The weird drip-feed of information about Nintendo’s fall Switch line-up continues with a bunch of new details and combat trailers for Mario & Luigi: Brothership. The latest entry in the long-running RPG-lite adventure series will have the titular plumbers exploring a new set of islands and using powerful new “Brother Attacks” to defeat the enemies they encounter along the way.
Out November 7 on Switch, Mario & Luigi: Brothership was originally revealed in the June Nintendo Direct, with a trailer showcasing the cel-shaded glow-up of the series that had previously only ever appeared on less-powerful dedicated gaming handhelds. Now we have a more extensive rundown of what Mario and Luigi will be up to this time around.
A new page of info on Nintendo’s Japanese website mentions the following:
- Game takes place in a new world called Conectal Land that Mario and Luigi explore on a ship-like island after getting sucked into a mysterious vortex
- This region’s “drifting islands” includes various themed locals like Gran Gran Island (rocky), Tuis Island (tourist resort), Savireta Island (ancient), Xenialver Island (urban), and Kandang Island (fire and ice)
- Mario and Luigi can group their normal abilities into more powerful “combination attacks” that require more sophisticated timing to maximize their effectiveness
- They also have new “Brother Attacks” that cost brother points and unleash massive damage in exchange for inputting special timed button presses.
- The main antagonists are a group of three called the “Boldrud Squad” that conspire in the shadows of Conectal Land to mess things up for Mario and his friends.
A trailer for one of the Brother Attacks in question shows Mario and Luigi jacking up a storm cloud for a powerful lightning attack. Rapidly alternating button presses fills up a gauge resulting in a rating of excellent and an attack that clears the battlefield. Unlike special party attacks in the remake of Super Mario RPG, it seems like Brother Attacks can be used any time you want as long as you have enough BP left to pay for them.
The new set of info comes just a few days after a random trailer drop for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, both of which seem like they would have normally been ripe for Nintendo’s big annual September Direct. Instead, however, the company pushed out a mid-tier indie and partner showcase at the end of August, fueling speculation that the Mario maker is looking to clear the board of some Switch news ahead of a reveal for a Switch 2-style successor console instead. Even without the new hardware though, Nintendo’s fall lineup is shaping up surprisingly well for such an old system.