What did you think of Brothership? What's your favorite Mario and Luigi game? Let me know in the comments. I post videos every Wednesday so don't forget to subscribe. Take care, yahaha !
@@Rediscool9 I kinda have to agree lol. The story is great! That's not to say the story of any of the others are bad by any means, but this one is at the very least up to par with the rest.
Not to mention, I love the little mini stories that come with some of the islands (i.e. SPOILER WARNING trying to find the thief, breaking luigi/peach out of lottacoins etc. Albeit they come in later into the game, but once they do it becomes a lot of fun. Very creative, and was definitely heartwarming. Not perfect, but definitely good.
I really hope this is the beginning of a new series by Acquire. If they trim some of the fat (and tell a better story) I can see them surpassing the best games in the franchise.
@@Woaleyeven if this game doesn’t sell as well as the previous 2 Mario rpgs we got, I can still see Nintendo continuing the series considering how vocal the community was about seeing it come back (plus you can tell how much effort was put into it and how much Brothership respects the legacy of the series)
@@user-xr6ko4jg1z Totally agree 👍 Origami King is a wonderfully crafted game, I do prefer tryd because the end game stuff/secrets aspect is better imo. But y Origami King is Def an awesome entry in the Paper Mario franchise, highly overlooked
Luigi time! FINALLY a good review from someone who played the original and has a grasp of the series as a whole. Too many people out there being like "You don't control Luigi, therefore it's not a 'Mario AND Luigi' game. 0/10" LOL God forbid a game about CONNECTION and BEING WITH PEOPLE CLOSE TO YOU have mechanics that mirror that in the gameplay of Mario and Luigi, it's everywhere in the game! You don't attack alone, you don't walk alone, you don't do bro moves alone, etc etc etc. And I realize this is the case with other games, but the fact that when you control one bro in the other games while the other essentially turns into an NPC you control every now and then wasn't an issue BEFORE shouldn't mean that it's an issue now? I guess people will say anything that gets them views ^^; Lowkey, I enjoy being able to send Luigi to go fetch those little glow bulb things or destroy boxes. Saves me the work of doing it myself, pure free profit. And not having to press the B button every time we jump across a ledge is a pretty good QOL addition imho. Good stuff! More reviews! Gogogogo!
THE FIRST LUIGI TIME I LOVE YOU HAHAHA. Thanks for the kind words. Yeah I feel like people blow the Luigi stuff way out of proportion, for the most part I actually felt like Luigi was MORE of the main character than Mario in this game. Controlling him like a Pikmin is a lot of fun and he gets all the best bros moves. I love how much emphasis the game put on Mario and Luigi needing each other to face all these challenges, like you really feel it when one bro is not in the party.
Weird. I feel like the lack of controlling Luigi was the worst issue with the game, but the captivating story was the best part of the game. We have the same conclusion of thinking the game is great, but for opposite reasons? Not being able to platform with Luigi with B is a valid criticism.
@@Luxembourgish For sure, it's valid. But what I was meaning to say was that a lot of folks are saying it's something that makes the game "not a mario & luigi game". That I don't agree with. I still feel like despite the lack of control over Luigi that it gives us that Mario & Luigi experience.
As a long time Mario and Luigi fan myself, I felt similar about the previous entries Bowser's inside story being my favourite by a landslide. I haven't finished Brothership yet but clocked in about 20 hours+, seen quite a few islands and gameplay is getting interesting. Sure, it is not as funny and a bit too wordy but I think this is an interesting and solid entry in the series. Is it the best? No. But definitely not the worst. When I start playing, I feel this urge to continue playing so that makes it already better than partners in time and paper jam. I also think Dream team was very long and bloated. Couldn't even finish it. So far, Brothership just flows which I appreciate. Not knowing exactly how things will play out in any given island is also a plus and keeps the novelty going. First impressions: Solid 8 out of 10
@@Ontos99 WOOWW I actually watch your videos, wasn't expecting you to be my first comment 😂. Yeah Brothership is a solid entry, I'm just glad this series isn't dead like we thought. I feel like people have been hating on it way too hard. I hope this is a series we can start to regularly expect games from. Thanks for watching :)
My only criticism are the character designs, don’t get me wrong i absolutely adore the art style. The npc character design (the blocky ones) are so repetitive, I would’ve liked if they used different characters all the way through to the end of the game.
Yeah I feel like IGN was being deliberately controversial and I mean it worked. The overarching narrative around this game always includes the IGN review, so smart on their part.
Luigi time! Kudos on the straight-to-the-point, genuine review, man! I loved how you contextualized your biases, presented your qualms with the game very frankly, yet respectfully, backing up your claims with examples. It’s great to see somebody recommending the game because they are a fan and had a good time, but also not shying away from criticizing it thoroughly - just like an actual fan would.
THANK YOU FOR MAKING IT TO THE END. I'm so glad you enjoyed the review, I love this franchise so it's great to be able to put my voice out on the topic and have people enjoy it :D
With so many mixed reviews on Brothership, it made a hard whether I wanna play the game or not. But after having some time to think and watched this video, I ultimately decided to wait for the game to go on sale on the eshop. Side note: I liked Partners in Time. Fight me.
Definitely worth a try, if you play it in 1 hour sessions it can keep you entertained for quite some time. I think playing it all in one weekend was not the way to go but I wanted to make a video on it, so I needed to play the whole thing. I think being able to play it for 30ish hours straight and enjoy most of the whole game is a testament to its quality.
I honestly think this game should of been a movie or series. I swear a lot of the stuff that happened in the game could easily be translated in the Movie universe(albeit they have cut the story length in half).
I liked the Battle Card system from Paper Jam more than this plug system, honestly. But I recognize that the reason the Battle Card system worked so well is because that game was on a 3DS with two screens. I don't think it would work as well on a single screen. So the battle plugs are a pretty good compromise and definitely my second favorite system. Totally agree with the Bomb Derby excellent being only possible due to the battle plugs
Honestly from a gameplay standpoint, Paper Jam is pretty strong, but to me everything else is weak. Battle cards were cool, but I'm glad we got battle plugs
battlecards feels fun, but i almost never use in most battle as the overall difficulties feel easy. Brothership on the other hand can be challenging,even on normal battle
I finished this game and im already wanting to start a second playthrough gearless and see what i can do. I like the sidequests, visiting other islands and helping tge people there does tie in the games message of "connection" (get it????? Cuz outlets and plugs and stuff??????), and even if the NPCs say stuff like "Ohh youre fixing the islands? Pogchamp", i like finding the occasional dialogue where the NOC has some what more depth, especially (S P O I L E R S) on the island where bowsers minions have taken over, theres a child who talks about their dad being in prison, then when you get locked up, you find said father and are able to free him. Its small things like that which made me appreciate the game and talking to the NPCs. Tho thats just me. Also I had little performance issues while docked, tho more when handheld, and if there were while I was docked its because of scenes like the Bowser vs Zokket fight or scenes with a lot going on
I remember that moment and it did stand out to me too. Definitely the characters in this game are great, I really like them. The story still tho is just meh to me, I like the message but there must have been a better way to execute it.
Honestly I loved brothership and it’s only barely short of the mark of inside story for me. I think u were a little harsh on the story because to me it wasn’t just about the story of connecting the islands and stopping zokket but also creating and witnessing the stories and connections of other characters in the world you’re helping. The side characters are all so charming to me and I couldn’t help falling in love with all their little side plots
Yeah this game's narrative really lives and dies on if you like those side characters. Don't get me wrong they definitely grew on me. I came to really love some of the characters like IDLE, but a lot of it fell flat for me.
@@Woaley For me the ice and hot villager couple I didn't really like. Usually the trope of people loving each other when their families and townsfolk are against it never appealed to me. Not to mention that it's been done way too much
I do disagree with the point of the story on the islands not being of worth to the main plot. The fact is that most of the islands revolve about Mario and Luigi meeting the people of Concordia and helping them connect with the others in more ways than the literal. The IDLE kids being my favorites. Although I do have to give you a point when you say that there are islands that are just made for unecessarily extending the game. The flowers Island and the sandy one are clear examples. In my opinion, the developers should've just made Rumbla Island and Desolatt Island bigger and fit the flower and desert areas there as unlockable zones and fit them in better for the story. For example, the floral area could've been the way to the first boss. Hinting at a more gentle nature and despite being resentful with the town, he'd respect nature. And for Desolatt Island, instead of the lighthouse being on top of the town, it would be inside the dessert, and that's where the kidnapped people seemed to be taken. Then, IDLE would be the ones to open up the gate to the desert, and Luigi would think of the ball Bros Move to cross the quicksand here instead of doing it in Lottacoins. Finally, for reference, I have the digital version of the game, I don't know if maybe that changes things, but either I'm dumb to notice or people are very picky because I haven't encountered any performance issues. The framerate has never dropped on me, nor have I experienced jump cuts. At most, on many occasions, I have felt that loading screens take a long time, even for battle transitions. It's annoying, but not is Sonic 06 bad at least.
The performance problems aren't GAME BREAKING, but I definitely noticed them CONSTANTLY while playing. I wouldn't call myself a performance snob, but almost every single recent Switch game, Totk, EoW, M&LB, all have framerate issues and it's so noticable at least to me. I def agree with merging some of the islands. Making bigger more expansive islands would have def helped break up the fluff. Another example is the fire and ice islands, it would've been cool if that was just one HUGE island explore imo.
It's a pretty good return to form after the Superstar Saga and Bowser's Inside Story remakes. I feel Brothership still has stuff I just don't really care for though.
For me what's most important is that it really has the "soul" of the franchise. I feel like they were losing that a bit with Dream Team but really lost it in Paper Jam. As long as it "feels" like M&L I can get behind more games.
1:41 I absolutely agree with you not liking Partners in Time. In fact, this is the only Mario and Luigi game I absolutely despise. There's barely any room for error, the regular fights are brutal because I feel like I take way too much damage from a single attack, the bosses take forever to beat because they have way too much health, I don't get enough experience from enemies (hence why I tend to be underleveled), and Elder Princess Shroob is one of the worst bosses I have ever fought.
That whole game just feels really grindy and long, like getting from one area to the next requires 2+ min of walking around Peach's Castle and yeah the battles, especially with the babies, suck ass 90% of the time.
Weird, I really don't remember having much problems with PiT. I enjoyed it a lot when I played it years ago. Then again I did get really good at the bro/partner attacks which I suppose is necessary to spam considering the bosses are damage sponges especially the final one.
To me IGN''s reputation as a reviewing publication has really been damaged over the years. From hiring people that had very questionable takes, to reviews that never made sense in the context of what they reviewed, to some of the mentality the reviewers they hired have, it's rare to find a reviewer that works for the publication that is actually competent.
IGN is a bunch of randos reviewing games, there's no consistency or real opinion held at the organization other than to make money and keep their relationships with game companies. Dunkey made a great video on video game critics, you should check it out if you haven't.
You didn't like the story?! But the final boss is such a fun villain, and the whole thing he does with the "flowers" (trying to not spoil for others) was dark and captivating. I get the story for the first half of the game being slow, but Mr. Woaley, did you really not enjoy the story at all during the second half of the game?
I do think the plot really picks up towards the end of the game, I think Reclusa is 100% a cool villain. The themes become really apparent and the stakes and vibe get dark which I love. My only problem with it is the pacing issues I discussed in the review. Right when you think the game is gonna end, you gotta go fill the watering can and it's a nice little tour of everything you've accomplished but I just feel like there could have been a better way of implementing this final sequence.
@Woaley I actually quite liked the final sequence. I enjoyed going back to all the islands and seeing how bad everything had gotten, and it actually kinda felt like we were just making quick pit stops, and not doing whole ass quests just for the can. It was a fun little send off, but maybe that's because I hate the idea of trying to be "done" with a story I really like ASAP. In general, every time I was about to groan at this game, it would switch up on me. Maybe I just have a bit more patience than other people IDK, but overall I was never bored for more than a few moments in my 50ish hours of gameplay, so every time the game revealed that there was more, it only made me more excited. Sure, it can be a bit upsetting thinking you're nearly done, but again, why would that be a good thing? It's not like the story stopped or anything, it ended up being better each time. I even thought some of the main character side quests were actually interesting, although after the super sweet cake side quest I realised the randos had nothing for me.
Only thing I can not agree on or can see is the stuttering. We must have different versions of the game because while the game does stutter it mostly in battle transitions and the performance is far from abysmal and is stable with it jumping between 28-30 frames. I only had the game drop noticeable frames once during a cutscene other than that the game has never gone below 28 in gameplay.
Framerate drops happened CONSTANTLY to me, maybe it's cause I was playing docked or cause I'm still on the OG launch switch idk. But framerate is always so bad on the Switch recently, I can't wait for the Switch 2.
I wouldn’t call the remakes subpar. They’re still both great games. The side modes were also the best Mario stories we had gotten in years and are super underrated. Also thought color splash was fantastic. Anyway something I really appreciate about Brothership is how it clearly respects the entire series. It gives nods to every game even paper jam and the side modes. I’m glad they didn’t retcon the entire series for no reason (cough cough Pikmin 4 cough cough). I think the story of the game becomes interesting during the end. Things get crazy and I love the more fucked up things
Yeah obviously the remakes are amazing because they're still those games, but I guess from an audience reception standpoint they underperformed and at least personally didn't really deliver much, as I wasn't a huge fan of the Minions gameplay. Yeah the end of the game slaps, except for the part where you collect bonds, jesus what a slog
"IGN is wrong" As they usually are Also jokes aside, Brothership is the definition of "We're so back" when in regards to this sub-franchise!! It's peak and I'm not even kidding. It has problems here & there, sure, but those honestly serve to double the good qualities imo (except for the lack of B button select in battles for Luigi, that's my one genuine gripe)
Dude my original thumbnail was this Mario and Luigi franchise collage with the text "WE ARE SO BACK" but nobody would click on it 😂. I totally agree though this game is the definition of "We are so back", thanks for watching :D
The Extension Corps are very clearly inspired by the BFFs from Bowser juniors Journey. They were the main villains of that game. The Extension Corps are literally just worse versions of them. Not that they’re awful or anything. I just think the BFFs were better. There’s actually a few things in the game that were inspired by Bowser Jrs journey. I’m probably one of the only 10 people to recognize that because I’m one of the 10 people to actually play Bowser juniors journey lmao. Also the message of the game wasn’t that being alone is bad. They say during the final few minutes of the game that being alone is a good thing sometimes. The problem is that the villain was forcing people to be alone
Yeah I barely played the minions mode in the remakes, didn't really grab me for whatever reason. I'll give them another try though, I see a few people recommending it. Thanks for watching :D
@@Woaley of course dude, the video was great. The side modes gameplay is an acquired taste💀. They are basically well put together mobile games and I mean that in the best way possible. They are best played in short bursts well watching TV or something. That’s how I played them and I had a pretty good time with them. The best parts of them is easily the story. The writing is awesome. They are the best Mario stories we’ve gotten in such a long time and it’s a shame No one talks about them. I genuinely think the story of the side modes are better than the story of the main game. They even went out of their way to fix continuity errors in the series
4:31 I'll stop right here cuz I just got to the third sea in Concordia, and I'm just 20 hours in since day 1. Really this game is way slow, and I just finished Metroid Dread before starting Brothership... You gotta be patient to enjoy Mario and Luigi Brothership.
Yeah it is pretty slow, I still enjoyed it a lot even though I marathoned it, which I think is a testament overall to the quality of the game. Great for the Switch though, the islands are perfect bite-sized 1hr chunks that leave you saying maybe just one more island.
i feel like you were really harsh on the story its great compared to previous installments side characters are so charming (except chilliam and burnadette i hate these two) and we learn alot about their stories it isnt just stop evil bad guy you learn about all the islands you go through and connect edit: damn i scrolled down a bit someone made almost the exact comment as mine but before me
Yeah I may be a bit harsh, honestly I think it's all the pacing issues and dialogue that makes this story a bit of a miss for me. I was never really that interested in continuing the game from a narrative perspective, just from a gameplay perspective.
I'd say Woaley probably overlooked themes in the story. There's a whole meta narrative about forming community based in mutual aid to stand against forces that seek to exploit divisions for selfish gain. The fact that the big bad is a rentier corpo shouldn't be overlooked. Sure the game doesn't hyper focus on the socio-politics of it's narrative but it comes from a country where Kill God is a major RPG trope because corporations consolidated so much power they became like gods of capitalism. In a country where Social Darwinism is pushed onto society from the top down sometimes being literally taught in middle school, simply caring about the welfare of strangers is like a form of resistance in a society where workers have been intentionally engineered to be atomized and vulnerable.
True, a deeper dive into the themes of the story definitely affords it some more depth, but I still feel like overall the narrative is very weak. There's some good dialogue and character moments, but it's spread out across a lot of fluff which really hurts the narrative as a whole. Characters don't really have any real development, the plot never surprised me, but once Reclusa is introduced and infinite tsukuyomis the world the story does pick up and become more thematic. Still it's like 30 hours before you get to that point in the game.
I think Superstar Saga beats it out for me cause it's a lot leaner. There's just so many moments in Brothership that could've been cut out and the game would've been much better for it.
@@WoaleyI agree that the game has a lot of fat like the wedding segment or the 2 islands that get disconnected but I think it makes up for the backtracking for just how fun it is to play
Yeah it's crazy how satisfying the battles are. And I didn't mention it in the review but they're actually pretty hard if you don't do the 20% EXP buff or a lot of side content. I was like lvl 40 at the end of the game and lemme tell you I had to play FLAWLESSLY to beat -REDACTED-
@@Woaleyyeah espically the weeding with chilliam it feels lime it was an afterthought and brung nothing ti the story and the extension corps just show up for no reason.
So.. you started by giving me hope that I may actually purchase this game , as I havent enjoyed much of anything mario in forever. But the more you talk about the game the more you convinced me to maybe just watch a walkthrough instead of buying it. I see other comments and I'll just say this.. no, not alm games have to be " THE BEST! " But they do have to be at least some what enjoyable. And story is a big part of that for most. Breaking the game up I to multiple islands like they have makes it hard to continue unless you're truly ingested in the game I'd think. Playing mechanics and power ups and such are important but why people rave about inside story is because there is everything you can love in a game and more.
It's a great game, definitely worth playing, but yeah if you're not a fan of the franchise those padded moments and lack of story really hurt the package as a whole
@@Woaley Oh I'm a fan of the franchise but not anywhere to what j was like 10 or so years ago. IMO the only good main line Nintendo games have been Zelda botw and TOTK. MARIO 3d world and bowser's fury was probably the last good maroo game I played.
@@Newlife2811 I've actually never played Bowser's Fury, I played 3d World when it came out and thought it was great, but Bowser's Fury never justified the second buy for me. Is it worth it?
I’m still early in the game but rn it’s a mixbag for me… The story is soo uninteresting Overworld movement feels soo slow clunky The only redeeming quality is the combat and charming animations which saves the game but I’m really not loving it either…
Love the game so far, however I have some nitpicks. 1: Luigi and Mario don't feel too connected when moving as they did in other games: I need two things. The B button to fully control Luigi in Battle, and that the Other stick can move luigi to a degree. 2: the Hype music for battles is missing (however, the new ones are growing on me) 3: When leveling up, you dont get to add points to whatever category you choose 4: the battle transitions lost their charm, its no longer some shoe,hammer, exclamation, etc. for the transition into battles 5: Loss of Iconic sound effects. But otherwise, good game, just miss these elements from the other games.
@daddydwaved Nah it's fine but calling it mediocre is a hot take and reminded me of the Brothership IGN reviewer. Just got the impression we don't like these games for the same reasons and didn't have the energy to sit through the video because of it.
Just my opinion, to save you the watch I thought Brothership was a great game brought down by it's story and pacing. Thanks for the comment, have a great day :D
IGN is finally right on something and has the confidence to finally give a score below a 7 and everyone loses their minds, proving exactly why IGN gives every game a 7. The game is mid at best, but Nintendo loyalists glaze everything from them, it's an endless cycle. Serious props to IGN for actually calling things like they are for once.
@@Woaley well... I somehow played through it almost all of it, so it must of been... I mean dude, I've built like 5 Towers in Toronto, so a dumb muscle morons like me being happy is good enough I guess. I hate nintendo tho, >:( homies shut down all my mods and work in the past.
The biggest issues like the performance and pacing which to me is subjective given how the past few entires were awful in that department i can agree with, but everything else was definitely a "them" problem and not objective. Again it's rare for IGN to have a competent reviewer when most of the people they get for reviewers tend to suck at doing their job.
![Mario and Luigi Brothership Story and Ending EXPLAINED! [The Power of Bonds!]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/zHqn6A_VGJU/mqdefault.jpg)
What did you think of Brothership? What's your favorite Mario and Luigi game? Let me know in the comments. I post videos every Wednesday so don't forget to subscribe. Take care, yahaha !
Yeah Brothership was pretty good. Idk what people were expecting, like anything less than Bowser's Inside Story and they riot lmao
Yeah the game is great for a first try from Acquire
I liked it more than Bowser's Inside Story, it had a better story than it
@@Luxembourgish Brothership has a better story than most M&L games but the fans just don’t want to admit it.
@@Rediscool9 I kinda have to agree lol. The story is great! That's not to say the story of any of the others are bad by any means, but this one is at the very least up to par with the rest.
Not to mention, I love the little mini stories that come with some of the islands (i.e. SPOILER WARNING trying to find the thief, breaking luigi/peach out of lottacoins etc. Albeit they come in later into the game, but once they do it becomes a lot of fun. Very creative, and was definitely heartwarming. Not perfect, but definitely good.
It's the Rebirth of the Mario and Luigi Series
I really hope this is the beginning of a new series by Acquire. If they trim some of the fat (and tell a better story) I can see them surpassing the best games in the franchise.
@@Woaleyeven if this game doesn’t sell as well as the previous 2 Mario rpgs we got, I can still see Nintendo continuing the series considering how vocal the community was about seeing it come back (plus you can tell how much effort was put into it and how much Brothership respects the legacy of the series)
@@Glitchyy07 Yeah nobody understands Nintendo. They do their own thing 😂. Hopefully they put Acquire to work LOL
I stopped the video when I heard that Origami King "failed" at 0:09
I didn't like it, what can I say
What you should say is "this is my opinion" 😅
@@tiptup3895 he didn't say it was a fact...
Origami King is the most underrated game on Switch. I liked it more than TTYD
@@user-xr6ko4jg1z Totally agree 👍 Origami King is a wonderfully crafted game, I do prefer tryd because the end game stuff/secrets aspect is better imo. But y Origami King is Def an awesome entry in the Paper Mario franchise, highly overlooked
Luigi time! FINALLY a good review from someone who played the original and has a grasp of the series as a whole. Too many people out there being like "You don't control Luigi, therefore it's not a 'Mario AND Luigi' game. 0/10" LOL God forbid a game about CONNECTION and BEING WITH PEOPLE CLOSE TO YOU have mechanics that mirror that in the gameplay of Mario and Luigi, it's everywhere in the game! You don't attack alone, you don't walk alone, you don't do bro moves alone, etc etc etc. And I realize this is the case with other games, but the fact that when you control one bro in the other games while the other essentially turns into an NPC you control every now and then wasn't an issue BEFORE shouldn't mean that it's an issue now? I guess people will say anything that gets them views ^^; Lowkey, I enjoy being able to send Luigi to go fetch those little glow bulb things or destroy boxes. Saves me the work of doing it myself, pure free profit. And not having to press the B button every time we jump across a ledge is a pretty good QOL addition imho. Good stuff! More reviews! Gogogogo!
THE FIRST LUIGI TIME I LOVE YOU HAHAHA. Thanks for the kind words. Yeah I feel like people blow the Luigi stuff way out of proportion, for the most part I actually felt like Luigi was MORE of the main character than Mario in this game. Controlling him like a Pikmin is a lot of fun and he gets all the best bros moves. I love how much emphasis the game put on Mario and Luigi needing each other to face all these challenges, like you really feel it when one bro is not in the party.
Weird. I feel like the lack of controlling Luigi was the worst issue with the game, but the captivating story was the best part of the game. We have the same conclusion of thinking the game is great, but for opposite reasons?
Not being able to platform with Luigi with B is a valid criticism.
@@Luxembourgish For sure, it's valid. But what I was meaning to say was that a lot of folks are saying it's something that makes the game "not a mario & luigi game". That I don't agree with. I still feel like despite the lack of control over Luigi that it gives us that Mario & Luigi experience.
As a long time Mario and Luigi fan myself, I felt similar about the previous entries Bowser's inside story being my favourite by a landslide. I haven't finished Brothership yet but clocked in about 20 hours+, seen quite a few islands and gameplay is getting interesting. Sure, it is not as funny and a bit too wordy but I think this is an interesting and solid entry in the series. Is it the best? No. But definitely not the worst. When I start playing, I feel this urge to continue playing so that makes it already better than partners in time and paper jam.
I also think Dream team was very long and bloated. Couldn't even finish it. So far, Brothership just flows which I appreciate. Not knowing exactly how things will play out in any given island is also a plus and keeps the novelty going. First impressions: Solid 8 out of 10
@@Ontos99 WOOWW I actually watch your videos, wasn't expecting you to be my first comment 😂. Yeah Brothership is a solid entry, I'm just glad this series isn't dead like we thought. I feel like people have been hating on it way too hard. I hope this is a series we can start to regularly expect games from. Thanks for watching :)
My only criticism are the character designs, don’t get me wrong i absolutely adore the art style. The npc character design (the blocky ones) are so repetitive, I would’ve liked if they used different characters all the way through to the end of the game.
Yeah I feel like the Bean Bean Kingdom in Superstar did a great job of diversifying characters of the same race
Bro this video quality is A+, keep going man youre gonna go far .
You are too kind, comments like these make me so happy. I'm so glad you enjoyed the video :)
What’s funny is that Brothership’s IGN reviews in other countries are a lot more positive than the NA review.
Yeah I feel like IGN was being deliberately controversial and I mean it worked. The overarching narrative around this game always includes the IGN review, so smart on their part.
Luigi time!
Kudos on the straight-to-the-point, genuine review, man!
I loved how you contextualized your biases, presented your qualms with the game very frankly, yet respectfully, backing up your claims with examples.
It’s great to see somebody recommending the game because they are a fan and had a good time, but also not shying away from criticizing it thoroughly - just like an actual fan would.
THANK YOU FOR MAKING IT TO THE END. I'm so glad you enjoyed the review, I love this franchise so it's great to be able to put my voice out on the topic and have people enjoy it :D
With so many mixed reviews on Brothership, it made a hard whether I wanna play the game or not.
But after having some time to think and watched this video, I ultimately decided to wait for the game to go on sale on the eshop.
Side note: I liked Partners in Time. Fight me.
NYC Nintendo Store, January 20th, 8:00pm, I'll be waiting for you there Nando75549
Great video! This lowkey convinced me to try out Brotherhood! Despite the issues it may have.
Definitely worth a try, if you play it in 1 hour sessions it can keep you entertained for quite some time. I think playing it all in one weekend was not the way to go but I wanted to make a video on it, so I needed to play the whole thing. I think being able to play it for 30ish hours straight and enjoy most of the whole game is a testament to its quality.
@Woaley I'm still pretty new to playing the Mario and Luigi games so I'm very excited to give this a try!
I honestly think this game should of been a movie or series. I swear a lot of the stuff that happened in the game could easily be translated in the Movie universe(albeit they have cut the story length in half).
I love the gameplay of this game, but yeah some of the story shoulda been cut
I liked the Battle Card system from Paper Jam more than this plug system, honestly. But I recognize that the reason the Battle Card system worked so well is because that game was on a 3DS with two screens. I don't think it would work as well on a single screen. So the battle plugs are a pretty good compromise and definitely my second favorite system.
Totally agree with the Bomb Derby excellent being only possible due to the battle plugs
Honestly from a gameplay standpoint, Paper Jam is pretty strong, but to me everything else is weak. Battle cards were cool, but I'm glad we got battle plugs
Tip: If you press right and A at the same time, you can get in a consistent rhythm and hit all the bombs in time
battlecards feels fun, but i almost never use in most battle as the overall difficulties feel easy. Brothership on the other hand can be challenging,even on normal battle
I finished this game and im already wanting to start a second playthrough gearless and see what i can do. I like the sidequests, visiting other islands and helping tge people there does tie in the games message of "connection" (get it????? Cuz outlets and plugs and stuff??????), and even if the NPCs say stuff like "Ohh youre fixing the islands? Pogchamp", i like finding the occasional dialogue where the NOC has some what more depth, especially (S P O I L E R S) on the island where bowsers minions have taken over, theres a child who talks about their dad being in prison, then when you get locked up, you find said father and are able to free him. Its small things like that which made me appreciate the game and talking to the NPCs. Tho thats just me. Also I had little performance issues while docked, tho more when handheld, and if there were while I was docked its because of scenes like the Bowser vs Zokket fight or scenes with a lot going on
I remember that moment and it did stand out to me too. Definitely the characters in this game are great, I really like them. The story still tho is just meh to me, I like the message but there must have been a better way to execute it.
"no spoilers"
>proceeds to show 2 major spoilers but with gausian blur lol
My bad dog, thought the text and blur effect obscured sufficiently, will do better in future vids
Honestly I loved brothership and it’s only barely short of the mark of inside story for me. I think u were a little harsh on the story because to me it wasn’t just about the story of connecting the islands and stopping zokket but also creating and witnessing the stories and connections of other characters in the world you’re helping. The side characters are all so charming to me and I couldn’t help falling in love with all their little side plots
Yeah this game's narrative really lives and dies on if you like those side characters. Don't get me wrong they definitely grew on me. I came to really love some of the characters like IDLE, but a lot of it fell flat for me.
@@Woaley For me the ice and hot villager couple I didn't really like. Usually the trope of people loving each other when their families and townsfolk are against it never appealed to me. Not to mention that it's been done way too much
Yeah I find Chilliam and Burnadette insufferable. They were funny at first but then you realize they are main supporting characters and ugh.
I hope this wedding side mission wasn't anything like 'Spider-Man 2's cringey wedding side missions.
At least those made you laugh a bit
@@Woaley The last thing we ned is woke cringe in A 'Mario & Luigi' game.
I do disagree with the point of the story on the islands not being of worth to the main plot.
The fact is that most of the islands revolve about Mario and Luigi meeting the people of Concordia and helping them connect with the others in more ways than the literal. The IDLE kids being my favorites.
Although I do have to give you a point when you say that there are islands that are just made for unecessarily extending the game.
The flowers Island and the sandy one are clear examples. In my opinion, the developers should've just made Rumbla Island and Desolatt Island bigger and fit the flower and desert areas there as unlockable zones and fit them in better for the story.
For example, the floral area could've been the way to the first boss. Hinting at a more gentle nature and despite being resentful with the town, he'd respect nature. And for Desolatt Island, instead of the lighthouse being on top of the town, it would be inside the dessert, and that's where the kidnapped people seemed to be taken. Then, IDLE would be the ones to open up the gate to the desert, and Luigi would think of the ball Bros Move to cross the quicksand here instead of doing it in Lottacoins.
Finally, for reference, I have the digital version of the game, I don't know if maybe that changes things, but either I'm dumb to notice or people are very picky because I haven't encountered any performance issues.
The framerate has never dropped on me, nor have I experienced jump cuts. At most, on many occasions, I have felt that loading screens take a long time, even for battle transitions. It's annoying, but not is Sonic 06 bad at least.
The performance problems aren't GAME BREAKING, but I definitely noticed them CONSTANTLY while playing. I wouldn't call myself a performance snob, but almost every single recent Switch game, Totk, EoW, M&LB, all have framerate issues and it's so noticable at least to me.
I def agree with merging some of the islands. Making bigger more expansive islands would have def helped break up the fluff. Another example is the fire and ice islands, it would've been cool if that was just one HUGE island explore imo.
It's a pretty good return to form after the Superstar Saga and Bowser's Inside Story remakes. I feel Brothership still has stuff I just don't really care for though.
For me what's most important is that it really has the "soul" of the franchise. I feel like they were losing that a bit with Dream Team but really lost it in Paper Jam. As long as it "feels" like M&L I can get behind more games.
@@Woaley Dream Team had a lot of original characters though, even more than Brothership
@@Luxembourgish Yea but it didn't feel at all like the previous games (it felt dull).
Best experience 0f Mari0 RPG
Top 3 for me, great game with great moments
How is this channel small? lol subscribed though :)
We all gotta start somewhere, thank you for the kind words :)
My goat posted I can finally form my opinion on peak
You can always count on me like I always count on you king ;)
1:41 I absolutely agree with you not liking Partners in Time. In fact, this is the only Mario and Luigi game I absolutely despise. There's barely any room for error, the regular fights are brutal because I feel like I take way too much damage from a single attack, the bosses take forever to beat because they have way too much health, I don't get enough experience from enemies (hence why I tend to be underleveled), and Elder Princess Shroob is one of the worst bosses I have ever fought.
That whole game just feels really grindy and long, like getting from one area to the next requires 2+ min of walking around Peach's Castle and yeah the battles, especially with the babies, suck ass 90% of the time.
Weird, I really don't remember having much problems with PiT. I enjoyed it a lot when I played it years ago. Then again I did get really good at the bro/partner attacks which I suppose is necessary to spam considering the bosses are damage sponges especially the final one.
@@Keama123 I mean, end of the day, I don't love it but it's still Mario and Luigi. The general gameplay is still pretty cool, but yeah not my favorite
I love Partners in Time so much.
To me IGN''s reputation as a reviewing publication has really been damaged over the years. From hiring people that had very questionable takes, to reviews that never made sense in the context of what they reviewed, to some of the mentality the reviewers they hired have, it's rare to find a reviewer that works for the publication that is actually competent.
IGN is a bunch of randos reviewing games, there's no consistency or real opinion held at the organization other than to make money and keep their relationships with game companies. Dunkey made a great video on video game critics, you should check it out if you haven't.
You didn't like the story?! But the final boss is such a fun villain, and the whole thing he does with the "flowers" (trying to not spoil for others) was dark and captivating. I get the story for the first half of the game being slow, but Mr. Woaley, did you really not enjoy the story at all during the second half of the game?
I do think the plot really picks up towards the end of the game, I think Reclusa is 100% a cool villain. The themes become really apparent and the stakes and vibe get dark which I love.
My only problem with it is the pacing issues I discussed in the review. Right when you think the game is gonna end, you gotta go fill the watering can and it's a nice little tour of everything you've accomplished but I just feel like there could have been a better way of implementing this final sequence.
@Woaley I actually quite liked the final sequence. I enjoyed going back to all the islands and seeing how bad everything had gotten, and it actually kinda felt like we were just making quick pit stops, and not doing whole ass quests just for the can.
It was a fun little send off, but maybe that's because I hate the idea of trying to be "done" with a story I really like ASAP.
In general, every time I was about to groan at this game, it would switch up on me. Maybe I just have a bit more patience than other people IDK, but overall I was never bored for more than a few moments in my 50ish hours of gameplay, so every time the game revealed that there was more, it only made me more excited. Sure, it can be a bit upsetting thinking you're nearly done, but again, why would that be a good thing? It's not like the story stopped or anything, it ended up being better each time.
I even thought some of the main character side quests were actually interesting, although after the super sweet cake side quest I realised the randos had nothing for me.
@@Woaley But didn't Dream Team have this exact issue but worse?
Only thing I can not agree on or can see is the stuttering. We must have different versions of the game because while the game does stutter it mostly in battle transitions and the performance is far from abysmal and is stable with it jumping between 28-30 frames. I only had the game drop noticeable frames once during a cutscene other than that the game has never gone below 28 in gameplay.
Framerate drops happened CONSTANTLY to me, maybe it's cause I was playing docked or cause I'm still on the OG launch switch idk. But framerate is always so bad on the Switch recently, I can't wait for the Switch 2.
0:35-0:36 bro Imagine if a bunch of Tiktok users see this and they all start spamming gyatt 😂
The gyatt is completely intentional 😏
@@Woaleyoh really,well that Woaley got a nice gyatt👍
I wouldn’t call the remakes subpar. They’re still both great games. The side modes were also the best Mario stories we had gotten in years and are super underrated. Also thought color splash was fantastic. Anyway something I really appreciate about Brothership is how it clearly respects the entire series. It gives nods to every game even paper jam and the side modes. I’m glad they didn’t retcon the entire series for no reason (cough cough Pikmin 4 cough cough). I think the story of the game becomes interesting during the end. Things get crazy and I love the more fucked up things
Yeah obviously the remakes are amazing because they're still those games, but I guess from an audience reception standpoint they underperformed and at least personally didn't really deliver much, as I wasn't a huge fan of the Minions gameplay.
Yeah the end of the game slaps, except for the part where you collect bonds, jesus what a slog
Bomb Derby is hard, thats probably why i use it as it is fun to use
The sound effects are so satisfying haha
Luigi Time! I really enjoyed your video. Thanks!
YOU ARE A LEGEND. Thanks for the kind words and making it to the end :)
"IGN is wrong"
As they usually are
Also jokes aside, Brothership is the definition of "We're so back" when in regards to this sub-franchise!! It's peak and I'm not even kidding. It has problems here & there, sure, but those honestly serve to double the good qualities imo (except for the lack of B button select in battles for Luigi, that's my one genuine gripe)
Dude my original thumbnail was this Mario and Luigi franchise collage with the text "WE ARE SO BACK" but nobody would click on it 😂. I totally agree though this game is the definition of "We are so back", thanks for watching :D
The Extension Corps are very clearly inspired by the BFFs from Bowser juniors Journey. They were the main villains of that game. The Extension Corps are literally just worse versions of them. Not that they’re awful or anything. I just think the BFFs were better. There’s actually a few things in the game that were inspired by Bowser Jrs journey. I’m probably one of the only 10 people to recognize that because I’m one of the 10 people to actually play Bowser juniors journey lmao. Also the message of the game wasn’t that being alone is bad. They say during the final few minutes of the game that being alone is a good thing sometimes. The problem is that the villain was forcing people to be alone
Yeah I barely played the minions mode in the remakes, didn't really grab me for whatever reason. I'll give them another try though, I see a few people recommending it. Thanks for watching :D
@@Woaley of course dude, the video was great. The side modes gameplay is an acquired taste💀. They are basically well put together mobile games and I mean that in the best way possible. They are best played in short bursts well watching TV or something. That’s how I played them and I had a pretty good time with them. The best parts of them is easily the story. The writing is awesome. They are the best Mario stories we’ve gotten in such a long time and it’s a shame No one talks about them. I genuinely think the story of the side modes are better than the story of the main game. They even went out of their way to fix continuity errors in the series
4:31 I'll stop right here cuz I just got to the third sea in Concordia, and I'm just 20 hours in since day 1.
Really this game is way slow, and I just finished Metroid Dread before starting Brothership... You gotta be patient to enjoy Mario and Luigi Brothership.
Yeah it is pretty slow, I still enjoyed it a lot even though I marathoned it, which I think is a testament overall to the quality of the game. Great for the Switch though, the islands are perfect bite-sized 1hr chunks that leave you saying maybe just one more island.
i feel like you were really harsh on the story its great compared to previous installments side characters are so charming (except chilliam and burnadette i hate these two) and we learn alot about their stories it isnt just stop evil bad guy you learn about all the islands you go through and connect
edit: damn i scrolled down a bit someone made almost the exact comment as mine but before me
Yeah I may be a bit harsh, honestly I think it's all the pacing issues and dialogue that makes this story a bit of a miss for me. I was never really that interested in continuing the game from a narrative perspective, just from a gameplay perspective.
Just beat it today i enjoyed it alot the final boss fight was really epic!
The final sections of the game in general are really fun
I'd say Woaley probably overlooked themes in the story. There's a whole meta narrative about forming community based in mutual aid to stand against forces that seek to exploit divisions for selfish gain. The fact that the big bad is a rentier corpo shouldn't be overlooked.
Sure the game doesn't hyper focus on the socio-politics of it's narrative but it comes from a country where Kill God is a major RPG trope because corporations consolidated so much power they became like gods of capitalism. In a country where Social Darwinism is pushed onto society from the top down sometimes being literally taught in middle school, simply caring about the welfare of strangers is like a form of resistance in a society where workers have been intentionally engineered to be atomized and vulnerable.
True, a deeper dive into the themes of the story definitely affords it some more depth, but I still feel like overall the narrative is very weak.
There's some good dialogue and character moments, but it's spread out across a lot of fluff which really hurts the narrative as a whole. Characters don't really have any real development, the plot never surprised me, but once Reclusa is introduced and infinite tsukuyomis the world the story does pick up and become more thematic. Still it's like 30 hours before you get to that point in the game.
@@Woaley The extension corps were enjoyable tho. The only thing I didnt like is how we didn't whoop their ass way earlier since they kept running
Great review, keep it up
Thank you for the kind words, I really appreciate them. New videos every Wednesday so come back next week for more ;)
Bowser inside story is still at the top of my list but right know I would call brothership on par with super star saga in joint second
I think Superstar Saga beats it out for me cause it's a lot leaner. There's just so many moments in Brothership that could've been cut out and the game would've been much better for it.
@@WoaleyI agree that the game has a lot of fat like the wedding segment or the 2 islands that get disconnected but I think it makes up for the backtracking for just how fun it is to play
Yeah it's crazy how satisfying the battles are. And I didn't mention it in the review but they're actually pretty hard if you don't do the 20% EXP buff or a lot of side content. I was like lvl 40 at the end of the game and lemme tell you I had to play FLAWLESSLY to beat -REDACTED-
@@Woaleyyeah espically the weeding with chilliam it feels lime it was an afterthought and brung nothing ti the story and the extension corps just show up for no reason.
@@mallowfan22 Yeah absolutely my least favorite part of the game. It was funny on Bulbfish, but they kept coming back THE WHOLE GAME
Love the Video!
THANK YOUUU, I'm glad I could bring you some joy
LUIGI TIME lol, fun game overall. Some sounds were annoying tho.
THANK YOU GOAT
Origami King was good.
I'm glad you liked it, I thought it was just fine tbh
So.. you started by giving me hope that I may actually purchase this game , as I havent enjoyed much of anything mario in forever. But the more you talk about the game the more you convinced me to maybe just watch a walkthrough instead of buying it. I see other comments and I'll just say this.. no, not alm games have to be " THE BEST! " But they do have to be at least some what enjoyable. And story is a big part of that for most. Breaking the game up I to multiple islands like they have makes it hard to continue unless you're truly ingested in the game I'd think. Playing mechanics and power ups and such are important but why people rave about inside story is because there is everything you can love in a game and more.
It's a great game, definitely worth playing, but yeah if you're not a fan of the franchise those padded moments and lack of story really hurt the package as a whole
@@Woaley Oh I'm a fan of the franchise but not anywhere to what j was like 10 or so years ago. IMO the only good main line Nintendo games have been Zelda botw and TOTK. MARIO 3d world and bowser's fury was probably the last good maroo game I played.
@@Newlife2811 I've actually never played Bowser's Fury, I played 3d World when it came out and thought it was great, but Bowser's Fury never justified the second buy for me. Is it worth it?
I’m still early in the game but rn it’s a mixbag for me…
The story is soo uninteresting
Overworld movement feels soo slow clunky
The only redeeming quality is the combat and charming animations which saves the game but I’m really not loving it either…
Overall it's great, but yeah a bit too much "fat" that needs to be trimmed. Could have easily been a 20 hour game and MUCH better for it
Sales don’t agree with you. It sold worse than bowser inside story and superstar saga.
Mcdonalds sold more burgers than Five Guys.
:'(
Nice video
Thank you for the kind words dear internet stranger
wdym "good again" ? It was always good
Debatable... But if you like it that's GREAT
Love the game so far, however I have some nitpicks. 1: Luigi and Mario don't feel too connected when moving as they did in other games: I need two things. The B button to fully control Luigi in Battle, and that the Other stick can move luigi to a degree. 2: the Hype music for battles is missing (however, the new ones are growing on me) 3: When leveling up, you dont get to add points to whatever category you choose 4: the battle transitions lost their charm, its no longer some shoe,hammer, exclamation, etc. for the transition into battles 5: Loss of Iconic sound effects. But otherwise, good game, just miss these elements from the other games.
Yeah I agree with you in some of these, but honestly Acquire did a great job of "bringing back" Mario and Luigi. Tons of charm in Brothership
Lol I clicked for the video title but stopped watching as soon as you called The Origami King mediocre.
Well mate it’s his opinion, not saying you can’t criticize him but still
@daddydwaved Nah it's fine but calling it mediocre is a hot take and reminded me of the Brothership IGN reviewer. Just got the impression we don't like these games for the same reasons and didn't have the energy to sit through the video because of it.
@@Salvitrio Oh okay, fair enough
Just my opinion, to save you the watch I thought Brothership was a great game brought down by it's story and pacing. Thanks for the comment, have a great day :D
IGN is finally right on something and has the confidence to finally give a score below a 7 and everyone loses their minds, proving exactly why IGN gives every game a 7. The game is mid at best, but Nintendo loyalists glaze everything from them, it's an endless cycle.
Serious props to IGN for actually calling things like they are for once.
Def doesn't deserve a 5 but I get your point. These days a 5/10 is like a 3/10, so I understand people hating on IGN. This is a solid game imo
@@Woaley well... I somehow played through it almost all of it, so it must of been... I mean dude, I've built like 5 Towers in Toronto, so a dumb muscle morons like me being happy is good enough I guess. I hate nintendo tho, >:( homies shut down all my mods and work in the past.
@@Robert_D_Mercer Yeah Nintendo is anti consumer AF, but they make good games lol
The biggest issues like the performance and pacing which to me is subjective given how the past few entires were awful in that department i can agree with, but everything else was definitely a "them" problem and not objective. Again it's rare for IGN to have a competent reviewer when most of the people they get for reviewers tend to suck at doing their job.