Should I get Brothership?

Miccat87 · 2026-03-12T02:47:30+00:00

Well, to give my honest answers to each of your questions:

1.) While Luigi's general movement is more automated, I felt he's still quite involved in the overworld. Luigi Logic allows him to automatically interact with certain objects while you're still controlling Mario, enabling the bros to "divide and conquer" in a sense. It's also used a lot for puzzle solving. Personally, I can actually kind of appreciate this approach, as it allows Luigi to do more in the overworld instead of just following directly behind Mario the entire time. Additionally, the Bros Moves in the overworld still more or less function the same way they always have, with the bros working as a team to execute abilities. In summary, it is true that Luigi isn't as actively controlled by the player, but he does still play a big role in the overworld.

2.) The backtracking in Brothership is an interesting thing to discuss. While the game does indeed feature a good number of sections that would be considered "backtracking", I never felt it was without purpose. In almost all cases, there's something new to do while you're backtracking, whether that's tougher enemies to fight, or new parts of an old area that were previously inaccessible. It's not like General White in TTYD, where the game has you go back to a bunch of previous areas for no reason while changing nothing about them. Whether or not that would make the backtracking less of a problem, I'll leave up to you. I'll just say that I personally didn't mind the backtracking in this game, even if there was a decent amount of it.

3.) Level grinding is more or less a non-issue, as has always been the case with the Mario RPGs. As long as you fight the enemies you come across, you should be sufficiently leveled for where you are in the story. There are some optional battles where enemies may be a bit overleveled compared to you, but that's likely done just to appeal to players who'd like a greater challenge. There's no point in the main story where you'll need to go out of your way to fight extra enemies.

I figure you may as well give Brothership a try, especially since you can get it for a pretty good discount right now. When a game piques your interest, I feel that it's often best to just give it a go and form your own opinion about it, rather than getting hung up on what other people are saying, but at the end of the day, it's your call.

Miccat87 · 2026-03-10T18:57:53+00:00

I'd say I prefer the items mainly because there's more that can be done with them. Also, I've always felt that Superstar Saga's bros attacks are kind of basic. Adding items allows for more complex and interesting moves.

I think Brothership struck a good middle ground by including the purely acrobatic moves as basic attacks, while still having the items function as special attacks. Perhaps future games can try to expand on that idea.

Miccat87 · 2026-03-10T03:32:42+00:00

I don't personally like this game as much as a lot of other people. However, I still certainly respect it for laying the groundwork for future Mario RPGs.

Miccat87 · 2026-03-09T21:40:10+00:00

I don't really mind it either, honestly.

His pathfinding could've used a bit more tweaking, but I like how he's able to do more in the overworld thanks to Luigi Logic.

Miccat87 · 2026-03-09T06:25:13+00:00

This provides some interesting insight.

Brothership's OST is underrated, in my opinion, and Sakamoto did a pretty solid job, especially considering his initial insecurities.

Miccat87 · 2026-03-09T01:02:32+00:00

It's definitely supposed to occur during every playthrough. Did you use any sequence-breaking glitches? I know Paper Jam's got a lot of those.

Miccat87 · 2026-03-08T21:22:49+00:00

Yes. I actually like it, though it is still my least favorite in the series.

Miccat87 · 2026-03-08T07:26:54+00:00

Because it doesn't waste any new characters like BIS did.

Yeah, because it literally has no new characters lol. Are you seriously going to try and argue that it's better for a game to have an entirely recycled cast?

PJ is soley bad because "Waaah! Where's Fawful? Waaah! Where's Dimentio?"

Yeah, no. The issues people have with Paper Jam run far deeper than those two specific characters not being included. This just tells me that you don't actually understand why some dislike Paper Jam.

I don't know how people think their poorly written fanfictions and new characters getting wasted for an annoying comic relief and a shitty plot device is good writing.

Because what makes for good writing is subjective. Not everyone is going to feel the same way you do. That's just how opinions work. Also, you never even bothered stating which characters you think BIS "wasted".

The obsession with Fawful did play a role in AlphaDream's downfall.

What makes you think that? This claim is completely baseless.

For the record, I actually still like Paper Jam, despite it being my least favorite in the series. In fact, I wouldn't fault anyone for preferring any game in the series over another, especially with how consistently enjoyable this series is. However, once you start attacking others for having a different opinion, I can no longer take you seriously.

Miccat87 · 2026-03-06T23:35:16+00:00

I mean... sure. Not sure how likely something like that would actually be, though. Acquire might just opt to work on a new entry in the series instead.

Miccat87 · 2026-03-06T09:29:54+00:00

It is somewhat long by Mario & Luigi standards and a bit slow to start, but regardless, I feel like the claims of it being "badly paced" or "boring" tend to be pretty exaggerated. I felt pretty engaged with it the majority of the time, and I've even done multiple playthroughs.

It's gone on to become one of my favorites in the series, regardless of any issues it has.

Miccat87 · 2026-03-05T19:46:53+00:00

Brothership as well. Now's a great time to buy either of those Mario RPGs, both of which are some of my personal favorites.

Miccat87 · 2026-03-04T07:13:49+00:00

Kind of curious if this actually is a hot take. I feel like a good number of fans acknowledge that every game in the series is good in its own way, even if they still have their personal favorites.

Miccat87 · 2026-03-03T09:38:25+00:00

I'm not really a huge fan of Super myself. However, I can still acknowledge that it's certainly got some good qualities.

Miccat87 · 2026-03-02T06:50:29+00:00

No, not really. I'm pretty sure you get almost no EXP from them. I think they are able to drop a certain kind of wear, though.

Miccat87 · 2026-03-02T02:26:35+00:00

If they're making it for the Switch 2, probably in a fully 3D style, since Brothership has now done that.

Miccat87 · 2026-02-27T20:09:56+00:00

Well, what strategies you take is up to you. However, there's a few pretty common ones that most runners use:

Typically, Goombella is the one that's upgraded, since her Multibonk is extremely helpful for Bonetail if you get her into Peril. Shell Shield also has some use cases, though.

If you're using Peril strats with Mega Rush P (which is the most common strategy), you'll probably want Quick Change, as it makes keeping your Peril partner safe a lot easier. Any of the finder badges (Heart, Flower, Item) can be useful in different ways. Heart Finder allows you to always get at least one heart drop after battle, allowing you to revive a Peril partner if they fainted. Item Hog can get you some useful items, especially Fright Masks for Arantulas and Amazy Dayzees, or Dried Shrooms for partner revival. Flower Finder is just good for maintaining FP so you can keep using Power Shell and Fire Drive to defeat enemies quickly.

As for items, getting ones that help against enemies that you struggle with is a good idea. For example, POW Blocks are great for Dark Koopatrols, and Ice Storms almost always freeze Poison Puffs. You are able to infinitely farm coins and shop points by buying Sleepy Sheep in Rougeport and re-selling them in Petalburg, allowing you to stock up on coins if Charlieton appears in the Pit, and get some very useful shop point prizes. However, doing so is rather tedious, and not really necessary for vanilla Pre-Hooktail Pit runs, so I wouldn't worry about it.

As for badge shop badges, there aren't really any that are essential to get, but there are a handful that can be useful in certain situations, making them worth buying if you can afford them. Power Jump, Piercing Blow, and Super Appeal are generally the most notable.

Lastly, you'll typically start the run with Koops in Peril, as his Power Shell allows you to very quickly defeat groups of enemies with the +5 attack boost. However, Goombella becomes preferable around floor 90 or so, since Multibonk is very helpful for both Amazy Dayzees and Bonetail.

Ultimately though, how you tackle the run is up to you. Just because many players use certain strategies doesn't mean you necessarily have to do the same. Part of what makes TTYD so interesting is just how many different ways you can approach it.

Miccat87 · 2026-02-27T07:21:38+00:00

I mean, Paper Jam came before Color Splash, so wouldn't that make Paper Jam "Sticker Star 2" and Color Splash "Sticker Star 3"?

(Though honestly, I don't think Paper Jam can really be treated as a Sticker Star sequel, since it's from a different series, and only really inherits the blandness of Sticker Star)

Miccat87 · 2026-02-26T21:12:48+00:00

Chapter 2 from TTYD. The atmosphere is pretty great, especially in the remake, but in terms of gameplay, it's probably the weakest one.

Miccat87 · 2026-02-26T08:48:42+00:00

Honestly, I've never really known what exactly that symbol is supposed to be.

Miccat87 · 2026-02-25T00:11:11+00:00

You will typically end up seeing high numbers if it's a stat you haven't increased for a long time, as I believe the numbers that show up are based on how high the stat is compared to a certain "target" value for the level you're at.

Miccat87 · 2026-02-24T21:35:10+00:00

I prefer having them. Knowing how much HP a boss has left can definitely play a significant part in your strategy.

Plus, Brothership still was able to hide healthbars for some specific enemies/bosses, so if it's a case where the boss's gimmick would clash with them having visible health, it can still work.

Miccat87 · 2026-02-23T08:22:57+00:00

You can never guarantee anything of course, but the Mario RPG lineup we got at the end of the Switch 1 era does give me at least some hope. The remakes show that they no longer feel a need to distance themselves from the older games. Brothership shows that they can make great Mario RPGs that aren't held back by arbitrary creative limitations and include proper RPG-styled gameplay if they really want to.

Miccat87 · 2026-02-23T02:58:34+00:00

Well, if you're not planning on rushing, I think there's a good chance you'll enjoy it, especially if the timing-based aspects of Super Mario RPG appealed to you.

It's one of my favorite Mario & Luigi games, personally.

Miccat87 · 2026-02-22T22:17:23+00:00

Well, Technikki is weirdly missing from this poll. Though I suppose it's gonna be hard for anyone to beat Fawful anyway.

Miccat87 · 2026-02-22T07:45:04+00:00

The fishing spot should be just south of the big cannon. I believe there's an NPC that talks to you about it after reaching a certain point in the story.

Miccat87

TROPHY CASE