The saying goes that there ain’t no party like a Mario Party. But it’s been over two decades since the first Mario Party, and despite numerous attempts to change up the formula, the series has played it pretty safe. There’s been games with wild changes to the formula, like Mario Party 9, and others that employ weird peripherals to try and change things up. Super Mario Party Jamboree isn’t interested in reinventing the wheel. Rather, it attempts to offer up all the great things about Mario Party in what is undoubtedly the biggest Mario Party yet.
Super Mario Party Jamboree has always been touted as the biggest Mario Party so far, and I am inclined to agree. There’s a lot on offer here no matter how you play – heaps of boards to conquer, over a hundred minigames to lose yourself in and some out-of-pocket modes that are another way to engage with the typical Mario Party formula. I can’t pretend that I used the word Jamboree previously, but looking at the definition of the word – a party that’s as large as it is lavish – it feels like an entirely appropriate title for what is ostensibly the biggest Mario Party so far.
While this is called Super Mario Party, my immediate early impression is that Jamboree carries much more from Mario Party Superstars rather than Super Mario Party. This is a good thing, mind you, as I enjoyed the brisk pace of Superstars, and while it was technically rehashed content, it was much more engaging than Super Mario Party, which dragged at times. At its most basic level, you also roll a dice from 1-10, which helps keep things moving at a relatively exciting pace.
Other elements from previous games return, too, though they are much better implemented. Borrowing from Star Rush and eventually Super Mario Party, the Ally system has returned but has been tweaked to make things more substantial and well-thought-out. Now called Jamboree Abilities, they will allow a character to assist you for a few turns if you complete a minigame for them after landing on their space. For example, Daisy will reduce the cost of the store’s items. Waluigi will let you steal from people you pass. It feels much more elegant than the ally system in Super Mario Party, and I’m excited to see what else Jamboree has to offer with such a large roster.
It’s a perfect example of how Jamboree is bridging the gap between the older style of Mario Party and the newer, more recent entries in the series. It’s early days, of course, but given how much original content there is here in Jamboree, it’s mechanically shaping up to be one of the most enjoyable Mario Parties so far.
Most people know how to play Mario Party already, so I won’t focus on that too much here. Instead, what really drew me to Jamboree is how it changes up the single-player experience of Mario Party. It’s early days, as I’ve said, but I’ve spent most of my boring weekday nights with Jamboree’s new single-player mode. It’s called Party-Planner Trek, and it allows you to help Kamek set up a party by travelling to different boards. It’s a simplistic story but effective enough to push you from location to location.
Party-Planner Trek is selected from the main menu, called the Party Plaza, and progress in the mode is tied to your character. When you embark on the Trek, you can select whether or not motion-controlled games will appear in the proceedings – a boon for those playing on their light or just not keen on the Joy-Con. You’re whisked away, dumped on the first board, and tasked with collecting thirty mini-stars to help start the party. From a story perspective, it’s nonsensical, but it’s a premise that works well enough here.
When you’re in this mode, you don’t roll a dice. Instead, You can roam the board freely – jumping from space to space on the board as you wish. It’s an interesting take on the tried-and-true Mario Party formula, though I wish the game would provide you with a map of some sort. Whether it be to familiarize yourself with the board or discover where a quest you have to finish is, wandering aimlessly across the boards can get a bit annoying. I suppose they’re simple, but it has regularly come up during my time with the game.
You earn mini-stars in a few ways. The most obvious is through playing minigames as you explore each board. You might come across someone working at a bake stand and must play a minigame involving cutting out cookies, for example. The minigames are admittedly co-opted from Jamboree’s already existing (large) selection, but it’s a neat touch to tie them into the world that you’re exploring. How you place in each of those minigames will determine how many mini-stars you receive.
The other way is through tasks or quests that various characters will give you. They’re usually relatively simple – some might have you finding an item, which you’ll find a few spaces away – but they’re the kind of mindless activities that help to break up the monotony that completing multiple minigames in a row might bring. Some are even simpler than that, requiring you to answer a question or quiz a character poses before rewarding you with stars.
You’ll sometimes find other characters on the board who will ask your character for help. You’ll then have to complete a bunch of minigames themed around that character and, if successful, said character will join you to help you finish off the board. To move on from one board to another, you’ll have to collect a total of thirty stars, though more of them are available on each board. Collecting more than the thirty nets you some decorations for the party plaza.
Of course, I did dabble a bit in the other modes available, but not as much. The typical Mario Party option is here, along with Minigame Bay. The bay serves as a mode where you can play various minigames you’ve already unlocked and packages that rotate daily so that you can compete for the best result on an online leaderboard. Three other smaller modes employ motion-based controls to allow you to fly like a paratroopa, solve puzzles in a factory run by Toads and complete rhythm-based cooking challenges. They’re interesting ways to, once again, change the way you interact with Mario Party, but I’m more excited to try them with friends to pass proper judgment.
Two other modes are played online, so we aren’t available to try at this stage. Both see larger amounts of players banding together to either win a Koopathlon or cooperate to defeat an imposter Bowser. Both modes sound interesting, and I’m keen to try them out as I spend more time with the game. If you can’t wait to hear what I think, however, Brodie was lucky enough to play them both last month and found good fun in both. I’m keen to see how they play closer to launch.
Even more encouragingly, Super Mario Party Jamboree doesn’t suffer from the performance issues that games as recent as Echoes of Wisdom have. The game’s massive roster and vibrant boards are rendered in a silky smooth sixty frames per second with minimal (if any) drops at any point. It’s a simpler game than most on the Switch, but it’s simply icing on the cake to see how slick and smooth the presentation is.
While it’s very much early days for me and my Jamboree, I’m excited to see what else it has to offer. But so far, Super Mario Party Jamboree is doing all the right things and, unexpectedly, offering options for players who want to kick on when everyone has already gone home. And that’s a nice touch, though I’m keen to see where my exploits will take me when more people are in the room. It’s shaping up to be a hell of a party!
Super Mario Party Jamboree launches on October 17th exclusively for Nintendo Switch. Amazon has pre-orders available for $68 with free release day delivery for Prime members.