It’s not easy being Super Mario. The guy is constantly running around, trying to save the princess and if he’s not, he’s competing in all sorts of sports. The life of Super Mario must be extremely busy so a party to take the edge off now and then is something that comes naturally. Since the Nintendo Switch is moving thousands of consoles every month, it’s the perfect time for Mario to throw a crazy party together with all his friends and enemies. Welcome to my preview of Super Mario Party, a new Switch exclusive coming next month.
It’s a classic Mario Party
During my hands-on with the game, I teamed up with two lovely colleagues and my local Nintendo guy. It was afternoon, the sun was shining and we were about to have a lot of fun. That’s what Mario Party has been all about since the first entry years ago and this still hasn’t changed in this modern Nintendo Switch version. Of course, the game features plenty of new modes but in this preview, we’ll stick to three modes. The first one is the mode we played was the Mario Party mode, taking you back into the days of the early Mario Party games.
In this mode, you’ll play on the same board and have to wait for the other players to finish their run before you can advance. It’s the mode that made Mario Party big and it’s perhaps the most recognizable one in the franchise. Just like before, the boards are amazingly created and offer a lot of fun details. We played the Megafruit Paradise board, which catapulted us back to the Summer Holiday. The board is divided into four small sections, each connected to each other thanks to bridges. The board looked extremely colorful and it added to the overall atmosphere. We were ready to go and we wouldn’t hold back. Before you can start, you’ll have to roll your die for the first time, whoever rolls the highest number is the first to play, I was lucky enough to be the first. What follows is you chasing the first Power Star located on a random location on the board. You advance by throwing the die, the higher the number, the more squares you may advance.
Each character has a character-specific extra die to spice things up. I was playing Bowser for example and could advance ten spaces if I used my special die. However, there was also a chance I wouldn’t move at all and even lose some of my coins! These character-specific dice are fun and add an extra layer to the game. Besides that, you can also land on special squares where you can be sent back to the start, are able to steal some money from the other players, travel to new places on the board, and many more. The board gameplay is back from the past and it’s a blast to play with others. After each round, you can play one of the crazy new mini-games.
Great mini-games
Playing on the board is a fun way to spend some time with your friends or family but the mini-games are the true star of the game. During my hands-on session, I’ve played a dozen of the new mini-games and I must say, I liked them all. What I like the most is the variation I saw. Some mini-games are extremely straightforward like the one where we had to fish for a dragon-like fish, the first who caught it, won. Other mini-games added an extra layer of difficulty by dividing us into two small teams. These were the ones I liked the most since they really heated up the friendly rivalry between us. Personally, I liked the 1 VS. 3 mini-games the most. In the first one, one player controlled a huge Chain Chomp and had to kick us out of the arena. Another one forced one player into a plastic ball while the others had to aim rubber arrows at that player. Whoever managed to hit the player three times won. I really liked those mini-games since it resulted in an extremely fun experience where we were all going for the win. The amount of mini-games is amazing and I simply can’t wait to discover and play them all.
Survive the river together
As said in the first part of my article, Super Mario Party comes with a lot of modes, time to discuss the second one. Meet the River Survival mode, a new way of playing, forcing you to team up with three other players instead of competing against them. In this mode, you’ll be divided into two smaller teams, each controls one side of the boat. By moving your Joy-Con like a pedal, you’ll control the boat. Communication is key here since the river isn’t as safe as you might think. During your journey to the finish, you’ll have to avoid huge rocks, survive waterfalls and aim for the big red balloons to trigger a new mini-game.
Unlike the other mini-games, you’ll have to work together as a team to score points. We had to get out of a dark cave while carrying a heavy object, we had to carry a bomb over a tricky path by handing it over to the other player, we had to catch fish together, and many more. Playing these mini-games together as a team brings a fresh wind to the franchise and I must admit, I really liked it. It’s fun to work together for a change and this mode proved to be rather challenging. By winning, you gain coins and extra seconds. If you miss the mini-games or fail to reach their objectives, you’ll never make it to the end of the river. It’s a competitive mode against the time and the only way to survive is to work together. It’s a great new mode and I’m surprised it wasn’t included earlier.
Connect your Switch systems
Time to discuss the third and final mode I got to play, this one is called Toad’s Rec Room and is by far the most innovating one of the bunch. In Toad’s Rec Room, you’re able to connect two Switch systems to operate as one, resulting in the ultimate multiplayer. The first game we played starts off rather easy. In Banana, Split we had to recreate a banana by turning both screens the right way. If you thought you connected them correctly, you could simply swipe from one screen to the other to see if you managed to clear that level. The more bananas you connect, the more difficult the next level becomes. The goal is to set the record and clear all images as fast as possible. Although it’s not the best game to play, it’s a lot of fun thanks to this amazing new technology.
The Shell Shocked Deluxe proved that connecting two Switch systems can result in extremely creative ideas. In this game, you’ll play 2 VS. 2 where you’ll have to shoot the other players using a big tank, firing shells. These shells bounce off the walls so if you aim precisely, you can attack the opponents from your screen. The way you connect the systems together forms your battlefield. You can go for a straightforward or more complex map depending on how you connect the systems. This is by far my favorite game since it really showcases what the Switch is able to pull off if developers dare to think outside of the box. It’s a shame we couldn’t see or play more Toad Rec’s Room games since I have a feeling there’s a lot more to this mode than what we’ve seen so far.
Early conclusion:
After spending some time with Super Mario Party I’m sure this is the ultimate party game for Nintendo Switch. It offers so many great modes, including the classic board game but also the innovating Toad’s Rec Room and River Survival. From what I’ve played, I can only conclude that this title is shaping up to be the most complete and most fun Mario Party game ever created. I simply can’t wait to play more and that’s rather unique for a Mario Party game.
