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Interesting ideas! I think for the sake of keeping together what would work and fulfill my interests/hopes and dreams with what would realistically make sense for the Mario franchise, unlike you, though, casting the Koopalings as heroes in the sense that you all described doesn't appear to make as much sense with having the MArio Bros. as villains in a canonical entry, but working the Koopalings into a more heroic role against a separate antagonist (but not in an anti-hero role could work too), whether it be completed in allegiance to Bowser or as the collective trust/republic that the seven siblings claim to be.

For simplicity's sake I'll just give you a few details of what I think coud work in a game with the Koopalings, spanning over a variey of different genres and with varing amounts of increase in interactibility.

~ A Mario & Luigi AlphaDream RPG with the Koopalings could've worked but in a more traditional way than with other platforming Nintendo RPGs typically would go about it... different parts of the game calling for different characters to feature in a story mode not unlike Superstar Saga, Bowser's Inside Story, Dream Team, Paper Jam, etc. The control mechanisms would be different (boss battles when controlling seven characters = shuddering by the design team and programmers) and I think King Boo could make an interesting antagonist, should he be done in the light of the ORIGINAL GameCube-version Luigi's Mansion epicness that we all know and love. Seriously wasted potential all-around for these characters who need and deserve more appreciation!

~ A semi-platformer like Super Mario Galaxy or Super Mario 64 could work, though the logistics of playability dumbfound me (as would the attack/control mechanisms) but thinking big would be a great way to go, in my opinion, for the debut of such characters. Giving each personality a chance to shine while also highlighting the sibling bond and unique traits/weaknesses each brings to the group should be central no matter what the storyline.

~ Something on the scale of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild always felt possible to me for the Koopalings, long before that masterpiece came out. While I wouldn't suggest anything much on the story for the sake of keeping the originality of my own ideas to myself there are numerous opportunities and chances for directional eays in which the Mushroom Kingdom could be expansively portrayed in an open-world setting (ex: cooking, exploration, brilliant visuals, atmospheric cutscenes, lots of sidequests and missions, challenging trials, teamwork, "castle" dungeons to clear through... the list just goes on and on). Just think about it...!

Regardless of the games, attack/defense schemes that would work for all seven of the Koopalings would be the running and jumping basics of the Mario series characters, plus utilization of the magic scepters and unique weapons and skillsets each Koopaling has (Ludwig = music/flutter-jump/powerful attacks as the oldest; Morton = strength/shockwave landings/cannon; Roy = bazooka/strength; Iggy = agility/Chain Chomp/scientific inventions; Wendy = mobility in water/magic rings/ice skating prominence; Lemmy = high dexterity/agility/creative magic/bouncy balls; Larry = weak with no special abilities! (I know he has the tennis racket but it would be fun to have him be obviously less-skilled than his older brothers and sister)). Combo attacks, should they be possible, could work to make them more foormidable than when alone. Other than different arrays of attacks from enemies or typical hazards such as lava or falling to their death off a high cliff ledge obvious weak spots could be their heads (stomping); the possibility of working in counters to their magical attacks could create some combinations for versatility in gameplay. Health meters should be implemented according to the gameplay - for example life bars could work in RPGs or platformers while more creative means and methods could work in more open-world design... even in battle for there to be the possibility of a Koopaling being ejected from his or her shell (or outfit changes) could work in the latter instance with greater vulnerability and lower defense (plus character embarrassment, being only in underwear) in an open-world game design. I don't think having an action basis or darker undertones (save for what is already seen throughout the franchise's darker games) would make for as much of a fun experience as possible, though... but it should be uniquely atmospheric nonetheless. And voice acting is a maybe.

Thoughts? Feelings? Things I missed? Things you liked in this?