A Fun Mario & Luigi RPG Adventure, With Some Beautiful Graphics and Dynamics In Combat and Exploration
This is done in a very classic style of Mario and Luigi games, you explore the levels in the same platform presentation, but when you come across enemies it changes to a RPG - Final Fantasy style battle scene with turn-based action. This feels right at home for me, as a Final Fantasy fan and it is fun to fight your enemies, who surprisingly are Browser's stomach contents, enemies are food or creatures he's swallowed whole. Battles are turn-based with Mario first, and then Luigi using their abilities and skills to fight so many different enemies.
Now what changes the dynamics of the game, is that you control Browser even as Mario and co are inside his stomach, and Browser becomes a hero as everyone goes after the real villain of the game. Gameplay switches between Browser and Mario and Luigi inside his stomach. The tactics of your battles evolve as you collect new skills to use against enemies, and buying equipment and weapons for Mario and Luigi to use.
The Good:
- Mario & Luigi in RPG style, with turn-based combat and exploration.
- Graphically it is a beautiful game with it's animations of Browser, and Mario & Luigi, as well as beautifully crafted environments of the game that you explore.
- Combat is very well done, perhaps simple for a good reason so newbies to RPG's are welcome to try it.
- Combat employs skills and abilities you unlock and use later in the game, from new attacks to powers.
- Exploration plays out like the platform style of previous Mario & Luigi games, and smoothly switches to RPG dynamics when you confront enemies.
- Hours of exploration and game-play, with backtracking in the game for coins and other hidden items.
The Bad:
- Sometimes you can forget to manually save the game, and are forced to start the game from a point in time before you unlocked a good skill or power, or even before you bought new equipment - the game does not automatically save your progress or prompt you to, and save points are not common in later levels.
Mario & Luigi: Browser's Inside Story is unique, and perhaps a gem of Nintendo's now proving a platform franchise can move to RPG game-play smoothly, and without incident. For fans of the franchise it's a golden installment to have in your collection, or for fans of general RPG's that are easy to get into, it's worth a look into.