I wasn’t expecting Mario & Luigi: Brothership to surprise me as much as it did

I’m not sure what’s harder to believe: The fact that there hasn’t been a new Mario & Luigi game in nearly a decade or that the series has never had a full console game. Regardless of which fact you find more shocking, Mario & Luigi: Brothership is kind of a big deal. It’s not just a grand return for a beloved RPG series that was on the verge of losing its way, but also a chance for Nintendo to prove that it’s not just a handheld experience. I wouldn’t call it a make-or-break moment, but it’s still the kind of game that’s important to get right.

Thankfully, Nintendo seems to be taking that task very seriously. During a preview event, I played over an hour of Brothership. That snippet would reintroduce me to familiar timing-based combat and some fresh animations that are giving the series a modern cartoon overhaul. But Brothership isn’t just an old Mushroom Kingdom adventure with a new look; it comes with an ingenious new combat system that could redefine the series on its maiden console voyage.

Mario & Luigi: Brothership – Making Memories in Concordia – Nintendo Switch

Set sail

Mario & Luigi: Brothership has the Italian paisanos sailing on a ship and setting out to various islands on adventures. The basic flow of the game has players locating an island from the bow of their ship, shooting over to it via cannon, and finding a plug on it to tether it to the ship. That doesn’t just allow the brothers to fast travel back at any time, but it also creates routes between other islands connected to the ship. If you head back to an island after connecting another, you may find some new visitors there with sidequests to share.