Nintendo introduced theMario Partyfranchise with the original trilogy on the Nintendo 64, a trio of party games featuring imaginative boards and fun mini-games. Nintendo has released numerousMario Partygamessince then, though few, if any, have enjoyed the same praise as the N64 originals.Mario Party Superstarsis the latest installment in the long-running series, but instead of trying to introduce new concepts, it relies on popular content from the older games, remastering boards, mini-games, and more for the Nintendo Switch.
Mario Party Superstarsis Nintendo’s secondMario Partygame for the Switch, following 2018’sSuper Mario Party.Super Mario Partyreviews were mixed, as the game was plagued by time-wasting gimmicks, poorly-implemented motion controls, and a head-scratching lack of online multiplayer support at launch. WithMario Party Superstars, Nintendo addresses many of the complaints people had aboutSuper Mario Partywhile giving fans of the franchise the chance to revisit some of their favorite content from the original games.
Mario Party Superstarshas numerous quality of life improvements that make it a more appealing game to play when compared toSuper Mario Party. For example,Mario Party Superstarsplayers are easily able to adjust settings to speed up text, skip tutorials, and more. The divisive bonus stars can be turned off before starting each game, with players presented with the options upfront instead of having to dig around in menus.
Mario Party Superstarsalso does away with the overbearing gimmicks that artificially lengthedSuper Mario Partygames. There are still moments on game boards where players have to watch short scenes or talk with NPCs, but they’re relatively infrequent and when they do happen, they’re over fast. This way, players are able to focus more on actually making their way around the boards and competing in mini-games, letting them get to the more entertaining aspects ofMario Party Superstarsquicker.
And since the bulk of the content inMario Party Superstarsis pulled from the original Nintendo 64 games, players don’t have to worry about other divisive features weighing things down.Mario Partygames have had a big focus on motion controls ever since they debuted on the Nintendo Wii, butMario Party Superstarsditches motion controls, opting instead to recreate the Nintendo 64 and GameCube era mini-games as faithfully as possible.
The vast majority of theseMario Party Superstarsmini-gamesare easy to play and can be operated with a single button or the use of one stick. This simplicity goes a long way in helping the pacing ofMario Party Superstars, as it eliminates the need to have mini-game tutorials active, with players having the option to turn them off completely.
Doing away with motion controls is a great move forMario Party Superstars,in particular, as it allows players to have more controller options. Some may recallSuper Mario Partywas oddly restrictive when it came to its controller options due to the mini-games having motion controls, with players forced to play with a single Joy-Con.Mario Party Superstars' focus on old-school mini-games means players can use pretty much any Nintendo Switch controller they want.
Players will be able to take any Nintendo Switch controller they want and use it to compete against their friends and CPU-controlled players inMario Party Superstars' various game modes. The boards inMario Party Superstarsare the main attraction, with players able to choose from five different boards from the first threeMario Partygames: Yoshi’s Tropical Island, Space Land, Peach’s Birthday Cake, Woody Woods, and Horror Land.
Mario Party Superstarsremasters these fan-favorite boardswith highly-detailed artwork that makes them look better than ever. In typical Nintendo fashion,Mario Party Superstarslooks great, the music is catchy, and everything is polished, so fans won’t have much to complain about at all when it comes to the game’s presentation.
Not only doesMario Party Superstarsbring back classic boards from the originalMario Partygames, but it also features 100 classic mini-games. While theMario Party Superstarsboards exclusively featureNintendo 64-eraMario Partygame boards, the mini-games are pulled from both Nintendo 64 and GameCube titles. Players are given a lot of freedom when it comes to which mini-games they’ll encounter in any given game, as they can choose to only play mini-games from specific categories.
100 mini-games seems like a lot, but players will likely have played every mini-game on offer after only a handful of matches. WithMario Party Superstarsessentially being a “best of” compilation ofMario Partymini-games, almost every mini-game here is fun to a certain extent, though they get repetitive before too long. It seems as though not even 100 mini-games are enough to giveMario Party Superstarssignificant longevity in that department.
Something that could ensureMario Party Superstarslasts longer than its Switch predecessor is the inclusion of proper online multiplayer connectivity.Mario Party Superstarslets players battle others online, competing in traditionalMario Partyboard games as well as in mini-game competitions. Jumping intoMario Party Superstars' online multiplayeris a breeze and matchmaking is fast. Of course, Nintendo Switch Online isn’t the most reliable online gaming service and so players can expect to lose connection from time to time, though if they do they will be given the option to rejoin whatever activity they were doing before they were kicked.
The inability to take local players online seems like an oversight, but otherwise, theMario Party Superstarsonline multiplayer is a real selling point. Being able to play classicMario Partymini-games and boards online is likely a game-changer for fans of the series, as it means they will basically always have a real person to play with.
Online multiplayer inMario Party Superstarsis a huge selling point, but it’s also one of the only reasons why fans would want to stick with the game for an extended period of time. Unfortunately,Mario Party Superstarsdoesn’t have much in the way of noteworthy unlockable content. Unless they’re hidden extremely well in the game,Mario Party Superstarsdoesn’t appear to have any unlockable boards, characters, or anything else besides encyclopedia entries, music tracks, and other things that players can purchase at the shop.
Mario Party Superstarshas an achievement system to give fans more to do as well as give them more direction than they may be used to from a party game like this, but the achievements can hardly replace unlocking new characters and the like. It’s a shame, too, as theMario Party Superstarsrosterseems rather thin when compared to some otherSuper Mariocrossover projects.
The lack of worthwhile unlockable content is one of the biggest downsides inMario Party Superstars, but those who are only interested in using it as a party game likely won’t be all that disappointed.Mario Party Superstarshas fun online multiplayer functionality and makes a number of important quality of life improvements when compared to its predecessor, and so it’s still a big step in the right direction for the franchise, despite some of its shortcomings.
Mario Party Superstars
WHERE TO PLAY
Roll your dice and race to get the most stars (and sabotage your opponents) on 5 game boards. Each board is filled with treats and tricks—plant flowers (and Piranha Plants) on the delectable Peach’s Birthday Cake board or go intergalactic on the Space Land board. With minigames, star-stealing ghosts, and the troublemaking Bowser, you may turn the tables on your friends and family in an instant. Want to play with far-off friends and family? All modes can be played online.Try your hand at a superstar collection of minigames from throughout the Mario Party series. Whether you are sharpening your skills solo or challenging your family at game night, there is nothing quite like being the last one standing in Booksquirm or surviving a penguin stampede in Pushy Penguins.
