A single player action RPG (Role-playing Game), Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story takes players on the DS literally into the belly of the beast - that beast being Bowser. Set within an off-the-wall storyline that turns the world of Nintendo on its ear and featuring the ability to toggle between playing as the team of Mario and Luigi, and playing as Bowser himself, this third installment of the Mario & Luigi franchise is not to be missed. 
Split play time between Bowser.
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And the team of Mario & Luigi.
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Two stories and gameplay paths that can affect each other in real-time.
View larger. | Story
The story of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is an atypical one in the world of Mario and Luigi in that the two plumbers team up with Bowser for the good of the Mushroom Kingdom, even if Bowser is totally unaware of it. As the game opens the Mushroom Kingdom is seen to have been struck by a sort of infection known as "The Blorbs," and exposure to it has caused out of control physical ballooning of the Toads. A council of the who's who in the Kingdom, including Mario and Peach, is assembled to try and figure out what to do about it, when right on queue, in barges Bowser, intent on dragging away Peach. He is stopped and shown the door by Mario, but later is tricked by the villain Fawful to eat a "Lucky Mushroom." Brainwashed by this, he returns to the council where the mushroom causes all the council to shrink to a tiny size and Bowser to literally inhale them. Fawful and his henchmen then set about taking over all of the Mushroom Kingdom, even the parts that Bowser has staked a claim to. Nobody, except maybe Mario, takes what is Bowser's, so there is going to be trouble. Although now very small, Mario realizes a few things. Peach, as usual, has gone missing, Bowser and he are on the same side in this fight and that Bowser will need help. How will Mario save the day this time? That's up to you. Gameplay
A single player action RPG, action in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is split between the player-controlled team of Mario and Luigi, trapped in Bowser's stomach, and Bowser himself. These play out as two separate paths of action, constantly overlapping, which players can toggle between and engage in. As they do so players see that Bowser's actions on the outside affect the conditions for Mario and Luigi in his stomach, and the actions of the plumbers can add or subtract from Bowser's abilities. Examples of this are the good and bad things that Bowser swallows that the Bros. must deal with, and conversely the toll an illness the Bros. can affect has on Bowser's physical abilities. Players can see this link for themselves when at times during the game Mario and Luigi are shown on the lower DS screen, while simultaneously Bowser moves in in-game real-time on the top screen. Again, these two paths lead to the same place, the defeat of Fawful. The challenges that players face in doing this is the basis for the RPG gameplay, with players gaining experience points in the challenges that they face, which can be used to level up character-specific fighting and other abilities and even buy in-game gear. Additional gameplay includes puzzle-solving, searching for hidden items, mini-games and more, engaged in as the team of Mario and Luigi, and Bowser on his own. Key Game Features - Two Separate Storylines - One features Bowser and his efforts to stop an arch-villain from taking over his castle. Meanwhile, inside Bowser, the microbe-sized Mario and Luigi must muscle their way through challenges and keep their nerve if they want to find a way out. They take action to control Bowser from the inside – but without his knowledge.
- Switch Between Storylines at Will - What happens inside Bowser affects what he’s doing on the outside. Sometimes Mario and Luigi must solve puzzles and challenges behind the scenes to help Bowser overcome various obstacles and advance the plot.
- DS/DSi Integrated Gameplay - In some battles, Bowser grows so large that players must turn their Nintendo DS or Nintendo DSi system sideways, blow into the microphone or tap on the touch screen with the stylus to keep up with the action.
- Distinctive Nintendo Humor - The game features the same hilarious dialogue that has been the hallmark of the Mario & Luigi series.
- RPG Gameplay - A players work their way through challenges they can level characters up with experience points.
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 Easily surpasses its excellent predecessors! |
| Review Date: September 20, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Mark E. Valenti, Pennsylvania |
I've played and beaten all seven Mario RPG's (not just the Mario & Luigi games, all seven Mario RPG's), and Bowser's inside story is, without a doubt, the best one. That's incredible because I never played a Mario RPG I wouldn't give a score of at least 85/100 to. Bowser's Inside Story is the best Nintendo DS game made so far. Bowser gets a huge portion of the gameplay, and it's awesome. There are three different battle systems. One for Mario and Luigi, one for bowser, and one where Bowser becomes huge to fight huge enemies (This is the best part of the game, it's epic). It will take the average player 25-30 hours to beat the game, while there are 5-8 hours of extras. What's really amazing is that there's so much diversity in the gameplay, it NEVER ONCE gets repetitive or boring.
Good Things
- Never boring or repetitive.
- Three different, all amazing battle systems.
- 25-30 hour adventure.
- Great graphics and sound.
- Worth replaying at least two times.
- Unique, unpredictable, epic RPG.
- All-around incredible game.
Bad Things
- A VERY MINOR complaint, the game has lame box art.
Presentation- 97.5/100
Does a very good job getting you into the game, I liked the game so much, it's all I did in my free time until I beat it.
Graphics- 95.5/100
Strictly 2D, but still incredible.
Sound- 98/100
Sounds incredible. Sounds like a Mario game should, but the music is a little less cheery than a typical Mario game.
Gameplay- 100/100
So many different parts of gameplay, and they all come together perfectly!
Innovation- 96/100
The game designers really got creative with this Mario RPG, that's for sure!
Replay Value- 98.5/100
You should replay it at least twice and try to see all the extras it has to offer.
Difficulty- Medium
It's not quite as hard as Partners in Time. It seems easy until the final part of the game, where the difficulty goes up significantly.
Overall- 99/100
Bowser's Inside Story comes out to be a near-perfect game, overall, and amazingly surpasses Kirby Superstar Ultra to become the best game on the DS. |
Maybe the Best DS Game Ever Made!!!!!
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| Review Date: September 18, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Brandon, Ridgeview |
I want to start off by saying that this game does almost everything right and hardly anything wrong. The gameplay is great. You use Bowser on the top screen with the D-Pad and X makes Bowser punch and Y makes Bowser breathe fire. Mario and Luigi are controlled by the D-pad and the A and B buttons. The action is very smooth and well done in this game. The Bowser battles are a lot different then the Mario and Luigi battles but that helps make the game even greater. The characters in this game all are full of life, color, and humor. The boss battles are fun, and the battles that Bowser grows and you have to turn your DS around like a book are very fun. The storyline is crazy but its funny, and the text in the game and actions of the characters are 100% classic. Some of my favorite parts of the game are when your Bowser and you meet up with any of his minions that always leads to a funny moment.
Fun Factor- A+
Graphics- A
Sound- A
Controls- B+
Lasting appeal- A |
A great game for all ages
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| Review Date: December 6, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Charles Evans, North Carolina |
It is hard to go wrong with a Mario game for Nintendo - all of the games are age appropriate and offer hours of fun. "Mario & Luig Bowser's Inside Story" (I will call it "Inside Story" from here on out) is a great blend of all of the Mario games of the past. It is highly addictive, I have noticed that as I get older fewer and fewer games keep my interest enough to continue playing. I need for them to be fun, but not so complicated that I have to devote hours to learning the story (I just don't have time). "Inside Story" is perfect it walks you through the game controls while introducing the story line.
"Inside Story" allows you to play as Bowser on the top screen and the Mario/Luigi combination on the bottom screen. You see, Bowser inhaled Mario/Luigi and the whole cast of characters, so while Bowser is trying to find out why he is feeling funny Mario is trying to escape from Bowser's belly! The result is probably the best game i have ever played on the DS - it combines Mario 64 with Zelda.
As you progress in the story you are given the ability to buy or find new equipment, abilities, and helpful items. In typical RPG fashion you advance through levels which gives you stronger attacks, better defense, and other characteristics. At first , I was skeptical in introducing a RPG format for Mario, but "Inside Story" really does combine the best of both worlds.
Other Observations
- Nice graphics
- At times there is a little too much dialogue which does slow the game down
- Ample save points
- Age appropriate - probably not for kids under the age of 8 since it does require a fair amount of reading
- I love playing Mario and Luigi at the SAME TIME!
- Nice length - you will not finish the game in one (or ten) sittings
- The ability to do power-ups is a nice introduction to the Mario series
Final Verdict-
A great game for the Nintendo DS - if you enjoyed any of the previous Mario games you likely will not be disappointed.
5 Stars |
Best RPG out now on ANY console!
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| Review Date: September 28, 2009 |
| Reviewer: M. Rocha, Texas |
I am a die hard RPG fan. Since first discovering Final Fantasy 8 from a Pizza Hut demo disc as a young teen to playing Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon in recent months, I just can't get enough of them.
I would border on calling this a "lite" RPG. It is not going to be as complex as any of the big console rpgs, and it is not supposed to be. You can pick it up, play for 15 or 20 minutes and get back to working (shhh, don't tell). The leveling system is very nice as there is minimal involvement in how you build your characters. When you gain a level, the only input you have is what bonus the characters will receive, ie. hp, power, defense, luck etc. You also will rank up, allowing additional gear to be worn or better items to be purchased.
The game play is very addictive as well. Each of the enemies has a little quirk to them, and makes each battle fresh and fun to play. Personally, I feel there aren't enough battles in the game! Again, I think this is more of a "lite" rpg, as your actions are limited in battle as well. You can do your usual stomp, hammer, item, or special attack. As Bowser you will have your fire, punch, item, special and vacuum options.
Yes, you can play as Bowser, and boy is he very fun to play as! Offering new attacks, specials and own set of environment interactions, he is just as fun to control as the Italian duo. It is a nice change to play as Bowser, and only adds to the greatness of the Mario RPG series.
This is one of the best games to come out this year on any console, period. Buy it and enjoy the experience! |
Funniest RPG I've ever played
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| Review Date: December 9, 2009 |
| Reviewer: R. Hyperion, |
This is the third Mario RPG I've started, and the first one I've even come close to finishing. It came in way above my expectations. I couldn't put it down for the first week I owned it.
Gorgeous 2D graphics, fun little platforming puzzles and a hilarious, upbeat story. It was even more difficult than I assumed; perhaps I was underleveled, but some of the bosses can hit HARD. If you can't figure out and react to their tells quickly enough, you'll see the game over screen a few times! Determining how to tackle each enemy is very rewarding.
The two complaints I had are that the game can get a little repetitive, and some of the optional content requires too much backtracking. Collecting the Blitties, for example, is great; there aren't too many of them, and the task can be completed as you progress with the main game. Finding the hundreds of beans scattered around the world, however? Just plain tedious.
Small stuff to sweat in the grand scheme of things. Buy this game, and hail to the King of Awesome! |
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