Despite its status as a spin-off, Mario Party has become a well-established franchise of its own over the course of many years. Since 1998, the series has delighted and, often, enraged many fans. Super Mario Party Jamboree is next in line, bringing new ways to play and yell.
To be fair, most of the venting is due to the series of party games being surprisingly competitive, despite its delightfully spirited aesthetic. I’ve often joked that if you’re looking to ruin friendships, few things work better than discussing religion, politics, or playing Mario Party. The games are a lot of fun for large gatherings, featuring exciting minigames to compete in as one of many dozens of Mario characters.
Party up in here
There are more than 20 Mario Party games across an assortment of consoles, handhelds, and arcades playing host to hundreds upon hundreds of minigames. It’s impressive that the series continues to grow and add even more ways to play. Super Mario Party Jamboree will be no exception when it arrives on Nintendo Switch. It’s a massive Mario Party game, featuring seven game boards, 22 playable characters, and more than 110 minigames. It also sports some cool new modes — two of which I got to try while at PAX West.
Sitting down at the event, I hopped into a traditional Party Mode with three others. We picked our chosen character, one going with Ninji, who makes their Mario Party debut. Pauline comes to Jamboree as the second of the two new characters to the roster. I went with my boy Wario, because, let’s just face it, he’s the best. Accept no substitute.
Wigglin’ on by
We played on one of the new boards, Mega Wiggler’s Tree Party. Super Mario Party Jamboree has five new boards for fans to try out, along with two from the series’ past. Mario’s Rainbow Castle from the original game is getting gussied up for Jamboree, as is Western Land from Mario Party 2.
Mega Wiggler’s Tree Party is pretty much as you’d imagine. It’s a board dressed up with bright, green grass, trees, and mushrooms. Piranha Plants are strategically placed around the board, napping away until a player got close enough for a bite. A gigantic Wiggler is holed up in the center — in a literal hole — with spaces on its back on which players could use to progress. Bells dotted around the map can be rung, causing the Wiggler to move and potentially ruin someone’s grand plans.
The map may be new, but the goal remains the same as it has for the last 26 years: Hit the dice, move around the board, grab coins, win minigames, and collect those Stars! The one with the most Stars is the winner and the target of scorn.
Our match also started as expected. We took turns punching a rolling die, and the person with the highest number went first. For us, that was the newcomer Ninji, who managed to grab the game’s first Star within a span of about two minutes. The tension was already rising.
We hopped into a few minigames while traveling around the board. One had us sliding around an icy platform while giant heads blew a gust of wind that threatened to push us into the cold water. Another had us ground-pound a button that sent out a ring of light; get hit by the light three times and you’re out. Most of the games we played were were a blast, offering a blend of challenge and humor. Jamboree lets you practice the minigame and learn its rules before starting, which is typical.
We didn’t manage to get too far. The Nintendo reps quickly moved us to the first of the game’s new online modes before Ninji claimed another Star. I put down my chair.
A race to the top
Next was Koopathalon, a new, online multiplayer mode for up to 20 people. Our match was mostly filled with bots, but that didn’t leave things any less competitive. In Koopathlon, you choose a character and dash laps around a large race track. Winning minigames allows you to advance on the course, while losing sets you back.
Of course, this means that the stakes are so much higher for winning those minigames. The last player standing gets a massive boost forward, while the stragglers end up eating dust. Things certainly felt more heated in Koopathlon, and I found myself nearing closer to the edge of my seat as we hopped from minigame to minigame. Being a somewhat competitive person in multiplayer games, Koopathlon kept me focused. I caught myself holding my breath a few times as my vision tunneled around the screen.
I found myself closely behind the player in first place. We raced on, using minigames as fuel to propel our characters forward. I discovered I’m quite good at a racing minigame where you press left or right to switch tracks while avoiding obstacles and collecting coins. I’ll count my years grinding rails in Sonic games for that skill. There was another minigame that stood out in which you had to pull bread out of an oven at the right time. As someone who spent years working in professional kitchens, this one stressed me out more than taxes.
I ended up really enjoying Koopathlon. While I have nothing against the traditional Party Mode, Koopathlon presents a more high-octane approach to getting you into minigames. There was no rolling of the dice to move, nor store to buy items, or Stars declaring the winner — from what I could tell. You move, play minigames, and move again. So far, it feels like a fantastic alternative for those who want to ditch the Stars and chase the checkered flag.
Cooperative kaiju battles
The last mode we tried was another one new to the series. Bowser Kaboom Squad is an online multiplayer mode that’s co-op, where you work together with a crew to take down a massive, city-stomping Bowser. The round-based mode tasked us with running around a board, busting through crates to collect bombs to toss into a cannon. When 20 bombs were loaded, it would fire at Bowser, chunking away at his health bar.
There were still minigames to play in Bowser Kaboom Squad. But afterward, you could collect items to help your team win. You could pick a banana peel and place it on Bowser’s path, causing him to slip and fall on his scaly butt. Grabbing the mallet lets you break through the wooden boxes containing bombs faster. But my favorite is the pads that give you and your allies a brief burst of speed. Think of them like those Boost Pads in Mario Kart.
Bowser becomes more dangerous the longer the match goes. At low life, he belches fireballs into the air that land and continue to burn on the ground. The fire would block off certain paths, making it harder to get bombs to the cannon. Items like the boost pads could also be destroyed by the fire, slowing your progress.
We managed to win in the end. The final salvo of bombs was hand-delivered by your truly, and Bowser was beaten. (For now.) Bowser Kaboom Squad feels like a good addition to the roster of modes coming to the game. It was exciting to team up with the crew to take down a single big bad, as opposed to trying to one-up each other. The mode should prove to be a great for folks not wanting the high competition the other modes bring. It might also be a welcome palate-cleanser for those long party sessions.
Just around the corner
Super Mario Party Jamboree is shaping up to be a fantastic addition to the long-standing franchise. While fans of the traditional mode should be happy with the game, I’m glad to say that it has plenty of options to prevent things from getting stale.
I’d love to play more Koopathlon shortly, but I’m also looking forward to its co-op additions. Things should hopefully stay less stressful that way. Super Mario Party Jamboree is heading to the Nintendo Switch on October 17.
Published: Sep 9, 2024 12:54 pm