Score: 94 out of 100 (Reviewed on Nintendo DS)

Don’t think, from the title, that Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story is going to share some sob story of how Bowser’s childhood turned him into the dastardly dragon-turtle he is today. When it says, “inside story,” this new Nintendo release means it—literally.

Mario and Luigi must work together to survive turn-based battles inside Bowser's anatomy.

Bowser has swallowed Mario and Luigi, and now it’s your job to get rid of the awful Fawful and save Mushroom Kingdom from somewhere inside the Koopa King’s digestive tract. Meanwhile, you’ve also got to help Mario and Luigi escape from their arch nemesis’s innards.

In parts of the game Bowser swallows foes and you battle them right inside him. You also play as Bowser and battle bosses on the outside.

As Mario and Luigi, you can get Bowser to unwittingly help you in your quest. For example, when there are bones in the way, you tell him to drink water and the bones float up like buoys. Collect attack pieces as you go and get new special items, like green shells, that you can use in battle.

Players control Mario and Luigi at the same time and are required to use teamwork. For example, the brothers can kick a shell back and forth to obliterate their foes. Getting the timing down is important, as it allows the brothers to dish out more damage in the turn-based battles.

Some foes have resistances, so Mario and Luigi have to use an attack that makes sense. Some creatures are impervious to the now-familiar “jump on their head” attack, for instance.

Bowser’s Inside Story is a new variation on a now familiar theme. For diehards and newbies alike, it’s pure Mario and Luigi fun, with better graphics and a cooler storyline than in previous incarnations. Bowser’s Inside Story uses both DS screens more effectively than in games past. Instead of all the action taking place on one screen, like in earlier Mario games, there is something going on in both screens.

There’s enough variety of elements here, from puzzles to mini-games to epic battles, to keep players happy. The game also incorporates several different play modes. Players tap the touch screen with the stylus to shoot fireballs, or blow into the built-in microphone and Bowser breathes fire. In one epic battle, you can even turn the whole game on its side.

If there’s one thing we can say about Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story—this is one game that’s definitely got guts.

–Jake Watson contributed to this review