History Videogame / MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory

* ClimaxBoss: Alpha Kretin. It's the last boss fought before Mario and Luigi can (momentarily) reunite with Peach before she's kidnapped by Fawful and the existence of the [[GreaterScopeVillain Dark Star]] is revealed. After that, Mario and Luigi can finally leave Bowser's body, opening up the second half of the game.
** The Dark Star for Mario and Luigi very late in the game, serving as the final boss that they fight inside Bowser's body alone. Not much later, Bowser finally takes on Dark Fawful, upon whose defeat the actual FinalBoss of the game ([[spoiler:Dark Bowser, a fusion of the Dark Star, Bowser's genetic data, and Fawful]]) is revealed.

* ClimaxBoss:
** Alpha/Beta Kretin, filling the same role as Petey Piranha in the previous game, but with a much larger plot revelation afterwards.

* LongSongShortScene: Every overworld location has a remix of their track that plays when you control the Mario Bros. inside Bowser, but only some areas actually require you to actually do so. The "inside Bowser" remixes of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtaPJGmdwtM Dimble Wood]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lVfk98DqjA Bumpsy Plains/Blubble Lake]], and [[spoiler:[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq5IT2hFfKI Peach's Castle Gardens]]]] will usually only play for a few seconds each when you're en route to minigames or subareas that play their own tracks. The only time you need to play as the Mario Bros. inside Bowser when he's in Cavi Cape is during a brief tutorial about switching control between them, so [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0zOCGBtKJE the area's "inside Bowser" version]] is likely to only be heard in snippets. The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CpF60jXys4 Toad Town]] and "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydnKDYsNsTs submerged in Blubble Lake]]" remixes can easily go completely unheard in a casual playthrough unless you specifically go out of your way to listen to them, as the areas are really small and there's nothing in them that changes Bowser's body for the Bros., so there's no reason to use them.

* AbsurdlyHighLevelCap: The game caps at Level 99. The final rank for all 3 characters is level 40, a good 15 levels above what you’re most likely to fight the FinalBoss at, and more than enough to {{CurbStompBattle demolish it]]. Some of the rematches of bosses in The Gauntlet do reach Rainbow Rank in recommended level but the final challenge is recommended at level 45 ([=3DS=])/level 50 (DS), only halfway to the cap.

* TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: Peach's Castle, which has been taken over by Fawful. It's extremely long, and partway through, the Mario Bros. take on Bowser's Airway, which serves as this for the inside of Bowser's body.

%%* WhenTreesAttack: Treevils in Dimble Woods. Like most plant-based enemies, KillItWithFire.

* AbsurdlyHighLevelCap: Level 99, in a game that can easily be beaten before level 40.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Giant battles are introduced in this installment, but they work differently from the other Mario and Luigi games. They involve the use of the microphone, you gain Exp after battle and there are no finishing moves. The remake would remove the former two while adding in the latter.

* EvilVersusOblivion: Bowser the VillainProtagonist vs. [[spoiler:the Dark Star/Dark Bowser, a destruction-seeking entity who eventually gets Fawful onto its side]].

* GreaterScopeVillain: [[spoiler:The Dark Star is the SealedEvilInACan LivingMcGuffin with power that Fawful wants to obtain to continue his conquest towards the Mushroom and Bowser's Kingdom. However once it's released, it become a [[EvilerThanThou far greater threat]] than Fawful, absorbing the beanish villain and covering the Mushroom World in darkness to set the stage for the FinalBattle]].

* AscendedExtra: Fawful goes from being a shopkeeper in ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime'' to the BigBad in this game.

* CurbStompBattle: During Bowser's fight with his own castle, [[TheDragon Midbus]] comes out and complains that Bowser is being unfair. Bowser just breathes fire on him and he immediately retreats.

* GlassCannon: The Challenge Medal now works this way as instead of putting the game on Hard Mode, it increases the damage the wearer gives and recieves.

* AwesomeButImpractical: The Fury status effect gives Bowser a big attack boost while lowering his defenses if he's taken a lot of damage in a single fight. This will probably only happen in some of the tougher boss battles, and if you're not good enough at countering attacks that you take enough damage to activate it, you probably won't last too long.

* BeamOWar: A brief fire-breathing contest ensues between Bowser and [[spoiler:Dark Bowser]] before the screen shatters and the final battle begins.

* BreadAndCircuses: Fawful. Not only does he win over the respect of nearly all of Bowser's henchmen, but he turns Bowser Castle into a ''theater''. And even Bowser has to admit that his cooking is excellent, although a bit fattening.

** Certain enemies cannot be fought as the bros. or Bowser but have attacks that are still tailor-made for them (i.e., Choombas puff out smoke letters of the bro it intends to attack, instead of a punch or shell smoke puff).

* BlazingInfernoHellfireSauce: {{Implied}} with Bowser's healing items: each level has an increasingly spicier-sounding name, going from "hot drumsticks" to "fiery drumsticks" and then "TNT drumsticks".

** Certain enemies cannot be fought as the bros. or Bowser but have attacks that are still tailor-made for them (i.e Choombas puff out smoke letters of the bro it intends to attack, instead of a punch or shell smoke puff).

* DudeNotFunny: When Starlow mockingly asks Luigi if he vanquished the Shroobs with some “serious crying”, he's visibly saddened by this. Mario tells Starlow that Luigi actually discovered the Shroobs' weakness. [[note]] Ironically, it was baby tears. [[/note]] Starlow quickly backpedals on her comment.

* KarmaHoudini: While Bowser does go through a lot in this game, and gets the stuffing kicked out of him for attacking the Mario Bros in the end, not even a word was said about him [[spoiler:attempting to steal the Dark Star’s power for himself after defeating Fawful.]]

!! Tropes appearing in the remake:

* SparedByAdaptation: In the original DS version, after Bowser's fight with the Fawful Express, the train blows up into several debris that crush the Monty Bros. as they attempt to flee in a panic. In the 3DS remake, they manage to escape after the battle, and Bowser throws the now abandoned train on a nearby bridge, destroying them both as they fall into a ravine.

* GrievousHarmWithABody: The Scutlet boss that swallows Starlow occasionally spits her back out, as an attack towards the Mario Bros.. Amusingly, instead of catching her and putting her aside to safety, they delve into the trope too as they ''[[SlapstickKnowsNoGender smash her right back at the boss]]'' as a counterattack. She's obviously peeved about it if the counter succeeds, before getting swallowed up again.

During the March 2018 Nintendo Direct, it was announced that ''Bowser's Inside Story'' would get a VideoGameRemake released in 2019 for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS[[note]]skipping over ''Partners in Time'' in the process[[/note]]. Like the ''Superstar Saga'' remake, [[VideoGame/BowserJrsJourney an extra strategy game mode centering around Bowser Jr.]] is included. The remake was the last ''Mario & Luigi'' title developed by [=AlphaDream=] before their bankruptcy and closure in 2019, though not the final game they released, ''period'' (that distinction goes to ''Kedama no Gonjiro: Fit & Run'', also in 2019. [[note]]Their final project, however, would be ''VideoGame/MarioAndSonicAtTheOlympicGames Tokyo 2020''.[[/note]]).

The third game in the ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' {{RPG}} series, released in 2009 for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS. Its [[MarketBasedTitle Japanese name]] is ''Mario and Luigi RPG [[NumberedSequels 3]][[ExcitedShowTitle !!!]]''.

** During the BossBattle with Junker, a bucket falls onto one of the Bros.'s heads and you (the player) must guide them around, avoiding being crushed by Thwomps. This is very similar to the premise of the Japan-only ''Mario & Wario'', where the fairy Wanda must successfully guide Mario through a level while one of various items is obscuring his vision. The first and most iconic of said items is a bucket.

** Done in a not as large scale by [[BonusBoss Bowser X]], who enlarges himself as an ultimate attack trying to roast the brothers or stomp them flat in an escape sequence.

* BonusBoss: There are three Shroobs locked up in Bowser Castle that give you a Bros. Move for winning. There's also the Challenge Node in Bowser's body (somewhere around his... liver?), although the fights there are only upgraded versions of old bosses with a turn limit added. This culminates in a BossRush incidentally featuring its own BonusBoss: Bowser X.

* TheCameo: In addition to the Bonus Boss of three Shroobs inside Bowser Castle's cryonics room, Elder Princess Shroob and eight Junior Shrooboids can be seen on the top screen during said boss fight.

** There's a BonusBoss battle against cryogenically-frozen Shroobs in Bowser Castle. Mario informs a disbelieving Starlow that Luigi was instrumental during the Shroob invasion after she mocks him by asking if his "ferocious crying" helped.

* TieredByName: All of the bosses from the Challenge Node are bosses from the main story made more powerful. They all have the same name as the original bosses but with "X" at the end of their names. Even the bonus boss Bowser X.

* AmazingTechnicolorBattlefield: Bowser compliments the final boss on creating a dark hurricane that's the "perfect backdrop for an awesome final battle".

The third game in the ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' {{RPG}} series, released in 2009 for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS. Its [[MarketBasedTitle Japanese name]] is ''[[ExcitedShowTitle Mario and Luigi RPG 3!!!]]''.

** Certain enemies cannot be fought as the bros. or Bowser but have attacks that are still tailored made for them (i.e Choombas puff out smoke letters of the bro it itends to attack, instead of a punch or shell smoke puff)

* Foreshadowing:
** The first enemies Bowser encounters are morbidly obese Goombas. It may see comedic at first and resemble the Blorbs, but the Chuboombas are carrying lollipops. Bowser is later subject to similar sweets that ends in the same result.

* TheMole: [[spoiler:Literally and played straight. The Monty Mole Brothers reveal themselves to have been working with Fawful all along, right before running Bowser over with the Fawful Express.]]