Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story :: Tips and Tricks

Courtesy of Nintendo

It's a jungle out there, and in Bowser's body. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story features some of the most difficult boss battles and even normal battles among the Mario & Luigi Superstar game series. Luckily, KidzWorld is here to give you some tips to condition your mind and Bowser's body for the task!

General Tips

If you ever get stuck in the game, there are two places where you can find help. First, try pressing select to bring up the map. Scroll around to see how to navigate your current location and, more importantly, to see if there is a star somewhere on the map. This star represents where you need to go. Additionally, if you hit a Save block and go to the save menu, the top screen will give you a quick hint on what you should be doing.

As you travel around, save often! This is especially true if you are going into a new area with enemies you have never seen before. Until you figure out the attack pattern and the signals they give you before they attack, it is a good idea to always save whenever you can since you don't know if you might lose a battle suddenly. It's better to save your Retry Clocks for boss battles to avoid long conversations, but if you have gone a long time without saving, sometimes you might need to use one to save yourself some frustration.

You can make enemies reappear in several ways. First, leave the area where you want enemies to reappear. Then, either save and restart the game, switch between Bowser and the Mario brothers, or leave/enter Bowser's body through the pipe and then go back. Doing this will bring back enemies for you to beat on to gain levels and coins.

When you level up, try to boost your POW stat the most. This will help you finish battles faster, which is very important. Rely on your gear and healing items to keep you alive instead of the DEF and HP stats. Also, learn the attack patterns of your enemies so that you can avoid taking damage in battle. When rolling for the bonus number, there is no time limit, so take as long as you want to time it so that you get the largest bonus.

When you start seeing a lot of ones, you can boost up your Speed stat and Luck stat (Mustache for the Mario brothers and Horn for Bowser). The Luck stat will not only give you more Lucky! hits in battle, but will also give you better luck when scratching cards at the shop.

Always buy the best gear available and switch out your badges and gear whenever appropriate. For example, you may want to fight some weak enemies while equiping the Nurse Socks and Siphon Boots when you are getting low on HP. Use items outside of battle whenever you can. Coins are relatively easy to come by in the game, so don't be afraid to buy 10 or 20 of each item and to use the 10 Coin healing service at shops. You can use the Cholesteroad Challenge and Madame Broque's Massage Challenge to earn more gear and coins.

If you are having a hard time with a boss, level up and charge up your badges before battle. Also, practice your special attacks so that you can rely on them when you need them to deal heavy damage.

Mario & Luigi Tips

Outside of Bowser's body, the enemies are stuck in their own area. You will notice this when one starts to chase you only to get stuck running in place. Take advantage of this by equiping the Dent Gloves and hammering them in the face for a potential free kill.

If one brother goes down, you should use a 1Up Deluxe right away. Not only do you need both Mario and Luigi in order to do your special attacks, but your ability to dodge hits is reduced since the other brother must carry the first on their back!

In terms of special attacks, the Fire Flower is easy to do, but lacks power. The shell is nice to have in the beginning, but you should practice and use the Jump Helmet and then the Super Bouncer once you get it. Meteor is probably the best special attack, but requires a lot of practice. Snack Basket and Magic Window are also excellent attacks to use, but costs a bit more SP. Falling Star is great, but comes too late in the game and you can only use it for the last few bosses.

Bowser Tips

Watch the Vacuum block whenever you fight. If it is flashing, you can use it for some effect! Use it on every new enemy you see in order to collect Blitties. To make the most of the block, use two fingers and hit the X and Y buttons repeatedly and quickly.

During Giant Bowser fights, don't bother healing, it is usually a waste of time. When using fire balls to shoot enemies out of the air, tap at a steady rhythm so that your fire won't die out too quickly.

Bowser's best special attack is probably Koopa Corps. Magikoopa is also very strong but comes much later in the game and costs more. Broggy Bonker is available after you collect all the Blitties and give them to the shop keeper. With Broggy Bonker and some practice, the final fight with Fawful is incredibly easy!

Related Articles: