Video games: we tested Mario & Luigi: The Brotherly Epic

Nintendo’s famous plumber brothers are back with a new episode in RPG form. Mario & Luigi: The Brotherhood Epic landed on Switch this Thursday, November 7, and here is our opinion on this title.

Juan-David Martinez / jvmag

It’s been nine years since Nintendo released a new installment in the Mario & Luigi series. Since the release of Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros in 2015, fans have only been treated to remakes, of good quality certainly, but insufficient to meet expectations (including that of your editor). This new episode promises to revive interest in the license and attract a whole new generation.

_{Our test of Super Mario Party Jamboree}

Back to the roots of a cult license

After the creation of Super Mario RPG in 1996, developed in collaboration with Square Enix, Nintendo split its RPG adventures into two separate series: Paper Mario for home consoles and Mario & Luigi for handheld consoles. This is how the first opus, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, saw the light of day on Gameboy Advance in 2003. Purists will point out that Paper Mario was indeed released on 3DS, but as they say, it is the exception that proves the rule.

Brothers to the rescue

While enjoying a peaceful day, Mario and Luigi are sucked into a mysterious vortex and find themselves in the kingdom of Connexia. Once linked together by the power of the great Unicea, the regions of Connexia are now isolated islands whose inhabitants are cut off from the rest of the world. On board the Navitisme, a hybrid ship, you will have to navigate between these islands and try to reconnect them.

Exploration at the heart of gameplay

Discovering new places is relatively simple: you have to sail on currents to unveil the map and reveal the hidden islands. To explore an island, simply catapult yourself with a cannon. Be careful though, because until the island is reconnected, it is impossible to return to the ship. It is therefore better to prepare well before each excursion. In addition to the main islands, you will find additional islets, populated with enemies or puzzles, which unlock key characters or objects for the rest of the story. Residents of reconnected islands will also be able to travel, opening the possibility of new quests and items on previously visited islands.

_{We tested Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero}

The return of the Mario-style RPG

Mario & Luigi is known for its accessible RPG and unique fighting style. Each brother is associated with a key (Mario to A and Luigi to B) for specific actions. Facilities are limited but interesting enoughand the statistics remain simple to understand.

In combat, you have to press at the right time to maximize damage, whether to attack or dodge. The basic actions, “jump” and “hammer,” deal damage tailored to enemy types, while “brother attacks” deal greater damage to multiple enemies in exchange for specific points and choreographed sequences.

The notable novelty is the introduction of “Combat Holds”, which add passive bonuses in combat: attack three times instead of two, ignite attacks, create shock waves when jumping, or automate the use of objects when life is low. These sockets, however, are limited to a certain number of turns before recharging.

On the exploration side, you must use special abilities unlocked during the adventure to solve the puzzles. For example, Mario and Luigi can hold hands and spin like a propeller to cross chasms.

Two elements, however, disappointed me a little: special skills can no longer be used in combat, which takes away a little depth, and now only Mario is controllable, Luigi following him automatically, which limits certain exploration options.

Excellent lifespan

We haven’t completed the game 100%, but we feel that with the main quest, side quests, exploration and numerous fights, the game offers approximately 40 hours of content. Some might find it a little too easy though; in fact, we rarely had a “game over” during our game.

Ready to go?

Mario & Luigi: The Brotherly Epic is an excellent game to discover the world of RPGs as well as the universe of this cult license. The gameplay is still pleasant, the exploration entertaining, and the humor dear to Mario RPGs is very present. You will also find many references to previous opuses and to the Mario universe as a whole, because no, the brothers are not the only ones from the Mushroom Kingdom to have landed in Connexia.

However, the lack of option to adjust the difficulty is felt. A New Game+ mode or options to toughen up the fights would have been appreciated. Other than that, we highly recommend this title!

Dragon Ball Sparking ! Zero est disponible sur PC, Playstation 5 et Xbox Series X|S.