• Publisher: Nintendo
  • Release Date: Sep 14, 2009
  • Summary: In his evil plot to take over the Mushroom Kingdom, Fawful tricks Bowser into eating a magic mushroom. The mushroom causes Bowser to begin inhaling everything around him, including Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach! Do the Mario Bros. have the guts to rescue Peach and escape? Players are in control of 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 & 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. Players can switch between storylines at will. What happens inside Bowser affects what he’s doing on the outside. Sometimes Mario & Luigi must solve puzzles and challenges behind the scenes to help Bowser overcome various obstacles and advance the plot. Players must make well-timed button presses to enhance their performance during battles and challenges. 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. The game features the same hilarious dialogue that has been the hallmark of the Mario & Luigi series. [Nintendo] Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 58 out of 58
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 58
  3. Negative: 0 out of 58
  1. While it would be easy to rave on and on about the game, the best way to sum everything up would be to say this: Bowser's Inside Story is the kind of game that will remind you why you love playing video games in the first place and is easily one of the best DS releases to date. If you only buy one game the rest of this year, make sure it's this one.
  2. 100
    Whoever made this game, did so with tremendous amounts of love. That's what ultimately makes Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story so incredible. It's one of those rare games that received enough time and attention to make it sensational, a real treat for DS/DSi owners.
  3. The adventure is lengthy, the characters are entertaining, and this is truly a game that you'll want to keep in your pocket for any free minute you find yourself with. DS owners should not miss out on what could certainly be the best handheld RPG of 2009.

See all 58 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 21
  3. Negative: 2 out of 21
  1. Bowser's Inside Story, to put it quite simply, is an AMAZING game. The plot is great, the concept is great, and the battles are great. And don't forget about Fawful. Fawful and his "I HAVE FURY!" quote are just hilarious. But what I feel is best about Bowser's Inside Story is the ability to play as Bowser! Half of the game is dedicated to his side of the story, and Mario and Luigi can help Bowser accomplish his goals from inside his own body! Then...he grows HUGE. That is EPIC. Controls are better than ever too. I love this game, and recommend it to anyone and everyone. Expand
    • 1 of 2 users said yes
  2. SnoozerBear
    9
    Review: Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story It’s no surprise, that Alpha Dream’s Mario & Luigi series has been going strong ever since Mario & Luigi: Super Star Saga came out in 2003; With innovative game play, and a quirky sense of humour, the games captured the hearts of gamers and just wouldn’t let go. Now in the third game of the series, Mario & Luigi delve into the insides of everyone’s favourite villain, Bowser, to provide hours upon hours of pure gaming bliss. The game starts out with princess Peach, some toads and Mario & Luigi at a conference, discussing how to face a new disease; The Blorbs, which is quickly causing the citizens of Toad Town to balloon to epic proportions. Soon after beginning, Bowser bursts in and tries to kidnap Peach, resulting in his defeat at the hands Mario. A strange man gives Bowser a vacuum mushroom. After consuming the mushroom, Bowser proceeds to suck in everything in sight, including Mario and Luigi. Bowser soon finds out that Fawful, from Super Star Saga, has taken over his castle AND kidnapped Peach. With Mario and Luigi in tow, Bowser sets out to reclaim his castle; hence the beginning of another one of Mario and Luigi’s (Plus Bowser’s) crazy adventures. The story’s not the best ever, but it’s easy to follow, is filled with humorous moments and gives you the chance to play as Bowser, which in my opinion is very enjoyable. In the end, throughout the game, you spend more play time as Bowser than as Mario & Luigi. Most of the time, RPG’s will have you pick what action the characters should perform, and then carry them out while you’re most likely snoozing while waiting for the next round. As in previous Mario & Luigi titles, this won’t happen, as after choosing which action to carry out, (Jump, Hammer, Bros. attack or item) you have to time button presses in correspondence to the brothers’ moves; press A or B just a split second before stomping on a enemy’s head, Etc. Etc. If you miss a button press, then the attack will be weakened, or, worst of all, fail! The same goes for dodging and counter attacking. In this way the game keeps you on your toes and helps immerse you into the brothers’ battles. In battles you can use Bros. attacks, which for a certain amount of SP (Special Points), produces an item for both of the Bros. to use on the enemy. You can unlock more by collecting puzzle pieces on the over world, which is a nice touch. Bowser, instead of Bros. attacks, has Minion attacks, which for a certain amount of SP he can use his different types of minions to attack. The minion attacks are especially fun, as each one kicks off a sort of touch screen mini-game, such as moving Bowser up and down to bounce incoming koopas at the enemy. You can unlock more of these by searching and rescuing Bowser’s minions. When not battling, you’re walking around and exploring in the colourful Mario universe; either inside of Bowser as Mario and Luigi, or as Bowser himself in locales such as caves, beaches and forests, just to name a few. All three characters have the same controls, except as Mario and Luigi you use A & B, and as Bowser you use X & Y. The only real difference is their attacks; Mario & Luigi have jumps and hammers, while Bowser has punches and fire breath. It’s 2D when controlling Mario & Luigi, but swaps to 3D for Bowser. During certain times during the story Bowser will need help to do something he’s normally not strong enough to do. In some cases, the brothers help him from inside by playing a fun mini game to pump up his muscles or give him an adrenalin rush. These provide a little bit of variety and help prevent the game from getting stale or tedious. What’s really neat is that the things that Bowser does in the over world affect him inside, thus opening new areas to explore constantly. An example is when Bowser drinks water; it makes some areas flood so that you can swim to access high up areas, or make light doors float up and open. It’s these little things that make a game, which was already a real blast to play, even better! A lot of attention has also been put into the graphics and audio departments, as it looks and sounds as good as it plays; with catchy music and lush colourful graphics you can easily see how much love and devotion was put into this game by the developers. This game is easily, without a doubt, the best DS game I have played this year. It will remind you of why you ever loved gaming, and why you still love it today! It deserves a spot in any gamer’s collection. If you missed the first and second one, then please by all means, don’t miss this one! Graphics 9.0 Sound 9.0 Control 10 Game play 10 Last ability 9.0 Final 9.4 (Rounded to 9) Expand
    • 3 of 3 users said yes
  3. I don't see what's so good about this game. If you want an addictive game for the DS, I would suggest either New Super Mario Bros. or Mario Kart DS.
    • 1 of 5 users said yes

See all 21 User Reviews

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