I used to play Mario & Luigi RPGs on the Nintendo DS a long time ago. I always got a kick out of how they cleverly blended controls for both Mario and Luigi with button-mapping, making it feel like you were taking both on an adventure.

Since then, the franchise has remained a bright spot in Nintendo’s RPG lineup, with new titles and remakes of previous ones showing up throughout the years to the delight of fans. The newest outing for the duo comes by way of Mario & Luigi: Brothership ...

Brothership adds more RPG depth to the series, but its flat writing and overabundance of gimmicks drag it down.

This structure allows for two fundamental truths that keep the combat in Brothership engaging for most of its runtime. Watching Mario and Luigi do stuff together is really charming, and putting quick-time events in turn-based battles makes the proceedings feel just a bit more exciting. Stats don’t dictate whether an attack lands, you do.

Mario & Luigi: Brothership, the first new Mario & Luigi game in nearly a decade, seems content to iterate on past ideas from the franchise. Brothership brings a handful of new ideas to the Mario & Luigi formula, but only a few of them make the 20-year-old franchise feel fresh.

In this brand new adventure, the Mario brothers will set sail on 'Shipshape Island' (part ship, part island) as they journey the vast world of Concordia. You'll even be launched out of Shipshape's cannon to "visit, explore, and quest" across islands.

W ay back when I used to play Mario & Luigi RPGs on the Nintendo DS, I always got a kick out of how they cleverly blended controls for both Mario and Luigi with button-mapping. As

Boss fights in Mario & Luigi Brothership are unique and challenging with twists to keep you on your toes. Gorombula, Pipegunk, and Extension Corps are standout bosses that offer engaging gameplay mechanics.

Beating Bowser is always a challenge for the Mario brothers and this is no less true than in his newest appearance in Mario & Luigi: Brothership.

One of the earliest in the game is Twistee Island, which players must complete in order to obtain hammers for Mario & Luigi. Since starting the game without hammers limits your ab