Mario & Luigi: Brothership asks players to switch between two characters constantly, and that demand defines almost everything about it. Nintendo’s latest outing with the two brothers trades the usual walking and fighting for a system built around swapping between Mario and Luigi at will. It works best when it commits fully to that idea and struggles when it steps back.
The aggregate score comes from multiple outlets, each weighing the game on its own terms.
Trailer, via Nintendo of America.
The Core System
The core trick here is simple to explain and hard to master. Players can switch between Mario and Luigi mid-combat, timing their attacks to hit enemies from both sides of the screen. It rewards patience and punishes careless button presses alike.
Where It Falls Short
Not every fight trusts the player to keep switching. Some stages ask for plain button pressing instead of clever timing, which breaks the rhythm the game otherwise builds.
Story and Setting
The story sends Mario and Luigi on a mission tied to the ocean, and the setting leans heavily on water imagery throughout. That theme carries through levels, boss fights and side quests alike.
Level Design and Sound
Level design leans on familiar themes from earlier games in the series, but it adds new twists built around the swapping mechanic. Some stages are tight and clever; others feel like filler. The music stays cheerful throughout, matching the tone of the rest of the package. Character models are detailed enough to tell Mario apart from Luigi clearly, which matters given how often the two trade places on screen.
Difficulty Curve
The difficulty rises unevenly across the game. Some bosses punish careless play harshly while others barely test the player at all.
Boss Battles
Boss fights stand out as some of the strongest parts of the game, asking players to manage both characters together under pressure. They reward the kind of careful timing the whole system is built around.
Here is a rough sense of how the difficulty grows across the game:
| Stage | Rough Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Early chapters | Gentle introduction |
| Mid-game | Rising demands |
| Late-game | Demanding, testing patience |
| Final chapter | Hardest point |
This is not a game that eases players in gently and holds their hand. It expects players to learn the swapping mechanic quickly and trust it.
Ranking the Best Stages
- The boss fights that demand both Mario and Luigi be used together
- Levels that force careful timing between the two characters
- Side quests tied to the ocean theme
- Filler stages that break the rhythm
The ranking above is a matter of personal taste rather than a strict hierarchy of quality. The boss fights and the levels that force careful timing are the strongest examples of what the game does well, while the filler stages are the ones that step away from the mechanic that defines it.
Final Word
Mario & Luigi: Brothership is a solid entry in the series, built on a swapping mechanic that shows promise even when it stumbles. It earns a 7.5 of 10.
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