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.