This Mario Party is big. Really big. The biggest one on the Nintendo Switch, in fact, and you’re all invited to roll the dice, steal some stars, and go head to head in some fun mini-games. I got to play a few rounds of Super Mario Party Jamboree at Nintendo’s UK HQ, trying out some of the new modes and minigames on offer.
So, what’s going on in Super Mario Party Jamboree? Well, as you would expect, be prepared to have your stars stolen, friendships tested, and take part in plenty of whimsical games as you move around the board and aim to come out on top. The game is bigger and better than previous entries, too. Imagine taking Super Mario Party and Mario Party Superstars, squishing them together, and then adding even more content on top. That’s Jamboree.
During my preview, I spied two new faces in the playable list of characters. Pauline, the snazzy singer from Super Mario Odyssey, and Ninji, a long-time enemy in the series most recently featuring in Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
While Ninji is adorable, I went for the classic choice of Yoshi. It didn’t pay off though, as I rolled a one, another one, a three (!), and then continued in that fashion placing me dead last in my team of four. It’s not your fault, Yoshi… I guess.
The main formula of Mario Party hasn’t changed – you roll the dice, move around the board, and every so often get to head into a minigame which may see you face off against your teammates, or work together. Jamboree boasts a roster of well over 100 minigames including some new options, and plenty being brought back from previous Party entries.
I took my Yoshi and his low-stakes dice rolls around the Wiggler’s Tea Party board featuring a gigantic Wiggler in the middle, who moves around and changes your path. While my team didn’t manage to anger it, I can only assume that you can somehow make it angry, and give yourself nightmares like I did as a child in the Which Wiggler? minigame of Super Mario 64 DS.
Moving on from the classic board game option, I saw some other areas including the online multiplayer Koopathlon mode. Here, 20 players are thrust into a map with a racetrack shape on it, where earning coins pushes you to the front of the race. Minigames let you earn coins, and during these, you can send debilitating items to other players. I got inked by a blooper, so I sent a banana back. It’s like a little Mario Kart party.
If 20 people is a bit much, then you can join the eight-strong game mode, Bowser Kaboom Squad, where you’re in a team against the King Koopa. The aim is to break boxes and collect bombs from around the map, then throw them at Bowser.
The preview was a fast-paced flurry of minigames and mixed emotions. One moment I was cutting steaks with a partner, trying to slice each cut equally in half, and then I was hopping on sandwiches to avoid being squashed by falling breads. At one point my teammates and I were fighting to make a path across a lava-filled lake and reach the end before each other. The catch? You don’t know which piece each player chooses, and if two or more choose the same path piece, no one gets to use it. If the princess is in another castle, I’m surely not reaching her with this luck.
It’s worth mentioning too that unlike previous entries, every minigame can be played with either button or motion controls, which for some motion control haters (hi, it’s me), makes it a lot better and a much bigger selling point. Most modes are local, but you can play online in a lot of the game as well to expand your player count.
If you’re a fan of Mario, parties, and especially if you’re a fan of Mario Party games, this is for you. It’s an excellent party game coming to the Switch library, and I’m excited to play more of it – perhaps Yoshi will roll a bigger dice number for me next time. Or, perhaps I’ll pick a different Mario character to play as.