November will be a curious month for the gaming industry. On the one hand, there are some big gaming releases that will drop soon, and then there is the “new console” launch via the PS5 Pro that many will pay attention to for various reasons. For now, we’ll focus on the games that will be released this month, such as Mario & Luigi Brothership! This is the first new entry in the series in several years, and many have been eager to see what the game will be like as it makes its console debut. At the time of this writing, the Metacritic reviews have dropped, and most agree that the game is a fun return for the franchise.
As of today, the game has an 80 on Metacritic, which is a good score! Plus, it’s out of 54 reviews, so that’s a good sample size to get an aggregate score. So, what are the reviewers saying about Mario & Luigi Brothership?
First, the most positive ones note that the game doesn’t just live up to the spirit of the past games, but it imbues the game with plenty of side quests and arcs to complete. Players will have lots to do, and will enjoy the characters, stories, and various islands that you travel to.
Many praised the return of the brother-focused battle system, along with the game’s humor, which helped elevate many elements of the title. They even noted that the title was a bit bigger than you might expect, which we talked about earlier today when we found out about the game’s file size! Several felt that this wasn’t just the “triumphant return” that the RPG spinoff series needed, but it sets the tone for all that could come from this franchise if it’s allowed to continue.
As for the negative or mixed reviews, they felt that it didn’t “recapture the magic” of the handheld titles and that the pacing was “off.” A few noted the “minor inconveniences” that sometimes made the game drag, like the mini-loading screens.
Some felt that the teams at Nintendo and Acquire went a little too “safe” with things and needed a certain “spark” to take them to the next level. Then again, isn’t that what sequels are for?
Even with these “less than stellar” review scores, the game is still holding strong on Metacritic, and with a set of unique trailers hopefully getting players interested, it might just be another hit on the Switch when it arrives this Thursday.
