Of all those who started Mario & Luigi: Brothership earlier this month, fewer will have seen it through to the bitter end. Fewer still will have completed all of its side missions and unlockables and we'd wager that an even smaller number will have reached the plumbing protagonists' full potential with a pair of max levels. That's because, in the case of this final challenge, it takes flipping ages (thanks for the heads up, GamingReinvented).
Now, we've wrapped up the main game but we are far from hitting the Bros' level cap for the time being, but the good folk over at GamingReinvented appear to have done just that. What's more, they have shared some details about what goes into getting M&L to the famed Level 100.
Starting with the obvious, yes, level 100 is the cap this time around (as it was in Partners in Time, Dream Team and others), but unlike the previous titles, it takes an insane amount of work to get there.
You see, unlike the previous 500,000 - 3 million EXP requirements to hit the max level, GamingReinvented reports that Brothership asks for an eye-watering 9,999,999. Yep, almost 10 million EXP. And it seems to be a nightmare to get there. While prior entries offered EXP-boosting equipment and buffs, they are all but nonexistent here (bar the Arc Scope, which bumps up your experience points by 15% if you win without taking damage). This means that the grind is a lengthy one.
In fact, in a video shared on the GamingReinvented YouTube channel (below), which shows the two Bros. hitting the level cap, the outlet shared that it took around 120 hours to get there. When you consider that the main game clocks in at roughly 40 hours according to How Long To Beat, this is a heck of a patience tester.
Fortunately, there is a perk to putting in the effort, it seems. Stat increases reportedly don't drop off when hitting the higher levels, so the Bros. are particularly overpowered by the end. According to a Reddit post by GamingReinvented writer CM30, the max-levelled heroes are capable of one-shotting the game's final boss — it might feel a little anti-climactic, but there's something quite Thanos-y in such a baller move.
So there you have it. If you're hoping to get Mario and Luigi to the top of their game in Brothership, you better strap in for the long shift. You can read the full rundown on the GamingReinvented website, but do bear in mind that the post contains some screenshots of select late-game areas and stat pages — which you'll also find in the following video, so be warned.
A pretty impressive feat, though not one that we're keen to tackle any time soon. We had a great time with Brothership earlier this month, calling it "easily the best Mario & Luigi RPG yet" in our review.