While the Mario & Luigi subseries stands out for plenty of different reasons, the core aspect that sets this RPG apart is the unique combination of timing-based prompts and turn-based combat. Mario & Luigi Brothership is no different, bringing the series to the Switch, and adding new ideas like Luigi Logic, and hopping between different islands in the land of Concordia.
With all of this in mind,Mario & Luigi: Brothershiphas a very unique identity, and if you enjoyed playing it, you might be stuck wondering what to move onto next. While there are only a couple of games that feel very similar, there are other games that contain different aspects of the brothers' latest adventure, so what should you play next?
One aspect that helps Brothership stand out from other games in the Mario & Luigi series is its vibrant art style. Another RPG with an equally distinct style is Child of Light. This fairytale adventure will have you diving into its watercolor world to discover the truth about the mysterious protagonist Aurora.
While Brothership sees you exploring islands on a 3D plane, Child of Light instead focuses on 2D platforming, but it has an equally strong narrative,taking itself a little more seriously than Brothership, but still having moments of levity. The turn-based combat is a little less involved, but also requires precise timing, just like in Brothership.
If Brothership is your first foray into the Mario & Luigi series, then the best move after completing it is to head back to where it all began with Superstar Saga. While it was originally released on the Game Boy Advance, there are now plenty of different ports to play this classic RPG on.
While there are clear innovations that have been made between Superstar Saga and Brothership, it’s obvious that the heart of the series is still the same. You’ll recognize similar feeling combat, and exploring the different areas of the original is reminiscent of island exploration in Brothership.
If you loved exploring the different islands and helping out the civilians of Concordia with their various tasks in Mario & Luigi Brothership, then you’ll love exploring the different areas of Toem. In this monochromatic isometric adventure, you’re tasked with looking around different locations and using your trusty camera to complete tasks.
You’ll unlock stamps by helping people out, and after getting enough you’ll be able to move on to the next area. You don’t need to unlock that many for each area, so you can be quite relaxed in how you progress through the game, making it a nice chill adventure to follow up Brothership.
If you had a great time platforming while exploring the unique layout of each of the islands in Brothership, but want this to take center stage instead of the turn-based combat, then Astro Bot is a perfect title to try next. This 3D platformer shares just as much charm as Brothership, but chooses to put all the focus on refined and invigorating platforming.
The PS5 exclusive takes full advantage of the system’s hardware, and makes plenty ofreferences to PlayStation history. If you enjoyed just how much personality each of the different areas in Brothership had, then exploring the tightly designed levels of Astro Bot will be a blast.
The turn-based combat of Mario & Luigi Brothership is incredibly engaging, but if you want something a bit more traditional, with more room for complex customizable progression, then moving onto a more classic RPG like Dragon Quest 11 is a safe bet.
The colorful and personality-filled world of Dragon Quest 11 is easy to fall in love with, and the turn-based combat has plenty of depth, but is easy to pick up, thanks to the smooth difficulty curve. While the story starts off predictable, you’ll find yourself quickly falling in love with the unique cast of characters.
While Mario & Luigi is now seen as the premier Mario RPG spin-off, the very first was Super Mario RPG, originally on the SNES, but then remade for the Switch. While this spin-off never had a sequel, this should not be any indicator of its quality, with it being seen as an incredibly influential title that still holds up.
Plenty of ideas that originated in Super Mario RPG would eventually be built upon in the Mario & Luigi series. For example, the timed action prompts were originally featured in this game, even if they were a little more subtle.
A unique trait that often features in the Mario & Luigi series, and is even more prominent in Brothership, is having control over two main characters simultaneously. If you enjoyed how this unique mechanic was implemented in Mario & Luigi Brothership, but want a more involved version of this system, then the Bayonetta prequel, Cereza and the Lost Demon, is well-worth exploring.
The origin story does not require any previous knowledge of the Bayonetta series, so you don’t have to worry about being caught up on the series lore. Here you’ll be exploring the beautiful watercolour forest as you control both Cereza and her demon frenemey Cheshire using the two separate joysticks on the Switch.
There are plenty of fun and interesting turn-based RPGs that don’t take themselves too seriously, just like Mario & Luigi Brothership, but the title that arguably laid the foundation for all of them is Earthbound.
This quirky adventure follows Ness and his new group of friends as they explore the various civilizations of their world as they try and fight back against the ever-present threat of Giygas' invasion. This game is oozing with charm, and in spite of its age, is still incredibly easy to pick up and play.
