As I mentioned last week, Nintendo Canada brought us out to PAX West at the end of August to go hands-on with two new titles, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom and Super Mario Party Jamboree. The time has come to roll the dice and chat about what makes the newest entry to the Mario Party franchise great, and though the series is always a ton of fun, Super Mario Party Jamboree might be something special.
If you’ve been playing Mario Party as long as I have (early 2000s, anyone?), you would think that there isn’t much left that Nintendo could do to keep the game fresh. Somehow, they’ve done it again, and Super Mario Party Jamboree had a team of Canadians laughing, shouting and trash-talking (okay, that was me) in a behind-closed-doors preview at PAX West, one that was different from that available to PAX attendees on the show floor.
We got to test out one of the new boards in Super Mario Party Jamboree plus two brand-new online co-op modes, Bowser Kaboom Squad and Koopathlon. This edition features seven boards, 22 characters and 110 mini-games. That is the biggest roster in a Mario Party game to date and the most mini-games to ever make an appearance. Just looking at the wall of mini-games available for free play was overwhelming, and it means that the boards will never get stale as they have plenty of games to cycle through.
“As always with Mario Party titles, playing Super Mario Party Jamboree was a ton of fun with friends.”
Though there are maps that fans will recognize, along with some new ones like the shopping mall-themed board Rainbow Galleries, the real highlight is the new online modes. Bowser Kaboom Squad is an eight-player co-op mode that you can play online with friends or strangers. The goal is to work together through timed sections to gather enough bombs to launch at Bowser. Crates will fall from the sky, and you’ll need to smash them open to grab bombs and run them across the map while avoiding being stomped by Bowser and his minions.
After each timed round, players join a mini-game to earn special abilities for the next round, like dash pads for faster movement, banana peels to make Bowser slip, and hammers to smash crates quicker. As your team gets stronger, Bowser does too, introducing new mechanics like flame breath and fireballs to complicate the challenge. We had a lot of fun with this mode, and for those hoping to join online teams, minimal communication is needed outside of the game’s prompts. This means voice chat isn’t necessary, which is great for younger players.
Koopathlon is the other new online co-op mode, where you can join with your squad, but this time you’ll be competing against each other. This 20-person competitive co-op mode is essentially a speed run around a lengthy map, where you earn spaces by completing three random mini-games in multiple rounds. Each round features the same three mini-games but with added challenges.
This mode has the potential to be a lot of fun, but it could use some adjustments. First, the mini-games provide no instructions—you’re dropped right into the game and left to figure out the rules and objectives on the fly. This puts new players at an automatic disadvantage. Additionally, with 110 mini-games to choose from, mastering them all any time soon seems unlikely.
“Visually, Super Mario Party Jamboree is as bright and vibrant as ever.”
There are also other mechanics like items and bonuses. These are also not exactly explained and just appear on the screen, but since so much is happening at once and you’re trying to learn it all, it’s hard to process what they actually do. In theory, over time, you will learn everything and get the hang of things, but it leaves you at a serious disadvantage until you do. That being said, the four of us had a great time, even though we had no idea what was going on half the time.
Visually, Super Mario Party Jamboree is as bright and vibrant as ever. With so many new characters, maps, and mini-games, there’s a lot to take in. During regular games, you can post stickers and comments to cheer on or heckle your opponents. Many are even character-specific, adding a bit of variety when you switch characters. During Koopathlon, these features are still available but simplified. While some players may spam them to annoy the rest of us, I can’t help but love them anyway.
As with all Mario Party titles, playing Super Mario Party Jamboree with friends is a ton of fun. The newly added online co-op modes, however, are a real game-changer for solo players. Whether you want to face off or work together, Super Mario Party Jamboree offers something for everyone, and with its outrageous number of mini-games, it’s sure to stay fresh with each playthrough!
Super Mario Party Jamboree comes out on October 17, 2024 on Nintendo Switch. You can pre-order the game here for $79.99. Keep in mind, a subscription to Nintendo Switch Online is required for the online portion of the game, but when purchasing, it does come with a 3-month subscription.
