Super Mario Party – US Version

I’m a grown adult and this was the first Mario game I’ve ever played in my life. I got it on my girlfriend’s recommendation as she grew up on Mario Party and when we played together for the first time she destroyed me without a shred of mercy. I’ve never been more in love with her. 11/10

Granddaughter loves it!

Super Mario Party feels at old and new at the same time, and this is a great thing. The “who asked for this” mechanics of a shared car, dead-end board designs, and kitchen sink game modifications (like the rocket-car level from MP9) give way to a core “Mario Party Mode” that feels like the earliest (and best) entries in the series. But layered over that is a level of polish I didn’t expect – a ridiculous “story” to tie everything together, cinematics to introduce and explain every board, a vibrant overworld like Splatoon or Nintendoland which feels so much better than a simple menu (but there’s still a menu if you prefer!), and tons of extra modes that add variety.

The game’s new modes are cordoned off into discrete activities, so there’s no confusion what you’re getting into. The core Mario Party is front and center, but flanked by two new modes – River Survival and Sound Stage – with even more modes going outwards from there. The overall organization of the game is very good at not overwhelming you, despite having around 10 distinct experiences to play. Sound Stage was a pleasant surprise, and River Survival does the unexpected and makes everything cooperative.

While these additions are nice, the core Mario Party mode is probably what buyers are getting this for. I think there are probably two main camps here. There are those who want to play a LOT of this game, master every minigame, and have tense competitive battles with friends or the AI – this is how I approached the first half of MP titles. Now, I’m firmly in a second camp, using Mario Party as a way to pass the time with friends of widely varying skill levels and investment. I’d say the game is for the latter crowd, but I haven’t played enough to master it, so maybe I’ll have to revise this statement.

The RPG-like mechanic of building a team of “Allies” throughout a match gives you increases to every dice roll, and a larger pool of dice selections. Some dice have sides which move you 0 but give/take coins, others have different twists on the 1-6 dice – which is always available in addition to your player-specific die. The overall effect of allies is, matches which start slow quickly accelerate to genuine high-stakes strategy in the final few turns.

The minigames are all well-made, but simplistic. Allowing the tutorial screen to function as an infinitely-looping playable version of the minigame is fantastic, so no one feels like they didn’t understand the game before it started. Again, owing to differently skilled players, it seems Nintendo wants to make these games both easy to play and easy to master. Despite being over 5 hours into the game, I’ve rarely seen a repeated minigame, so I can’t make any sweeping generalizations here, except that I’ve had a blast playing most of them. A covered-up game mode in the main plaza tells me it will open after I unlock all the minigames, so I’m excited to see what else is in store.

The 4 boards I’ve seen so far (and from what I’m reading this may be the whole set) are all fun, and cater to different styles of play. Some require you to depend more on luck, others on long-term planning, and others careful dice management. However much I wish for more boards, I do realize there are 4 very different stages in Partner Party, one giant level with many branches in River Survival, an entire set of rhythm minigames for Sound Stage, and frankly they gave me more than my money’s worth in content.

So in summary, this is a Mario Party game that tries to return to its 20-year-old roots, but refreshed for the new generation. The multiple new game modes will keep things fresh and exciting for many sessions with your friends, but if those friends require a deeper sense of competition it may not fully satisfy, with easy to play minigames and a high luck factor. For Switch owners who liked the idea of sharing their console with someone anywhere, this is the best delivery of that promise since Mario Kart.

Chegou bem embalado, antes do prazo, produto original!

Buen diseño recomendable

We love playing this game online!