The iconic Mario Party series returns to the Nintendo Switch consoles with a new game: Superstars, much to the delight of long-time fans. But what is the multiplayer game all about?
Arriving to the Nintendo Switch consoles on October 29th 2021 is a party pandemonium; the release of Mario Party Superstars. Now numbering twelve in the series, Mario Party Superstars is the result of a long lineage that began back in 1998, receiving a new iteration every 3 years or so for the last few decades. Those born in the late 80’s and early 90’s might remember their first gaming experiences embedded in the early Mario Party games; Mario Party Superstars offers up the chance to re-live these times with the same smile on our faces – quite the sentimental experience.
What is the game all about?
Mario Party Superstars encompasses five classic board games from the first three games of the gaming series, known as the N64 Era, along with 100 button-supported minigames to be played in 2 v 2 or 3 v 1 modes. Players roll the Dice Block to gain their turn to move around the board, landing on different spaces and their attendant outcomes, with the end of every round meaning the advent of a minigame. Mario Party Superstars hosts LAN and online co-op play, as well as random multiplayer matchmaking; you can play whoever you are with, wherever you are. Convenience is king in the gaming industry, hence why Nintendo have also allowed players to save progress mid-match and return to play at any time – a feature that seems a nod in the direction of the adults that helped initially helped propel the Mario Party series into stardom as children. Minigames, a few of which can be played in The Top 100, range from Survival, Tag and Sport games, Hot Rope Jump, Pushy Penguins and Goomba Spotting, Mario Party Superstars is not certainly stingy in the amount of fun to be had, consisting of enough variety to persuade anyone to join the party.
What boards do we get to play on?
Throughout our party adventures we can compete to gain stars and earn redeemable coins too – whoever has the most when everyone is partied-out wins. We can pick from 10 playable characters thus far, including Princess Daisy, but it would be no surprise if Nintendo took heed of their fanbases suggestions for further DLC boards and characters. Still, re-exploring the near-identical (bar room for Item Shops etc) Space Land, Peach’s Birthday Cake, Woody Woods, Yoshi’s Tropical Island and Horror Land boards provides more than enough fun and entertainment, with each being jam packed with minigames. However, if you do get slightly tired of dice-travelling around each map, Mount Minigames waits in the clouds for you, giving the chance to delve further into an even wider variety of activities.
Mario Party Superstars dons that quintessential Mario design but uses newer technology to create a nostalgic but fluid gaming experience – we can’t see anyone complaining about the visuals, put it that way. The game is perhaps the perfect play during family festivities, and the breadth of minigames mean no competition need to be the same. Nintendo have truly played their part in what fans are dubbing ‘the best Mario Party game in recent years’, and others calling the game a ‘hangout staple’ – even Birdo returns this time around, and that speaks volumes. Be sure to keep your Switch JoyCons charged for October 29th!
Images sourced from Nintendo.