Our review of Super Mario Party Jamboree, developed by Nintendo Cube. Available now for Switch.
WHAT IS IT?
The – oh my god, that can’t be right, is that right? – thirteenth entry in the Mario Party series.
IS IT GOOD?
It is a worthy successor to Mario Parties 1 and 2, which are the only Mario Parties that matter.
WHO SHOULD PLAY IT?
My kid sister.
CRASH BASH
Long ago, in the halcyon days of duelling bit-counts, we actually had to get together to play. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (1992) is the first game I concretely recall travelling to a friend’s house to play (hi Justin and Steven!), though there are others – GoldenEye, Street Fighter II, Iggy’s Reckin’ Balls – which formed an indelible part of my childhood.
Unsurprisingly, Nintendo was a master of 90s multiplayer, and as someone who did not own a Nintendo console, I was grateful for every invitation to a Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros, or some other type of Mario party. The best of which being (sorry Smash bros) the Mario Party series itself.
Released in 1999 (1998 in Japan), the original Mario Party brilliantly combined the turn-based randomness of board games with the interactive exhilaration of Nintendo video games. Strikingly, the Mario Party formula hasn’t changed much in 25 years: race to collect the most Stars; take turns rolling dice while travelling along a beautifully rendered virtual game board; interact with various Nintendo-themed characters who intervene for good (Toad) or for ill (Goombas). And most importantly, battle friends across a fantastic selection of four-player minigames.
SONIC SHUFFLE
Bumper Balls, Crazy Cutter, Slot Car Derby… for a certain generation, simpy uttering these phrases can elicit a deep wave of nostalgia. So too, for that matter, do names like “DK’s Jungle Adventure” or “Peach’s Birthday Cake”, the perfectly designed – and perfectly soundtracked – game boards of the original Party. To this day, I do not hesitate to propose Mario Party for any get-together, even if it means convincing my friends to haul out their N64s.
Last year’s Super Mario Superstars went some way to justifying leaving those N64s gathering dust, thanks to its greatest hits compilation of minigames from across Mario Party history, including the aforementioned Cutters, Balls, and Derby. But Superstars was, by and large, a remake/remix, leaving gamers starved for a proper new entry.
Cue Super Mario Party Superstars, the first new entry since 2018’s Super Mario Party (also on Switch). A game that can be played with up to four players locally or online, Jamboree is a fine return to form, borrowing liberally from the best of the earlier entries – yes, Bumper Balls is here – while also introducing fun new boards, concepts, and minigames.
Wisely, it also allows for a bevy of control options, including the ability to split your Joy-Cons to use horizontally as mini-controllers: as long as you own two Joy-Cons, you’re good to go for four players.
PAC-MAN FEVER
Jamboree‘s boards are universally great. The starter board Mega Wiggler’s Tree Party is a great (re)introduction to Mario Party‘s zany mix of skill- and luck-based gameplay – it’s still infuriating, all these years later, to have a Star stolen on the final turn – while more complex boards like Mario’s Rainbow Castle or King Bowser’s Keep result in an even more hectic and ever-shifting race for first place. Board-specific events, like Goomba Lagoon’s unfortunately (but hilariously) timed volcano eruptions, sow even more chaos.
When I said Mario Party hasn’t changed, I really meant it: the dice and character models look the same; the minigames, while mostly new inventions, feel like they were transported from the 90s; the ebb and flow instantly brings me back to sleepovers of old. Certain sound effects appear to have been ripped from the old N64 files and given an HD makeover.
What has changed is nearly all for the better: games move quicker (thank goodness), control better (there are no bleeding palms like we wore as badges of honour in the N64 era), and are slightly better balanced, though there’s still the ever-present risk of last-minute Star or Coin theft. The “Ally” system from the 2018 Switch Party allows occasionally sends computer-controlled Mushroom Kingdom characters to team up with you, increasing your chances of rewards or bonus minigames.
New modes, like the co-op friendly Kaboom Squad or the online-enabled Koopathlon, which sees up to twenty players competing in a series of minigames, round out the offerings when you don’t have time for a full game. (The menu helpfully lets you know the standard 10-turn board takes about 90 minutes to complete.)
FUZION FRENZY
Perhaps best of all, Jamboree finally, finally, introduces modifiable “Pro Rules” which drastically dial down the randomness. They’re not always recommended – part of the fun of Party is its chaos – but for those looking for a tougher challenge, Pro gives you the option to, say, deactivate Hidden Blocks, or reduce the amount of Bowser-enabled Star Steals. Nicest of all, Pro Mode puts every minigame to a vote: instead of the game deciding, you’re shown a short menu of options, with players voting as a group.
On the other hand, you still have to watch as computer-controlled characters laboriously play out their full turn – a pain unless you happen to have three roommates who like digital board games.
I also loathe the fact that, unlike past Parties, you can actually fail the “practice” mode offered up just before each minigame. There’s nothing worse than instantly failing a practice game you’ve never encountered before, only to watch your friends get in a full practice round before the minigame starts for real.
Those are minor annoyances, however, in the grand scheme of things. Even (or especially) if your old sleepover pals are married with kids by now, Jamboree is a fine excuse to get the whole gang together for an evening of in-person fun. I’ll bring the pizza pockets.
***
Final score: 9/10 birthday cakes.
Visit the official website for Super Mario Party Superstars here.
