Review: Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

I seem to have come down with the sniffles, but I will attempt to do a review today, though it may be shorter than my previous ones. I appreciate Dr. Finkelstein contributing this week, so go check out his articles! Anyway, onto the review...

I bought this game at the beginning of this year and... well, I didn't finish it, until now. I just restarted the whole game because I don't like to pick up a game after several months of not playing and then try to beat it, especially if it's an RPG or action/adventure. I've been a big fan of the Mario RPGs, I've played and beaten every single one, with the exception of Partners in Time, which I did have at one point, but, like Bowser's Inside Story, I didn't finish it when I first bought it.

Out of all the Mario RPGs, this one probably has my favorite story and writing. Bowser eats a bad mushroom from the main protagonist and he sucks in all of people in Peach's Castle. The main protaganist in the game is a little guy named Fawful from the first Mario & Luigi who speaks almost like he was hilariously mistranslated from Japan to the US, but that was completely intentional. I suppose Fawful was chosen as the villain because he has had a big cult following and the fans wanted to see more of him.

Like the other Mario RPGs, the battle system in this game relies on timing and expects the player to pay attention when the enemy is attacking so you can avoid damage or counter. With that system, the game feels like an action rpg without being one... if that makes any sense.

Other than the battle system, there are various mini-games through the story that Mario and Luigi will have to complete inside Bowser's body. You won't be doing the same mini-game too often, each one you will only have to do 3 or 4 times throughout the entire game. One special mini-game is a short shmup that allows Bowser to become gigantic, and that takes you to another battle system where it's like a turn-based fighter. These segments were my favorite part of the game. You turn the DS on it's side, book style, and you use the stylus to control bower's actions. It feels very satisfying to slide the stylus and see Bowser punch your enemy halfway across the battlefield.

The Verdict:

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is a fine installment in the series. I'm not entirely sure when we'll see another game like this, since it's been announced that the next Paper Mario will be on the 3DS, will there ever be another 2D Mario RPG? Well, if there isn't, this is a good close for the series if they decide not to make any more.

What I liked:

-The writing and Fawful: I HAVE CHORTLES!!!
-Fun turn-based fighting Bowser segments.
-Battle system that requires attention.

What I didn't like:

-The ending felt abrupt, but maybe it's just me.