Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey (known as Mario & Luigi RPG3 DX in Japan) is a game for the Nintendo 3DS that was released in Japan on December 27, 2018 and in America on January 11, 2019, and set to be released in Europe on January 25, 2019 and in Australia on January 26, 2019. It was announced in a Nintendo Direct on March 8, 2018. The game is an enhanced remake of the 2009 Nintendo DS game Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. The remake also features another story where Bowser Jr. takes action on an adventure, similar to Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser, with two important differences shown so far: a slot for an additional First Officer who will have its own actions just like Bowser Jr. as well as formations for the troops. The game is the second enhanced remake of the Mario & Luigi series, the fourth game in the series to be released for the Nintendo 3DS, and the seventh game in the series overall.

The game is now amiibo compatible: scanning one will grant the player an item. According to the manual, the same amiibo can only be scanned once per day.

Gameplay changes

 * Like the other 3DS Mario & Luigi games, the hammer can be held for an infinite amount of time, making defensive hammer guards easier.
 * Fleeing will not cause the player to lose coins.
 * The number of hits of the Green Shell Special Attacks for the Bros. has been reduced from ten hits to six hits, and the finishing attack is similar to the 3D Red Shell and 3D Green Shell from Mario & Luigi: Dream Team and the 3D Red Shell from Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam.
 * Like in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, landing a First Strike on an enemy with a Hammer will give them a SPD-Down effect.
 * Yoo Who Cannons now aim at the enemy while the attack is in use.
 * The Battle Guide now takes the form of a Command Block called the "Guide Block" for both the Bros. and Bowser during battles.
 * Super Bowser has a new attack during giant battles, "Spinning Slide", which involves drawing a circle with the stylus.
 * Super Bowser's Fire Breath attack is now done by tapping the touch screen instead of blowing into the mic.
 * The button can now be used to fast-forward cutscenes.
 * Toad Square now announces more items and gear are in stock in the shop and occasionally make a sell on restoring the Bros. HP & BP.
 * Mario and Luigi's Special Attacks were renamed to Bros. Attacks and now cost different amounts of BP:
 * The Green Shell Bros. Attack now costs 4 BP instead of 3 SP.
 * The Fire Flower Bros. Attack now costs 6 BP instead of 4 SP.
 * The Jump Helmet Bros. Attack now costs 10 BP instead of 6 SP.
 * The Yoo Who Cannon Bros. Attack now costs 14 BP instead of 7 SP.
 * The Super Bouncer Bros. Attack now costs 12 BP instead of 7 SP.
 * The Spin Pipe Bros. Attack now costs 16 BP instead of 10 SP.
 * The Mighty Meteor Bros. Attack now costs 20 BP instead of 8 SP.
 * The Snack Basket Bros. Attack now costs 18 BP instead of 14 SP.
 * The Magic Window Bros. Attack now costs 26 BP instead of 18 SP.
 * The Falling Star Bros. Attack now costs 28 BP instead of 20 SP.
 * Bowser's Special Attacks were renamed to Brawl Attacks and now cost different amounts of BP:
 * Koopa Corps now costs 14 BP instead of 10 SP.
 * Bob-omb Blitz now costs 18 BP instead of 12 SP.
 * Magikoopa Mob now costs 24 BP instead of 15 SP.
 * Broggy Bonker now costs 28 BP instead of 20 SP.
 * Goomba Storm and Shy Guy Squad retain the same amount of BP they used in the original game.
 * Spin Pipe has been shortened so that the player must tap the appropriate button in a rhythmic fashion, followed by a single long rotation.
 * Number of hits of the Mighty Meteor Bros. Attack for the Bros. has been reduced from five hits to four hits.
 * Magic Window has been nerfed and no longer uses infinite inputs; the attack now ends with three windows on both sides opening one by one, with both bros jumping out of them to stomp on the enemy.
 * The Bros. now need to continue the story to unlock more badges in the badge store.
 * Likewise when the Bros. reach Rainbow Rank, they do not get Luigi's final badge; instead they now need to do Challenge Node minigames and/or bosses to obtain the final two badges.
 * The "Easy" mode for Bros. Attacks returns from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions.
 * Mario, Luigi and Bowser now start with three Gear slots by default.
 * Like in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, the player can hold more than one badge at a time.
 * There are now 2 extra Badges for Mario to use.
 * The Badge Command Block to change badges is absent from the remake; instead, they are changed at the bottom right corner on the touch screen.
 * Rank-Up Bonuses return from Mario & Luigi: Dream Team and Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam.
 * The Boomerang Rank from Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam returns for Mario and Luigi. Said rank replaces the Shine Rank and switches places with the Flower Rank.
 * Bowser's "Final Boss" rank is retooled as his fifth rank, while receiving a new fourth rank: Master Boss.
 * Scratch Cards are now played by choosing a square with the and buttons.
 * Bowser now eats Cheese instead of Syrup Jars to restore BP.
 * Likewise, Bowser now eats Cheesy Drumsticks instead of Star Candies to fully restore his HP and BP.
 * Bowser can now attack enemies to make them drop Blitties so he can inhale them.
 * Experience Points are no longer received from giant battles; instead, items and gear are rewarded like in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team and Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam.
 * Giant battles can now be re-fought in The Gauntlet.
 * Defense Bean, Speed Bean and Flex Bean can now be used to boost stats.
 * Some Bean locations have been changed or altered.
 * Bean icons are now shown in the map after talking to the Toad that asks the player if they can tunnel underground.
 * When Mario and Luigi are using the Breath Inspector in Dr. Toadley's office, it is now performed by pressing the and  buttons respectively instead of exhaling into the mic.
 * Kuzzle now gives 5 beans instead of 10 after completing all puzzles. He also gives the player a Barrier Wear.
 * The player can now help Luigi escape Junker and Junker X's suction that puts him in a Junker Can and Junker Can X respectively by mashing the button.
 * When defending against Super Bowser X's Fire Breath attack, the player must hammer the fireballs away instead of jumping over them.
 * When Bowser (second fight) and Bowser X gets angry, he will fully heal himself with a Drumstick.
 * Retry Clocks no longer appear like it did in the original version, as the player can retry a battle at any time (or in Easy Mode) if the player gets a Game Over like in the other 3DS Mario & Luigi games.
 * Enemy stats were changed.

Visual changes

 * The graphics are greatly enhanced, being similar to all previous 3DS Mario & Luigi installments.
 * As a result, Mario's and Luigi's insignias on their caps are now red and green respectively instead of black.
 * The Toads in Toad Town are now regular Toads with differently colored vests and spots rather than differing in height and clothing.
 * Enemy levels are now visible.
 * The screen shakes whenever Bowser moves in the overworld.
 * Some practices from the original game do not reappear. This is likely due to the Battle Guide.
 * The camera briefly zooms in and then out if the player successfully gets an "Excellent!" on Bowser's punch.
 * Some quotes have been added or altered.
 * Bowser can now find coins in some trees using his Fire Breath.
 * After the player hits and saves on a Save Block (or loads up the game from the last save point) and if the player's stats are low, a message will appear that reads: "Don't forget to restore your HP & BP!"
 * The area with the Sea Pipe Statue now has a Blooper-shaped stone on the ground.
 * After finishing the Goomba Storm Brawl Attack for Bowser, he will raise his left hand to look up at the Goombas as they fall.
 * When the water fills in Pump Works, the Bros. will slightly float and sink back down.
 * After finishing the Fire Flower Bros. Attack, Mario will clean his hands, spin around and tip his hat, while Luigi spins around and does a finger gun motion.
 * The sprouts on the Leaf Guys's heads now flutter instead of spinning around like a propeller.
 * When Bowser gets crushed by a giant enemy, the background of his eyes will close, the blue map of Bowser's body on the bottom screen will also turn red.
 * The Green Orb in the Rump Command is a diamond shape rather than a round shape.
 * Bowser and Midbus no longer fight in a cage in Bowser's Castle before the boss fight begins.
 * Chain Chawful now takes damage from Bowser's shell.
 * The Fire Flower Bros. Attack no longer damages Calorites, but heals them instead.
 * The Air Vent that blows air out to turn Mario into Balloon Mario in the Pipe Yard to Peach's Castle is replaced by a platform.
 * Luigi now balances on the Super Bouncer ball when performing the Bros. Attack. He also bounces off of the enemy before kicking the ball down at them when the attack is performed successfully.
 * The little Blue Toad will remain next to the Badge Store in Toad Town after the player finishes hide and seek rather than staying next to the blorbed Toad.
 * Yikk now floats in the air instead of being on the floor.
 * Bowser can no longer punch the Boo-ray Machine; instead, he must stand on the pad to activate the spotlight.
 * Freeing a minion from Jailgoon will now give Bowser a drumstick instead of a mushroom.
 * Bowser Memory Neuron and Starlow will remain in the Memory Banks room instead of a blue background during a puzzle sequence.
 * In the boss battle against Bowser Memory ML, the Koopa Troopa Memory who would show up to bring Bowser Memory M back to normal size is absent, and Bowser Memory M shrinks by himself.
 * The mushroom that enlarges Bowser Memory M is now a Mega Mushroom.
 * The meteor in the Mighty Meteor Special Attack is now a 3D meteor that lacks the "?" icon. The meteor is similar to the Trio Attack Trio Meteor in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. It also explodes into confetti unlike in the original.
 * In Madame Broque's Goomba Storm minigame, if enough Goombas have been burned, some will clump together into a ball before dropping onto Madame Broque's back.
 * Bowser now has a whistle during the Bob-omb Blitz Brawl Attack.
 * The concrete floor and grass outside of Peach's Castle are different and the area has a Fawful face on the ground.
 * Bowser shoots fireballs out of his mouth at the Magikoopas during the Magikoopa Mob Brawl Attack.
 * The Vacuum Block is yellow, rather than green.
 * The Bros. can now jump off the sticky block in the Airway without Bowser's help to freeze.
 * After the Bros. defeat the Dark Star, it transforms into Dark Bowser and then leaves Bowser's body.
 * Bowser will now toss soap on Broggy when he uses Broggy Bonker Brawl Attack.
 * Kretin X now has a color scheme similar to its normal counterpart, albeit much darker.
 * The Dark Star X and the Dark Satellmites X have been recolored yellow with purple eyes, rather than being red with blue eyes in the original version.
 * At the beginning of the Dark Star Core part of the final battle, Fawful briefly points at the bros before changing in size.
 * Peach's Castle now has a far darker appearance than before upon Fawful's takeover and the Dark Star being unleashed, when originally, it had minimal overall changes barring a more ruined appearance and Fawful's logo being strewn about.

Audio changes

 * The title screen has new music rather than being a remix of the original game's title theme.
 * The boss battle music now plays during Mario's tutorial battle against Bowser instead of the standard battle music.
 * Bowser's footstep sounds have been changed.
 * Fawful's voice sounds are slightly lowered; however, his speech text sounds remain normal.
 * The Cavi Cape music starts playing when the Bros. enter the Funny Bone instead of the Bowser Path music.
 * There is a sound that plays whenever the player selects a Brawl Attack for Bowser.
 * Fawful's main music plays when Bowser enters the room with food instead of his Castle music.
 * After Luigi enlarges during the Snack Basket Bros. Attack, he will make a low-pitched laugh. When he lands on Mario after this happens, Mario will make an angry sound, and will grunt each time he pushes Luigi up.
 * The Dark Star and Dark Fawful now have their own battle themes; for Dark Fawful, his theme is a slowed down cover of Cackletta's battle theme from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.
 * Fawful's Plan music now plays during Super Peach's Castle of Fury's transformation instead of Final Castle music.
 * When the Dark Star Core changes into its true form inside Bowser during the final battle, Fawful does not laugh, rather he laughs before it transforms.
 * The music for the final battle now continues to play after the Dark Star Core is defeated.

Bowser Jr.'s Journey
This new addition to the main story sees Bowser Jr. as the titular character. While Bowser is occupied during the main story, this story sees Bowser Jr. on an adventure to cure the Blorbs himself after it causes numerous minions to balloon up to an immobile state. The gameplay is very similar to Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser in the case that it involves two armies automatically fighting each other in waves, with occasional quick time events that can sway the battle in the player’s favor, such as captain commands which use CP, Button-mashing or button timing to defeat enemies, and special "Team-up" attacks that can be executed if the player has multiples of the same unit on the field. The rock-paper-scissors triangle of weaknesses returns, with Melee units being strong against Ranged units, ranged units being strong against Flying units, and Flying units being strong against Melee units. In this game, Bowser Jr. is always the captain and has the ability to change his unit type, though an additional First Officer slot will also be available for Kamek or any of the Koopalings, with that unit having their own set of special abilities.

Story
The story begins in Bowser’s throne room in his castle. Bowser Jr. is seen rolling into the room on what appears to be a Goomba afflicted by the Blorbs. Kamek explains the disease to Bowser, telling him there seems to be no cure as of yet. Their discussion is interrupted by Birdley, who appears to tell Bowser that a conference for Blorb prevention is going on at Peach's Castle. Bowser, angry he was not invited, storms off to the castle with Kamek to crash the meeting. Unbenownst to Bowser, Fawful and Midbus are watching close by, ready to take over the castle. Fawful orders the Best Fitness Friends, Kaley, Dieter, and Beef, to infiltrate the castle while he goes to capture Bowser at Peach’s Castle.

Bowser Jr. assumes control in his father’s absence, and is seen fighting Captain Goomba and his Goomba squad multiple times. Nearby, Wendy and Roy discuss what to do about the Blorbs, when the Best Fitness Friends appear to sell them their products. Although Roy shoos them away initially, they soon realize that their formula, Skeletone Formula:D, is able to cure the Blorbs. Roy receives the recipe to make more Skeletone, which requires a Giga-carrot, an Omega Onion, and Ever Ice to create. Ludwig discusses a plan with the rest of the Koopalings to find the ingredients and cure the Blorbs, while Bowser Jr, overhearing and thinking himself superior, sets off to find the cure himself. Ludwig decides to train Junior by teaching him the ropes of battle, using Captain Goomba, Boo, Shy Guy, and Koopa Troopa as examples. Roy joins Junior's team, followed by Ludwig and Morton. Larry challenges Junior, followed by Iggy and Wendy together, and finally the four minion captains again with King Bob-omb. Junior and the Koopalings (minus Lemmy, who stays behind to guard Bowser’s Castle), set off to Dimble Wood to obtain the Giga-Carrot. In the distance, Kaley, Dieter and Beef begin their plan to take over the castle.

As it turns out, it is revealed Fawful obtained the "Lucky Shroom" from Dieter to use on Bowser. Upon approach to Dimble Wood, Bowser Jr. witnesses Dimble Wood being inhaled by Bowser after eating the Vacuum Shroom. Kamek appears to brief the group on what happened before leaving, and leaves to look for Bowser once again, whom he lost sight of. After making their way through Dimble Wood, Ludwig begins to sense an uneasy feeling of being watched, and leaves the squad to find out. Soon after, they come across a few Shy Guys who were brainwashed by Fawful. Although Iggy points out the possibility of brainwashing, they dismiss the idea and trudge on. As they continue through the woods, Junior continues to irritate the Koopalings to no avail, berating Morton for not giving him his paintbrush and getting upset at them for not hurrying up. Roy, fed up, abandons the group. Kaley appears to warn the remaining Koopalings of the attack on the castle, so Wendy and Larry leave to go check things out, unaware that their plan was to lure all the Koopalings out of the castle and leave the base defenseless. Beef is able to dispatch Ludwig, and the Best Fitness Friends plan the defeat of the others. Finally, Junior, Iggy, and Morton reach the Giga-Carrot, but, since it is too big to pull out, Junior takes a small bite of it instead to take back. Kamek then finds Junior once more and joins him. Junior, Morton, Iggy, and Kamek head to Cavi Cape to search for the Omega Onion. They pass by the large hole at the exact moment Bowser uses the Chakroad, causing the two groups to miss each other. After Junior rudely tells Iggy to leave, he does so, only to get pushed off a cliff by Kaley, Dieter, and Beef, revealing their secret name as the Brute Force Federation. They decide to go for Roy next; meanwhile Junior takes Iggy’s lone clown car to use in battle. The group finds an Oho Jee carrying the Omega Onion, so they battle him for it. Afterwards, Kamek tells Junior the location of the Ever Ice, which was actually stored in the cryogenic chamber of Bowser’s Castle. Kamek had acquired it under Bowser’s orders to please Junior, but after he didn’t want it anymore, Kamek had stored the ice in the chamber in hope Junior might have wanted it again. Junior, Morton, and Kamek head back to Bowser’s Castle, with Kaley, Dieter, and Beef close behind, revealing that they plan to steal all the ingredients Junior collected to unleash the secret power of Skeletone Formula:D.

Meanwhile, Bowser’s castle is sent airborne by Midbus and is en route to Dimble Wood to attack Bowser. Dieter easily dispatches Lemmy, with Larry and Wendy watching from behind a wall. They help Lemmy, and although they try to escape, they are distracted by the castle landing (on top of Bowser), followed by Dieter trapping them in barrels. However, the rumbling of the castle due to Giant Bowser causes Larry and Lemmy to escape.

Upon approach to the castle, Junior realizes it is gone, but does not care about this fact and heads down into the basement with Morton and Kamek. Upon reaching the cryogenic chamber, they retrieve the Ever Ice after a dangerous encounter with the Shroobs. Though all the ingredients have been collected, they still need to put all the ingredients together to make Skeletone, so Kamek suggests visiting Broque Madame at Blubble Lake for help. Junior and the minions work together to give her a massage, and afterwards, she creates two hundred servings of Skeletone Formula:D. On their way back to Bowser’s Castle, however, Kaley and Dieter appear, steal the Skeletone, and mix it with another substance called Malodorius Fibbian to create the dangerous Malotone Formula:X. They use this formula to brainwash Morton, who easily dispatches Junior by tossing him into the lake. The evil trio reveals their plan to eventually betray Fawful as well once the entire army has been infected with Malotone.

Junior is found by Kamek washed up on Plack Beach. Although he maintains his bratty attitude at the start, Kamek tells Junior that his behavior has isolated everyone around him, and asks him to treat all the minions with more respect. As Junior takes out the charred drumstick that Morton gave him earlier, he remembers all of the times he berated the Koopalings, and begins to cry. This marks a turning point in Junior’s behavior for the rest of the game; he soon begins to enjoy the minions' company and speaks more politely to whoever he talks to.

Junior rescues Kamek after he is attacked by an army of Drillbit Crabs, and the two continue through Plack Beach to find anyone. The two eventually find Iggy, who had acquired amnesia from his fall off the cliff. The star sage Kuzzle appears, claiming Iggy as his grandson “Charlie,” so they fight him to help him regain his memory. Iggy rejoins the squad, and the three pursue Kaley and Beef, who are on their way to Dimble Wood in a hurry looking for Ludwig, who seemed to have escaped the castle. Heading into Dimble Wood, they reach Kaley and Beef and prepare to fight. However, Ludwig had been disguised as Beef the entire time, and had actually defeated him a while ago and locked him in the basement of Bowser’s Castle (this can be seen in the main game). Ludwig reveals all of the Best Fitness Friend’s goals, and defeat Kaley to end the chase. Ludwig presents Junior with RenewaLeaf, a substance that can remove the brainwashing, and informs Junior that the other Koopalings are at Blubble Lake.

At Blubble Lake, the three Blue Paratroopas tell Junior Larry and Lemmy ran in the direction of the castle, so Junior and his group head there. Along the way, they run into Mario, Luigi, and Starlow, with Starlow reassuring Junior that Bowser is working very hard. They find Larry and Lemmy, who are trying to help Bowser after he was crushed by the Tower of Yikk. As Bowser grows giant, Larry and Lemmy try to run in to help him, but get injured in the process, forcing Junior to rescue them before they get crushed. Junior apologizes to Larry and Lemmy for his behavior, and the group, now with four Koopalings, head to Bowser’s Castle to find Wendy, Roy, and Morton.

Upon approach to Bowser’s Castle, they find it has returned to its original spot. Kaley, Dieter, and Beef (who escaped from the basement) arrive on the scene with Wendy in a barrel, and easily dispatch Junior and the Koopalings. Before they can finish things, however, Captain Goomba, Boo, Shy Guy and Koopa Troopa all appear to help fight them back. Junior and his squad manage to deter the Best Fitness Friends and rescue Wendy, then give chase towards the castle. At the castle, they find Roy, who, ever since he left the group, was mercilessly attacked by numerous waves of brainwashed minions. On the verge of collapse after finally reaching the castle, Kamek heals him, but he is still too upset to listen to Junior. Junior challenges Roy to a 1-on-1 duel and wins, exhausting all his energy in the process. Roy, touched by this, rejoins the group, and they finally make their way to the final area.

In the castle, they find and cure Morton, thereby completing the Koopaling team. Junior, now filled with a stronger sense of leadership, leads the Koopa Troop to the final area, where the Best Fitness Friends await. As the world goes dark from the power of Dark Bowser, Junior encounters Kaley, Dieter, and Beef in the throne room. The trio sends out numerous waves of enemies, and eventually all three of them attack at once. When that fails, the three morph into a giant monstrous Malatone-infused creature with incredible power. Nevertheless, Junior and his troop defeat them for good, reclaim the Skeletone, and take back the castle’s control.

Junior and the Koopalings walk out to the castle balcony just in time to witness the Dark Star exploding outside. As Junior apologizes once more to the Koopalings and Kamek, they are interrupted by Roy, who had been distributing the cure to all the Goombas. The game ends with Junior following after Roy, to enjoy a party with all the minions. In the post credits scene, Junior attempts to console his dad after his loss to Mario and Luigi. He gives his father the Skeletone, which inadvertedly turns him into Dry Bowser after he eats the entire thing.

The player can go on extra challenges after the game is done, such as a fight with Bowser to prove to his father that he got stronger. Bowser can be recruited as a partner, and the remaining challenges include various fights with Malotone-infused minions.

Nintendo eShop description
''Laugh your way through a hilarious story told from three perspectives! Search the Mushroom Kingdom for a cure as Bowser, explore his innards as the Mario Bros., and discover the untold story of Bowser Jr's Journey. Overcome the fury of Fawful, action-packed battles, puzzling tasks, and giant bosses in a classic action RPG-stuffed with new content! Mario and Luigi are stuck inside Bowser, forced to accomplish unusual tasks to assist their arch nemesis with hero stuff across the land. The scenes and dialogue that ensue will have you cackling like Fawful, even in battle! Time your button presses and keep up with the action: turn the system sideways, blow into the mic, or tap the touch screen. In an all-new mode, Bowser Jr. will cross paths with our unlikely allies as he recruits Ranged, Flying, and Melee troopers to fight for his cause. Strategically form teams and pit them against enemies to reign supreme in frenetic combat.''

Trivia

 * This is the only 3DS Mario & Luigi game to have battles primarily take place on the touch screen.