The brothers are back, and their ship has finally sailed. Don’t get left docked in the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario & Luigi: Brothership XCI, XCI file, Nintendo Switch emulation, Mario RPG, Ryujinx, Brothership download, CFW, Switch backup.

The gaming world is buzzing. After nearly a decade of silence, the beloved Mario & Luigi RPG series is making a triumphant return. Mario & Luigi: Brothership is the first new mainline entry in the series since Paper Jam (2015), and it marks a massive shift for Nintendo’s plumber duo.

Buy the physical cartridge. It comes with a gorgeous reversible cover art featuring the new "Lighthouse Crew" characters. Then, dump your own XCI for preservation. Not only does this support the developers (Acquire deserves your money), but it also ensures you have a clean, virus-free file.

| Feature | XCI (Cartridge Dump) | NSP (eShop Dump) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Slower (must load cart certs) | Instant | | Install Method | Copy to SD card | Requires SigPatches | | Requires CFW | Yes (Atmosphere/SX OS) | Yes | | Space Efficiency | Larger (compressed less) | Smaller (optimized) | | Emulator Compatibility | Higher (Ryujinx prefers XCI) | Lower (requires keys) |

For players in the emulation and custom firmware (CFX) scene, the search term has exploded in popularity. But what exactly is an XCI file? Is this game worth the hype? And what should you know before trying to play it on PC or a modded Switch?