Mario Party is one of the staples that we can expect Nintendo to reliably drop multiple times every console generation. The Switch generation has been no exception. With two solid entries on the console already, including the greatest hits like Mario Party Superstars from 2021, the series could have easily sat on ice until Nintendo’s inevitable hardware refresh in the coming years.
But Nintendo has different plans. Super Mario Party Jamboree, due out next month, is likely one final hurrah on the aging console. It’s easy to view Jamboree as an easy way to squeeze a few extra bucks out of the franchise before the company turns the page on the Switch for good. But some surprising new additions make it clear the company has some surprisingly refreshing and fun ideas for closing this chapter of the series on a high note.
First things first: the core of Super Mario Party Jamboree, its Party Mode, is very much the game you’ve come to expect. The board-game-like format that lets four players make their rounds in pursuit of a predetermined number of stars to win, is still a winning formula 26 years after its debut on the Nintendo 64.
There are some fun twists this time around. On the map I played, a giant Wiggler was sleeping in the center with places along its back that players could choose to stand on for shortcuts, coins (of which 20 can be collected to gain a star), and items. But, as with most things in Mario Party, running along the Wiggler involves some risk. Other players on the map can wake the adorable beast out of his slumber by ringing bells scattered throughout the map.
If awoken, the Wiggler will move to a random spot on the map, taking any players who decided to risk standing on his back along with him. The Wiggler’s movement could leave players closer to the stars and coins they need, or just short of glory by undoing all of their progress. It was a fun gimmick that ultimately didn’t change the Mario Party much. But the ever-looming threat of a living creature on the board still incited some friendly outrage and competition in the group I was playing.
Perhaps the most telling part of this portion of the Jamboree demo I played was just how quickly the group I played with got into the groove of things. Two of my rivals admitted to never playing a Mario Party game before, and in just about 10 minutes were yelling with joy after every roll and minigame.
Speaking of minigames, the handful we got to play were pretty enjoyable. Some felt in line with past entries, like the game that tasked all four players with jumping over rotating lines of fire hazards until the final person was left standing. But there were a few standouts, particularly among the ones that paired players up into teams. One game tied players together, demanding they make their way across a wide chasm using a series of grabbable platforms. One player would grab on to a ledge while the other swings from their body to the next ledge. The two teams would race each other to the finish line, adding some fun pressure to the competition.
Another favorite task coupled up players with placing fruit on the correct conveyor belt, requiring communication that can quickly devolve into passionate screams as time runs out. A Nintendo representative said there are over 110 games in total, and each of the ones I played was as fun and varied as you’d hope.
But with the main mode staying mostly the same, the real star of my preview was both the 20-player Koopathlon mode, which works like a Mario Party battle royale and the eight-player Bowser Kaboom Squad. Both of these added a much newer, more refreshing spin on what players expect from the series.
The Koopathlon places Mario characters on a running track. Placement on the track is determined by the typical minigames you’d expect, with those who perform the best surging ahead. One minigame had players frenetically running around a massive platform as part of it disappeared. As the game went on, part of the platform fell away, eliminating players one by one until one survivor was left standing. Another saw players competing to smash the most Monty Moles out of the group before time ran out.
It was a fun mode that I could see being a big hit considering the popularity of battle royale games like Fortnite, slap-stick competition games like Fall Guys, and Nintendo’s own online-exclusive 99 series. Unfortunately, this online-only mode can only be played by a single player at a time. This means two players on a couch can’t join a Koopathlon lobby together, a sorely missed opportunity in my opinion.
Bowser Kaboom Squad on the other hand was a co-op mode that pits eight players against a massive imposter Bowser. Players must run around the map to collect bombs, and then bring them back to cannons located at certain points on the map so they can be fired at the cartoon kaiju. While players are grabbing these bombs, however, they must avoid the wrath of Bowser destroying everything in his path.
While it was the weaker of the two modes, there’s no denying how fun it is to have a giant Bowser on your tail as you risk carrying as many bombs as you can to help bring your team to victory. I only wish that there was a version of the mode that put players in the shoes of the giant in an asymmetrical mode similar to games like Dead By Daylight. Still, it’s a minor nitpick, one that speaks to just how fun this mode is.
Super Mario Party Jamboree isn’t reinventing the wheel. It predictably delivers exactly what you’d expect. It's a fun Mario Party game with some added wrinkles and great minigames. But the real stars worth collecting here are the two new modes. While I can already see ways to improve them in inevitable future entries of the series, they are still fun, replayable novelties that round out the series swansong on the Switch.
