During a new “Ask the Developer” interview with Nintendo, four Mario & Luigi: Brothership developers all spoke at length regarding balancing gameplay and Brothership’s difficulty:
Mario & Luigi | Brothership Devs on Balancing Gameplay & Difficulty:
Haruyuki Ohashi: In the final stages of development, Fukushima-san was constantly working with the team that developed the battle system.
Tomoki Fukushima: In previous games in the series, battles used a system of “badges”. Once the gauge started to fill up, it could be used during battle, but you wouldn’t be able to use it for a while again once it was empty. So I think some players restricted its use to decisive moments, such as in boss battles.
However, we thought it would be nice to have something that players could be more carefree about using, so we worked with Acquire to put together something called the Battle Plug system, taking into account the game’s theme. In this system, you equip Battle Plugs instead of badges. The effects of most Battle Plugs are easily noticeable when you perform regular actions, as simply equipping them will change those actions slightly or add extra effects.
Akira Otani: However, since you can create different combinations of Battle Plugs, it was difficult to balance them.
Tomoki Fukushima: You can say that again! (Laughs) There are over 40 Battle Plugs in total, so purely in terms of what you can equip, the combinations are countless. You can combine them however you like, but rather than being a gameplay mechanic that requires tricky calculations and complicated strategies, we designed it so that players can freely equip whichever plugs they want and feel the difference. This makes it easier even for younger players who are new to video games.
Haruyuki Ohashi: It’s fun to discover not just the individual plugs’ effects, but also the synergies you can get from combining them.
Tomoki Fukushima: I think everyone has their own style, like going for a set of offensive plugs that can deal a lot of damage in one go, or a set of defensive plugs that focus on recovering and counterattacking. However, a plug can only be used so many times before it’s drained, so while it’s recharging, try replacing it with a different one and find your favourites.
Hitomi Furuta: I like using Iron Ball plugs in battle! If you equip the Surprise Iron Ball plug on its own, a single iron ball will drop, but if you combine it with a Kaboom Attack, iron balls will fall on multiple enemies. And if you equip two Surprise Iron Ball plugs, the iron balls themselves get bigger, and combining that with a Kaboom Attack will result in large iron balls falling on multiple enemies. It’s really intuitive.
Haruyuki Ohashi: In order to test out different combinations, we battled around the clock. (Laughs)
Tomoki Fukushima: We sure did. I honestly don’t even know how many times I played through it. (Laughs)
Hitomi Furuta: But after playing it through, I experienced the power of plugs firsthand. I had a lot of fun as a player.
Akira Otani: Furuta-san, having played through the game, how was the difficulty level overall?
Hitomi Furuta: It got a bit tricky towards the second half of the game as the enemies’ attacks ramped up. But once you learn how to use the plugs, you can launch powerful attacks against even strong enemies. It feels good when that happens and it’s fun discovering how to use the plugs effectively. I’m not very good at strategy in games, but I enjoyed playing this as I felt like it was a simple and good system and not too difficult.
Tomoki Fukushima: One time, Otani-san and I were battling the same boss, and while I was feeling the pressure, for him, it was a walk in the park. (Laughs) He’d explored every nook and cranny and had even gone back to collect items from islands he’d already connected. So, even though we were in the same part of the game, his level was quite a bit higher.
Whereas I’m the type of player who tends to progress through games quickly. So, when I went up against that boss, my level was only just about high enough…if that. (Laughs) But the enemies’ levels don’t scale, so we kept making adjustments until the very end to ensure the game would be challenging for a variety of players.
Haruyuki Ohashi: There’s also a system that comes to your aid when things get tough.
Tomoki Fukushima: That’s right. Each enemy has a different attack pattern, so you may have a hard time fighting them until you figure it out. By increasing your level or improving your equipment and plugs, battles will get easier. Meanwhile, there’s a feature where you can lower the difficulty if you reach the game over screen more than once in the same battle.
There’s no particular penalty for using it, so I’d recommend taking advantage of it if you get stuck on an enemy.
Akira Otani: I want everyone to see the ending… It really moved me.
Hitomi Furuta: I hope everyone gets to see the story building up to its climax! I think people will be surprised…
Although there were times when we faced challenges and felt anxious, with a lot of support from my team members and Nintendo, we were able to bring this game to fruition. Staying true to the Mario & Luigi series, it’s an easy-to-play journey full of laughs. I’ll be happy if the story of Shipshape Island becomes a beloved journey for fans and newcomers alike because, as someone entrusted with the series, I’ll feel that I’ve been able to return the favour to everyone on the team and Nintendo.
Lots of fascinating characters and places await you. So I hope players enjoy this big, island-hopping adventure with Mario and Luigi!
Haruyuki Ohashi: As it’s the first completely new game in the series in nine years, I’m sure fans are looking forward to it. And I think it stays true to the Mario & Luigi series and will live up to their expectations. The shift to 3D has upgraded the presentation, and I believe the quality of the experience has also improved. So, I hope players get genuine enjoyment out of Mario and Luigi’s new adventure.
Tomoki Fukushima: The development was full of new things, including our collaboration with Acquire and it being the first time a Mario & Luigi game was released for a home console. We were conscious of the idea of “breaking the conventions” of the series, which we’ve heard about in other titles, too. But more than that, reproducing and re-establishing those conventions in the first place presented many challenges and required a lot of ingenuity.
This title features a variety of original characters, each with their own unique and touching drama. I also recommend the side quests as a way to take a breather from the main adventure. I hope players enjoy the dynamic battles and moments of comedy in a story that features an expressive cast of characters, including Mario, Luigi, and more.
For the full interview, why not click here to check out Ask the Developer Vol. 15, Mario & Luigi: Brothership – Chapter 4:
Ask the Developer | Mario & Luigi Brothership (Participating Developers)
- Akira Otani | Entertainment Planning & Development Division, Co-Production Group (Producer)
- Tomoki Fukushima | Entertainment Planning & Development Division, Co-Production Group (Associate Producer)
- Haruyuki Ohashi | Director, Acquire Corp.
- Hitomi Furuta | Designer, Acquire Corp. (Art Director)
