Listen! Nintendo has done a fantastic job lately of reaching back to some of its long-running franchises, like Metroid and Pikmin, to bring us new entries that play on the core strengths of what made us love them in the first place. of just blowing them up with fluff and distractions.
With Pikmin 4 in particular, we saw the series refocus on actual puzzling and exploration, pulling away from the often scripted events of 3 to re-engage players on a more satisfying level. Likewise, Metroid Dread felt like a stripped-down return to that franchise’s roots, one that too very carefully modernized and updated things, so as not to interfere with the magic that makes us dig into them in the first place.
Anyway, what does all this have to do with Super Mario Party Jamboree, crazy old man? Well, what Nintendo has done here is made this the biggest Mario Party ever, as promised, but in a way that carefully elevates all the best aspects of this series, removing past annoyances and raising the level of mini-games improves, And introducing new modes and features that are worthwhile without disrupting the balance. In short, it’s our favorite Mario Party game yet, and that’s saying something considering the rave reviews we’ve given these bad boys in the past.
If you watched our extended preview from a few weeks ago, you already know that we enjoyed our time with the main Mario Party mode here. You’ll have a total of seven boards to play, with five brand new themed experiences and two returning favorites in the form of Western Land (banger) and Mario’s Rainbow Castle (sky banger). Honestly, it’s kind of hard to pick a bad one out of the many.
Both new and old boards look and sound absolutely fantastic – this is one of the prettiest Switch games we’ve played in a while, one that also manages to achieve a smooth frame rate across all modes – and the various interactive elements that each one you bring to the table add just enough raw silliness to ensure that every session is a fun time, especially if you have a bunch of friends in tow.
We blasted through Mega Wiggler’s Tree Party, Roll ’em Raceway, Goomba Lagoon, King Bowser’s Keep and Rainbow Galleria with two young kids (ages 7 and 10) in our group, and we can confirm that Jamboree is now a real evening staple, as long as it which we all enjoy equally.
If we focus on one of the old boards, Western Land, and compare it to the older versions from previous party outings, we can see that it retains its interactive train element, while staying very close to the original in look and feel. However, the spaces on the board have been shortened, more item shops and nodes have been added, and it’s been given a sleek visual overhaul that makes it all look really nice. These changes make for a faster and more action-packed experience, and that’s before we add the brand new Jamboree Buddies to the game.
Friends appear in the form of random members from a collection of 10 of the 22 strong roster of playable characters, who drop into a location on the board during a round and give you a set number of turns to reach them. Find a friend in time and he or she will join you, granting various benefits and favors, letting you take coins from people as you pass them, buying two stars at a time (collecting stars is how you win, baby), and the like things. thing. Buddies also participate through some special mini-games, such as Wario’s own quiz show, which are fun highlights when they appear.
With friends on the board, more shops to grab items from, and interactive aspects like changing tides, exploding volcanoes, catapults on the race track, and even attacks from Bowser himself, the core experience here feels more alive than ever. The rules remain the same, meaning it’s easy to get started and play, but we’re also getting Pro rules this time. As we mentioned in our preview, these rules unlock a whole new way to play, removing all the luck-based mini-games (out of the 110 belters on offer) and giving everyone a starting item to play with.
Even if you’re playing with a younger crowd, Pro mode adds a little extra spice to Mario Party nights. It’s harder to hold on to your stars and coins, there’s more opportunity to screw things up for other players, and skill-deciding minigames… well… it certainly increases the tension.
The minigames themselves are also of a much improved level this time. It speaks volumes that we can’t think of anything we downright hate, and the mix of motion-driven efforts (which can be turned off) and things that focus on timing and working together as teams means that even the adults have a hard time having a good time.
All of this adds up to the best Mario Party mode we’ve ever played: fact! This is then supplemented with additional activities which are also great fun, thank you, and many people will, no doubt, be excited to delve into the impressively elaborate solo shenanigans that make up Party Planner Trek. Here you can freely roam boards and complete missions for the residents of Mushroom Kingdom, while also collecting new equipment and decorations for your plaza. It’s not essential by any means, but it’s a nice addition, especially since the rest of the game is pretty solo-player friendly as well.
Bowser’s Kaboom Squad is certainly the fanciest and most modern of the new gadgets. Here you and up to three friends take on a rampaging Bowser on a selection of three maps, where you must collect bombs and load them into a large cannon that can pierce the thick old reptilian skin – while also avoiding angry enemies and explosions . There’s a little strategy involved that promotes teamwork, and while it won’t be your favorite activity for long, it’s a decent side activity that we’ve often played alongside the main party fare.
The only downside to the chaos of Bowser’s Kaboom Squad is that to play with your friends in local co-op, you’ll need one Switch console per person, as each player needs their perspective on the action. It’s a bit of a shame, and the same goes for Kooplathon, but we get it, and there are still online randoms and decent AI to play with if you don’t have a bunch of Switch friends.
In Kooplathon, another brand new mode, you play online with up to 19 others in a race to defeat Imposter Bowser. You can also play with up to three friends, with bots filling in the rest, and the focus on minigames here makes for a refreshing change of pace that falls somewhere between the full experience and a minigame collection, which you can also find at Minigame. Bay, this outing’s slick replacement for Superstar’s Mt. Mini games.
Slightly more redundant additions come in the form of Paratroopa Flight School and Toad’s Item Factory, both of which focus on motion controls to present a selection of mini-games and free exploration of small areas. There’s also Rhythm Kitchen, which at the very least gets you moving as you – rather inexplicably – get up and start cooking to the beat with someone else present who is unlucky enough to be holding a controller. They’re all fun, sure, but these last three are as close to fluff and filler as Jamboree gets.
It’s a big old package, okay – they promised it would be – but for us the crowing glory here comes in the way the more modern and online aspects, the ‘battle pass’ sort of thing, and the Plaza hub area with its music stores. , decorations, etc. are so neat, well implemented and easy to navigate. The Plaza is also a merciful little hub: you can’t get lost and it leads straight to a hot air balloon from where you can easily observe and select all the modes.
This whole side of things is super slick, and it results in a Super Mario shindig that surpasses all its predecessors in terms of core gameplay, while also making for the most modern-feeling entry yet. Add in a few more bells and whistles, like the ability to disable motion-controlled games, giving younger players a better star start in games, and so on, and you’ve got a family-friendly Mushroom Kingdom whore that’s seriously tough. to find errors.
Of course we found errors; In the unlockable Pro mode you can only select a 12-turn game, which is a bit long at around 90 minutes each, but that’s really the sum of our complaints after a full month of play.
With the best visuals and performance we’ve seen in a Switch game for a while, and enough boards to keep you busy for quite some time to come, this feels like precisely the kind of Super Mario Party revival we were hoping for.
