âSuper Mario Partyâ video game review
By Roshni Riar, Staff Writer
After much anticipation, Super Mario Party for the Nintendo Switch was released on October 5. Super Mario Partyâs release celebrates 20 years since Mario Party, the first of the now 11 main instalments to the series, was released in 1998. Nintendo Switch gamers, myself included, have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of more Mario universe adventures. Considering the fact that Iâve already logged 15 hours of gameplay since the gameâs release, I think itâs safe to say Iâm a huge fan.
Upon loading the game, youâre greeted with classic Mario characters. Old favourites like Mario, Luigi, Toad, Princess Peach, and Yoshi are trying to figure out who the true Superstar is, and the âtime-honoured traditionâ of a party is suggested to determine the winner. Bowser and his clan show up, challenging Marioâs crew, setting up the competition and narrative. With that, you select your characterâKoopa Troopa is my go-to palâand enter the Party Plaza, where youâre able to choose your level of difficulty and style of game. If youâre playing against the computer, Iâd recommend the âvery hardâ difficulty if you want any competition at all.
Party Mode, the classic game mode, returns with three boards to immediately choose from, as well as an unlockable fourth. While that isnât a lot of options, the 80+ minigames keep each battle fresh and exciting. The release of Super Mario Party also saw some new game modes addedâlike River Survival, in which you work together with your team to race against the clock down a river while playing minigames along the way. Thereâs also Partner Party, a team edition of Party Mode, where you share dice rolls with your chosen partner and move freely around the board. My personal favourite is the Sound Stage, where you mirror movements shown on screen in time with the beat to earn coins. If you donât feel like committing to a full game, you can just play a selection of minigames too.
While I do enjoy the game, there are a few downsides worth mentioning. Players can only use separated Joy-Con controllers to play the game, so your Pro and Wired Controllers will have to sit Super Mario Party out. The Joy-Con are required because the game relies quite heavily on motion controls. Fortunately, the motion controls really add to the game and arenât gimmicky or unsatisfying.
Another downside is that you canât play Party Mode online, so youâre limited to either needing four Joy-Con, two Nintendo Switches, or having to play with computers offline. You can play minigames online, but thatâs about it. A lot of people were looking forward to the possibility of playing the board game itself online, but it doesnât look like that will be happening. These downsides can be disappointing, but they donât totally detract from the game or ruin the experience. Theyâre minor inconveniences that can be worked around.
Thereâs a lot to do in Super Mario Party, some familiar and plenty new, which keeps you coming back. Itâs hard to get bored when there are tons of options for deciding the kind of game experience you want to have. The graphics are clean and the music is upbeat, fun, and easy to get stuck in your head. The game is engaging and a complete, polished package. I think itâs safe to say that Super Mario Party is a great addition to the Nintendo Switch and the Mario universe.