Trippin’ on ‘Shrooms

September marks our calendars every year as the beginning of the Fall gaming season, which sees dozens of titles release across all platforms at an almost unrelenting pace. Alongside Scribblenauts – the DS' seminal wonder-game of the year – comes a new entry in one of the more interesting long running series: Mario & Luigi. Set to release toward the middle of next month, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story looks to be the necessary fix for DS owners looking to start off the wallet-busting season right with a strong RPG to play.

Over the Tongue, Between the Gums...

While the title of many games can be misleading, this latest title in the famed Mario & Luigi series gives you everything you need to know. At the start of the story things take a strange turn, like any traditional Mario title, when Bowser is able to finally accomplish something he's been trying to do for over twenty years: defeating the Mario brothers. Well, kinda. After having eaten a special mushroom given to him by returning villain Fawful, Bowser literally sucks up and swallows Mario and Luigi whole (insert heartburn medication ad here). The duo shrinks down to microscopic size and begins the quest to return to normal. Let us just hope there isn't a colon stage.

For those unfamiliar with the Mario & Luigi RPG series, it has offered an alternative to the typical RPG since way back on the Super Nintendo. A few generations ago, a partnering with then SquareSoft created a lovable package by the name of Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars. The most distinguishing characteristic of gameplay was the implementation of timed attacks, something that would go on to be a staple part of other Square games including the later iterations of the Final Fantasy series. A player would need to time button presses with the character’s attacks in order to gain valuable benefits such as increased damage or combos. This helped keep the game constantly moving because a player would always be actively doing something. Since then the series has continued with improvements into the Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga for GBA and Partners in Time for the Nintendo DS. Developer AlphaDream has gone about changing things up by adding more attacks, team ups, and defense sequences.

It is clear that one of the primary reasons the Mario & Luigi series has continued to be an enticing play is its constant action. It has been a long time since this author has been able to play a normal RPG with a traditional turn based attack system. Since Final Fantasy VI, I have had a hard time playing a game where I would be just sitting around waiting for my turn to attack. This author has struggled under a combination of a lack of patience and a short attention span so the Mario & Luigi RPG series has served to be a breath of fresh air in the role-playing genre.

A new challenge appears

Another reason M&L has been such an enjoyable series is the personality. In each iteration the Mushroom Kingdom is under some sort of attack scheme. A new super villain is in town with another generic plan for world domination. While most times rather generic and unmemorable in terms of story creativity, we must not forget that the Mario Brothers are one of the most recognizable video game characters, and to see them spring in to action is something that you do not often see. Honestly, when do you see the Mario Brothers take on evil as a team? Mario is always the hero with Luigi either an unlockable character or standing on the sidelines while the red plumber gets the princess and all the glory. In the RPG series however you are finally able to see them go off and interact with each other. It is a little sad, though, to always see Luigi reduced to the cowardly role, but we’ll take whatever we can get.

While you will be playing as the duo throughout the course of the game, there's a third character you'd have never suspected to ever be playable: Bowser himself. Indeed, while you play as Mario and Luigi within the big lug, Bowser also plays a central role in the game. Any action taken by either Mario and Luigi or Bowser will impact the other as the duo can give Bowser stomach pains while he can walks about sucking up enemies that they would in turn have to fight. While microscopic battles will be taking place within him, Bowser will stroll through the Mushroom Kingdom punching and frying his way through dozens of enemies on his search for Fawful.

Worst Plumbing Job EVER

Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story looks to be an enticing title that will no doubt be quite the hit when it releases not too long from now. Will we be able to stomach the experience?