Test de Mario & Luigi: Brothership

When AlphaDream’s bankruptcy was announced in 2019, I was afraid that it would be the end for one of my favorite series. Fortunately, Nintendo recently announced that it would be resurrected from its ashes for a 6th installment. Mario & Luigi: Brothership was presented last June and immediately I was surprised by the new visual approach. We eventually learned that it was a rare game from the company under the Unreal graphics engine. However, for me, what mattered most was having a good storyline and gameplay that was true to the roots of the series.

Mario & Luigi: Brothership Technique Card

• Release date: November 7, 2024
• Style : RPG
• ESRB / PEGI rating : E / 7
• Editor: Nintendo
• Operating language: Offered in French
• Exclusivity Nintendo Switch
• Tested on Nintendo Switch OLED
• Price during the test: 79,99 $ CA / 59,99 €
• Site Web
• Version sent by publisher

Reconnecting the continent

The premise transports Mario and Luigi to a whole new world called Connexia where a tragedy has happened. Without going into too much detail, the brother duo will sail on the Navisthmus in order to reconnect the numerous islands of the continent which are drifting. There, they will make many friends, including Amperia, a flyer who knows the place well, and Couchomb, a curious floating creature who accompanies Luigi in his hat. On board the island ship is a cannon that allows Mario and Luigi to catapult to new horizons.

So, by visiting the islands, our adventurous plumbers will develop their skills, make a variety of friends, solve not too complicated puzzles and fight well. On the other hand, the ultimate goal of each visit will always be to go to the lighthouse in order to reconnect the place to the great Navisthmus tree and add to the fleet of islands. It won’t always be easy, but when brothers are together, nothing is impossible.

I really liked the settings of the previous games in the series. Discovering what happens in the body of Mario’s eternal nemesis in Bowser’s Iniside Story or visiting Luigi’s dreamland in Dream Team provided excellent premises. In Mario & Luigi: Brothership, I found the approach a little less interesting. We visit a completely original new place that seems to come from a completely different universe. I like the innovation of the characters and the world, but I would have liked to explore a world closer to the Mario universe. It seems like I became less attached to the new characters in the game because of this.

Still so dynamic

Then, Mario & Luigi: Brothership takes the combat elements that I like in the series or other games like Super Mario RPG. That is to say, they are very dynamic and you must constantly be alert to maximize results. This way, every enemy attack can be dodged and even generally countered. I’ve done a ton of JRPGs in the last few years like Dragon Quest or the Trails of series. However, I always ended up automating and speeding up the fights because it was so boring and redundant.

This is not an option here. You have to press the buttons at the right time both offensively and defensively. Besides, the game is excellent at presenting us with new enemies and new attacks on a regular basis so that we don’t become too comfortable. There’s even a section where I found myself down to just one character, which greatly increased the difficulty level. If I didn’t avoid most attacks, I quickly died. Fortunately, the game allows us to resume our game at the start of the fight, which means that the approach is not too punitive.

Our duo starts with simple jump and hammer attacks, then adds brother attacks that are very similar to what we’ve seen in the past. We unlock more and more as we advance in the adventure and these are the ones that do the most damage to enemies. They are also the most difficult to perfectly synchronize, especially among the most expensive ones that are unlocked later. In short, the fights are fun, the enemies are varied enough to lead us to constantly adjust our dodges and the level of difficulty is not bad at times including the bosses which are not so simple.

Create your combat holds

The big new thing in terms of combat is the possibility of creating combat holds. You can activate two at a time and they add different passive elements which are very useful. For example, by activating overwhelming attackyou can do damage to nearby enemies when you perform an EXCELLENT (perfect attack). Other takes like auto-champignon make us consume a mushroom when the HP of one of our characters drops dangerously. These have a number of charges and I had fun juggling my choices depending on the situation.

To unlock the catches, you must explore each island further in order to catch as many Ampollets as possible. These are represented by bright glows in certain key places that we take from the setting and which we must then capture. The more you get, the more you can unlock and the most interesting ones are available towards the end. In short, it’s a good way to slightly personalize our combat approach according to our tastes.

A proper RPG

Without being a complex RPG, Mario & Luigi: Brothership ticks the essential boxes of what we want in a good game of the genre. First, we have a feeling of progression via a system of gaining experience points and levels. The attributes of our characters progress each time one of them gains levels. There are even levels where you even get an additional attribute of your choice.

In addition to levels, it is important to accumulate coins to obtain better pieces of equipment. We regularly come across sellers when visiting the islands and they are the ones who allow us to improve our characters as they have attributes.

Finally, I would add the array of side quests as another classic element of an RPG. Once you have connected an island, there are generally a few additional missions to complete. However, they are not particularly difficult and the rewards are often disappointing. It’s not really my favorite element of the game even if it allows for some character development.

A new visual approach

Finally, I wanted to reserve my last section for visuals and music. I know it’s not going to please everyone, but I like the evolution of the series. It’s the first game on a console that can be played in our living room and the graphics lend themselves well to it. I particularly like the scenes where we see the brothers in action as well as the animations of our characters. Besides, I didn’t have any fluidity problems and I’m fine with it if the studio continues with this visual approach for the rest of the series.

In addition, Mario & Luigi: Brothership takes us to visit a ton of islands with very different settings from each other. It’s nice to have this visual variety and that it’s all accompanied by an equally diverse bestiary of creatures. I would also be remiss if I didn’t highlight the work of the translators with certain character names that really made me laugh. The puns are excellent.

Finally, I also liked the music. This is a completely new plot with instrumentalization that gives us the impression of having a modern soundtrack.

Verdict sur Mario & Luigi: Brothership

To conclude, Mario & Luigi: Brothership marks a successful return for the series. While not my favorite, it’s definitely a better adventure than Paper Jam and a step in the right direction for RPG fans. Although I’m not a huge fan of the new characters and worlds to explore, I had a lot of fun in the adventure. The longevity will definitely give you value for your money and the dynamic gameplay makes for a great experience. In short, it’s a good little game that’s easy to recommend.