Well, here is is. The final entry of the original trilogy of Mario and Luigi. What many people consider as the best game in it, acclaimed and adored by millions to the point of getting a remake, and one of the most iconic DS games out there. So what did I think of it?

...It's my least favorite in the trilogy.

Now don't get me wrong before you grab your pitchforks and call me a fraud, this is by no means a bad game, not in the slightest. At it's best it is just as good if not better than the first two Mario and Luigi's and I can definitely understand where people are coming from when calling it their favorite, but for me, when it has it's lows, it has it's fucking LOOOOOWS man, and nowhere is that more present than with the core Mario and Luigi gameplay.

No, I'm not talking about the overworld stuff, that part's great, I'm talking about what you do when inside of Bowser. All of these sections except for the last one are so boring and dull for me, featuring nothing but basic platforming and puzzles, which is fine because, well, this is a kids game after all, but I kinda expected at least something to spice things up along the way and just didn't get that, or at least not in a form that actually felt creative and not "been-there done-that". Plus it takes way to long for Mario and Luigi to finally get out of Bowser's big fat belly and start doing something.

But once you finally DO get out, that's when this game's strenghts really begin to show. The iteration of the Mushroom Kingdom present here is one filled with creativity and charm that's only matched by that of the Beanbean Kigdom from Superstar Saga, with so much to do and see at every turn, and with a wonderful score to accompany it all. The battle system here is also at it's absolute best in my opinion, combining the things that made the previous two styles work while also innovating on it's own with the improved badge and clothing system. I also like the way you collect the Bros. moves here a lot, managing to find a balance between Partners in Time having the moves in blocks, and the BP system of Superstar.

But of course, that's leaving out the main attraction of the show, because the game does this funny little thing of calling itself "Mario and Luigi Bowser's Inside Story", when really the title is "Bowser's Inside Story Featuring Mario and Luigi". Big bad Koopa king makes his playable deview and absolutely knocks it out of the park. When playing as Bowser, you get the feeling of controlling an absolute UNIT done perfectly. It feels as if no one and nothing can stand in his way when in battle, and even in the overworld the abilities you come to unlock with him, and the feets he can pull off with the help of the bros. are astounding to watch and further exemplify that aura of absolute dominance. The Giga Bowser fights show this at it's best, with the kaiju battle unfolding truly emphazining the grandness of it all, and hell, I even think that using the microphone for Bowser's flame breath is not as annoying as most people say it is, and it kinda makes you feel like if your part of the action.

This game also has a lot of mini-games added in for variety's sake, most of which I come to enjoy as fun little breaks between the main events. My favorite of these is the little hammer game you do in the early game as the Bros. it kinda reminds me of Rhythm Heaven. The others like the boat ride and the infamous yet stupidly easy carrot mini-game are also pretty great though.

Starlow sucks. Moving on.

Writing wise, I definitely think this is the weakest of the Mario and Luigi's in terms of plot, lacking the twists of Superstar or the darkness of Partners in Time, but it ends up making up for that with the character dialogue, which is on point. Bowser is at the absolute best he's ever been in any Mario game period, and Luigi's shenanigans is just as funny as the first two games. Midbus is also a fun side-villain and Monseiur is a fucking icon. I want a poster of this man displayed on my wall he is the goat. Fawful is honestly just not my cup of tea when it comes to a villain as I personally find him quite annoying, but I will recognize that plastering the fuckers face everywhere really adds to the satisfaction you get when plowing his ass back to the grave so extra points for the presentation.

Speaking of which, the presentation! Following in the steps of Partners in Time, this game uses the DS' screens to present itself wonderfully and this time makes use of that to it's fullest potential as a DS game by intergrating moments where you have to switch between the Bros. and Bowser to control certain puzzles, something which I forgot to mention earlier but that is done pretty well. I'd even call it the one saving grace of said sections. There's also a few uses of the touch screen here and there that felt pretty natural, mainly Bowser's special moves and a few of the mini-games. As for the actual graphics themselves, they carry over the beautiful style in Partners in Time and refine it further still, creating one of the preetiest looking sprite-based games for the console.

Overall, I can absolutely understand why so many people adore Bowser's Inside Story, and again, where it's good it excels at, but for me personally, that constant bad apple of having 1/3 of my experience be hindered by a mediocre side-scroller with some neat elements here and there hinders it down enough.

I can definitely say I'd enjoy this a lot more on replay however, hell, I might even give the remake a go at one point or another (on Citra because I want that 60 FPS goddammit).