There's a ton I could praise about this game: the music, the spritework, the combat, the writing, etc. But the thing that really sticks out to me is how well it does Bowser. Not only is he funny and a great main character, but the game does everything in its power to make him feel like a playable boss. He has free heavy-hitting and AOE attacks, his stats are high, and he straight-up tramples enemies the bros would have trouble with.

TTYD might usurp it once I play the remake later this year, but for the time being, this is my favorite Mario RPG. It does a ton right and very little wrong, and there are enemies called Stonk and Sneed. If that doesn't convince you of this game's quality, I don't know what will.

While personally not my favorite Mario & Luigi, I heavily respect it. An interesting, potentially gross take on literally being inside Bowser's body. It's done very well though, with the trademark eccentric humor that AlphaDream is known for. Just getting to play as Bowser makes it an instant majesty, and Bowser's brawns-over-brains forthrightness and arrogance makes for the setup of some truly hilarious jokes. If I were to critique it, it would simply be that the giant-Bowser battles often dragged on a little too long, making them cumbersome to have to repeat. Another critique would be that the locations of the world map itself I found to be a little dull, for example there is only one major town in the game - and I didn't find locations like Plack Beach or Dimble Woods to have much exciting landmarks like interesting buildings to explore, or just general landmarks. I think this may be to the limitations of Bowser as a playable character, which limits explore-ability a little bit due to the limits of his abilities (for example, Luigi going below gates like the Bros. could do in this game and Superstar Saga). Finally, I found the game was a bit too frugal on giving out experience points, and maybe a bit too heavy on the amount of enemies - I found it kind of took a long time to level up. Overall though, genuinely and generally a joy to play. I might just go on an AlphaDream binge now!

Revisiting this gem of a game recently and I still love it. Some minor issues out of the way: the tutorials early on are obnoxious and there's no way to get through them fast. There are some annoying enemy types. The one thing I also never liked is even if you go to the same area bowser is in as the bros, he is nowhere to be seen. I get WHY this happens, but it just felt off. Finally, I never liked using the mic. Mine broke years ago so I could never get past the first giant battle.

Ok so why is this game amazing? First of all, the way it utilized both screens to separate the playable characters is brilliant. It's practical and flavorful at the same time. There's a clear vision here presentation wise and it's a knockout. Having Bowser in the story is the real appeal and it adds a really fresh new spin on the franchise. Unintentionally working together with the antagonist is just such a fun premise and they run with it. The setting in his body gives way for many creative set pieces.

The combat is perfectly tuned. And switching to Bowser is done at just the right moments to avoid repetition. Theres tons of side content that's worth doing and it feels rewarding. The music is excellent. Tons of fun mini games. Good levels of customization and unlockables to power up the characters. And it's worth it to explore old areas with new powers.

So much to love and so much going on here. This is one of the best DS games ever and the best Mario RPG ever. A classic that I will come back to for many many years to come.

La concha de la lora este juego.

Esto era ser dificil. Enemigos con patrones, niveles, equipamiento, bosses, mare meua. Y lo peor de todo es que hay hasta un secreto antes de la ultima batalla si tienes el maximo nivel.

Ciertamente, esta guapo meterse dentro de bowser.