One of my favorite things about Mario & Luigi: Brothership is how it frequently plays with genre. Just when things start to feel predictable, the game hits you with a tonal shift that you’ll never see coming. It has the lava world, the ice world, and the ice and lava world, but in between that, you’ll also get the detective murder mystery world and the corporate espionage world. Yes, Brothership contains multitudes.
My very favorite genre pivot comes in the final hours, so if you haven’t grinded through all 35-50 hours of Brothership, prepare for some spoilers.
After defeating the mysterious Zokket and discovering their true identity, Brothership’s man-behind-the-curtain finally reveals himself. Reclusa is a god-like being whose only desire is to be alone, and make everyone in Concordia alone like him. To execute his plan he traps the Concordians in a virtual reality where they can live out their most coveted fantasies. Much like the Matrix, sedating people in a make-believe world keeps them docile and easy to control.
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Mario & Luigi: Brothership Review – Boats And Bros.
The brothers are back in what is easily their best adventure yet.
In the final approach to Mario and Luigi’s showdown with Reclusa, the bros. find themselves unknowingly trapped in the villain’s web. As they reach the peak of Soli-Tree Island where Reclusa waits, they suddenly find themselves back in Mushroom Kingdom in the middle of a celebration.
Peach and Toad tell them that they had a hard-fought battle but managed to defeat Reclusa and save Concordia. It seems like the intense battle has left them with foggy memories, but they’re home safe and sound, so they try to adjust and enjoy the festivities.
Then Things Start To Get Weird
Pretty soon though, things start to get weird. Every time the bros. try to leave the courtyard and enter the castle, they loop back around to the front – except each time, things are… different. On the first loop, Bowser and his army are suddenly there, celebrating alongside Peach and the Toads as though they’re all old friends. If you try to talk to anyone you’ll find that they’re all singing the same strange melody. Things are getting very Wicker Man in the Mushroom Kingdom.
Things get even weirder with each subsequent loop. The toads will flicker and shift around like they’re digital, and there’s a layer of static over the screen. Conversations get even stranger, and if you pay attention you’ll start to see moving shadows on the ground around you. If it wasn’t clear already, Mario and Luigi are in Reclusa’s Matrix, and they’re not having a good time.
This is one of my favorite chapters in the game. It cleverly uses horror tropes to create an unsettling environment that makes you feel as trapped as the brothers. The closer you get to finding a way out, the more the bizarre facsimiles of Mario’s friends will try to make you stay. When you talk to Peach the camera moves into a dramatic Dutch angle as if directed by Sam Raimi, and the way she begs you to stay in the simulation is giving The Shining Twins.
Escaping A Mind Prison
The way you escape is pretty novel. Reclusa is hiding in the simulation, making sure their plan comes together. They’re invisible, but in a Fatal Frame, Camera Obscura-style twist, you can see them by looking through Lakitu’s camera. You then have to use a bizarre fourth-person perspective to follow Reclusa while looking at the world through Lakitu’s stationary camera in the center of the courtyard. It’s disorienting and sometimes a little frustrating when trying to platform, but it’s a perfect match for this disturbing chapter.
Once you eject Reclusa from the simulation and create an opening to escape, Peach will make one last plea to keep you trapped there, and it’s the best moment in the game. You finally get inside the castle to discover that it’s just one long endless void, with Peach blocking your way. The camera is so canted during this conversation that it’s practically sideways while Peach begs you to stay here with her forever, and ever, and ever.
Mario has been dabbling with dark themes ever since the Boo was invented in Super Mario Bros. 3, but not even Luigi’s Mansion approaches horror with this much respect and authenticity. It’s a truly creepy and unexpected sequence that works well because you’d never expect to see something like this in a Mario game. I don’t expect to see a full-blown Mario survival-horror game any time soon, but now, I’m ready for one.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership is the first new entry in the RPG spin-off series since 2015’s Paper Jam. The plumbers board the island-ship hybrid Shipshape Island to explore all that Concordia has to offer.