Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story

Split play time between Bowser. View larger.

And the team of Mario & Luigi. View larger.

Two stories and gameplay paths that can affect each other in real-time. View larger.

Gameplay
A single player action RPG, action in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is split between the player-controlled team of Mario and Luigi, trapped in Bowser's stomach, and Bowser himself. These play out as two separate paths of action, constantly overlapping, which players can toggle between and engage in. As they do so players see that Bowser's actions on the outside affect the conditions for Mario and Luigi in his stomach, and the actions of the plumbers can add or subtract from Bowser's abilities. Examples of this are the good and bad things that Bowser swallows that the Bros. must deal with, and conversely the toll an illness the Bros. can affect has on Bowser's physical abilities. Players can see this link for themselves when at times during the game Mario and Luigi are shown on the lower DS screen, while simultaneously Bowser moves in in-game real-time on the top screen. Again, these two paths lead to the same place, the defeat of Fawful. The challenges that players face in doing this is the basis for the RPG gameplay, with players gaining experience points in the challenges that they face, which can be used to level up character-specific fighting and other abilities and even buy in-game gear. Additional gameplay includes puzzle-solving, searching for hidden items, mini-games and more, engaged in as the team of Mario and Luigi, and Bowser on his own.

Key Game Features

• 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 and 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.
• Switch Between Storylines at Will - What happens inside Bowser affects what he’s doing on the outside. Sometimes Mario and Luigi must solve puzzles and challenges behind the scenes to help Bowser overcome various obstacles and advance the plot.
• DS/DSi Integrated Gameplay - 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.
• Distinctive Nintendo Humor - The game features the same hilarious dialogue that has been the hallmark of the Mario & Luigi series.
• RPG Gameplay - A players work their way through challenges they can level characters up with experience points.