Summary
- Mario & Luigi: Brothership marks the revival of a dormant franchise since 2016, sparking excitement among fans.
- The game benefits from the strong Mario franchise appeal and success, making its success probable despite a competitive 2024 holiday season.
- With the recent success of Mario RPG revivals on Switch, Mario & Luigi: Brothership is likely to succeed in the busy RPG market.
During Nintendo’s latest Nintendo Direct showcase, the publisher officially announced Mario & Luigi: Brothership, the long-awaited return of the once-dormant Mario & Luigi franchise. The first wholly new entry in the turn-based RPG series since 2016’s Paper Jam, Mario & Luigi: Brothership looks to join an impressive library of late-life Nintendo Switch titles to tide gamers over while Nintendo prepares its next platform.
This new game comes in a year packed to the brim with RPG titles - especially turn-based games - which may spell worry from some gamers about its sales potential, especially with a prime November release date. Nintendo has done more than enough to quell such fears, though, and Mario & Luigi: Brothership should do just fine and be very successful this holiday season.
Why Mario & Luigi: Brothership Will Probably Do Just Fine For Nintendo This Year
Mario & Luigi: Brothership Revives A Long-Dormant Franchise
Naturally, one thing that Mario & Luigi: Brothership will have in its favor this year is that it’s a revival of a franchise fans presumed was dead. Again, this is the first wholly original entry in the series since 2016, but it’s also the first overall entry since 2019’s remake of Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story. That remake became one of the lowest-selling Mario games of all time, and it performed so poorly that Mario & Luigi franchise developer AlphaDream was closed as a result.
When the lead developer who handled the entire series up to that point got shuttered, it was safely assumed that the franchise was as good as done. Thus, it’s quite a miracle that the franchise is returning in any capacity, especially as the first entry in the once handheld-only series to see a release on a home console. All of this, combined with the Switch’s massive userbase, makes a new Mario & Luigi title an exciting proposition for fans who have been patiently awaiting the franchise’s return.
It Has the Mario & Luigi Star Power
Let it also be said that Mario & Luigi: Brothership has some major star power working in its favor. The larger Mario franchise is not only Nintendo’s biggest IP, but it’s one of the biggest IPs in gaming and one that has massive appeal in every gaming quadrant. Especially in the Switch generation, titles released across Mario’s numerous sub-franchises have done incredible numbers.
Beyond the fact that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the highest-selling Switch game in general, the Nintendo Switch has been home to the highest-selling 3D Super Mario Bros. Game, and the highest-selling titles in the Mario Party and Luigi’s Mansion sub-franchises, among several others. Plus, with over 265 million copies sold, Mario remains the highest-selling franchise on the Switch, well over 150 million copies more than the next best-selling franchise, Pokemon. There’s a clear interest in the Mario brothers on the Switch, so there's a natural market for Mario & Luigi: Brothership.
The larger Mario franchise is not only Nintendo’s biggest IP, but it’s one of the biggest IPs in gaming and one that has massive appeal in every gaming quadrant.
Mario RPG Revivals Have Been Hot As Of Late
It should also be said that Mario RPGs have been all the rage on the Switch lately, and they’ve done wonderful business for Nintendo over the past few months. The Super Mario RPG remake has already outsold its original SNES release, and the recent remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door nearly reached the original GameCube version’s sales in just a month. There’s a clear appetite for Mario RPGs on the Switch, and after two remakes, an entirely new game in the Mario & Luigi series is the perfect evolution of the pattern.
Sure, Mario & Luigi: Brothership will have a busy holiday season to contend with, one that will feature a number of fellow RPG titles attempting to carve out a market for themselves. Nintendo, however, was in this position last year with Super Mario RPG and still came out on top. Even in the packed market that it’s releasing in, Mario & Luigi: Brothership has a good shot at being just another in a long line of success stories for the Nintendo Switch when it releases later this year.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 77 /100 Critics Rec: 68%
- Released
- November 7, 2024
- ESRB
- E For Everyone Due To Mild Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Acquire
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
WHERE TO PLAY
All hands on deck for an island-hopping adventure starring Mario and Luigi
The brothers return for a brand-new adventure on the high seas! Set sail with Mario and Luigi on Shipshape Island (part ship, part island) and journey through the vast world of Concordia. Launch out of Shipshape’s cannon to visit, explore, and quest your way through islands that range from tropical rainforests to bustling cities. Meet new friends along the way, like Connie and Snoutlet (definitely not a pig), and encounter familiar faces from the Mushroom Kingdom like Peach and Bowser, who may help—or hinder—you on your journey!
You’ll have to rely on Mario and Luigi’s brotherly bond to succeed. Use Bros. Moves to get past obstacles while you explore, and powerful Bros. Attacks in a dynamic twist on turn-based combat. You’ll need every edge this “brothership” will give you to save the day!
- Franchise
- Mario & Luigi
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch
