Common Sense Media Review
Funny, wildly imaginative romp with cartoony combat.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 5 parent reviews
Based on 20 kid reviews
Kids say this game offers a fun and original gameplay experience with a humorous and deep story, featuring characters like Bowser and Fawful that appeal to both younger and older audiences. However, parents should consider its readability requirement, mild language, and potentially disturbing scenes, making it more suitable for slightly older kids despite its overall positive reception.
- fun gameplay
- original concept
- humorous story
- mild language
- slightly disturbing
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's It About?
The quirky, often hilarious narrative begins when Mario's nemesis, Bowser, eats a mushroom that makes him inhale everyone in the kingdom. Mario and Luigi must escape from the innards of Bowser and rescue the others trapped inside, including Princess Peach. Simultaneously, Bowser needs to find his way back to the kingdom before his castle is hijacked by Fawful, the nefarious mad scientist. Players switch between the Luigi/Mario team and Bowser to battle enemies and solve puzzles. At times, all three must work in tandem. For instance, by hitting nerve clusters, Marios & Luigi increase Bowser's strength; conversely, Bowser's behavior will have an impact on the characters inside. For example, Bowser can flood an environment by drinking water, giving Mario & Luigi access to an important switch.
Is It Any Good?
This is a delightful and ingenious game. It beautifully and simply incorporates role-playing battles, platforming, and puzzle-solving into an engaging journey that's easy to follow. Sound, graphics, and story are all artfully done and integrated seamlessly into a single package. But perhaps most fun here are the characters and dialogue. From Fawful's nonsensical speeches, to the Mario Bros. mock Italian gibberish and Bowser's arrogant rants, each is given distinct personality and humor.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the concept of teamwork. Different characters have skills that are unique and necessary to completing the game. How do they work together and complement one another?
With an enormous number of environments and characters, families can talk about their favorites. Characters also have special items and skills. What were some that were most fun?
Did you want to play this game because you already love all things Mario? Or did advertisements influence your desire? How effective is advertising?
Game Details
- Platform : Nintendo DS
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : Nintendo
- Release date : September 14, 2009
- Genre : Role-Playing
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : November 29, 2025
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