You may remember the #10yearschallenge flash mob – it started with simple “then and now” photos and turned into a very funny demonstration of how the world has changed for the worse. And here are two screenshots from Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story show that some things can only get better over time if they are handled by the right company. 10 years after its release on the Nintendo DS, the most critically and gamer-successful entry in the role-playing series about plumbers and turtles is back – let’s take a closer look at it.
Last of the Turtles
Stories from the Mushroom Kingdom are divided into two parts. The ones in platformers are primitive and unimportant. Those in RPGs are great stories for children and adults. And in this series the story turned out to be the most original of all. Because almost at the very beginning, Bowser (the evil dragon-turtle) eats a poisonous mushroom, sucks in Mario, Luigi, the princess and a bunch of other rubbish and goes to a remote corner of the country to digest it all. Meanwhile, a terrible disease is rampant in the kingdom, turning mushroom people into huge balls. In the absence of their owners, the castles of Bowser and the princess were captured by an alien with the smile of a Cheshire cat, and monsters appeared on the roads..
A very funny adventure is born from a tragic premise. On the way to saving the world, the heroes will face a sudden universal evil (this tradition of the genre in a fairy-tale setting turns out to be more than appropriate), but more importantly, they will discuss a bunch of topical topics. Dialogue has always been the strong point of RPGs from Nintendo, and here they successfully touch on real world problems. For example, such a topic as zombifying the masses through stupid music shows – please, this is how the antagonist wins over the entire staff of Bowser’s castle to his side. Or the excessive aggressiveness of vegetarians when it comes to meat. Or the addiction of individuals to fatty and unhealthy foods – almost every story arc will play out something interesting.
This is not typical Tales of or some Xenoblade, where the eyes and ears periodically bleed from ultra-pathos and the Incredible Importance of What is happening (with all my love for these series). It’s light and fun, it’s a parody – and it hasn’t become outdated in 10 years. The characters here don’t particularly develop during the course of the action (except for Bowser, but more on him separately), but that’s not necessary – Mario & Luigi, which started with the princess swearing and the forces of evil communicating in LEET slang, were always about humor. There is only one minus – there is no Russian language, although English is very simple.
Rich inner world
Almost half of the game’s foundation is built on the fact that the plumbers wander through Bowser’s insides and interact with the king from the inside. After poisoning, the villain swallows a bunch of all sorts of rubbish, which makes him noticeably weaker, and a pair of mustaches helps Bowser cope with obstacles. Some small bug has blocked the fire valve – and only the Mario brothers can restore the dragon’s “skill” by removing the insect from the road. Or Bowser wants to move a huge stone – for plumbers, a rhythmic mini-game is turned on, where you need to pump up the muscle with adrenaline. Sometimes it turns out the other way around – the brothers need to get to some point inside the king, and he should already help, for example, by drinking enough water.
There are a lot of situations, they are all original and sometimes they will make you think – but not more than necessary. This is probably one of the best examples of using two screens at once in the history of the Nintendo DS and 3DS. We never have to rush to look here and there, but the constant alternation of events creates a very interesting rhythm, allowing us to switch between platform stages and the traditional JRPG "from the ceiling" view. There are also a lot of mini-games, optional content, and the map itself is very conveniently divided into small sections, so even children won’t get confused.
The role-playing system is also incredibly simple. https://wilberforceinstitute.uk/how-to-win-casino-games Heroes can equip three items – armor and two accessories, they have only half a dozen characteristics that increase from level to level and a minimum of additional statuses. In battles, everything is decided not only by tactics, but also by reaction. Ordinary enemies will not be able to do anything if you block their attack in time with your hammer (the brothers carry them), Bowser’s fist, or even jump over the enemy. Sometimes it turns out to be a very cool thing when the villain swallows the enemy – and he fights with Mario. The experience gained is divided among three, like a good bottle.
Level 1 Crook, level 35 Boss
All the great things listed above can be found in other parts Mario & Luigi. In the same Dream Team there are funny dialogues (even in Russian), and switching between two groups of characters, and the battles there are exactly the same. But Bowser’s Inside Story takes as his main character. Unlike the comical Mario and Luigi, Bowser is a cool and charismatic guy: he behaves like a real boss, inspires his unlucky charges to exploits, and it is here that he reveals himself as a deep hero with his own well-founded aspirations (for power, of course). And as the story progresses, he’s the only one who goes through a process of slight character change—always a sign of a good story.
In addition, the combat “features” of the turtle king are very brutal. He can shower enemies with flames, so that they will smoke for most of the battle, he can destroy a lot of obstacles with a flourish, and his special attacks using the touch screen are just space (though, if you play in public, they look funny from the outside). In general, we have before us exactly the one whom the Mario universe has been missing for a long time as the main character, and I absolutely don’t understand why in 10 years the king wasn’t made the central character again.
And finally, there are absolutely magical moments when you need to pick up the console like a book and use the touchscreen to control a giant Bowser, who destroys no less huge enemies and his own castle. These inclusions of the kaiju genre are the coolest remade on the new engine – they look the most spectacular, you need to respond to attacks very quickly; It’s even a pity that there is no separate mode consisting only of such battles. Well, it’s very sad that you will only need to cosplay Godzilla a few times, one of which is a very easy workout.
How the capital improved under Bowser
Since we remembered that we have a remake here, let’s pay attention to its quality. The original version was flat and drawn, and the new one is completely redesigned using the same engine as Dream Team, Paper Jam and remake Superstar Saga, so don’t expect revelations from the graphics. It should also be said that there is no 60 frames per second, but this does not interfere at all. Another thing that was not delivered is a stereoscopic image. It’s a bit of a shame, but 3D has long been an optional thing on the 3DS, so there’s nothing to be surprised about. They also removed the moments when you have to blow into the microphone, but this is definitely for the better.
More importantly, the new engine also brought a different style of characters, a slightly different camera angle – and that’s why Inside Story prettier. Bowser himself, who is almost always in the frame here, looks less childish and naive, many unsightly ordinary characters have become prettier and received additional animations, and screensavers with polygonal graphics show that the 3DS is still not Chinese “Tetris”, even though it is many years old.
But don’t expect new content in the main game. If you have already walked through the Mushroom Kingdom, you will be able to remember everything – even the positions of the opponents on the map will remain the same. And so that veterans have an additional incentive to return, a second full-fledged game was added to the package – Bowser Jr’s Journey. It has its own save slot, and you can start the passage directly from this separate chapter.
Walk a horse… or a pig!
But it’s better to take on Bowser Jr.’s Journey after the main adventure, because the new game will explain some details from the main plot. Why was Bowser so angry when he first came to the princess’s palace?? Where were the minions when the aliens took over the king’s castle?? These and other points will be revealed as you progress. And the player will have to command the funny army of the younger Bowser in a series of short but furious battles.
I’d like to call it strategy or tactics, but there’s not much of both here. We simply select the necessary units of soldiers, put them in the correct formation – moon, pig or wedge – and send them to the ranks of the scoundrels. The rule here is in the spirit of the game “Rock, Paper, Scissors” – flying soldiers are stronger than ground soldiers, they easily beat shooters, and shooters are excellent at shooting down aircraft. At certain moments, you need to command directly on the battlefield – encourage your own, stop dangerous attacks from the enemy, strengthen the special attacks of your charges. It’s very simple.
Between battles, it will be necessary to shuffle the types of formation of soldiers, choose those who are better suited for the new battle, dismiss those who are undesirable, and select the best role for new recruits. Your charges cannot die forever; seven dozen battles will not bring big problems and will not seem something outstanding to the veterans. Although the tactical gameplay fits the theme of Bowser (he will also appear here) and his minions, but Jr.’s Journey came out rather superficial.
Shortly before receiving a copy Bowser’s Inside Story I went through a great Final Fantasy VII and therefore I didn’t understand why I should play some other Japanese RPG. But all doubts disappeared after a couple of hours with the 3DS and did not return until the last letter of this text. Ten years later, the third part of the Mario Bros. RPG remains the best in its franchise, and on the new engine it simply flourishes and, in my opinion, looks much nicer than the original. Everything is good here – from the first jump on a turtle’s face to the last combat gloves, there are a lot of mini-games and almost none of the usual grind with leveling up for the genre. Well, in addition, you get a nice strategy – it’s not a fact that you will like it as much, but it will reveal a few plot points and will definitely be able to entertain.
Pros: great use of two screens and interaction between characters; a combat system without a brain explosion and a role-playing system without hours of grinding; a fun story for all ages; Bowser is the perfect RPG hero; updated graphics are prettier than on DS; the second game in the set is quite good.