Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is a 2009 role-playing video game created by AlphaDream and released by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It is the third game in the Mario & Luigi series, following Partners in Time (2005). The game uses the Nintendo DS's two screens for some gameplay features and introduces new elements that later appear in other games in the series.
The story follows Mario and Luigi being sucked into the body of Bowser, their longtime enemy. Inside Bowser’s body, the brothers help him fight Fawful, who has taken control of the Mushroom Kingdom. Players work together with Bowser to solve puzzles and defeat enemies. Like earlier games in the series, it uses a turn-based battle system that depends on timing, and the game is mostly funny.
The game was very successful with both critics and players. Many consider it the best game in the series, praising its story, humor, and Bowser’s role as the main character. It is also the best-selling Mario role-playing game ever, with 4.56 million copies sold worldwide as of 2020.
A sequel, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, was released for the Nintendo 3DS on July 12, 2013. A remake of the original game, titled Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, was released in Japan on December 27, 2018, in North America on January 11, 2019, in Europe on January 25, 2019, and in Australia on January 26, 2019.
Gameplay
The game features three characters: Mario and Luigi, who are played together on the bottom screen using the A and B buttons, and Bowser, who is played on the top screen using the X and Y buttons. There are two main areas: the overworld, which is viewed from above, and the inside of Bowser’s body, which is a side-scrolling world. Most of the game takes place with Mario and Luigi inside Bowser’s body and Bowser in the overworld. However, as the game progresses, Mario and Luigi can also visit the overworld through warp pipes. Bowser moves between areas of the overworld using hidden portals called "Chakroads," which are found under objects like trees and boulders that only Bowser can destroy. Gameplay switches between controlling Mario and Luigi and controlling Bowser. Some parts of the game involve direct interactions between the brothers and Bowser.
The battle system from earlier games is used again, with Bowser now as a playable character. Bowser’s battles are similar to Mario and Luigi’s, but he focuses on punching and breathing fire. During Bowser’s battles, he can inhale enemies and defenses from the top screen. Inhaled enemies enter his body, where Mario and Luigi fight them. Each character has special attacks that require "SP" to use. Bowser’s special attacks use the touchscreen. Mario and Luigi gain new abilities by collecting sets of attack pieces, while Bowser earns new abilities by rescuing his trapped minions or finding small, kitten-like blocks called Blitties.
Each character has "ranks" that increase as they level up. When a character reaches a new rank, they receive a bonus, such as an extra equipment slot, new equipment, or access to new shops. Mario and Luigi each have six ranks, and Bowser has four. The badge system from earlier games has changed. Now, Mario and Luigi can use special effects by filling a meter and then touching it to activate the effect. The type of effect, such as healing health or improving stats, depends on which badges are used together.
The game includes minigames where Mario and Luigi help Bowser’s body from the inside to help him move forward. For example, in the "Arm Center," the brothers hit spark-like items to strengthen Bowser’s arms; in the "Leg Outpost," they stomp on leg muscles to strengthen Bowser’s legs; and in the "Gut Check," they help Bowser digest food. In the "Rump Command," the player builds up adrenaline to make Bowser bigger if he is crushed, introducing a new battle system where the DS is held vertically and all attacks require the stylus and microphone. The 3DS version replaces the microphone with button presses but still uses the stylus for some moves.
Plot
The game begins with a disease called "The Blorbs" spreading across the Mushroom Kingdom. Toads who become infected with the disease inflate like balloons and roll around uncontrollably. A meeting is quickly held at Princess Peach's Castle to address the outbreak. Starlow, a representative of the Star Sprites who protect the Mushroom Kingdom, attends the meeting, along with Mario and Luigi. During the meeting, it is discovered that all those infected had previously eaten a "Blorb Mushroom" given to them by a salesman, who is secretly the mad scientist Fawful from Superstar Saga. Bowser invades the castle to kidnap Princess Peach but is defeated by Mario and forced to leave the castle, flying away.
Bowser lands in Dimble Wood, where he is tricked by Fawful into eating a "Vacuum Shroom" that gives him the ability to inhale objects. After eating it, Bowser begins to inhale everything around him and returns to the castle, where he inhales Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Starlow, and several Toads into his body, shrinking them to microscopic size. Bowser then collapses. With Princess Peach missing and the Blorbs causing widespread illness, Fawful takes control of Peach's Castle, while his assistant, Midbus, a boar-like creature, takes control of Bowser's Castle. Mario and Luigi navigate inside Bowser's body, revive him, and discover he has no memory of his actions. Bowser only communicates with Starlow, who introduces herself as "Chippy" to hide her identity. Bowser begins searching for Fawful with the help of Mario, Luigi, and Starlow to reclaim his castle.
Fawful lures Bowser into a trap and feeds him genetically modified food, making him severely obese. Fawful then removes Princess Peach from Bowser's body and kidnaps her, allowing him to access the Dark Star, a powerful evil entity buried under Toad Town. The Dark Star creates a barrier blocking entry to Peach's Castle. Mario and Luigi escape Bowser's body through a warp pipe to Toad Town, where Dr. Toadley tells them they must collect three Star Cures to create the Miracle Cure, a magical item that can cure the Blorbs and destroy the barrier. Bowser overhears this and races to collect the cures himself but is trapped in a safe by his own minions who have betrayed him to serve Fawful.
Mario and Luigi gather all three Star Cures, and the Miracle Cure destroys the barrier, curing everyone infected with the Blorbs. Bowser is freed from the safe and tracks Fawful to Peach's transformed castle. After Bowser defeats Midbus, the Dark Star's seal is broken. Fawful absorbs part of the Dark Star's power until Bowser defeats him, and the Dark Star enters Bowser's body, absorbing his DNA to copy his abilities. Mario and Luigi, who re-enter Bowser's body, fight the Dark Star and defeat it, but the Dark Star escapes and uses Bowser's DNA to transform into a shadowy version of Bowser named Dark Bowser.
Fawful attempts to find the Dark Star to complete his transformation, but Bowser locates and defeats him, reducing Fawful to a bug-like blob. Soon after, Dark Bowser finds Fawful and inhales him, completing its transformation. Dark Bowser unleashes a dark storm over the Mushroom Kingdom. Bowser fights Dark Bowser and inhales Fawful, who has fused with the Dark Star's core. Mario and Luigi fight and destroy the Dark Star's core, eliminating Dark Bowser and the Dark Star, restoring the Mushroom Kingdom to normal. Fawful pretends to feel sorry but then explodes, causing Bowser to regurgitate everyone he had inhaled. Bowser becomes angry and attacks Mario and Luigi.
During the credits, Mario and Luigi battle Bowser, defeating him and causing him serious injuries. Bowser retreats to his castle, and both castles are rebuilt. In a post-credits scene, Bowser's minions return to him, and Princess Peach sends Bowser a cake as a thank-you for his accidental heroism.
Development
The game was introduced during Nintendo's Tokyo Press Event in Japan on October 2, 2008, with the Japanese name Mario & Luigi RPG 3!!!. At the event, details about the game's story, gameplay features, and the use of the touchscreen were shared. AlphaDream, the company that made Superstar Saga and Partners in Time, created the game. They also worked with experienced members of the Mario series, such as Yoko Shimomura and Charles Martinet, who were responsible for the music and voice acting, respectively. At E3 2009, the official English title of the game was announced as Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. It was scheduled for release in fall 2009 in North America and Europe. A copy of the game was included in a $169.99 white Nintendo DSi bundle released by Nintendo on April 25, 2010.
Reception
Bowser's Inside Story received high praise from critics and is the second-highest rated game in the Mario role-playing games series (second only to Paper Mario for the Nintendo 64). Many reviewers highlighted improvements in gameplay, storyline, humor, and Bowser's role as the main character. The first North American critic to review the game was the magazine Nintendo Power, which scored it 9.5 out of 10. The magazine called it "the best RPG-style Mario adventure ever made" and encouraged fans of Mario characters, role-playing games, or action games to try it. IGN also gave it a 9.5 and an Editors Choice Award. Game Informer scored it 8.75 out of 10 and named it "Handheld Game of the Month." GameDaily gave it a perfect 10/10. Official Nintendo Magazine rated it 92%, stating it was "the freshest, most vital RPG on the DS for ages." GameSpot scored it 9.0 and awarded it an Editors' Choice award, praising its story. X-Play’s Blair Herter gave it a 5 out of 5, praising its plot. Giant Bomb’s Brad Shoemaker also gave it a 5 out of 5, and the website later named it the Best DS Game of 2009.
At the 13th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Bowser's Inside Story for "Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year," "Portable Game of the Year," and "Outstanding Achievement in Game Design."
Bowser's Inside Story was the top-selling game in its first week of release in Japan, selling 193,000 copies. It sold 650,000 copies during the first half of 2009 and reached 717,940 copies sold in the country by the end of the year. According to NPD Group, it was the fourth best-selling game in its release month in the United States, with 258,100 copies sold. It continued to sell well, reaching 656,700 copies sold in the region by December 2009. As of 2020, the game had sold over 4.56 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling Mario role-playing game of all time.
Remake
On March 8, 2018, Nintendo announced a Nintendo 3DS remake of the game Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey. The remake includes updated graphics, improved music, easier-to-use features, and changes to how players fight in battles. Most of the game was created by AlphaDream, but the "Giant Bowser" boss fights were helped by another company called Arzest. These fights now use full 3D models. The game also includes a new side story called Bowser Jr.'s Journey, which follows Bowser Jr.'s actions during the events of Bowser's Inside Story. This story is similar to the Minion Quest side story in the Superstar Saga remake. The game was released in Japan in December 2018 and worldwide in January 2019, about two years after the Nintendo Switch launched. It was the last Mario game made for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. Critics gave the game mostly positive reviews, but it did not sell well and may have contributed to AlphaDream going out of business in October 2019.
In an interview with Game Informer, AlphaDream producer Yoshihiko Maekawa and Nintendo producer Akira Otani explained that the game was remade for the 3DS instead of the Nintendo Switch because of timing. They could use existing game materials and wanted to keep the two-screen features from the original, like minigames and Giant Battles. They did not remake Partners in Time because they wanted to focus on Bowser's Inside Story, which was the most popular game in the series. They also wanted to explore the relationship between Bowser and Bowser Jr., which is shown in Bowser Jr.'s Journey. In another interview with Nintendo Life, director Shunsuke Kobayashi said the team tried to keep the game similar to the original to honor fans’ memories but fixed parts they thought were hard to play.
The game includes the same main story as the original, plus a new story called Bowser Jr.'s Journey. This story begins with Bowser Jr. playing with a sick Goomba. Kamek tells Bowser that all Goombas are ill, and Bowser learns he was not invited to a meeting at Peach’s castle. Angry, Bowser leaves with Kamek. Fawful and Midbus plan to take over Bowser’s castle by hiring three mercenaries called the Best Fitness Friends (BFF). The BFF claim to have a cure for the Goombas’ sickness but ask the Koopalings to find ingredients. Bowser Jr. joins the mission, but most of the Koopalings leave him. After making the cure, the BFF steal it and use it to control Morton, who defeats Bowser Jr. and throws him into the sea.
Bowser Jr. and Kamek later save the Goombas and defeat the BFF. They also help Bowser fight Dark Bowser. At the end, Bowser Jr. gives Bowser a cure, but Bowser eats too much and turns into Dry Bowser, who chases Bowser Jr.
The game received mostly positive reviews but sold poorly. It sold only 34,523 copies worldwide, making it one of the least-selling Mario games. In Japan, it sold fewer than 9,500 copies in its first week and dropped off the top 20 charts quickly. Other 3DS Mario games sold much more, like Luigi's Mansion (27,000 copies) and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (20,547 copies). The game’s poor sales are often linked to AlphaDream’s bankruptcy. The remake was nominated for awards, including the Freedom Tower Award for Best Remake and a NAVGTR Award for "Writing in a Comedy."