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

This article is about the remake game for the Nintendo 3DS. For the original game for the Nintendo DS, see Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey
For alternate box art, see the game's gallery.
Developer	AlphaDream Arzest
Publisher	Nintendo
Platform(s)	Nintendo 3DS
Release date	December 27, 2018 December 27, 2018 January 11, 2019 January 25, 2019 January 26, 2019
Language(s)	Deutsch English (United Kingdom) English (United States) Español (España) Español (Latinoamérica) Français (Canada) Français (France) Italiano 日本語
Genre	Role-playing
Rating(s)	ESRB: - Everyone PEGI: - Three years and older CERO: - All ages ACB: - General USK: - All ages RARS: - All ages FPB: - All ages
Mode(s)	Single-player
Media	Nintendo 3DS: Game Card Digital download
Input	Nintendo 3DS: Gamepad

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey is a game in the Mario & Luigi series released for the Nintendo 3DS in Japan on December 27, 2018 and in January 2019 worldwide. It is an enhanced remake of the 2009 Nintendo DS game Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. The remake also features another story titled Bowser Jr.'s Journey where Bowser Jr. takes action on an adventure, similar to Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser, with two important differences: 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, as well as the thirty-first and the final Super Mario game released for the Nintendo 3DS. It is also the final Mario & Luigi game released by AlphaDream before filing for bankruptcy as a result of this game's commercial failure, although they would assist Sega on the development of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 before going bankrupt overall.

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

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

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

The graphical changes between both versions, showing Dark Bowser being defeated

Like in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey has updated graphics, soundtrack, and controls, looking visually similar to Mario & Luigi: Dream Team and Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. The story is mainly the same as it was in the original game. However, many additions and alterations to the gameplay have been made.

List of changes

Gameplay changes

General

• The game now has an additional game mode, Bowser Jr.'s Journey, which can be played at any time from the start of the game. It shares a save slot with main game progress.
• The game no longer makes use of the Mic feature. As such, the Mic Test no longer appears on the title screen.
  • Giant Bowser's Fire Breath attack is now done by tapping the touch screen, and when Mario and Luigi are using the Breath Inspector in Dr. Toadley's office, it is now performed by pressing the and buttons respectively.
• The game is now amiibo-compatible, and an amiibo can be scanned once a day to grant the player an item.
• The game now runs at 30 FPS instead of 60 FPS, unlike the original game and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions. However, there is one exception, with the short portion at the start of the giant battle against Super Peach's Castle of Fury running at 60 FPS.
• Some practices from the original game do not reappear. This is likely due to the Battle Guide.
  • The player now has the option to ask Starlow to give information about the move that Mario and Luigi are learning.
• The button can now be used to fast-forward cutscenes.
• When adventuring as the bros., the button can be pressed to jump at the same time, or to swim simultaneously while in Pump Works.
  • Likewise, switching from the Bros. to Bowser can now only be performed by pressing instead of either or .
• A map icon in the bottom right corner allows Bowser or the bros. to see a map of their current location.
• Toad Square now announces more items and gear are in stock in the shop and occasionally makes a sale on Emoglobin Juice throughout the game.
• Some Gear and Accessory locations have been changed.
• Badges now have the same names and similar effects as those from Mario & Luigi: Dream Team.
• 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 defeat Bowser Memory MLX in The Gauntlet in the Challenge Node to obtain his final badge.
• 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.
  • Mario and Luigi's first gear slot is reserved exclusively for wear, and Bowser's first gear slot is for shells. These cannot be empty.
• Like in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, the player can hold more than one badge at a time.
  • Unlike in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, the badge meter does not increase when having two badge effects in stock. One of them must be used to put another badge effect in place.
• There are now two extra Badges for Mario to use.
  • The Silver Badge is received after getting all 16 Mushroom Balls in Toad Town, and the Expert Badge is received by earning a gold rank in all Cholesteroad challenges.
• Scratch Cards (now known as "Bonus Cards") are now played by choosing a square with the and buttons.
• Enemy stats have been changed.
• Some bean locations have been changed or altered.
• Beanholes found in Bowser's body are now labeled by a white X instead of a sparkling elliptical spot, presumably to make their presence more acknowledgeable to the player.
• Kuzzle now gives five of every type of bean instead of ten after completing all puzzles. He also gives the player a Barrier Wear.
• Bowser can no longer punch the Boo-ray Machine; instead, he must stand on the pad to activate the spotlight.
• The Challenge Medal has a different effect: Instead of boosting enemy's HP, DEF and SPD by 50% and POW by 150% but increasing coins earned by 50%, it greatly increases the damage the wearer deals and receives. It is now gotten after beating Junker X as the Big Shell is now the prize for getting a Gold Medal on the Green Shell in Attackathon.

Battles

• Mario and Luigi can now activate Emergency Guard by holding .
• Like in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, landing a First Strike on an enemy with a Hammer may inflict SPD-Down on them.
• Like in the other 3DS Mario & Luigi games, the hammer can be held for an infinite amount of time, making defending attacks with hammers easier.
• Like in the other 3DS Mario & Luigi games, Fleeing will not cause the player to lose coins.
• The Battle Guide now takes the form of a Command Block called the "Guide Block" for both the Bros. and Bowser during battles.
• Like in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, some enemies can now take critical damage from Jump and Hammer attacks in addition to Fire attacks.
• During Broggy's battle, when Bowser dodges his leaping attack and Broggy turns around to attack from behind, the camera now pans to the left, allowing the player to dodge his attack more easily.
• Beehosses now take critical damage from Bowser's Flame and the Goomba Storm Brawl Attack, in addition to the Mario Bros.' Fire Flower.
• The maximum number of hits of Bowser's Fire Breath attack has been reduced from five hits to three hits.
• The Badge Command Block to change badges during battle is absent from the remake; instead, they are changed at the bottom right corner on the touch screen.
• The player is forced to view the tutorial in the first giant battle, whereas in the original game, the player has the option to view the tutorial or not.
• In the giant battles, Bowser appears on the right screen like in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team instead of the left like in the original game.
• The player turns the screen when Bowser becomes giant instead of turning at the beginning of the giant battle like the original game.
• Giant Bowser has a new "final" attack during giant battles called "Finishing Move", which involves tapping the stylus repeatedly to beat a boss into submission, then, after Bowser uppercuts the boss, drawing a circle with the stylus to build up one final punch to finish off the boss.
• Bowser can now attack enemies to make them drop Blitties so he can inhale them.
• After Bowser defeats the giant enemy, cutscenes play.
• Experience Points are no longer received from giant battles; instead, items and gear are rewarded like giant battles in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team and papercraft battles in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam.
• Bosses obtain the Fury status, turning red (or different colors) when low on health, as in Paper Jam. Some bosses now have altered attack patterns or new attacks.
• Changing Badges no longer takes up a turn.
• Giant battles can now be re-fought in The Gauntlet.
• Chain Chawful now takes damage from Bowser's shell. It also rewards 25 experience points if defeated by inhaling the Sworm.
• Broque Monsieur no longer takes damage during a battle tutorial if the player refuses to learn how to use the Vacuum Block. As such, the battle will only end if the player inhales him to continue the story.
• 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 (during his second fight) and Bowser X get angry, he will fully heal himself with a Drumstick.
• Mario and Luigi can no longer hold onto Starlow indefinitely after avoiding Bowser's and Bowser X's flame or the Dark Star Core's huge beam, and will automatically drop down after the attack ends. They must still let go themselves after the Dark Star's beam however, due to avoiding its ramming attack that follows.
• Dark Bowser no longer gets bigger when the player defeats him while the Dark Star Core is outside of his body if not inhaled.

Ranks

• 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.

Bros. Attacks

• Mario and Luigi's Special Attacks are renamed Bros. Attacks and now cost higher 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.
• The number of hits of the Green Shell Bros. 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.
• Spin Pipe has been shortened so that the player must tap the appropriate button in a rhythmic fashion, followed by a single long rotation.
• The Snack Basket's food now fall slightly slower and are more spread out, and Luigi can now jump to catch the falling food.
• The 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 Fire Flower Bros. Attack no longer damages Calorites, but heals them instead.
• Yoo Who Cannons now aim at the enemy while the attack is in use.
• Fire Flower can now instantly defeat Jailgoons containing a Bob-omb.

Brawl Attacks

• Bowser's Special Attacks are renamed Brawl Attacks and now cost different amounts of BP (with the exception of Goomba Storm and Shy Guy Squad):
  • 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.
• The Goomba Storm Brawl Attack is much slower, making it easier for the player to tap the Goombas with the stylus, and thus get an "Excellent" rating.
• The Shy Guy Squad Brawl Attack can no longer slide with the stylus indefinitely; instead, the attack stops after the Shy Guys push Bowser three times if the player slides the stylus to get an "Excellent".

Items

• 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.
• Defense Beans, Speed Beans and Flex Beans now appear in the game.
• Retry Clocks no longer appear like they do 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.
• Boo Biscuits now appear as items, serving the same role as they did in the previous games.
• Some items heal a different amount of HP or BP than they did in the original game:
  • Super Mushrooms heal 50 HP instead of 60.
  • Ultra Mushrooms heal 100 HP instead of 120.
  • Max Mushrooms heal all HP instead of 280.
  • Ultra Nuts heal 65 HP instead of 80.
  • Max Nuts heal all HP instead of 160.
  • Syrup Jars heal 15 BP instead of 10.
  • Supersyrup Jars heal 35 BP instead of 20.
  • Ultrasyrup Jars heal 60 BP instead of 30.
  • Max Syrup Jars heal all BP instead of 40.

Visual changes

• The graphics are greatly enhanced, patterned after the previous Nintendo 3DS Mario & Luigi installments.
• The title screen is heavily altered, with the image being changed from a reflection of Peach's Castle and Bowser's Castle to Bowser inhaling everything in Peach's castle and the Bros. sitting in the Trash Pit on the bottom screen, while Bowser and Bowser Jr. are posing on the bridge of Bowser's Castle.
• Mario's and Luigi's insignias on their caps are now red and green respectively, rather than black.
• The Toads in Toad Town are now regular Toads with differently colored vests and spots, rather than differing in height and clothing.
• Many locations have different color schemes, such as the map of Blubble Lake now being lime-green instead of blue.
• Save Blocks have a new design.
• The designs of the trees in Dimble Wood, Cavi Cape, and Plack Beach have been changed dramatically.
• In Cavi Cape, Bowser punches barrels toward the nearby button in order to open the gate rather than steel balls. Likewise, the web-like structure that he needs to burn down is replaced with a rope net.
• In the prologue scene at Toad Town, when the blorbed Toad crashes through the wall, it is shown in 3D.
• Fawful now holds the Vacuum Shroom with one hand instead of using both of his hands.
• The sparks that Mario and Luigi hit in the Arm Center minigame are modeled after the Sun for Mario and Saturn for Luigi.
• After Bowser inhales everyone in the Conference Hall, he also inhales two statues of Peach nearby, one of which later appears in the Trash Pit.
• When Mario and Luigi explore the Trash Pit after being inhaled, Bowser is facing away from rather than toward the player.
• The floor sags slightly when the Bros. walk around in some rooms inside Bowser's Body.
• Enemy levels are now visible during battle.
• The play time counter has been removed.
• 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.
• The ? Block that Broque Monsieur hits containing a healing item is now a Drumstick that heals Bowser instead of a Mushroom; as such, he no longer heals himself with a Mushroom due to not taking any damage.
• Four of Bowser's command blocks have swapped colors: the Punch Block is red rather than yellow, the Flame Block is green rather than red, the Vacuum Block is yellow rather than green, and the Brawl Attack is blue rather than orange.
• 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), if the player's stats are low, a message will appear that reads: "Don't forget to restore your HP & BP!"
• When hitting a Save Block, the player will be able to fully read the message the first time without needing to hit it again.
• If the player uses Bowser's Fire Breath in the overworld on a Save Block, it no longer bounces briefly.
• Bowser no longer spins around after he uses the Chakroad.
  • This also applies to the bros. after they break Chakron's thousand-year pose.
• 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 briefly 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.
• Some cut-scenes have automatic movement, such as Bowser walking towards the Giga Carrot after entering and Mario and Luigi entering the Toad Town pipe after defeating Bowser.
• The sprouts on the Leaf Guys' heads now flutter instead of spinning around like a propeller.
  • Despite this change, however, they still spin their propellers when they carry bombs or Mushrooms during Tower of Yikk's attack.
• When Bowser gets crushed by a giant enemy, the map in the background of his eyes will close.
• 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.
• The white screen that briefly flashes when Bowser smells the pollen from flowers is removed.
• 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.
• Bean icons are now shown in the map after talking to the Toad in Toad Town that asks the player if they can tunnel underground.
• 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.
• The blue bubble the Naplock blows out now has a Drumstick rather than a Mushroom.
• Freeing a minion from a Jailgoon will now give Bowser a Drumstick instead of a Mushroom.
• The guardian 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 Mushrooms and 1-Up Mushrooms Bowser Memory L uses are now memory-based.
• Beef can be spotted in the Bob-omb Storage Depot which Bowser accidentally blows up. His presence there is explained in Bowser Jr.'s Journey.
• The meteor in the Mighty Meteor Bros. Attack is now a 3D meteor that lacks the "?" icon. It also explodes into confetti unlike in the original.
• In Broque Madame'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.
• Big enemies in the overworld (apart from Toothies) no longer attack Mario and Luigi, although normal-sized enemies still attack them.
• Puzzle Sacks now remain visible on the map after completing the Spin Pipe puzzle from Kuzzle.
• The PR Toad that hosts Mushroom Ball Derby for the bros. to collect Mushroom Balls now opens all 16 of them rather than repeatedly opening them one by one once they are found.
• The area Luigi explores to rescue Mario from Sockops now has a purple poison fog.
• The Sockop that goes inside the giant Sockop now jumps out of it after putting Mario inside.
• Bowser shoots fireballs out of his mouth at the Magikoopas rather than summoning them with his hand during the Magikoopa Mob Brawl Attack.
• The Bros. briefly show their breath when Bowser inhales Blizzard Midbus's frosty gas.
• The Bros. can now jump off the sticky block in the Airway without Bowser's help to freeze.
• The Dark Star now turns into Dark Bowser and briefly inhales Luigi after defeating it; in the original game, this happened before the fight.
  • Likewise, Starlow does not appear in both cutscenes when entering the pipe before hitting the ! Block and when the Dark Star transforms into Dark Bowser.
• Bowser will now toss soap on Broggy when he uses the Broggy Bonker Brawl Attack.
• Color-coded objects receive additional visual distinguishers to make it easier for colorblind players to differentiate them. Among others, green adrenaline is now square-shaped (in contrast to red adrenaline, which remains round), and Kretin has unique facial expressions for its red and green nodes.
• 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 pink eyes, rather than being red with blue eyes as 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 inside and outside, with much more Fawful logos upon Fawful's takeover and the Dark Star being unleashed with, as well as his likeness being present everywhere. In the original game, it had minimal overall changes, with a more ruined appearance and Fawful's logo being strewn about.
• Plack Beach is now partially flooded with water.
• The Giga-carrot now has a bite mark to match the events of Bowser Jr.'s Journey.
• Bowser is no longer shown when Durmite heals during the battle.
  • Likewise, Bowser is also no longer shown when the Bros. defeat Snawfuls; additionally, the steam from defeated Snawfuls now stays on top of the screen instead of all the way up.
• The trophies for beating Bowser Memory MLX and Dark Star X in the Gauntlet's trophy display screen have swapped places.
• The 99 Block now starts at 99 instead of 0, decreasing with each hit.
• There is now a statue for the Chakroad on top of Peach's Castle instead of being exposed.
• The stage where Bros. and Brawl Attacks (along with regular attacks) are practiced is now a black and white version of Plack Beach rather than a starry stage.
• In the final battle inside Bowser, Fawful now hangs on the ceiling if his legs are being attacked.
  • Likewise, Fawful now uses his arms and hands to crawl toward the Bros. while the Dark Star Core attacks.
• When Bowser visits Broque Madame for the first time, she briefly alludes to Bowser Jr.
• During the final battle, Dark Bowser's windstorm continues with debris flying over the top screen.
• Wisdurm no longer summons a meter, and instead uses a wand to take place of the meter.
• Wisdurm's name is no longer shown in the save message after she escapes into the Energy Hold.
  • The same save message also fixes a spelling mistake of Bowser's name from "Boswer".
• The save message for when the Dark Star escapes into the Airway no longer refers to the Airway as the "Air Space", instead calling it by its proper name.
• When Broque Monsieur turns his head to be more menacing, it now takes longer before it lands upside-down.

Audio changes

• The title screen has new music rather than being an arrangement of the original game's title theme. The original music can still briefly be heard at the end of the credits.
• Like in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, getting a Game Over plays an arrangement of the death jingle from Super Mario Bros., while in the original game, the music fades out.
• There is a sound that plays whenever the player selects a Brawl Attack for Bowser.
• Bowser's footstep sounds have been changed, and vary based on the current area he is in.
• Fawful's voice sounds are slightly lowered in most instances, being pitched slightly higher near the very end of the game; however, his speech text sounds remain normal.
• When the Bros. enter a boss battle, Luigi screams Mario's name and Mario screams Luigi's instead of them saying the usual "Let's-a go! Okey-dokey!"
• When Mario fights Bowser for the first time, the music that plays is the boss battle theme, rather than the regular battle theme.
• After Bowser inhales everyone in Peach's Castle, the music does not stop until Midbus gives his line. In the original, the music stops after Bowser collapses.
• The Cavi Cape music starts playing when the Bros. enter the Funny Bone instead of the Bowser Path/Tunnel/Tower of Yikk music.
• After Midbus throws the cannonball onto Bowser, the music changes back to the Bowser Path/Tunnel/Tower of Yikk music instead of the "Evil Plan" music continuing until the minigame in the Arm Center starts.
• Fawful's main music plays when Bowser enters the room with food instead of his Castle music.
• The variant of Dimble Wood's music that plays inside Bowser starts playing in the room where the Giga-carrot was yanked right after Bowser finishes the Giga-carrot minigame instead of the regular Dimble Wood music.
• The Blubble Lake music starts playing when the Bros. enter the Toad Town pipe after defeating Bowser.
• Bowser does not make a sneeze sound after he enters Blubble Lake.
• The roar sound when a Fawful Guy or Dark Fawful Guy gets eaten and aimed at a bro for its attack is removed.
• The tutorial music now plays while doing the puzzle in the Memory Banks.
• 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; the Dark Star's theme is completely new, and Dark Fawful's theme is a darker and slower remix of "Fawful and Cackletta" from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. Despite this however, the Dark Star X still uses the normal boss theme.
  • The music list mistakenly titles the Dark Star's new boss music "Destroy the Dark Power! DX", despite the fact that it was introduced for the remake and does not have a counterpart in the original game.
• Fawful's Plan music now plays during Super Peach's Castle of Fury's transformation instead of the Final Castle music.
  • This music also plays when the dark barriers in front of the castle are first created.
• When the Dark Star Core changes into its true form inside Bowser during the final battle, Fawful does not laugh, rather laughing more quietly before he transforms. That laugh is instead used when he begins his chasing attack.
• The music for the final battle now continues to play after the Dark Star Core is defeated.
  • Likewise, the battle music for the Dark Star and the Dark Star X also continues to play when they do their vacuum attack.
• When Mario rescues Starlow and when the Bros. unlock the hammers, the jingle used when Bowser obtains the Vacuum Block is used instead of the regular item acquisition jingle.
• Using a Chakroad no longer makes a sound after selecting an area to teleport.

Enemies

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

Mushroom Kingdom

• ⁱ Indicates they can be inhaled by Bowser and then fought by Mario and Luigi.
  
• ^m Indicates only Mario can battle them.
  
• ^m&l Indicates only Mario & Luigi can battle them.
  
• ^b Indicates only Bowser can battle them.
  

Image	Name	Level	HP	EXP	Coins	Location
	Chuboomba	2	18	15	4	Cavi Cape, Plack Beach
	Borpm&l	9	54	220	40	Cavi Cape
	Toothy	2	24	18	5	Plack Beach
	Drillbit Crabm&l	21	115	240	45	Plack Beach
	Pendrilm&l	22	157	260	55	Plack Beach
	Treevil	5	95	35	10	Dimble Wood
	Trashure	6	112	40	15	Dimble Wood
	Scutletm&l	21	72	100	25	Dimble Wood
	Sockopm&l	22	110	240	55	Dimble Wood
	Flifit	10	120	50	20	Bumpsy Plains
	Sneedi1	13	74	160	50	Bumpsy Plains
	Lakitu Kingi m&l	8	72	35	30	Bumpsy Plains
	Chain Chawful	11	145	75	30	Bowser Path
	Fawfulcopteri m&l	8	32	40	20	Bowser Path
	Fawful Guym&l	11	98	240	60	Bowser Path, Bowser Castle
	Choombab	13	210	120	50	Tunnel
	Coalbiti	10	34	30	15	Tunnel
	Noozm&l	12	62	50	25	Toad Town Caves
	Fawflantm&l	13	70	70	30	Toad Town Caves
	Beehoss	14	158	150	40	Blubble Lake
	Crawful	15	173	170	45	Blubble Lake
	Glam Lakitui m&l	13	208	60	40	Blubble Lake
	Fawflopperm&l	20	96	200	40	Blubble Lake
	Mawful Molem&l	20	154	230	45	Blubble Lake
	Jailgoon	17	210	340	55	Bowser Castle
	Sniffle Thwomp	18	256	400	60	Bowser Castle
	Magifoofam&l	23	124	260	50	Bowser Castle
	Mechawful	22	190	3802	70	Peach's Castle Garden
	Mechawful Headi	22	98	150	20	Peach's Castle Garden
	Metal Mawful Molem&l	21	128	420	60	Peach's Castle Garden
	Naplockb	26	312	720	100	Peach's Castle
	Alarm Bob-ombi	24	123	170	50	Peach's Castle
	Dark Trashureb	27	360	660	200	Peach's Castle
	Dark Fawful Guyi m&l	26	128	200	65	Peach's Castle
	Dark Mechawfulb	28	280	800	100	Peach's Castle
	Dark Mechawful Headi m&l	27	180	200	60	Peach's Castle
	Dark Mechawful.5b	30	330	880	120	Peach's Castle
	Dark Fawful Bombi m&l	26	312	0	0	Peach's Castle

¹ - Though they are instantly defeated by Bowser in overworld, Bowser can meet them by battling against other enemies.

Inside Bowser

Image	Name	Level	HP	EXP	Coins	Location
	Goombule	1	4	3	2	Trash Pit, Pump Works
	Elite Goombule	1	16	4	2	Trash Pit
	Spike Blop	2	5	5	3	Trash Pit, Pump Works
	Bubble Blooper / Dried Blooper	3	Bubble Blooper - 13 Dried Blooper - 11	10	4	Pump Works
	Protobatter	4	24	15	5	Pump Works
	Tenderling	8	30	30	12	Flab Zone
	Calorite	9	48	40	20	Flab Zone
	Napse	15	68	100	35	Energy Hold
	POW/DEF/SPEED Pep	16	94	120	40	Energy Hold
	Piranha Plorp	17	165	140	55	Energy Hold
	Pwallop	18	130	150	45	Energy Hold
	Air Cheep	27	200	600	90	Airway
	Stonk	28	314	630	100	Airway
	Airnapse	29	150	610	80	Airway
	Air Cannon	30	254	670	120	Airway

Bosses

• ^e Indicates the battle automatically ends after several turns.

Normal

Image	Name	Level	HP	EXP	Coins	Location
	Bowser (1)m	1	18	0	0	Peach's Castle
	Midbus (1)b e	1	95	0	0	Cavi Cape
	Broque Monsieuri e	2	80	0	0	Plack Beach
	Sea Pipe Statuei	3	198	Sea Pipe Statue - 120 Stone Blooper - 30	50	Plack Beach
	Scutletm&l	5	187	200	50	Flame Pipe
	Broggyb	3	98	60	50	Plack Beach
	Wigglerb (possibly with Leaf Guysi m&l)	Wiggler - 8 Leaf Guy - 6	Wiggler - 360 Segments - 180 Leaf Guy - 36	Wiggler - 0 Leaf Guy - 20	150	Dimble Wood
	Durmite with Biffidusm&l	7	Durmite - 298 Straw - 18 Biffidus - 10	300	120	Nerve Cluster
	Midbus (2)b	12	800	550	300	Bowser Castle
	Kretinm&l	11	Alpha - 1 Beta - 333	700	200	Flab Zone
	Bowser (2)m&l	14	520	1000	500	Toad Town Mall
	Wisdurmm&l	18	1610	2800	600	Energy Hold
	Bowser Memory MLm&l	19	Bowser Memory M - 285 Bowser Memory L - 490	3000	700	Memory Banks
	Shroobsm&l (×3)2	22	500 (each)	900	300	Bowser Castle
	Chakronm&l e3	23	9999	0	0	Plack Beach
	Junker with Junker Cansm&l	24	Junker - 1680 Junker Can - 60	6000	900	Peach's Castle Garden
	Blizzard Midbusb with Snawfulsi	Blizzard Midbus - 30 Snawful - 27	Blizzard Midbus - 2580 Snawful - 105	Blizzard Midbus - 6500 Snawful - 220	1200	Peach's Castle
	Dark Star with Dark Satellmitesm&l	Dark Star - 31 Dark Satellmite - 30	Dark Star - 1600 Dark Satellmite - 260	9999	2000	Airway
	Dark Fawfulb with Vacuum Helmeti	31	Dark Fawful - 2280 Vacuum Helmet - 1760	Dark Fawful - 7500 Vacuum Helmet - 220	1600	Peach's Castle
	Dark Bowserb	32	1260	0	0	Peach's Castle
	Dark Star Corei m&l	32	Main - 2070 Glasses - 250 Appendage - 156	0	0	Peach's Castle

² - This boss is entirely optional.
³ - This battle will end after performing an EXCELLENT Snack Basket.

Giant

Image	Name	Coins	Prizes	Location
	Bowser's Castle	800	Lightweight Shell Cheesy Drumstick Heart Bean Special Bean	Dimble Wood
	Tower of Yikk	1200	Brawl Fangs Flashy Fangs Power Bean Defense Bean	Blubble Lake
	Fawful Express	2000	Gilt Shell TNT Drumstick Ultra Cheese Speed Bean	Project K
	Super Peach's Castle of Fury	3000	Intruder Fangs Cheesy Drumstick Miracle Cheese Flex Bean	Peach's Castle Garden

Gauntlet

Note that all the X bosses will only award coins after their first defeat. All these bosses are fought by Mario & Luigi.

Image	Name	Level	HP	Coins
	Durmite X with Biffidus X	18	Durmite - 575 Biffidus - 61 Straw - 24	600
	Kretin X	21	Alpha - 135 Beta - 810	1200
	Wisdurm X	26	2380	2400
	Bowser Memory MLX	29	Bowser Memory MX - 2500 Bowser Memory LX - 3000	3600
	Junker X with Junker Can X	34	Junker - 3080 Junker Can - 143	5400
	Dark Star X with Dark Satellmite X	38	Dark Star - 3420 Dark Satellmite - 416	7500
	Bowser X4	45	5800	15000

⁴ - must fight 6 other X bosses consecutively before the battle.

List of Shops

Main article: List of shops in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey

Bowser Jr.'s Journey

Main article: Bowser Jr.'s Journey

This new addition to the main story sees Bowser Jr. as the titular character.

Media

For a complete list of media for this subject, see List of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey media. For a list of in-game music, see List of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey in-game music.

It has been suggested that audio and/or video file(s) related to this article be uploaded. Reason: The 3DS-exclusive title theme, "Mario, Luigi and Bowser Too!", and Dark Fawful's battle theme Please upload all related music, sound effects, voice clips, or any videos for this section. See the help page for information on how to get started.

Destroy the Dark Power! - The Dark Star's battle theme, exclusive to the remake.

File infoMedia:MLBISBJJ Destroy the Dark Power!.oga 0:30

Help:Media • Having trouble playing?

Nintendo eShop description

American English version

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.

British English version

Nintendo DS classic, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, is back for more gut-busting adventures in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey.

Mario and Luigi have been tasked with finding a cure for the blorbs, a disease threatening all life in the Mushroom Kingdom. But, thanks to Fawful, both brothers have been devoured by Bowser!

And so, their journey takes them deep into the belly of the beast, leaving Bowser to scour the kingdom for the cure. The only way forward is to change between the Bros. and Bowser.

The big bad will even beef up for monstrous boss battles fit for a king! Take 'em down in this action-packed RPG, and find out what happens behind the scenes in the untold story of Bowser Jr.

Reception

Critical reception

Similarly to the original Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey has received positive reviews from critics. Critics tend to praise the gameplay of the main story, though the Bowser Jr.'s Journey mode has had a more mixed reception.

Reviews
Release	Reviewer, Publication	Score	Comment
Nintendo 3DS	Drew Hurley, Cubed3	9/10	"In an age where remakes and remasters are as hotly anticipated as the biggest AAA title, it's great to see yet another gem from yesteryear arrive, giving players who never experienced it the first time around a second chance and letting players who enjoyed it originally revisit just what made it stand out to them. The Mario RPG series is a perfect example. It is criminally underrated and deserves to be lauded far more. Any new opportunity to do that is a blessing. This was an awesome game almost a decade ago and now it has gotten a fresh lick of paint and it is looking better than ever.'"
Nintendo 3DS	Mitch Vogel, Nintendo Life	9/10	"Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey stands as a well-made remake of a game that was excellent to begin with, polishing up the original in small ways and adding some extra content that meaningfully establishes its own identity. If you’ve ever been a fan of the Mario & Luigi series (or are looking for a reason to dust off the old 3DS), do yourself a favour and pick this game up. Although Bowser Jr.’s Journey is just an ‘okay’ addition, the inventive battles, great writing and creative gameplay of the main game make this one an easy recommendation."
Nintendo 3DS	CJ Andriessen, Destructoid	8/10	"It's tough to recommend this release to anyone who already owns the DS version, a game that is still completely playable no matter which member of the 3DS family you own. Everything that was great about the original is still great here. But if you're one of the dwindling number of people still rocking a 3DS and you have yet to take a trip to the bowels of Bowser, it's an unforgettable adventure full of wit, charm, and comedy. Bowser Jr's Journey may not add anything worthwhile in regards to gameplay, but it does reaffirm that the strength of the Mario & Luigi franchise lies in its writing."
Aggregators
Compiler		Platform / Score
Metacritic		84
GameRankings		83.50%

Sales

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey has had a poor launch sales record, being one of the worst-selling Super Mario games to date since the Virtual Boy, having comparable sales figures to download-only titles and Mario's Tennis, a stark contrast to the original release it was based on which remains to be the best-selling Mario & Luigi title. In Japan, it sold under 9,500 units in the first week and dropped off the top 20 charts by the second week. In comparison of the time period released and another rerelease of an older Super Mario game, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe has sold 381,469 units in a lesser period of time. Comparing to other Nintendo 3DS ports of the Super Mario franchise released at a similar time frame on their first week, Luigi's Mansion and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker sold 27,000 and 20,547 units respectively. Famitsu's sales tracker reported the game as selling a total of 34,523 units over its Japanese lifetime, making it one of the worst-selling games in the entire Super Mario franchise.

Though not cited as a direct cause, the Mario & Luigi series developer AlphaDream would eventually shut down after filing for bankruptcy on October 1, 2019, citing "sluggish revenues" as one of the factors. One gaming journalist also claimed that he was told by an inside source that Nintendo had "axed other 3DS plans" due to the game's poor sales.

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey.

• 

  English logo

• 

  Mario, Luigi, Starlow, and Bowser

• 

  Bowser Jr., Kamek, and the Koopalings

• 

  Spike Blop

• 

  A Toad with Blorbed Toads

Quotes

Main article: List of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey quotes

Staff

Main article: List of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey staff

Glitches

Main article: List of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey glitches

References to other games

• Mario & Luigi: Dream Team: The game runs on the same engine used in this game. Many graphics originate in this game.
• Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam: One of Bowser Jr.'s artwork is reused from this game.
• Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions: The Minion Quest mechanic returns as a story mode for Bowser Jr. In addition, Captain Goomba, Captain Koopa Troopa, Captain Boo, and Captain Shy Guy make a reappearance as enemies and allies, and Captain Goomba's inadvertent role in giving Bowser amnesia (as well as that mode's ending where he got demoted as a result) is indirectly referenced right before Bowser Jr.'s tutorial fight against him, where Captain Goomba cites he does not wish to upset Bowser again. Both Morton and Ludwig also reference the Captains' role in saving Bowser near the beginning of and late in the game, respectively.

Development

While not much is known about the remake's development, several key details were shared in an interview with Game Informer shortly after the game's launch. According to AlphaDream producer Yoshihiko Maekawa and Nintendo producer Akira Otani, the main reason they remade Bowser's Inside Story for the 3DS instead of the Nintendo Switch was due to timing; they could easily build the game based on existing assets and, more critically, they wanted to retain the dual-screen elements of the original title such as the minigames and Giant Battles. The reason they skipped over a remake of Partners in Time was because they wanted to remake the best received title in the series. Additionally, they wanted to take the opportunity to explore the parent-child dynamics between Bowser and Bowser Jr., which manifested in Bowser Jr.'s Journey.

Pre-release and unused content

During the Nintendo Direct on March 8, 2018, badges were shown to be available much earlier than in the original. In the final release, badges are obtained at the same point as in the original. It is unknown if this change was actually intended for the final product.

Unused sprites of Ludwig in a Clown Car, Iggy on the ground in battle, Bloopers, Golden Eggs, blue, green, yellow and pink Toads, and green, red and white Magikoopas on broomsticks can be found in the game's files.

Update history

Version 1.1

Date Released: 5 February, 2019

Nintendo eShop Update Content Description:

• Depending on the event, sometimes the player got stuck on a certain map when controlling Luigi solo and trying to save the game progress by using the Save Block. The issue has been fixed.
• By downloading the update data, this issue will no longer occur.
• Also, if the issue has already occurred, it will be fixed so that the player can continue playing.

Version 1.2

Date Released: 19 March, 2019

Nintendo eShop Update Content Description:

• Addressed an issue where sound wouldn’t play for music from the Nintendo DS version of Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story in the Music Menu, under Records.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	マリオ＆ルイージRPG3 DX Mario ando Ruīji Āru Pī Jī Surī Derakkusu	Mario & Luigi RPG 3 DX
Chinese (traditional)	瑪利歐&路易吉RPG3 DX Mǎlì'ōu & Lùyìjí RPG 3 DX	Mario & Luigi RPG 3 DX
French (NOA)	Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey	-
French (NOE)	Mario & Luigi : Voyage au centre de Bowser + L'épopée de Bowser Jr.	Mario & Luigi: Journey to the Center of Bowser + The Epic of Bowser Jr.
German	Mario & Luigi: Abenteuer Bowser + Bowser Jr.s Reise	Mario & Luigi: Bowser Adventure + Bowser Jr.'s Journey
Italian	Mario & Luigi: Viaggio al centro di Bowser + Le avventure di Bowser Junior	Mario & Luigi: Journey to the Center of Bowser + The Adventures of Bowser Jr.
Spanish (NOA)	Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey	-
Spanish (NOE)	Mario & Luigi: Viaje al centro de Bowser + Las peripecias de Bowsy	Mario & Luigi: Journey to the Center of Bowser + The Adventures of Bowser Jr.