After helping the poor villagers of Rumbla Island, Mario and Luigi breathe a sigh of relief. The light above a large tree shines brightly and melodic piano music plays. The scene is poetic and solemn, like the end of a great film. I didn’t know that I was still in the very early stages of a game that took me dozens of hours to complete. Soon I would have to save a large set of islands several times, each time seeing the light shining above the tree.

In Mario and Luigi: Brotherhoodour favorite mustachioed heroes vow to save a world called Concordia by connecting its many islands to each other. That means they must embark on an arduous sea voyage (and save Princess Peach, of course). Their hard work is actively thwarted by goons called the Extension Corps, led by their misty leader, Zokket, who wants to make the world a lonelier place. And as expected, Bowser is also focused on their business.

Bringing classic RPG elements with more robust animation and fresh writing, Mario and Luigi: Brotherhood is a feast for the eyes. It clearly has a lot of heart too, especially for a game aimed at children. I was excited to see the all-new original story and where it would take the brothers, but Fraternity doesn’t hit its stride until 20 hours in – and even then, its story beats are largely predictable.

Welcome to Bro-down

Fraternity full of content. At different times, Mario and Luigi are called upon to hack passcodes, majestically save local villagers, unlock giant puzzles, and, of course, perfectly time their jumps and hammer swings. Nintendo has clearly spared no expense, and Fraternity is packed with mini-games and additional content to explore, from optional quests to uncharted islands. You can’t do a few minutes of browsing without coming across something worth checking out, and every little buddy has a quick retort to bark at you.

Combat is crisp and engaging (even after 50 hours of dungeon grinding) thanks, in part, to the game’s new Battle Plug system, which adds a nice layer of strategy. Equipping different Plugs gives you attributes that benefit you in battle. One automatically gives Mario a mushroom when he’s low on health, for example, while another makes him deal more damage. Finding great Plug synergy provided enough variety to keep me entertained even during the onslaught of enemies. Battle Plugs kept the game fresh when I would have been bored otherwise.

Combat is integrated FraternityThe theme of…well, brotherhood. Mario and Luigi can perform Bro Moves together to travel to greater heights with special anime-style moves. The brothers can combine and transform into a floating disk in a move called a UFO. As they progress through the story, they unlock even more fantastic skills (like the power to roll like a marble) to reach the farthest corners of the game and collect additional items. prime.

Fraternity does a good job of providing a challenge for more experienced players while still having accessibility options. For those who don’t want to fight (or can’t master all the fast timing), game progression is still possible. If you lose a battle twice, you will be given an easy mode option. If you lose a third time, a cakewalk mode appears.

As usual, you mainly play as Mario, leaving Luigi as second fiddle. However, a feature called Luigi’s Logic gives the younger brother plenty to do. With the press of a button, he’ll collect loot and solve puzzles for you whenever he gets an idea. The result is that both brothers have a say in what happens in the game and a fair amount of action. Since Mario can order Luigi to fetch items and press buttons, Luigi sometimes feels more like a butler than a brother, but it’s nice to have a little help sometimes.

Fraternity doesn’t want you to know exactly how long it lasts (spoiler alert: it’s very long) and how much of your life it might succeed in taking away from you. Each task seems simple and unpretentious, and the to-do list never becomes too overwhelming. The feeling that the final boss battle could break out at any moment follows Mario and Luigi throughout the story. It’s like you’re rushing towards the finale, and every fight could turn into a final battle. Just before things get tedious, Mario and Luigi gain more powers, the ability to fish, discover more interesting, thought-provoking knowledge, and faster ways to travel. This is how Fraternity intelligently keeps you in suspense.

Child-friendly comedy

Fraternity is rated E for everyone, but that doesn’t mean the writing has to be that watered down. Puns are prevalent throughout Concordia, and corny jokes get old quickly. Mario’s new sidekick, a little pig called Snoutlet, can’t help but reference bacon and pigs in almost every line of dialogue. Everyone is just a little too happy, that’s what’s so boring and off-putting.

On the other hand, the villain writing is some of the best in gaming. The main antagonist, Zokket, seems incapable of remembering anyone’s name, at one point even mistaking Mario and Luigi for Marigold and Linguini. You also get a mix of classic characters you know and love, like Bowser and his army of Shy Guys, plus tons of new and weird lore to go along with them.

It’s obvious that a lot of time and care was put into the development of this game, just by looking at the size of the virtual world and the cast of characters. I found its level design creative and fascinating; one of the islands twists on itself at different heights for a breathtaking effect. (There’s even a cute Easter egg SEO Paper Mario when a character jokes that it would be weird if they could turn into thin pieces of paper and fit through the bars of a prison cell.)

Final Thoughts

In a year already full of great RPGs, Mario and Luigi this might be a hard sell. The fact that it arrives only a few weeks later Metaphor: ReFantazio And Dragon Age: Keeper of the Veil It’s even easier to ignore the idea of ​​dedicating 50 hours of your life to eating mushrooms and chatting with island villagers. Here again, the public of Fraternity is different. Nintendo made this game for kids, which means more mature audiences might get bored – although there’s plenty to enjoy here for Mario and Luigi fans of all ages.

Fraternity is a stylish product designed to be entertaining. You can never really be disappointed, but you’re also not really surprised too often. For those who decide to take the plunge and go all the way, Fraternity has a message about how we are all in this together. And watching the classic brothers take all sorts of creative detours is always a fun nostalgia trip, offering just enough cuteness to keep that journey going.

8/10

Mario and Luigi: Brotherhood comes to Nintendo Switch on November 7.

REVERSE ETHOS VIDEO GAME REVIEW: Every Reverse The video game review answers two questions: Is this game worth your time? Are you getting what you pay for? We have no tolerance for endless fetch quests, clunky mechanics, or bugs that dilute the experience. We care deeply about game design, world building, character arcs, and storytelling. Reverse we will never strike, but we are not afraid to strike. We love magic and science fiction in equal measure, and while we love discovering rich stories and worlds through games, we don’t ignore the real-world context in which these games are created.