Retro Review: Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (DS)

A fantastic adventure inside and out.

 

 Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story was among the earliest RPGs I've played growing up and I strongly remember it being my second one after Sonic Chronicles, both of which were on the Nintendo DS. Over the years, I was very fond of the game since it was a fun and all-around awesome time. Released back in 2009, the bros were back for their third adventure but this time, it's inside their nemesis Bowser! I've been planning on replaying it for a while to see if it still holds up-- and since there aren't that many games that interested me lately. So is the game still as fun as I remember it being?  

 The Mushroom Kingdom is in trouble again and refreshingly, it's not Bowser's fault this time! The mad villain Fawful from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga is back and throws the kingdom into chaos by unleashing a mysterious illness known as "The Blorbs" unto the Toads and takes Peach's castle as his own. Bowser also gets tricked by Fawful into eating a weird mushroom that causes him to inhale anything in sight and he gets his castle stolen too. Along with new character Starlow, it's up to Mario, Luigi, and even Bowser to put a stop to Fawful's plans and save the Mushroom Kingdom.

 The story's a case of arch-enemies teaming up to face a bigger threat, which was great to see here. Fawful and his minion, Midbus, were awesome villains and I always looked forward to their schemes. Starlow was a neat witty character who served as a guide to the trio while Bowser was super likeable here due to his carefree attitude. As for the bros, well, they're just as charming as ever with Mario being the voice of reason (which is funny since they speak gibberish) and Luigi is the lovable coward.

 Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is a turn-based RPG that has you controlling Mario, Luigi, and Bowser as they attack and counter attacks using the series' timing-based mechanics. Mario and Luigi's actions are mapped to the A and B buttons, respectively, while Bowser takes takes X and Y. It's your standard RPG where the characters level up, equip new gear in towns, and explore lots of levels. Characters have SP moves hat lets them use special attacks like a green shell that the bros need to kick to damage enemies or goombas that Bowser can shoot onto enemies, and they're helpful in boss encounters.

 The characters will be travelling the Mushroom Kingdom and Bowser's body and they'll come across many levels where you can explore around, though most paths will be blocked until the characters obtain a power-up later in the game. The highlights were definitely exploring Bowser's organs like his airway, nerve center, and rump command. There's a couple of mini-games that you'll need to play to stimulate Bowser's body to unlock new powers and progress, which were neat. Secrets are plenty and they include digging for stat boosting beans, finding hidden coin blocks, puzzle pieces that unlock new SP moves, and cube-shaped cats known as blitties-- which upon collecting all 15 of them, will unlock Bowser's best SP move. 

 Bosses were plentiful and each had varied amounts of movesets that you'll need to watch out for. My favorites had to be against Midbus and Dark Star when playing as Bowser. The game introduces large-scale boss fights where Bowser transforms into a giant and you must hold the DS sideways to control him. You slide the stylus to punch, blow on the microphone for a flamethrower attack, and tap on the screen to shoot fireballs. The game made cool use of the DS' features and some of the likes that you'll be fighting were a speedy train, robotic tower, and Bowser's own castle.

 The game took 20 hours for me to leisurely beat while going for many of the secrets. As for downsides, there aren't many that come to mind aside from the frequent tutorials that slow down the pace of the game and minor glitch where the top-screen tears up briefly when picking up a major item inside Bowser. Other than that, it was a very polished experience. 

 Bowser's Inside Story is among the DS' most visually impressive games with its vibrant backgrounds and detailed character designs holding up amazingly well. Many of the story interactions were funny due to the expressive character animations and they added a lot of charm to the game. The soundtrack was catchy and an extremely memorable one, no surprise coming from the famed Yoko Shimumura. The first ones that come to mind were the battle theme, Fawful's theme, Toad Town, and Cavi Cape theme. 

 Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story was an absolute blast from start to finish and I'm to say that it's just as amazing as when I first played it. Full of charming characters, involving gameplay, and top-notch presentation, it's easily the best RPG I've played on DS. Very few games are memorable to me as the years go by and I'm happy to say that this game is one of them. If you're looking for an engaging RPG with lots of personality, then look no further than Bowser's Inside Story.