Mario & Luigi: Brothership Preview
So after playing a bit of Mario & Luigi: Brothership, I’m pretty optimistic. So far it looks great! This really feels like the natural continuation of the series. The brothers are full of vibrant slapstick energy, the visuals are excellent, and the battles are looking good. I do wish there were fewer loading screens, however. Feels like we’re beyond those in general. Although maybe this is just the Switch showing its age at last.
Of course, this is a preview. Things could change quite a bit between now and the final release. But right now? Every regular battle comes with a heaping helping of waiting around. You’ve got to wait for the battle itself to load, and then there’s a brief moment after it ends. Plus, there’s a lot of loads between regions and stages. I’m hoping that this gets a little better by November, but my hopes aren’t high.
On the other hand, Brothership looks and feels awesome so far. The visuals are clean and crisp, and the animation is quite charming. It’s not fluid, exactly. You get a sense that frames are being deliberately dropped to nail that cartoon vibe. But it looks great regardless. Every island I’ve seen so far is drenched in color, which is great. The enemies and other inhabitants are equally vibrant, plus their designs are fascinating. There’s this electrical cord/socket aesthetic that I really appreciate.
Cool And Colorful Islands
I’m a big fan of the combat, at least what I’ve seen up until now. All the button prompts and timed hits make every fight feel engaging. The actual timing is pretty generous, or maybe I’ve just had a lot of practice? On the other hand, the puzzles are a bit more dense. Not insurmountable by any means! It’s just taken a bit more effort to noodle out a couple of these puzzles.
One thing I’m curious about is the pacing. So far it feels like bosses, abilities, and fresh story beats are being handed out a bit slowly. Things might pick up in time, of course. We’re still pretty early on. But it still feels a bit odd. Normally the first 15% is more densely packed. Again, I’m more curious than concerned. I could be way off base! We’ll see how I feel once I actually play the full release.
While I’ve enjoyed what I’ve played of Brothership so far, I still have many questions. How hard are the puzzles going to get? How many weird little islands will I discover? Is the story going anywhere, or is this another MacGuffin extravaganza? Combat has been fun so far, but is it ever getting properly difficult? This is a Mario RPG, so maybe not. And if it doesn’t, would that be so bad? I don’t mind a relaxing cruise through a series of colorful worlds once in a while.
The Good Ship Mario
I’m a little concerned about the pacing and load screens, to be sure. But I’m also having a lot of fun so far. The individual battles are all a great time. Every stage is incredibly colorful and well-crafted. Plus, the timed hits and Bros attacks are real satisfying to pull off. I want to learn more about these weird characters and their lives. I’m hoping the story goes somewhere good, or at least goes anywhere at all. More than anything however, I’m having a great time with this game, and I can’t wait to play the whole thing. Mario & Luigi: Brothership is coming to the Nintendo Switch on November 7th, 2024.
***A Nintendo Switch code was provided by the publisher***
