Summary
Leading the June 2024 Nintendo Direct was the announcement ofMario and Luigi: Brothership, an original title in theMario and Luigiseries after nine years without any. The last brand-new game in the franchise was an underwhelming crossover with the then-flaggingPaper Mariofranchise, followed by two remakes released to a fanbase that had been waiting years for a proper sequel. Developer AlphaDream’s subsequent shutdown was unfortunate but made a sad amount of sense with how things were going. However,Mario and Luigi: Brothership’s announcement could be a sign that things are finally turning around.
It’s already apparent thatMario and Luigi: Brothershipis placing its best foot forward, showing off tons of new gameplay ideas and character designs in its first trailer. Whoever is developing this game has done a great job translating theoldMario and Luigigames’ cartoon sprite workinto 3D, and its release date is surprisingly soon as well. Despite the years spent withoutMario and Luigi, Nintendo has brought out a new one like the franchise never left. This isn’t the first time that’s happened with aMarioRPG series, and theMario and Luigiline could end up repeating its sibling’s trajectory.
Paper Mario: The Origami King Brought Paper Mario Back From The Brink
Back in the middle of 2020, Nintendo and Intelligent Systems stunnedPaper Mariofans with the announcement and prompt release ofPaper Mario: The Origami King. While its approach to combat puzzles wasn’t for everyone, the game as a whole was a step up from the precedingPaper Mario: Sticker Star,Paper Mario: Color Splash, andMario and Luigi: Paper Jam. It proved thatthePaper Marioseries was still evolvingand could still put out a solid entry without fully returning to the first twoPaper Mario’s gameplay, but more importantly, it kept the series alive and moving forward.
Origami King Set The Stage For TTYD’s Remake To Blow Fans Away
That is a vital aspect, as a few years later, the unthinkable happened.MarioRPG fans were greeted by remakes of bothSuper Mario RPGand series-favoritePaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, each launching a few months apart.Mario and Luigi: Brothershipis about tocomplete thisMarioRPG trifecta, marking an unprecedented Nintendo IP revival within the span of one year. Despite its differences from these traditional RPGs,The Origami Kinglikely helped open the door to at least thePaper Mario: TTYDremake, somethingMario and Luigi: Brothershipcould repeat for its own series.
Mario and Luigi: Brothership Could Follow In Origami King’s Footsteps
Given how the lastMario and Luigiremakes turned out, this isn’t to say thatBrothershipshould immediately be followed byanotherSuperstar Saga + Bowser’s Minionsremakein its 3D style, but the idea can’t be counted out.Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minionscame out in 2017, and developing a fully 3D remake that incorporates evolutions ofBrothership’s gameplay ideas could take until 2027. If nothing else, it would be nice to see a native version ofSuperstar Saga, and possiblyBowser’s Inside Story, on a console for the first time. Nintendo could even package this remake withSuper Mario RPGandTTYDto create an “UltimateMarioRPG Switch Bundle.”
The Best Thing Mario and Luigi Can Do Now Is Continue
Of course, the obvious next step forward is to keep making originalMarioRPGs, which will hopefully take precedence ifMario and Luigi: Brothershipdoes well. Whether the opportunity this game created will help the series’ past stay relevant or pave the way for its future, it should succeed in keepingMario and Luigirelevant and popular on the Switch, just likeThe Origami Kingonce did withPaper Mario. With any luck,M&Lfans have plenty more entries to look forward to afterMario and Luigi: Brothershiplaunches later in 2024.
