Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood Preview
So after playing a bit of Mario & Luigi: Brothership, I'm pretty optimistic. So far it looks great! This really seems like the natural continuation of the series. The brothers are full of vibrant energy, the visuals are excellent and the battles look good. I do wish there were fewer loading screens though. It seems like we're beyond that in general. Although maybe this is just the Switch finally showing its age.
Of course, this is a preview. Things could change quite a bit between now and the final release. But right now? Every normal battle comes with a lot of waiting. You have to wait for the battle to load and then there is a brief moment after it ends. Additionally, there are many loads between regions and stages. I hope this improves a little by November, but my hopes are not high.
On the other hand, Brothership looks and feels amazing so far. The images are clean and sharp, and the animation is quite charming. It's not exactly fluid. You get the feeling that the frames are deliberately removed to achieve that cartoon vibe. But it looks great anyway. All the islands I've seen so far are full of colour, which is fantastic. The enemies and other inhabitants are equally vibrant and their designs are fascinating. There's this electrical cord/plug aesthetic that I really appreciate.
Fresh and colorful islands
I'm a big fan of combat, at least what I've seen so far. All the button prompts and timed hits make every fight 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 little more dense. It's not insurmountable by any means! It just took a little more effort to solve a couple of these puzzles.
One thing that makes me curious is the rhythm. So far it seems like the bosses, abilities, and new story beats are being delivered a little slowly. Things could improve over time, of course. We are still at a fairly early stage. But it still feels a little strange. Typically the first 15% is more densely populated. Once again, I'm more curious than worried. I could be very wrong! We'll see how I feel once I play the full release.
While I've enjoyed my games of Brothership so far, I still have a lot of questions. How difficult will the puzzles be? How many strange little islands will I discover? Is the story going anywhere or is this another MacGuffin show? The combat has been fun so far, but will it ever get really difficult? This is a Mario RPG, so maybe not. And if not, would it be so bad? I don't mind a relaxing cruise through a series of colorful worlds every now and then.
the good ship mario
I'm a little worried about the pacing and loading screens, no doubt. But so far I'm also having a lot of fun. The individual battles are all a great time. Each stage is incredibly colorful and well designed. Plus, Bros' timed hits and attacks are really satisfying. I want to learn more about these strange characters and their lives. I hope the story goes somewhere good, or at least goes somewhere. More than anything though, 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 Nintendo Switch on November 7, 2024.
***A Nintendo Switch code was provided by the publisher***