Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story has always held a special place in my heart, mostly because
of Bowser’s wild antics which never failed to make me smile.
And this rings true for the Nintendo 3DS remake too, which remains just as clever and fun
even all these years later.
Unfortunately, it’s a slightly different story when it comes to the new Bowser Jr.’s
Journey content, but we’ll get to that soon.
Bowser's Inside Story easily has my favorite plot in the franchise.
After a serious outbreak of the blorbs, which makes various inhabitants swell to silly proportions,
Peach holds a conference to deal with the epidemic.
Of course, it’s not long before Bowser shows up to crash the party, but only after consuming
a mysterious mushroom that reportedly will help him defeat the Mario Bros--and sure enough,
it does--if you count uncontrollably inhaling everything within sight as “defeating.”
And thus begins one of Mario & Luigi’s strangest adventures yet, in which Mario & Luigi must
fight through Bowser’s body, dealing with organisms and the other enemies that entered
the body unwillingly in an effort to locate Princess Peach and get everybody out as soon
as possible.
The gameplay essentials aren't all that different if you played the previous Mario & Luigi outings
on Nintendo 3DS, and Dream Team in particular.
This time, the big difference is how the gameplay is split between Bowser and the Mario Bros.
Whereas you’ll explore the overworld as Bowser, he’ll often need the help of the
Mario Bros, who, don’t forget, are inside him, in order to overcome various obstacles.
The Bros explore Bowser’s massive body from a 2D side scrolling perspective, lending it
an old-school charm.
And it’s filled with enemies, puzzles, and various minigames sprinkled between--which
I found to be paced well.
On the flipside, exploring the overworld as Bowser can feel a little slow at first due
to his lumbering nature, though I got used to him over time.
The constant shift between the brothers and Bowser is what makes Bowser's Inside Story
so special.
The Koopa King will do something to get himself in trouble and Mario and Luigi will have to
bail him out.
There is something incredibly ironic about that, and keeps the experience endlessly refreshing.
A good example is how you encounter the first giant battle, in which Bowser gets crushed
by his castle and is left in critical condition.
So the brothers have to activate his adrenaline, which causes Bowser to grow gigantic and take
on the castle single-handedly.
In another instance, Bowser gets a tummy ache and pleads for help.
Mario and Luigi will have to take on a big worm that is harming the big guy's body.
The romp makes for an absolutely stellar and surprisingly Role Playing Game that never
failed to surprise and engage me.
Regardless of who you’re controlling, both groups will have to work together in battle
to overcome the enemies.
Mario and Luigi offer up the typical selection of moves including jumps, hammers and Bros.
Attacks, which require the two to work in tandem to put together a strong performance,
with precise timing awarding better results, and were consistently fun to pull off throughout
the entire game.
Equally as entertaining was avoiding enemy attacks every chance I could with well-timed
jumps or hammer attacks
Bowser, on the other hand, is bulkier, and thus has to deal with bigger threats that
don't hold back.
Bulky goombas, weird looking Chain Chomps and more off-the-wall opponents pop up at
every turn.
Bowser can shoot fire, punch, and crouch to let people get hit by his shell.
Instead of Bros.
Attacks, the big mean turtle offers up Brawl Attacks.
These make innovative use of the Nintendo 3DS' bottom screen as you tap on goomba to
engulf them with fire or pull back on a big Bowser ball by swiping left.
You can also swallow up enemies to let Mario and Luigi take them on instead.
It is a cool trick that adds surprise to the flow of the battle progression.
It makes them feel relevant and part of the bigger tale.
From a presentation perspective, the writing and animation for the main cast kills it every
time they are on screen.
Fawful and Bowser have easily my favorite interactions throughout the game and make
for some absolutely hysterical moments.
How Bowser interacts with his minions fits with the character and he only cares when
it truly benefits him.
In addition, newcomers like Broque Monsieur and Starlow are extremely well written and
make the hours fly by insanely fast.
What I can’t get over is how well paced Bowser’s Inside Story really is.
In one moment, you have a conversation with Broque Monsieur to discuss the art of blocks
and giggle at every line he shouts.
Almost immediately after you’re thrown into a boss that constantly switches control between
the bros and Bowser.
It’s situations like this that keep the game interesting throughout its 25 hours or
so, with the script, gameplay and overall mechanics working alongside each other to
just make for a brilliant time.
When it comes to remakes, sometimes, less is more.
And just like with the remake of Superstar Saga, AlphaDream added a brand new side story
to purportedly increase the package's value, this time in the form of Bowser Jr’s Journey,
in which you play as Bowser Jr. in a story that takes place concurrent to the main game,
in order to free the castle's minions of the blorb epidemic.
The story itself fairly entertaining and has you interacting with the Koopalings for example,
who weren’t in the original game at all.
And just like Superstar Saga, Bowser Jr.'s Journey gives you more background information
on how certain elements in the main story play out, and features more of the same brilliant
writing that the series is known for.
That being said, the gameplay remains an extremely passive affaire compared to the main game,
as there’s very little actual gameplay.
There’s no overworld to freely explore, with the mode being just a series of battles
interspersed with story sequences.
And I use the term “battles’’ loosely, as all you do is choose a selection of allies
to protect Bowser Jr., put them in order and see how they perform against the enemies with
almost no further input, as it’s mostly automated.
Sure, there is a special attack to activate every now and then, but for the rest, you
will just have to see how things play out.
The rock-paper-scissor mechanics in themselves are fairly neat, though that doesn't save
isn’t enough to make Bowser Jr.'s Journey engaging.The new Captain Abilities, which
does give you some agency, still leave honestly a lot to be desired.
For the majority of the time, I just sat there and did absolutely nothing that was really
noteworthy.
It’s just too hands-off to be entertaining.
Regardless of which mode you play, Bowser’s Inside Story looks fantastic.
The environments are a clear improvement over the original and character designs stay intact.
While I did wish that the characters would emote more overall, I can't deny that I was
smiling all the way to the end.
The Giant Bowser battles now look similar to the tower battles in Paper Jam, though
much more fun.
The music is on a similar level to the overall world design, smartly updated to benefit the
power of the Nintendo 3DS and still sound as catchy as ever.
Should you play Bowser’s Inside Story on Nintendo 3DS?
Well, that depends on how long ago you’ve played it last..
In some regards, newcomers may find themselves at home quicker as it features gameplay tweaks
from the more recent Mario & Luigi outings on 3DS.
But I wouldn’t necessarily say these changes make this the superior version.
The characters newer version is less expressive, but the timing during the battle sequences
isn’t as restrictive.
The original Nintendo DS version is more expressive, but it makes some attack patterns rougher
to deal with.
In the end, You can’t really go wrong with either version.
At the end of the day, this remake reminded me how enjoyable Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside
Story is.
It is a fantastic game that still deserves the love given so long ago.
The plot, gameplay elements and overall design choices are AlphaDream's best work to date.
While the characters lose that tiny bit of charm in the transfer to Nintendo 3DS, the
missteps are small enough to not make a huge dent.
Bowser Jr's Journey, on the other hand, isn't really an improvement over Bowser's Minions.
It can fun in a tiny dozes, but it didn't stop me from being annoyed on how certain
scenarios play out.
The only thing truly better here is the story, which isn't essential, but a good read nonetheless.
And I felt pretty meh about the entire mode, but at least it is optional.
Bowser's Inside Story, on the whole though, is something that I still love.
The game remains the refreshing adventure that I played about ten years ago, which the
hallmark of a title that stands the test of time.
It is fantastic reminder of how great a Mario & Luigi RPG can be if done right.
Thanks for watching.
Be sure to stay subscribed to GameXplain for more on Mario & Luigi and other things gaming
too.
See you later, bye.