send my copy back or should I play it ?"
imo you should decide for yourself what games are worth your time 👍 it helps to read the content of the reviews and determine if you align with the values of either reviewer, I think that's a good start. ✌️
IGN has historically been terrible at reviews. So no shock there. I am going to play the game and love it.
For example, the Dutch IGN review gives it an 8.5/10:
https://nl.ign.com/mario-luigi-brothership/153999/review/mario-luigi-brothership-review
And I feel like most performance issues will be ironed out with the release of the Switch 2 anyway. Since I am 100% certain it will run most Switch games with better performance.
I'll be honest: I still don't know what to make of this game. I mean, I am excited for it, don't get me wrong, but I'm also incredibly concerned that Brothership might end up losing the series' voice in it's effort to bring back Mario & Luigi.
I think we need a new description for review scores. A “9” doesn’t mean “Excellent” but instead means the reviewer was bought off. A “5” must then signify the reviewer didn’t understand the game. And don’t get me started on “6” scores. That score obviously means Nintendo Life only knows how to give out those scores.
Although I love the first Mario & Luigi game, I haven’t been excited for this one in the slightest, even after all the praise it’s received. Hopefully it sells well enough to allow the developer another shot at making the series even better.
@Solomon_Rambling
"...the reviewer was bought off. "
"Hopefully it sells well enough to allow the developer another shot at making the series even better."
meanwhile, you haven't yet played the game 😂✌️excellent satire.
@ViewtifulCool “I don't think NintendoLife would ever rate a Nintendo game less than 6 or 7 on their scale.”
https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu/animal_crossing_amiibo_festival
@jojobar
Don’t worry about IGN. They’re infamous for their opinions.
PSA: IGN was* a really good website**
*in 1999
** compared to GameSpot 😆
@-wc- I think it was genuinely satire!
@Maxz
I think you are right! I'm 90% sure I actually meant what I said lol. ✌️
@-wc- Or at the very least look at more than one website. It's got an 80 on Metacritic right now, though for whatever reason IGN's 50 isn't included next to Digital Trends'. Those two would be the only 50s though with the next score up being a 70. If anything, IGN's score is an outlier.
@capitainecrash I bet you also gave Tropical Freeze the same score because "it's not Rares Donkey Kong."
No way is this game worse than Paper Jam.
@batmanbud2
I don't understand the point you're trying to make? I love Tropical freeze and it's an easy 10/10 game to me and one of my favorite game of all time.
I personally think that yes, this game is worse than Paper jam. This is my personal opinion, you (and everyone else, including the reviewer) have the right to disagree, I just wanted to share my thoughts. I don't see how my appreciation of other unrelated game have to do with this.
Brothership’s problems will look familiar to anyone who found themselves disappointed by games like Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam or Paper Mario: Sticker Star. Nintendo has seemingly convinced itself that every Mario RPG needs to have bespoke gimmicks. It’s not enough to give players a well-written story and iterate on a solid combat foundation; there always has to be a twist, or two, or three. Those layers drag Brothership down the longer the adventure goes on, making even its intriguing climax feel exhausting by the end.
80 on metacritic where i thought it would be.. i will get the game for sure because i love rpg games..
@RubyCarbuncle It doesn't bother me, I just thought it was funny. I value PJ's opinion much more than some random IGN contractor.
@johnedwin here's the thing: M&L has always relied on these sort of gimmicks from the second game onward, so it's nothing really new in that regard and most people didn't mind because they were well implemented.
Honestly not happy about the random encounters but that’s not a deal breaker for me. Any other game it might be but I know I’m going to love this
I was really hoping to beat Mario RPG before this but it doesn’t look like that’s happening now!
I trust the NL review more than the IGN one. This all said, can we confirm when you say 'random encounters', that you mean you cannot see the enemies at all like in the other Mario RPG style games? They are not on the map till you unknowingly step into them? Kinda a shame if so, as that was always part of the RPG sub series thing.
That you could get a strike in first by attacking them on the field. I don't mind it for old school Pokemon, as that fit with the whole excitement of 'which one could it be under this long grass?', but never enjoyed it outside that concept.
Still, a Mario RPG game has never actually been a bad time for me at all. So, open minded that everything else will work wonderfully.
I had absolutely 0 interest in this game, but this review...I'll look at a few more reviews and see if I want it.
Despite the IGN review, the scores generally do seem to be very positive for the game: https://x.com/Stealth40k/status/1853416532258271271
I know it seems kind of defensive to say it but I'm willing to give Brothership the benefit of the doubt since IGN isn't really that high on my list of reviewers I trust anyway.
@Dizzard I don't think IGN has ever been at the top ever since Sonic Unleashed.
At this point Nintendo could easily just replace the Paper Mario series with this one instead. It seems the charm of the Paper Mario series had ware off and it's becoming too stale and awful. Nowadays when gamers see a new Paper Mario entry, the wow factor is not there anymore but when we see Mario & Luigi we know what we're getting into and pump for excitement.
I really hope this game sells well. Like 5 million copies well.
(question (regarding certain parts of this article): "AOE"; "OTT"; "NPC")
I also find it kind of funny that IGN Benelux (8.5) and IGN Middle East (9) gave the game positive reviews.
Nice review what I skimmed over. I’ve never played any of the handheld games in the series but this reads enough like a JRPG that I’m in. Eventually. I own so many games on Wii U that got the DX treatment on Switch that I’m holding out on any new Nintendo games until I see what Switch 2 can do. It’s getting hard to look at any Switch games on my 4k tv after 4 years of PS5 games. I doubt Switch 2 will be 4k but maybe fauxK, 1440, and maybe some HDR.
Anyway, fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.
From what it looks like, the IGN reviewer id the head of the Nintendo Time podcast that they have, and takes a tone of a disappointed fan more than anything. Apparently their criticism is that you can’t control Luigi in the overworld (which is an outright lie), and that the writing isn’t as good as previous entries in terms of jokes.
REALLY looking forward to this. Never has there been a Mario RPG that I didnt at least ‘like’. IGN’s score is pretty different from NintendoLife’s this time around. Seems like the whole package may come together well for some people and not for others.
@Mana_Knight There are no random encounters in the sense of like say the old school Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Skies of Arcadia, Octopath Traveler, Tales of Phantasy Star Ocean, Lunar, and Breath of Fire where enemies are invisible in the overworld in this game. You will see the enemies walking about and trying to chase you like always. In other words, it's not random encounter, not sure if the reviewer even knew what a random encounter is. The complaint is that the overworld is too filled up with npc enemies that it gave player that allusion of random encounters but it's not random encounters in the sense that you can't see them. The enemies will be seen and you could choose to engage or avoid them just like in Chrono Trigger, Lufia, Illusion of Gaia, Terranigma, Xenoblade, Secret of Mana, Legend of Zelda, and Super Mario RPG.
Always going to be reviews that say a given game is dull and disguised with gimmicks, and so many other better games to play in the genre, etc. Those conclusions have been said about my favorite games. Tastes and priorities are greater than ever out there, have to remember.
I will fully admit, I had my doubts about this game. I haven't really watched trailers and all beyond the announcement trailer, because I want to go in as fresh as possible, but I've been wondering if this game would be all that good.
So glad to see that my worries were unnecessary, I've got it pre-ordered and I'm looking forward to popping this one into my Switch!
@Serpenterror Thank you. That is what I like . Yes, I think they have used random encounter in the wrong sense to describe it.
I played the game. It pretty fun and had that Mario Luigi charm. I'd give it a 7. Not sure why people are just picking IGN review, because it seems alot of other reviewers are giving it positive scores.
I'd recommend brothership.
The best Mario & Luigi sounds too good to be true, but while I’ve enjoyed all of the games, the only one I’ve truly loved and played multiple times over the years has been the first game Superstar Saga, which I even did again recently to get hyped for this game. I didn’t tend to revisit the others that much, not even Bowser’s Inside Story. So maybe Brothership has more of an opening for me than I think.
The gameplay and animation seem to be the brightest points for sure. I’m glad to read the islands become more interesting, too. I’m sure the game looks much better in person than on videos or screenshots much like games in the 3DS era.
I just would’ve liked it if the review touched on the music. Yoko Shiomura has been like the Koji Kondo or David Wise for this series. The music that’s been heard doesn’t fit her style. I wonder if the composer has really changed, and if so, if the music is still good? It’s not going to ruin the OST but it may not have that same pizazz. Even so, it can still hold up well enough for me. I still like Donkey Kong Country 3’s music despite no David Wise in the OG SNES game, for example.
The warm reception this game is getting makes me so happy! Grabbing it later this weekend for sure! Let’s hope more games of this series will be greenlit in the years ahead!
@Dev1024 The music of Brothership was by Hideki Sakamoto, a composer best known for his work on Yakuza, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon and Smash Bros. Ultimate. His sound style is very different from Shimomura's OSTs, sounding closer to a regular Mario game's soundtrack, which is fine. But that does mean you end up losing a lot of the sounds and moods Shimomura was able to bring with her music.
@jojobar I was thinking the same thing, especially since IGN owns Nintendo Life. I can only speculate it may be missing some sjw stuff.
Hmm the ign review talked allllot about it being too easy, boring, hand holdy and having terrible performance....why so different in views? Makes me question the biasd loyalty of being a Nintendo site .. kind of like how every game Game Informer used to review always scored higher than elsewhere
Kinda wish people bringing up IGN’s review would read other reviews by other outlets. IGN is the only one I’ve seen that seems to have a negative spin on things.
@Aurumonado Even if he gave it a 5 as well? no worries 😉
@ViewtifulCool You can click a developer or publisher to see their average review score on this site. Nintendo has average of 7.51. For comparison, Sega is at 7.04, Square Enix is at 7.24 and Capcom even beats Nintendo with its 7.61. I don't really see bias here.
Oh doctor we've seen razzle dazzle here today.
@PJOReilly "Easily The Best Mario & Luigi RPG Yet"
... weeeeelll that's iyo mate
@Maxz Okkk.
1 in the last nearly 10 years. deccent
@ViewtifulCool Games, movies, albums, etc. I like to read reviews because every writer always pointed out an aspect that others leave out, but I always tend to "trust" no one when I want to play the game they're reviewing. I play it. If I had trusted reviewers saying Origami King was a 7, I'd never have paid full price for it. But Im honestly happy I did because it's a 9 for me. I had so much fun playing it. And I believe it's gonna be the same with Brotherhood. I'm hyped for it
@Aurumonado ign also gave the new dragon age a 9/10, user score is currenty at 3.8.
Anyway, I have a feeling this game is more of a 7-8.
@John_Deacon yup, totally agree, that's my point when I said i look at all these scores but i don't really take away anything from them, especially when they're big hyped up games from big publishers, not just nintendo games of course.
and i totally accept the opposite, and glad you rate that game a 9, i'm not gonna bash anyone for that, also why i said that this review is titled "Easily The Best Mario & Luigi RPG Yet!"... well only to this reviewer. Everyone see everything different, especially writing for a nintendo website or publication and that's where my bias/other peoples can come into it
We can all argue what deftones album is the best until the cows come home
Looks at review bullet points, sees random encounters mentioned Uhhhhh... They aren't roaming the map anymore?
Best Mario & Luigi game yet? I'll have to see it to believe it because Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga on GBA is my favorite in the series (currently) and I'm hoping this one follows up well on that.
Love the Mario and Luigi Games, got all of them from GB Advance to 3DS (except for the remakes, no thank you, having boring bog standard Toads stopped me from buying them)
Been on pre-order since it came around so another to add to my backlog
@StephenYap3
Yup #1 for me too!
Of course I will play this, had the pre-order from the Nintendo store for weeks with the steelbook coming
Oh yes can’t wait for this, pre-ordered ages ago!
@ViewtifulCool I think the writer knows that this review is his opinion? I'm not sure what the big reveal was besides saying he's bias
@jojobar check the returns policy and your region’s consumer statutory rights. If you have a number of days to return it and receive a full refund like in UK and EU then play it and see if you like it, safe in the knowledge you can get a refund if you don’t like it.
Playing Super Star Saga on the GBA again definitely made want to get back into this series. Looking forward to this.
I’m not entirely convinced everyone is reviewing the same game.
Apparently the game's very handholdy, humor doesn't have any depth, bad guy is a scatterbrain forgetting peoples names (the concept isn't exactly new), and it has frame rate issues through stuttering anytime elemental displays appear. Also, you don’t control Luigi’s jumping anymore in the overworld. He for the most part follows along as an NPC which is quite the departure. Random ecounters instead of enemies appearing in the overworld to initiate combat? Wouldn't arrive to the conclusion of "Best Mario & Luigi RPG yet" as that's a tall order to fill and considering these points.
@ViewtifulCool Between NL's 9 and other reviewers' 7s, I guess it'll be somewhere around an 8 or an 8.5. Let's see. If it's higher than that (for me), I'll be more than happy. I'm the biased one in this case hahahahahahahha
Crazy as it sounds, my only concern is how long it is. 40+ hrs is a while so hopefully there's enough to keep me engaged for the Entirety of the game
40 hours for a Mario and Luigi game is pretty beefy, between that and the positive impressions I am getting more excited for this game of a series I thought was dead after Alpha Dream was unfortunately shut down. I am glad this is a proper game in the series.
@Mariotag As far as I know enemies are still walking in the overworld. The reviewer probably just doesn't know what "random encounters" means.
After the preview, I was expecting a lower score. I used my second voucher on this one and I expect it to be worth it!
@Dpishere 40hrs in what felt like a big rush for me.
Definitely a must-buy for me down the line. Unfortunately, I've already hit my entertainment budget ceiling for now and need to slide some money towards Christmas gifts too. My family buys early. XD Plus, I want to play both Dream Team and Paper Jam in this series first. I've been gradually playing them in order.
As for the IGN review controversy: I haven't relied on that site for reviews in years. Not since it went more mainstream with wider entertainment and lost a lot of good writers.
I can't wait to try this game.
@PJOReilly
Thanks for this amazing review!
You made the wait even harder.
Lol even the Con parts are enjoyable to me.
Been playing the Gameboy advance one, pff made me even more hyped about Brothership.
@Tyranexx
Lol i never check ign for reviews. Its Nintendo life, Purexbox etc and youtube.
Nice review and nice score. If I am in luck this could become my game of the year instead of Zelda. Can't wait to try it out!
Really looking forward to this one, though I'm not sure when I'll get to it since I'm playing Ys X still at the moment, and there's no way I'll finish it in time for this game.
Excuse me random encounters?
RANDOM ENCOUNTERS?
Seriously who does that in our day and age. Way to kill the hype. I hate random encounters with a passion. They effectively make a game unplayable for me.
Removed - inappropriate
I listened to one of the latest NVC recently where Logan (the author of the IGN review) alluded that he was disappointed in the game, so I'm not entirely surprised by his final score. He does praise the battles though, which both his and the NL review state.
If the score is so concerning from another site, maybe read the entire review to determine if his gripes will impact your enjoyment of the game or not. For me personally, it won't.
dang. I just realized IGN gave dustborn and concord a 7/10. lmfao, what a (in)shill site
@AstraeaV NL already stated that they aren't owned by IGN. Also even if they were, it's still two different reviewers.
@The-Chosen-one I mostly use NL and its sister sites on occasion (usually the odd Time Extension browse too). I tend to get miscellaneous game news from VGC ever since jumping off the IGN ship. I previously used Destructoid, but they were bought out by a different media group and turned into a click farm list aggregate who killed their layout and creativity.
@mlt As far as I know enemies walk on the overworld.
Having said that, I myself love random encounters haha
@jojobar Just use your brain, so you can finally realize how their reviews are laughable and anything but reliable, bro.
Not to mention: you have your own copy already (not sure how since the game's day one is in 3 days) and, to decide if the game is worthy or not, you haven't played it yet on your own because some websites "have to approve it for you"? Talk about dumb.
@jojobar I sincerely hope you don’t ’send your copy back’. If this looks and sounds like something you’d enjoy, you most likely will. Read reviews, sure, watch some videos even, but don’t let your enjoyment hinge on the opinion of someone else. I hope you keep it, and I hope even more that you love it.
@SS25
Do you have the online + Expansion? You can try the gameboy advance game. To get a feeling of the gameplay.
Its really unique. I cant compare it to other genres.
Oh today already? How come they allow reviews a few days in advance, this time around?
@mlt not for the fact that it's turn-based, a genre very antiquated it shouldn't exist by this time and age at all?!?!
(I'm ironic, it's one of my favourite genres of all times and I don't mind random-encounters if they're not aggravating, but to hear that they make a game "unplayable" is a ridiculous take)
Reviewer reviews a game too high: "Waahhh this reviewer is ClEaRly BiAsEd!1!!"
Reviewer reviews a game too low:" Waahhh this reviewer clearly had something against this game!".
One simply cannot have anything nice in this day and age.
@Mario500
Area-of-effect,
Over-the-top,
non-playable character
I'm not crazy about random encounters, but the game looks absolutely gorgeous. I'm so ready.
I watched Joker 2 on Saturday, just to see if it was as bad as the reviews said. Quite enjoyed it, so....there is no good/bad (apart from actual technical issues) here. If it's a series you like give it a go, can always sell it on.
Honestly, I'm pretty inclined to believe IGN's criticism of "Characters talk too much but don't say anything interesting or useful or funny" and "The game holds your hand too much" and "Nintendo actively disrespects the player's time." Maybe it's an evolution of where modern gaming is going and I'm just a cranky old man, but that's exactly how I've felt about most Nintendo games lately, especially in games like Pikmin 4 and Echoes of Wisdom. I think I'm more sensitive to that kind of stuff than most, so if someone else is pointing it out like this, it must be really, really bad in this game.
Removed - off-topic
Got my copy early.
This is a game, that I would probably have enjoyed, 20 years ago.
The gameplay just feels dated, and not in a good way.
Random encounters just becomes annoying after a while.
Something about the games Nintendo makes these days, just feels lacking. Or maybe I'm just bored of Mario games.
@Steel76 agree 100% playing rpg back when you have a handfull games they annoyed me but made game longer now its a waste of time. even when they add auto battle (if you add auto battle add instant resolve)
Thanks for the recommendation. New to the series but I will pick this up.
Great review. Can't wait for Thursday!
Cheers for the write up. Reads like it is top bins.
The best you say? Didn't you lot give Bowser's Inside Story DS a 10?
Anyhoo, cannot wait to give this a good spin.
I take IGN reviews with a grain of salt but I completely trust hookshot's(nintendo life,pure xbox and push square) reviews!
This was developed by Acquire who made Octopath Traveler, I believe. You wrote Nintendo developed it.
@Dizzard it's kinda funny that you hold ign benelux and ign midde East in such high esteem 🙃
@ViewtifulCool You said ‘ever’ and you were wrong. You said ‘one’ and you were wrong again.
https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/endless-ocean-luminous
And again.
https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/2009/03/donkey_kong_barrel_blast_wii
And again.
https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/2009/04/warioware_snapped_dsiware
Please stop moving the goal posts. And please do your own research. The onus is not on others to correct you when you can easily check this yourself.
The Switch is definitely KILLING IT! What a console, my goodness... I doubt we'll ever see anything like the Switch again. Ever.
Regarding this game, of course I'm getting it! And Dragon Quest 3 too, sure thing.
But I'm not forgetting the 6/10 this site gave to Romancing Saga 2...
I've been playing it for the last week and I would most definitely NOT agree with 9/10, nor the 5/10 IGN gave it. It's not even close to the quality of some of the prior Mario & Luigi games. This game is a solid 7 I would say.
@Bonggon5
My friend owns a local toyshop, so I get every game as soon as they get it in stock, even if it's a week or two before the release date.
I recommend looking at videos if you want to be sure if you will enjoy a game or not. I only look at reviews (both written and voiced) if I want to clarify details that I can't be sure of by seeing a video. It works relatively well for me.
The NL "Hands on" of this game was enough for me to be certain it's an "8/10" at minimum.
@jojobar It’s IGN. They rate slop as perfection and great games as mediocre.
I’m inclined to trust this site more, even with IGN technically owning them now.
Seems pretty damning for Alpha Dream.
All aces I see, mm hm. But... random battles? Huh???!! We're STILL doing that these days? I honestly can live with it, but I don't see the point.
@Uncle_Franklin ...you do know AlphaDream's not making this, right? It's a different team - Acquire Corp.
I think the 40+ hour runtime has convinced me to wait a bit on this one. I still haven’t played TTYD and so I think I will plan to play that first. I’ll probably pick this up at some point though. I really like the art style and I enjoyed the original Paper Mario and Super Mario RPG.
I’m just here to reassure myself that everything is normal after I saw IGN’s 5.
@N00BiSH
Yes my point,
the best in the series has already been made by another developer on their first try.
@Uncle_Franklin if that was your point then it didn't read clearly from my end.
Additionally, Superstar Saga wasn't AlphaDream's "first try." That technically began with Super Mario RPG, which shared a lot of the same developers(in fact, that game's director would go on to become the founder of AlphaDream).
@N00BiSH
That's interesting about Mario RPG,
but Alpha Dream's first effort has nothing to do with my point.
Under a review of Brothership which declares it to be the best Mario & Luigi game yet (and the first Mario and Luigi game Alpha Dream didn't make)
I suggest that it's damning for Alpha Dream.
Though thinking about it now,
I may have read that some Alpha Dream staff might have gone over to this new developer,
which would somewhat undermine my point.
@Uncle_Franklin I don't really it's that damning; that was just a reviewer gassing up the product - nothing too new in game review circles.
And yeah, some former AlphaDream staff did jump ship to Acquire. About 6 members had roles on Brothership's development - specifically in terms of just the game design, nothing in regards to the art, writing and music department(which is what concerns me the most).
Thanks for the review! This is my most anticipated game this month.
How quickly can I mash through repetitive hand-holdy, tutorializing text? If the game is merciful it won't bother me. If the text is a painful crawl with a fixed duration, woof, I dunno. I have little patience for that kind of thing these days.
@Bonggon5
No worries, it's okey.
@Nickakyoin
I don't have the game yet. it's in delivery.
That being said, I listen to IGNs Nintendo Voice Chat podcast regularly and I can say Logan (the reviewer) has usually a pretty good taste, so I think his review might have some points.
Also if you watched the Nintendo Life review on youtube you will see that Alex also didn't like the game a lot.
The thing is the last Mario & Luigi games had all a lot of issues with NPCs talking too much, with generic worlds etc... and it seems like it's the case here too.
@Not_Soos „I think most of us would agree Superstar Saga is a masterpiece“
Back when SS released, I had played RPG and Paper before, and I was utterly disappointed in SS by comparison. To me it was ok-ish, I guess, but nothing more.
@Steel76 maybe videogames (or Mario specifically as you say) aren't for you anymore, try other hobbies. Always helps.
Switch is definitely sucking big time lately. My opinion is they are absurdly delaying the next console release. We players are switching to other platforms offering interesting stuff. This Mario Luigi crap... Come one, this review is ridiculous by the way.
Can someone explain why I have to press A when selecting Luigi’s actions? I’m used to do it with B ….
@BeefSanta The M&L series lets you press A to immediately make the rest of the line you're on appear, allowing you to then skip right after. It's quite easy to scroll through text quickly in these games.
@Aurumonado Well, if you watched Abdulasmash's stream he loves the game, but was disappointed at the same time around some dumbing down / streamline decisions that were made, like removal of level power ups(?), around gear, no direct control anymore of Luigi, etc.
Nintendolife always give crazy high review scores for first party titles in general. So always good to check around and get your information from multiple sources.
@Bardoom like what? Star Wars Outlasted? Failguard? Mass Effect: Abandoned? #NotMyConcord?
Sony and Microsoft offer almost nothing appealing for me outside of Astro Bot, Halo MCC, and Rare Replay, and very little else. It's been that way for years now. I'll sell my Series X before I ever sell my Switch.
Also, the Mario & Luigi franchise is better than games like Horizon or Dragon Age will ever be.
@KeeperBvK actually, I'm the same way. I'm far newer into the Mario RPGs, and I'm nowhere far enough into the first game to judge it quite yet, but I was way more into PM64 than Superstar Saga.
Bowsers Inside Story, on the other hand. . .
digital foundry frame rate drops bad loading times game play tips after a battle..
There's not one mention in the review of the soundtrack. I've long considered this the real successor to SMRPG as opposed to Paper Mario, and Shimomura's soundtracks are a huge reason for that.
I have been looking into this game for a while now and I am currently waiting for Christmas to come around to hopefully get it. But should I get? And why? I am asking this because all the reviews are really mixed in terms of ratings so it’s difficult to track. And my friend got it and he said it is good but I am still not one Hundo percento on it. Can any one help?
@batmanbud2 hahaha BS
@batmanbud2 Like there is not a single Switch game on any GOTY list this year. While Sony and Microsoft both have a few masterpieces. Mario & Luigi is total crap, and same goes for new Zelda Echoes... Nintendo lost their momentum and brilliance long ago... Wtf are they doing??
Not that long ago any Nintendo fan would be shocked if I said we were finishing this year with TWO Mario & Luigi games on Switch. I think given it's a new developer, that the game has as much as it does and is a bloody miracle it's even been made at all, I think a 9/10 is warranted almost for that fact alone!
Buy this one kiddies or don't whine when Nintendo doesn't do it again.
Great review, i'll keep my eyes on new mario
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