Finally, with Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga and Partners in Time already reviewed, we get to the final game in the series. And honestly?
I think it might well be the best yet. Here's why.
Graphics
Fantastic all round. Okay, they're still in your usual Mario & Luigi game style and they're still viewed from either a top down or side on perspective, but they're full of detail and colour and look amazing regardless.
Above: The game's graphics look amazing.
Not much to say here, so moving on.
Music
As per the norm for this series, Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story has a fantastic soundtrack with plenty of unique and memorable tunes to listen to. You've got some catchy and soothing overworld music as the Cavi Cape theme...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vkgo8m58jlk
The insanely catchy Bowser battle music in general. Man, that giant battle theme literally makes anything epic. And you could so easily put that normal Bowser battle music with a Hollywood fight scene and have it fit perfectly. Have a listen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DY7fOOU-sJA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBcqlrzGaPc
Or even the final boss theme, which is epic enough that about half a million people had listened to it prior to the game even being released (just by finding it on Youtube):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ckxy-i7Dc5U
Put simply, this game's soundtrack is an absolute masterpiece. One of the best in the series, and perhaps even in the larger Mario franchise or even gaming as a whole. Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story's music is some of the best there is.
Story/Premise
Let's start this by mentioning the one most obvious benefit of the game's story:
It features Fawful as the villain
And then the other one:
It features Bowser as the main character
Above: This guy + Bowser. A comedy match made in heaven.
Yeah, you can tell by that alone the story is going to be entertaining. Two of the most overconfident, narcisstic characters in the Mario universe are going against each other in the midst of a war over the Mushroom Kingdom. The comedy literally never stops coming.
But that said, what is the story exactly? Well...
To start off, the Toad population comes down with a mysterious illness called the Blorbs, which causes them to swell up to enormous sizes. So Peach calls a meeting at her castle, at which point...
Bowser attacks and gets beaten by Mario and Luigi. After he gets (quite literally) flung out through the roof, he ends up in the middle of a place called Dimble Wood and comes across a mysterious merchant, who offers him a strange Mushroom that'll 'help him beat Mario and Luigi'.
Unfortunately for him, this turns out to be a trap, with the item causing him to randomly swallow everything in sight (including the Mario bros, Toadsworth and Peach) before falling unconscious. The person who sold it? Fawful, who uses this diversion to take over the Mushroom Kingdom and hijack both Peach and Bowser's Castles.
So Mario and Luigi have to explore Bowser's insides to find a way back to the kingdom, Bowser has to battle to get his castle back from Fawful, and the two teams have to help each other out indirectly to achieve their own goals. But Fawful has plans involving a mysterious Dark Star...
It's a simple story, but it's an entertaining one. As said above, Fawful and Bowser both have some hilarious lines and jokes throughout the whole adventure, everyone in sight does some extremely stupid things that would normally cost them their lives and basically, it's a laugh a minute throughout. Need more?
Fawful
Fawfully-doo!♪ Where are you?!♪ Dark Star, needing you!♪ Dark power, yoo-hoo!♪ WHERE TO FIND YOU...♪
I HAVE CHORTLES!
For now it is the final act of the finale's closing last encore.
Bowser
Did somebody page the king of awesome?
Marching straight ahead into the enemy's feet!' Didn't you all learn that in Goomba boot camp?
I'll build a bridge or something! BECAUSE I GET THINGS DONE.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story has one of the most entertaining storylines around. Is the premise a bit paper thin? Sure, but this is a game where the fourth wall is mostly non existent and where a whole bunch of overly arrogant jerks say and do stupid things from start to finish. It's a fantastically entertaining, ridiculously comical experience from start to finish and all the better for it.
Gameplay
This however is where the game truly shines. Remember how in Partners in Time the game barely used the DS's features, or how Superstar Saga mostly kept to the same gameplay throughout? Well Bowser's Inside Story manages to not only keep the gameplay fun and varied throughout, but also makes an incredibly array of uses for the DS touch screen and microphone to boot. Indeed, this game is almost the perfect tech demo for the system to some degree.
So what's different from before? Well for one thing, there's very much a 'dual worlds' thing going on here. Whereas in the other games you had one world to explore with top down gameplay, in this one you've got a top down world explored with Bowser and a side on world (inside Bowser) explored with the Mario Bros. To add to this, each world affects the other; things the bros do inside Bowser help him learn new abilities in the overworld and things Bowser does affect what's going on inside his body. It's a clever system with very neat ideas (although Bowser has really strange biology in this title), and it's generally executed extremely well.
Above: For instance, you can X-Ray Bowser with a machine like this to solve puzzles inside his body.
The other major change is Bowser and his abilities. You see, unlike the other characters before him, Bowser doesn't have your usual jump or hammer abilities. No, instead he can punch, breathe fire, roll around in his shell and summon his minions in battle. This means that Bowser's portion of the game is very much more similar to a beat em up or such game than your standard Mario title, since the focus is kept on combat rather than puzzle solving or platforming. It's different, but it's still a nice change of pace from the jump and puzzle heavy gameplay from the other games in the series.
And as said there, the ways he can use his minions in battle are one of the best things about the title. Indeed, they're basically Bowser's equivalent to Bros moves, except that they're all controlled with the touch screen and do an absolute ton more damage. Indeed, Magikoopa Mob and Broggy Bonker are some of the best attacks you'll ever get, with extremely easy action commands that were fun to use.
Another new addition are the giant Bowser battles. Probably the best fights in the game, these special boss battles have Bowser grow to about 100 times his normal size to take giant robots and buildings in hand to hand combat. Or in other words, think an RPG mixed with a boxing match. You punch down missiles, send giant monsters flying in all directions and even manage to launch Bowser out of black holes to take down Princess Peach's castle turned giant mecha. It is freaking awesome, and almost worth the price of admission for alone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St1cuIUxhCs
Above: If you don't think this is damn cool, you have no soul.
Finally, that actual 'using the 3DS features' thing. Yep, unlike Partners in Time or many other Mario RPGs, Bowser's Inside Story manages to keep the game interesting by making good use of literally every feature the DS handheld can manage. You've got touch screen controlled mini games at various points in the adventure, the aforementioned touch screen and mic heavy giant Bowser battles and even quite a few sections in the main adventure where touch controls are integrated flawlessly, so the game makes for quite a good showcase of the DS's capabilities.
So the new stuff is pretty damn cool. But that's not all that's of interest here.
You know how the original Mario & Luigi game had a vast overworld to explore?
Well so does this one! Yes, after Partners in Time and it's arguably crippling linearity, Bowser's Inside Story returns to letting you explore the whole kingdom are your leisure and going hunting for sidequests, characters and hidden items. It's a very well made overworld map and there's a nice array of interesting areas to explore with their own things to do.
Above: Mario and Luigi have some... interesting new attacks and abilities in this title.
Add how the traditional Mario & Luigi battle system returns, how badges and gear are again things you can buy and use and a rather nifty new rank up system, and Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story is one of the best, most entertaining games you'll ever play.
Difficulty/Length
As far as difficulty and game length goes, Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story is fantastic. Now admittedly, it's not as good in this sense as Superstar Saga (due to the general lack of plot twists and extra areas opening up), but it's still absolutely fantastic regardless. You've got the whole inside Bowser part of the game with a good ten or so bosses and areas, the outside areas which are explored by both teams (Mario and Luigi explore different areas to Bowser here) and some damn lengthy dungeons in general to keep you going far longer than most other Mario RPGs like the Paper Mario series or Partners in Time.
In addition to the plot, you have to consider that this is not an easy game. Is it Lost Levels difficulty? Of course not, but it's got some extremely tricky later boss battles and sequences that will test you, so it's not exactly a walk in the park either. See, the Fawful Express:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HujrMIEiS0
This battle will destroy anyone not used to using the microphone. And damn, it goes on a long, long time...
And the final boss itself is another good example. Oh sure, it's not starting you at 1HP like Cackletta's soul did in the original and doesn't quite spam you as much as Elder Princess Shroob in Partners in Time, but damn, the amount of switching between Mario/Luigi and Bowser, the amount of damage you need to do to the Star Core and some of its attacks make for both a fairly difficult and extremely satisfying finale.
To add to this, the game comes pack with a ton of tough extras to take on. Think you're really tough? Try the Gauntlet, six brutally hard versions of earlier bosses ending with the monstrous Bowser X. No seriously, this guy could destroy many a bad RPG player:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhUragy-MCU
He can steal your attacks temporarily, do massive damage, has been defeated in under 20 or so turns... Heck, some say even the strategy guide makers failed against him...
There's also the Cholesteroad and the Broque Madame sessions with Bowser, which test your skills with Mario and Luigi and Bowser's special attacks. Boy howdy they can be difficult. Think you're good with the Jump Helmet? Try getting about 60 points without touching the floor. Or 100 successful kicks of the Green Shell without missing. It's way harder than it sounds.
So in general, the game is pretty good in the difficulty and game length stakes, with plenty of challenge in the main adventure and a plain ridiculous amount in the sidequests.
Overall
In conclusion, Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story is a fantastic game. It's got some great graphics and music, the most entertaining plotline and jokes of any Mario RPG in about 20 years and some excellent gameplay which shows off the very best of the DS's capabilities. This is one game you most definitely cannot afford to miss.
I give it...
100%
I think it might well be the best yet. Here's why.
Graphics
Fantastic all round. Okay, they're still in your usual Mario & Luigi game style and they're still viewed from either a top down or side on perspective, but they're full of detail and colour and look amazing regardless.
Above: The game's graphics look amazing.
Not much to say here, so moving on.
Music
As per the norm for this series, Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story has a fantastic soundtrack with plenty of unique and memorable tunes to listen to. You've got some catchy and soothing overworld music as the Cavi Cape theme...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vkgo8m58jlk
The insanely catchy Bowser battle music in general. Man, that giant battle theme literally makes anything epic. And you could so easily put that normal Bowser battle music with a Hollywood fight scene and have it fit perfectly. Have a listen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DY7fOOU-sJA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBcqlrzGaPc
Or even the final boss theme, which is epic enough that about half a million people had listened to it prior to the game even being released (just by finding it on Youtube):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ckxy-i7Dc5U
Put simply, this game's soundtrack is an absolute masterpiece. One of the best in the series, and perhaps even in the larger Mario franchise or even gaming as a whole. Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story's music is some of the best there is.
Story/Premise
Let's start this by mentioning the one most obvious benefit of the game's story:
It features Fawful as the villain
And then the other one:
It features Bowser as the main character
Above: This guy + Bowser. A comedy match made in heaven.
Yeah, you can tell by that alone the story is going to be entertaining. Two of the most overconfident, narcisstic characters in the Mario universe are going against each other in the midst of a war over the Mushroom Kingdom. The comedy literally never stops coming.
But that said, what is the story exactly? Well...
To start off, the Toad population comes down with a mysterious illness called the Blorbs, which causes them to swell up to enormous sizes. So Peach calls a meeting at her castle, at which point...
Bowser attacks and gets beaten by Mario and Luigi. After he gets (quite literally) flung out through the roof, he ends up in the middle of a place called Dimble Wood and comes across a mysterious merchant, who offers him a strange Mushroom that'll 'help him beat Mario and Luigi'.
Unfortunately for him, this turns out to be a trap, with the item causing him to randomly swallow everything in sight (including the Mario bros, Toadsworth and Peach) before falling unconscious. The person who sold it? Fawful, who uses this diversion to take over the Mushroom Kingdom and hijack both Peach and Bowser's Castles.
So Mario and Luigi have to explore Bowser's insides to find a way back to the kingdom, Bowser has to battle to get his castle back from Fawful, and the two teams have to help each other out indirectly to achieve their own goals. But Fawful has plans involving a mysterious Dark Star...
It's a simple story, but it's an entertaining one. As said above, Fawful and Bowser both have some hilarious lines and jokes throughout the whole adventure, everyone in sight does some extremely stupid things that would normally cost them their lives and basically, it's a laugh a minute throughout. Need more?
Fawful
Fawfully-doo!♪ Where are you?!♪ Dark Star, needing you!♪ Dark power, yoo-hoo!♪ WHERE TO FIND YOU...♪
I HAVE CHORTLES!
For now it is the final act of the finale's closing last encore.
Bowser
Did somebody page the king of awesome?
Marching straight ahead into the enemy's feet!' Didn't you all learn that in Goomba boot camp?
I'll build a bridge or something! BECAUSE I GET THINGS DONE.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story has one of the most entertaining storylines around. Is the premise a bit paper thin? Sure, but this is a game where the fourth wall is mostly non existent and where a whole bunch of overly arrogant jerks say and do stupid things from start to finish. It's a fantastically entertaining, ridiculously comical experience from start to finish and all the better for it.
Gameplay
This however is where the game truly shines. Remember how in Partners in Time the game barely used the DS's features, or how Superstar Saga mostly kept to the same gameplay throughout? Well Bowser's Inside Story manages to not only keep the gameplay fun and varied throughout, but also makes an incredibly array of uses for the DS touch screen and microphone to boot. Indeed, this game is almost the perfect tech demo for the system to some degree.
So what's different from before? Well for one thing, there's very much a 'dual worlds' thing going on here. Whereas in the other games you had one world to explore with top down gameplay, in this one you've got a top down world explored with Bowser and a side on world (inside Bowser) explored with the Mario Bros. To add to this, each world affects the other; things the bros do inside Bowser help him learn new abilities in the overworld and things Bowser does affect what's going on inside his body. It's a clever system with very neat ideas (although Bowser has really strange biology in this title), and it's generally executed extremely well.
Above: For instance, you can X-Ray Bowser with a machine like this to solve puzzles inside his body.
The other major change is Bowser and his abilities. You see, unlike the other characters before him, Bowser doesn't have your usual jump or hammer abilities. No, instead he can punch, breathe fire, roll around in his shell and summon his minions in battle. This means that Bowser's portion of the game is very much more similar to a beat em up or such game than your standard Mario title, since the focus is kept on combat rather than puzzle solving or platforming. It's different, but it's still a nice change of pace from the jump and puzzle heavy gameplay from the other games in the series.
And as said there, the ways he can use his minions in battle are one of the best things about the title. Indeed, they're basically Bowser's equivalent to Bros moves, except that they're all controlled with the touch screen and do an absolute ton more damage. Indeed, Magikoopa Mob and Broggy Bonker are some of the best attacks you'll ever get, with extremely easy action commands that were fun to use.
Another new addition are the giant Bowser battles. Probably the best fights in the game, these special boss battles have Bowser grow to about 100 times his normal size to take giant robots and buildings in hand to hand combat. Or in other words, think an RPG mixed with a boxing match. You punch down missiles, send giant monsters flying in all directions and even manage to launch Bowser out of black holes to take down Princess Peach's castle turned giant mecha. It is freaking awesome, and almost worth the price of admission for alone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St1cuIUxhCs
Above: If you don't think this is damn cool, you have no soul.
Finally, that actual 'using the 3DS features' thing. Yep, unlike Partners in Time or many other Mario RPGs, Bowser's Inside Story manages to keep the game interesting by making good use of literally every feature the DS handheld can manage. You've got touch screen controlled mini games at various points in the adventure, the aforementioned touch screen and mic heavy giant Bowser battles and even quite a few sections in the main adventure where touch controls are integrated flawlessly, so the game makes for quite a good showcase of the DS's capabilities.
So the new stuff is pretty damn cool. But that's not all that's of interest here.
You know how the original Mario & Luigi game had a vast overworld to explore?
Well so does this one! Yes, after Partners in Time and it's arguably crippling linearity, Bowser's Inside Story returns to letting you explore the whole kingdom are your leisure and going hunting for sidequests, characters and hidden items. It's a very well made overworld map and there's a nice array of interesting areas to explore with their own things to do.
Above: Mario and Luigi have some... interesting new attacks and abilities in this title.
Add how the traditional Mario & Luigi battle system returns, how badges and gear are again things you can buy and use and a rather nifty new rank up system, and Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story is one of the best, most entertaining games you'll ever play.
Difficulty/Length
As far as difficulty and game length goes, Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story is fantastic. Now admittedly, it's not as good in this sense as Superstar Saga (due to the general lack of plot twists and extra areas opening up), but it's still absolutely fantastic regardless. You've got the whole inside Bowser part of the game with a good ten or so bosses and areas, the outside areas which are explored by both teams (Mario and Luigi explore different areas to Bowser here) and some damn lengthy dungeons in general to keep you going far longer than most other Mario RPGs like the Paper Mario series or Partners in Time.
In addition to the plot, you have to consider that this is not an easy game. Is it Lost Levels difficulty? Of course not, but it's got some extremely tricky later boss battles and sequences that will test you, so it's not exactly a walk in the park either. See, the Fawful Express:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HujrMIEiS0
This battle will destroy anyone not used to using the microphone. And damn, it goes on a long, long time...
And the final boss itself is another good example. Oh sure, it's not starting you at 1HP like Cackletta's soul did in the original and doesn't quite spam you as much as Elder Princess Shroob in Partners in Time, but damn, the amount of switching between Mario/Luigi and Bowser, the amount of damage you need to do to the Star Core and some of its attacks make for both a fairly difficult and extremely satisfying finale.
To add to this, the game comes pack with a ton of tough extras to take on. Think you're really tough? Try the Gauntlet, six brutally hard versions of earlier bosses ending with the monstrous Bowser X. No seriously, this guy could destroy many a bad RPG player:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhUragy-MCU
He can steal your attacks temporarily, do massive damage, has been defeated in under 20 or so turns... Heck, some say even the strategy guide makers failed against him...
There's also the Cholesteroad and the Broque Madame sessions with Bowser, which test your skills with Mario and Luigi and Bowser's special attacks. Boy howdy they can be difficult. Think you're good with the Jump Helmet? Try getting about 60 points without touching the floor. Or 100 successful kicks of the Green Shell without missing. It's way harder than it sounds.
So in general, the game is pretty good in the difficulty and game length stakes, with plenty of challenge in the main adventure and a plain ridiculous amount in the sidequests.
Overall
In conclusion, Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story is a fantastic game. It's got some great graphics and music, the most entertaining plotline and jokes of any Mario RPG in about 20 years and some excellent gameplay which shows off the very best of the DS's capabilities. This is one game you most definitely cannot afford to miss.
I give it...
100%
