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Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

EMAIL PRINT ds

9.2 User Score:

Universal acclaim

Based on 51 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 31 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: AlphaDream

Genre(s): Action, Role-Playing Game

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Release Date: September 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]

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

GameDaily

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.

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100

Nintendo Life

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.

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100

Gaming Age

It's easily my favorite in the handheld series at least, and it gives the console Paper Mario titles a run for their money.

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100

Thunderbolt

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.

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100

Giant Bomb

The more I played of it, the less I could deny how expertly made it is in every aspect. It's an all-around fantastic portable game that's completely worth playing, whether you enjoy it in bite-size chunks or plow straight through it from start to finish.

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Vandal Online

Mario and Luigi is hands down one of the best RPG in the Nintendo DS, and a fresh experience.

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Worth Playing

The bottom line on Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is that it's one of those games that every DS owner should buy, period. Regardless of your feelings about RPGs, the title is just so entertaining and well-executed that you're nearly guaranteed to love it.

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Nintendo Power

Anyone who loves the Mario characters, RPGs, or even action games should absolutely give Bowser's Inside Story a look. [Oct 2009, p.86]

IGN

The Mario & Luigi series has already established itself as a fantastic RPG franchise, and the third game does not disappoint. I have no problem classifying it as the best of the bunch, thanks to an excellent and appropriately surreal script, epic oversized battles, and the fact that Bowser is a playable character and gets most of the gameplay time.

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Gamer Limit

Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is a truly remarkable experience, and should not be passed up by anyone who's interested in Mario, RPGs, or the Nintendo DS in general.

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Cheat Code Central

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is one of the very best games to grace the Nintendo DS - it outdoes even its excellent predecessors. This game exudes quality at every turn, and it's easy to see it was developed with a remarkable amount of care and love.

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Digital Chumps

With Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, AlphaDream and Nintendo have given us the best handheld Mario RPG to date.

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Multiplayer.it

Bowser's Inside Story is an awesome addition to a lovely franchise which never disappointed. It is fresh and full of neat ideas and situations and Bowser is finally the main character again after 13 years, last time being Legend of Seven Stars on SNES. The perfect gameplay balance further improves a jewel of game design to the point that the average length of the adventure, about 20 hours without playing through additional contents, is the only letdown in this excellent installment of the Mario & Luigi series. Must buy, period.

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RPG Fan

Once again, Mario and Luigi star in one of the most ingenious and well-polished titles on the DS. Their Fawfulized adventure through the bowels of the Mushroom Kingdom and its number one bad guy is one no one is likely to forget, especially Bowser.

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Official Nintendo Magazine UK

The freshest, most vital RPG on the DS for ages. You'd be daft to pass it up. [Nov 2009, p.76]

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1UP

All the elements gel perfectly here: The characters, the combat, the game flow, the dialogue. More than that, this is a game that revels in simply being a game. It celebrates the best parts of both role-playing and Mario games while mercilessly lampooning their worst habits. It's absolutely brimming with exuberance.

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GamePro

A game that will have you laughing one moment and cursing the next but you'll enjoy doing both. The cutscenes and challenges are equally entertaining, if in very different ways. Bowser's Inside Story works hard to make sure it's never boring or mindlessly repetitive and quite nearly succeeds.

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GameSpy

There's very little in Bowser's Inside Story to not like. It's great to look at, the interaction between the "inside" and "outside" worlds is well thought-out, the mini-games and interactive battles are always a treat to play, and it's probably the funniest Mario & Luigi game yet.

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Games Radar (in-house)

Takes the winning formula of the previous games and adds many new and addictive concepts to it. A refreshing sequel bursting with charm, wit and personality.

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Eurogamer

Inside Story is absolutely a return to form.

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Destructoid

Inside Story is also incredibly beautiful, possibly among the best looking DS games ever made.

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Da Gameboyz

Overall, Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story is an enjoyable game and an incredibly deep one at that.

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Everyeye.it

The core gameplay is the same of Partners in time, but a bright plot, new features (as touch-screen based minigames) and the correlation between the three main characters add variety to the Rhythm/RPG mechanics.

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RPGamer

In the end, the game was great, and though there isn't much replayability, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story makes you want to play it over from the beginning again, just for the laughs alone.

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NintendoWorldReport

Fans who loved the first two games shouldn't hesitate in picking up Bowser's Inside Story. It features everything that makes the series enjoyable and adds onto it everything but the kitchen sink. Despite a few minor flaws, it's a game that features an ingenious game design synonymous with Nintendo games and is easily one of the best DS games of the year.

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GamesNation

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is definitely one of the best RPGs on Nintendo DS ever made. An admirable plot guides the player throughout the whole game, introducing a complex system of characters interaction and a series of very enjoyable fighting sessions against incredibly huge enemies. This is a game destined to stay in your DS for quite a while.

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NZGamer

Fresh and vibrant graphics, and brilliant sound effects and music round out a near perfect score for Mario and Luigi.

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Teletext GameCentral

The best Mario role-player yet is sharply funny, surprisingly deep and endlessly inventive.

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NGamer UK

With a swing of his fist Bowser barges his way into the pantheon of classic Ninty heroes. Expect a wide grin from start to finish.

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Zentendo

Despite being the third title in a spinoff series, and the 7th Mario RPG, Bowser’s Inside Story is perhaps the most imaginative and well-crafted of them all.

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3DJuegos

Nintendo offers its original view about adventure and RPG games in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. Humour, talent and originality merges in one of the best DS games.

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PALGN

Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story is a wonderful new adventure that takes new directions while also maintaining the foundations set by its predecessors. There are a few minor hiccups here and there, but otherwise it should not be missed by any Mario or RPG fan.

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InsideGamer.nl

There is so much to tell about Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, but words can’t come close to what is so special about this pearl of a RPG. The only thing not so great about this game are the long fights, but that is compensated by the funny dialogs and the action packed fighting system. It’s a good choice to give Bowser a place in the spotlights, because steeling the show seem to fit him very well. It is the comeback of 2009!

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Edge Magazine

A game that's more than the sum of its parts. [Dec 2009, p.98]

Armchair Empire

With lots of hours to spend exploring and a great combat system this purchase is money well spent.

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games(TM)

A fine treat that succeeds on nearly every level. A genuine classic. [Dec 2009, p.110]

GamingXP

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is a fantastic role playing game with a charming setting and a great gameplay!

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Gamestyle

It’s not only the best of the Mario and Luigi series (in fact, we’d be perfectly happy if the series ended on such a high note), but it also ranks as one of our games of the year.

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N-Europe

It’s hard to find glaring flaws in the game and it’s even harder not to love it, Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story deserves the title of the best Mario RPG and it’s a must have game.

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Pocket Gamer UK

Mario takes on the roleplaying genre again and comes up trumps once more. Mario & Luigi is a carefully crafted adventure that's worth exploring even if you're not a huge fan of the classic platformers.

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GameTrailers

The brilliant timing it exhibits in more ways than one will never cease to delight. This is the Mario RPG formula at its best.

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GameZone

Bowser's Inside Story has everything you could want from a Mario game: creative levels, likable characters, and most importantly, gameplay that makes it impossible to put down.

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Game Informer

It is, however, a title with lots of variety, plenty of great dialogue, and rock-solid mechanics that any gamer can understand and enjoy.

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Kombo

While it doesn't quite hit the combat-related heights of the original Superstar Saga, Bowser's Inside Story is a massive improvement over Partners In Time and easily outdoes the two previous titles with stellar animation, quirky dialog, and plenty of side-quests and optional material to explore.

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AtomicGamer

It looks great, it plays great, and depending on how interested you are in playing all the mini-games and collecting all the stuff, you're looking at 40+ hours of fun-packed gameplay.

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IGN AU

For the veterans, however, it’s a touch too familiar, and - once again - just far too easy. There’s an awful lot of hand holding in this game, and enemies will rarely – if ever – present much of a threat.

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Game Revolution

More experienced players will wish there were fewer diversions and a harder difficulty setting in addition to the challenge mode, but Nintendo’s hallmark for ingenuity, imagination, and polish shines through.

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Gamer.nl

After Partners in Time seemed like a repetition, Bowser’s Inside Story feels fresh again thanks to the addition of a playable Bowser and the interaction with him and the Mario brothers!

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Wired

For all its undeniable polish and fun gameplay, Mario & Luigi is starting to feel less like a clever bridging of the gap and more like an indecisive straddle. It’s time to rethink the Mario RPG.

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Gameplayer Sweden

The concept of Marios action rpg Paper Mario/Mario & Luigi are known to be good. The latest title takes place inside Bowser's body and, of course, makes it a bit different from the earlier games. But it's a fun twist of both story and gameplay, and with all the qualities in the game it makes Bowser's Inside Story one of the best games for the DS 2009.

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Level7.nu

A successful mixture of Mario magic and Bowser escapades and the end result is a smart, charming and entertaining game.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 9.2 (out of 10) based on 31 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

totlmstr gave it a9:
I just finished this game a few days ago, and this is such a hilarious game. The first two hours and the final three hours (with some odd stuff in between) are by far the best moments in the game. Luigi just makes incredible amounts of nonsense (for example, he slaps himself to get out of a dizzy state), and his actions alone just ramps it up to ten. However, almost everything in between the intro and end is usually in this order: go someplace, solve puzzles (sometimes a bit literally), fight a boss who normally gets a funny intro, and press forward. In a nutshell, that's pretty much it to the game. Be prepared to get a bit bored. On the other hand, there's the minigames that are spot on on using both screens or normally using just one. Each minigame has simple controls and very fun gameplay. For example, in order to get Bowser alive for a giant boss fight, you need to shoot energy balls that come in two colors. It may seem a bit overused, but it's perfect for the situation.

Tim O gave it a10:
The first Mario and Luigi RPG absolutely amazed me. After playing the 2nd, I was a bit disappointed, even though it was very good. After hearing about the release of a 3rd Mario and Luigi RPG I expected it to not live up to its predecessors, but I was wrong. Bowser's Inside Story may be the best game ever made for the Nintendo DS. A suberb and at times hilarious plot, exciting and intuitive battles, and fun puzzles that require you to utilize the abilities of all three charactors make Bowser's Inside Story soar over the first two Mario and Luigi RPGs and any other Nintendo game I have ever played.

Shawn P gave it a10:
This game is easily the best Mario RPG ever. Luigi is really funny, and so are Mario and Bowser surprisingly. Special moves are more like minigames and actually force you to do something so they are more powerful. Fighting as all 3 is really fun. The story is different from the usual save Peach story. Normal battles are never to easy or to hard. You never nail avoiding enemy moves all the time, which adds more challenge. Badges can actually help you in tough situations. If it wasnt for the unbalanced boss battles this game would be near perfect.

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Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

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Summary

What The Critics Said

What Our Users Said

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