HHW Gaming Preview: Teamwork continues to make the dream work in 'Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood'

Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood, the first new installment in Mario & Luigi The RPG franchise in nine years, it's almost upon us, and HHW Gaming got hands on with the upcoming game.

It's been nine years since the last one Mario & Luigi game, Bowsers Inside Storyit arrived on the Nintendo DS in 2009. The RPG series was first released in 2003 on the Game Boy Advance, and every other entry has been exclusive to Nintendo's handheld consoles.

Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood is the first game designed for the big screen, thanks to the Nintendo Switch connectivity.

Fans have long been itching for a new one Mario & Luigi franchise entry, so they were surprised when the first trailer was released during a Nintendo Direct stream in June.

I was not one of those players, as I have never played a Mario & Luigi RPG *gasp*. My only experience with the famous plumber/hero in an RPG setting was the Super Mario RPG.

Before me took Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood for a spin, I was informed that I didn't need to play the other titles to enjoy this game and that my experience with the Super Mario RPG it would make me perfectly equipped to play it, and they were right. However, The difference is that this game focuses on the team aspect because you have to play with Mario and his brother Luigi.

Navigating around the world of Concordia

Source: Nintendo / Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood

In Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood, the dynamic duo is no longer in the Mushroom Kingdom. you are transported to a brand new world called Concordia.

Upon arrival, you learn that the world was held together by the “Unitree”. A mysterious force destroyed the tree, causing the world that was once connected to the ain't tree to split into different islands.

To navigate the world of Concordia, Mario & Luigi, with the help of their new friends Connie and Snoutlet (definitely not a pig), the latter conveniently hides under Luigi's hat until he needs to share some information, use the Shipshape Island (part ship, part island) which also cooperates with life and gets busier as you progress further into the game.

Shipshape Island sails around Concordia. You can track your movement and steer the ship on the map by choosing which current to follow. You can even adjust the speed of Shipshape Island.

Source: Nintendo / Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood

Once you reach your destination, Mario and Luigi, you can use a giant telescope on Shipshape Island to spot the next island and fire a cannon to shoot the brothers at the island's location and start their mission by connecting it again with the rest of Concordia.

The world of Concordia is constantly changing following your actions. As you connect islands and Shipshape Island, the natives of each island can now travel back and forth between them.

Brotherhood also allows players more freedom than in previous games. You can choose where to go, as there is no specific order you must follow to connect the Concordia Islands.

Teamwork makes the dream work

Source: Nintendo / Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood

During my approximately one hour and 30 minute preview, I also learned an experience of the Brotherhood battle system. On paper, the game is a pure RPG with turn-based gameplay, but you have to constantly stay on top of your head thanks to the real-time element.

During enemy attacks, you can dodge or counter them by pressing the buttons. You can control Mario and Luigi with the A and B buttons. On the offensive side, Mario and Luigi can use different attacks: power jumps, turtle shells or trusty hammers.

What makes the attacks unique is that they can be triggered by pressing button prompts and active team animations that, if timed perfectly, will add extra damage to your attacks.

You can also add “Battle Plugs”, a new Brotherhood-exclusive feature that adds modifiers to your attacks and can be combined to form even more powerful ones.

Source: Nintendo / Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood

It took some getting used to, but once I got the hang of the prompts, I landed attacks and counters perfectly.

Teamwork is also essential when solving puzzles. For example, one puzzle in my preview required Mario and Luigi to carry Concordia, a native who feared bugs. They fly the island locally back and forth between Mario and Luigi, avoiding getting hit by the bugs.

I also used a 'Bros Move' technique, which helped me bridge a gap by turning Mario and Luigi into UFOs. More uniques will be unlocked as you progress through the game.

An RPG At It's Core with Super Mario Bros. energy

Source: Nintendo / Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood

At its core, this is still an RPG. Both Mario and Luigi level up as you progress through the game. You can buy new items like gloves, hammers and boots to improve your stats, and there's plenty of dialogue to digest.

Source: Nintendo / Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood

The islands are full of missions and there isn't one way to play. In the short preview of the game, I got a little experience of the world of Concordia, but I still understood that there is so much to do besides reconnecting the islands.

The game looked stunning on TV, but shined best on the Nintendo Switch's beautiful OLED display, so there's no wrong way to experience Brotherhood.

We can't wait to fully set sail on this adventure when it arrives on November 7th.