Following the hype of the Summer Game Fest, Nintendo joined in with their Nintendo Direct Showcase. Among all their announcements, one particular game took Nintendo fans by storm— Mario & Luigi: Brothership.
The bond between our favourite Italian brothers is stronger than ever, and fans will see that in the series’ latest game coming out this November. Since joining the brothers for the first time, investigating sewers for strange creatures in Mario Bros. (1983), we have been brought on countless adventures with the pair and have seen them through thick and thin.
From funny moments to brotherly arguments, cheering each other on to saving each other from danger, we have many memories of these two brothers. This article will take us on a walk down memory lane with Mario and Luigi ahead of their latest adventure.
Mario & Luigi Series
As a set of fraternal twins, Luigi was originally made to be a green version of Mario. However, over time he was given his personality, style and identity, bringing the adventures with these brothers to life. Both characters have taken the lead in their own game titles such as Luigi’s Mansion, and Super Mario.
While the brothers are seen together in many Mario games such as Mario Party and Mario Karts; it was the Mario & Luigi Series of games that showed us their brothership in full.
The series kicked off with Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, which was released in 2003. Superstar Saga had a different style regarding the controls in the game as the player was controlling Mario and Luigi simultaneously, with the ability to switch between brothers at the push of a button.
The plot of the game is to reclaim Princess Peach’s stolen voice. This adventure brought the player on an engaging journey while showcasing the brothers’ relationship and all its humour and supportive nature.
Following up in 2005, we joined the brothers in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. This game was different from the previous one as it added the element of time travel. Princess Peach has been abducted by an alien species, and in a twist to the games, the brothers team up with Baby Mario and Baby Luigi to search for and rescue Princess Peach.
The baby versions of themselves are introduced through the time-travelling element, as Mario and Luigi can travel via “time holes.” The baby versions of the brothers brought a new charm and humour to an already uplifting game.
The adventure continued in 2009 with Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story. This game differs from the others as the player now controls Mario, Luigi and Bowser. The story surrounds Mario and Luigi being inhaled into Bowser without him realising. While the player takes on Bowser in the outside world, they also control Mario and Luigi from inside Bowser's body to help him grow stronger.
The game sticks to its traditional humour among the two brothers, with funny, lighthearted cutscenes and interactions. A standout feature of this game is that eventually, you have to hold your DS sideways to play when Bowser grows.
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Mario & Luigi: Dream Team was the next instalment to the series, released in 2013. This game takes place on Pi’illo Island. Mario, Luigi and the other members of Mushroom Kingdom go there on vacation, where the antagonist of the game, Antasma, kidnaps Peach.
As part of their mission to rescue the princess, the brothers explore not only the real world but the dream world. The dream world can only be accessed when Luigi sleeps, and as Mario, the player plays alongside “Dreamy Luigi,” who is a more powerful version of the original Luigi.
The game is mixed between taking on battles and puzzles as Mario and Luigi in the real world and playing as Mario in the dream world with Dreamy Luigi providing a host of new abilities. As the series’ first entry on the 3DS handheld console, the game took full advantage of the improvements in graphics and gameplay.
Two years later, we were reunited with the brothers in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. Where Luigi accidentally opens a book containing the Paper Mario world, bringing all counterparts into their world, making this a crossover between Mario Bros. and the Paper Mario Series. Bowser eventually teams up with Paper Bowser to kidnap Princess Peach, with Mario and Luigi alongside Paper Mario teaming up to save Princess Peach and both worlds from Bowser.
The game offers a mix of exploration, combat and papercraft battles, with Paper Mario having the added ability to slip into small spaces and transform into a paper plane, and the trio can team up for Trio Attacks. You could even control giant papercraft models of the game's characters to take down giant enemies.
While there were remakes of Superstar Saga and Bowser’s Inside Story in 2017 and 2018, the adventure will continue with Mario & Luigi: Brothership, after a long six-year wait.
While details are being kept securely under wraps, Nintendo has shared that the game will bring the brothers to the high seas in a new world that is part ship, part island! Players must rely on Mario and Luigi’s brotherly bond to succeed in this new adventure!
Whether you are new to the world of the Mario Brothers, or you are feeling nostalgic remembering the old games, you’ll have plenty of time to catch up with them before Mario & Luigi: Brothership arrives on Nintendo Switch on November 7th, 2024.
