For those of you who are through with the property, go in peace—there is nothing for you here. For the rest of our readership, allow me to introduce you to Super Mario Party.
Now in its eleventh incarnation, Super Mario Party lands on the Nintendo Switch this Friday, October 5th. It arrives with its stalwart virtual board game mode intact, some 80 new madcap minigames, and, it turns out, a whole lot more.
It’s an every-man-for-himself kind of affair, with bonds forged and relationships ruined with every roll of the character-specific Dice Block—a new element that offers modified versions of the standard D6 tailored to each player character’s strengths, weaknesses, and personality. Rolls can also be supplemented by picking up Allies, additional characters that pop up on the board and can be recruited by the first player they encounter.
In the spirit of cooperation, Super Mario Party also adds Partner Party, a two-on-two variant. Partners combine dice rolls, but they can move independently, which adds a nice layer of strategy. You and your huckleberry can split up to explore the board, harvest Coins and Stars, divide and conquer (and stomp) your competitors to stymie their progress or any combination of the two.
These exclusive minigames can be played across two shared Switch systems, doubling the in-game real estate by extending the playing surface across one tablet and onto another. It’s an impressive and enjoyable tabletop experience, but, of course, you’ll need two Nintendo Switch systems and two copies of the game for the trick to work.
Despite all the promise of both the Mariothon and Toad’s Rec Room modes, though, my family seemed to get the most enjoyment out of River Survival, a four-player cooperative river adventure that combines the best of Wii- and Kinect-era motion-enabled gaming with the spirit of friendly (or not-so-friendly) competition inherent in the Mario Party franchise.
Control-wise Super Mario Party further refines the motion-activated slant of previous Wii and Wii U titles. The Joy-Con controllers are more responsive, allow for a bit more nuance, and are significantly less unwieldy than the Wii-motes that came before. Whether you’re catching Cheep Cheeps, climbing up a flagpole, or passing a bomb hot-potato-style, these diminutive controllers hold their own.
But—and I can’t stress this enough—it works. While it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, Super Mario Party plays to the strengths of the Nintendo Switch hardware. (Even if this is to the overall detriment of its other, more traditional control modules.)
In short, with dozens of playable characters (and even more non-playable hosts and guest stars), the special Dice Block mechanic, new game boards, a more expansive slate of modes, and scores of new minigames, Super Mario Party is a notable addition to the long-running series. It may not be enough to lead those lost sons and daughters back to the franchise, but with a keen understanding of what it is and what it should be—namely, an over-the-top multiplayer experience that rewards skill without discounting the pure power of dumb luck—this newest Mario Party is nothing short of super.
Review materials provided by: Nintendo of America