Mario & Luigi Brothership: Nintendo's latest Mario RPG is new and deserves a Switch 2

I played Mario & Luigi RPGs on the Nintendo DS a long time ago. I always enjoyed how cleverly they combined Mario and Luigi's controls with button mapping, making it feel like you were taking both of them on an adventure. The Nintendo Switch is getting a new Mario & Luigi title just as the Nintendo Switch feels like it's at the end of its life cycle, and while the game is a welcome bit of fun, its graphics performance shows the Switch's limitations.

We're in a strange situation for the Switch right now. There are still good games coming, but a Switch 2 is a product that Nintendo has already admitted will launch next year. Meanwhile, Switch games feel like they're being prepared for the arrival of this console, along with a possible range of new games designed specifically for it.

As much as I've enjoyed my hours playing Mario & Luigi: Brothership so far, it's a very familiar formula for Nintendo. Turn-based RPGs with time-based mechanics have been available on the Switch in abundance ever since Paper Mario: Origami King for the remake of Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door. However, this is the first Mario & Luigi game since Bowser's Inside Story on the Nintendo 3DS in 2018, so fans of that particular series are probably thrilled that it's back. But to me, the Mario & Luigi and Paper Mario games share a lot of gameplay styles and a quirky sense of humor, so it doesn't seem like that long ago.

Brothership has an interesting structure in which a huge island-shaped ship sails across the ocean and discovers other lost islands to reconnect the enchanting world of Concordia. The discovery at sea reminded me a little of the classic The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, although the way the ship travels on rails on rail-shaped currents to find new areas also feels like the old one Nintendo DS Zelda game felt like Spirit Tracks (deep cut there!).

This game is all about finding islands, discovering their secrets and challenges, and collecting upgrades and new fighting techniques for Mario and Luigi while wandering around the 3D islands and some tricky platforming might. Battles that are triggered when an enemy comes near you can become tiring after a while. That's how I felt about the turn-based battles in Origami King. Sometimes I just want to move on and find the next island or an interesting boss fight. It's stories and discoveries that interest me, not battles.

Brothership's laid-back style lends itself well to playing in chunks on the go, and so far nothing feels too incredibly demanding. The game's frame rate is a bit disappointing at times. Things get particularly unsettling in moments that otherwise feel like 3D moments from a living Mario and Luigi cartoon.

It's all playable, but it's the kind of compromise I've gotten used to in some recent games on the Switch. The 7-year-old hardware has had a great run, but it's time for a console upgrade that can make these games shine even more.

Am I deeply in love with Brotherhood so far? Not quite. Do I enjoy playing it? Absolutely. Much like a solid book to lose yourself in, this one serves its purpose. But it also feels a little forgotten in the huge list of fantastic Nintendo Switch games.

I've found Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom This is more my style, but Brothership is another really good RPG in a series of impressively deep Nintendo RPGs already available on the Switch. Do we need another one? I didn't, but it's hard to complain. I just hope that Brothership and many other current Switch games get nice upgrades once Nintendo finally announces its next-gen Switch sometime next year.