SUPER(FLUOUS) MARIO RPG.
A remaster of the first Mario & Luigi title (Superstar Saga) in 2017 made a lot of sense. Superstar Saga was a Game Boy Advance release and because of that was the only title in the Mario & Luigi series that could not be played on the Nintendo 3DS. As of late there have been articles stating that this is one of the worst selling Mario games to date, and after playing this game for review I know why that is, and it has nothing to with the games quality.
Ten years ago the third entry into the Mario & Luigi series was released on DS and it was by far the easiest title to find from the trilogy at the time. Superstar Saga (2003) got a Player’s Choice reissue, but GameBoy Advance titles had basically no retail space left in 2009 and the sequel on DS, Partners in Time (2005), came and went fairly quickly and remains the hardest game in the series to find out in the wild. Copies of Bowser’s Inside Story sat on store shelves (at least in the stores I frequented and worked in) for a while, and kept being sold under the red case Mario DS titles alongside Mario vs. Donkey Kong and Mario Kart DS quite a ways into the 3DS’s life. Regardless of quality this is a hard title to recommend to anyone who has the original DS release of Bowser’s Inside Story, especially while complete used copies of the DS version sell for $12, especially when the 3DS seems to be on its way out.
PLATFORMS: 3DS
MSRP: $39.99
PRICE I’D PAY (IF I DIDN’T OWN THE DS ORIGINAL): $39.99
I suppose I’m jumping ahead, but Bowser’s Inside Story is probably the best in the series and should be played regardless of which version. I fully recommend this game.
But for those unfamiliar with Mario & Luigi games, what are they?
Not dissimilar to the Paper Mario series, Mario & Luigi games are turn based role playing games with timing based attacks. Battles are entered only by touching an enemy on the overworld, meaning no truly random battle encounters (although the enemy lineup in battles do vary each time). There’s a lot of humor and fun to be found in all the Mario & Luigi games. What sets Bowser’s Inside Story apart is the fact that Bowser controls on the standard cardinal direction overworld like most RPGs on the top screen while Mario & Luigi move through Bowser’s body on the lower screen in a standard platformer perspective. Some puzzles and battles will involve switching between the two consistently.
The game looks much better than its original DS release and the previous 3DS Mario & Luigi titles. What is neat is that certain objects in the world are rendered in 3D while everything else remains sprite based, such as the Blorbed Toads, Broque Monsieur, and cut scenes. Unfortunately there is no stereoscopic 3D effect in this but I prefer that if it means the game can look better. The other big changes are the inclusion Amiibo support (which I never used because it gives you items for the main game which isn’t overly difficult) and Bowser Jr.’s Journey. Before I dive into the latter, I need to explain the plot of the original game.
In the Mushroom Kingdom there are Toads who have come down with the Blorb, which has them turn into giant spherical versions of themselves. In an effort to stop this from happening, all the important people from the Mushroom Kingdom meet up to find a solution. Bowser crashes into the meeting and is defeated by Mario (and promptly sent flying out of the castle). Dejected, Bowser meets a mysterious figure who gives him the Lucky Mushroom. This mushroom puts Bowser into a trance where he inhales everything and everyone. This is where the main game of Bowser’s Inside Story begins. However, it never explains why Bowser bursts into the meeting. Bowser Jr.s Journey shows that Goombas have also come down with the Blorb, meaning Bowser was there to find a solution as it was infecting him too. Bowser Jr., determined to find an answer much to the disdain of the Koopalings, heads off on his own quest. This is a neat way to justify this second mode within this package.
Gameplay in Bowser Jr.’s Journey is less hands on than the main game. It’s strictly battle sequences with a bit of story in between; there is no exploration of an overworld. All the battles are simply Bowser Jr.’s squad bumping into the enemy squad until they are defeated or vice versa. At some points there are timed button presses to do more damage, but for the most part this is a hands off approach. The main gameplay comes from choosing the units to enter battle. Bowser Jr. starts with two Mechakoopas (the windup toys Bowser throws at Mario and the end of Super Mario World) and as he battles through other enemies he recruits some of them to join his side. This is a neat mode, but nothing I would recommend buying this game for. It only sweetens the deal for newcomers and people who really want to play Bowser’s Inside Story again.
There’s a lot of quality in this release, but it’s a hard one to recommend while the original game is playable on the same console for far less. I’m still not sure why Nintendo would put so much effort into this game at this time in the 3DS’s life, let alone with a title that can already be played on the console. If slightly dated graphics don’t matter, then the original can be had for a fraction of the cost. Otherwise there’s still a lot of content for $40 in the main game alone, and there’s of course the addition of the Bowser Jr.’s Journey. Regardless of the version however, Bowser’s Inside Story is one of the best in the Mario RPG titles and should be played.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
