Super Mario Party is a fresh game out now for the Nintendo Switch. The car from the last two games is finally put to bed, and it is once again time for solo play. Though there are of course some new modes which do shake things up. It’s great to see a full on Mario Party especially one that plays like the older ones. This game reminds me of my youth and that in itself is a good reason for me to play it.
Super Mario Party, of course, has all of the classic stars players have played as for years. Though this time around Bowser and his minions also make themselves playable. It’s interesting not to have Bowser spaces on the board. Clearly, the Koopa King just wanted to part of the party all of these years.
The player must beat all of the boards and modes to collect crystals. Collecting all of the crystals will name the character the true superstar. It is fun to play through all of the modes as the player’s favorite and make it known who really is number one! There isn’t much that changes except for a few characters having a slightly different end. They could have capitalized on this and made some bigger changes.
Toad gives the players a special pad which lets them travel to any mode in an instant. This pad is also filled with things to buy like stickers and music. These little goodies are just another incentive to keep playing the game. Scan an amiibo and the player might receive money or a shiny sticker!
Super Mario Party offers the classic Mario Party mode where players take on four different boards, one of which is unlockable. They choose up to 20 turns and battle it out on a board with items and minigames every turn. This is truly a classic experience, especially without the terrible car dynamic from Mario Party 9 and 10. The sad thing is that players can’t jump into a 50 turn game like many probably hoped for. But, the fact that it highlights how long each board will probably take is nice for time management.
Each of the boards has different ideas surrounding them changing the game in little ways. While their might only be four boards they are each fun to play and allow for quite a bit of fun if players are willing to play them. The beach level resembles an old board from the original Mario Party and is my favorite. But the other boards, a ruins board, a golden board, and a bomb factory board are also great to play on.
There is a co-op mode where players jump onto a raft and sail down a winding river. This mode can be played with up to four people or a mixture of people and computers. There are multiple paths so it doesn’t get stale and that is interesting. Players should also pop balloons and enjoy minigames to increase the time they have to get to the finish. It will also tell how many times the player has paddled so everyone can see who the weakest link is! This is a great mode to play together and as the first co-op mode its a great thing for this game to have.
Another mode they’ve thrown into the mix is a rhythm-based party mode. This game is filled with rhythm games that test a player’s ability to do things to the beat. The first round might seem easy, but players can do encores to try their hand at higher difficulties. This mode is
fun especially when one plays with people who just can’t get into the beat, can lead to hilarity ensuing. Plus, the minigames are pretty similar allowing for people to practice and get better.
Minigame mode is also a fun mode because players can play minigames in all sorts of ways. There are a variety of modes such as gathering space on a board and other similar modes. It’s great to just jump into when someone doesn’t have a lot of time on their hands. Plus the mini games are the best part of Mario Party anyway.
Challenge Road which is unlocked after beating all of the minigames. This is an excellent single-player mode where players take on all the minigames in challenges. These challenges actually do make the minigames harder and its a welcome addition to this great game. There is also a master mode once the player takes down challenge road for double the fun.
Players can also make picture collages that can be downright silly, using stickers and backgrounds from the game. Just another simple diversion. They can also answer Birdo’s quizzes to win stickers! But the last diversion lies in Toad’s Rec Room. This mode has the player using multiple gamepads or using them in different ways to play games together. It is interesting to see that Switch’s are compatible with connecting to each other like that as this feature hasn’t been seen before.
Super Mario Party might not be the perfect Mario Party but it is a lot of fun. It’s great to play this series again and enjoy it with people I know now. There are a wide variety of modes and it is always a treat to play with people especially at a party. With any luck, there will be more Mario parties to come. Super Mario Party is quite the game, will the player join the party?