This structure allows for two fundamental truths that keep the combat in Brothership engaging for most of its runtime. Watching Mario and Luigi do stuff together is really charming, and putting quick-time events in turn-based battles makes the proceedings feel just a bit more exciting. Stats don’t dictate whether an attack lands, you do.

Brothership adds more RPG depth to the series, but its flat writing and overabundance of gimmicks drag it down.

Mario & Luigi finally set sail on a home console for the first time ever, and my word is it a resounding success. The typical reaction-based combat of the series is back and more refined than ever, with the addition of unpredictable elements like Luigi Logic and some cool super moves with the new Bros. Attacks.

Mario & Luigi: Brothership, the first new Mario & Luigi game in nearly a decade, seems content to iterate on past ideas from the franchise. Brothership brings a handful of new ideas to the Mario & Luigi formula, but only a few of them make the 20-year-old franchise feel fresh.

W ay back when I used to play Mario & Luigi RPGs on the Nintendo DS, I always got a kick out of how they cleverly blended controls for both Mario and Luigi with button-mapping. As

The Mario & Luigi series came as a shock to players when it first debuted way back in 2003 with Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga on the Game Boy Advance, bringing the famous plumber and his brother, Luigi,

Boss fights in Mario & Luigi Brothership are unique and challenging with twists to keep you on your toes. Gorombula, Pipegunk, and Extension Corps are standout bosses that offer engaging gameplay mechanics.

Beating Bowser is always a challenge for the Mario brothers and this is no less true than in his newest appearance in Mario & Luigi: Brothership.