It's a double-edged sword; Bowser gains depth, but we gotta ask if it changes the nature of Mario games being straightforward good vs evil. The nuance is cool, but complicating Bowser's motive does take away from that 'princess is in another castle' simplicity, don’t ya think?

Honestly, I miss the old Bowser. Games these days try too hard to be deep. Sometimes a villain is just a villain, we don't need a sob story for every baddie. But hey, I get why people like it, just not my cup of tea.

Totally agree! Paper Mario series really did Bowser justice. However, don't forget the original RPG - Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. That's where we first saw more of Bowser’s personality. Being on Mario’s team was groundbreaking at the time!

Absolutely! What I love most is how they've fleshed out his role as a father in the Mario & Luigi RPGs. Bowser's Inside Story was a masterpiece in character development. It's not just the dialogue, but also the gameplay that reflects his personality. He's fierce, yet has this begrudging care for his minions, and seeing the interactions with his son, Bowser Jr., adds a lot of depth. It's a far cry from where he started as the one-dimensional bad guy in the original Super Mario Bros.

I just started getting into the Mario games and I can't believe how much Bowser has changed. He even gets to race in Mario Kart and throw parties in Mario Party. Awesome to see a villain do more than just villain stuff!

yawn... Bowser's story is as deep as a kiddie pool. Let's be real, we just want to see him get pwned by Mario every time, right?

It's crazy how much Bowser's changed!! Like in Odyssey where he's a groom?! Creativity off the charts tbh. He's not just a villain, but also someone with goals and dreams and that's super cool.

Def agree with ya! Paper Mario Bowser is my fave, actually has a sense of humor and isn't just straight up evil like in the early games lol