I think I was particularly happy to see Super Mario Party Jamboree specifically because of the kind of Mario Party it was. I think for a long time, Mario Party has been a somewhat divisive series, with many diehard fans considering many of the “newer” ones to be too easy or not competitive enough. And I was one of those same gamers until I played Super Mario Party.
Distinctive in not only its name but how incredibly designed it was to suit the console it was on—functioning as a faster, more straightforward Mario Party that was perfect for easy pick-up-and-play. Seeing a proper follow-up to the Switch-based Mario Party really got me excited, and after having played it, I think I can say, without a doubt, Super Mario Party Jamboree may be one of the best entries in the series to date.
Let’s start with the standard Mario Party since that really makes up the meat of this meal. Initially, I had hoped that Super Mario Party Jamboree would just be a wider version of the incredibly tight game I had grown to love, and I was initially worried when it seemed like this game axed some of the things I really loved about its predecessor, but I was genuinely floored by how expansive and balanced the whole thing feels.
“I think I can say, without a doubt, Super Mario Party Jamboree may be one of the best entries in the series to date.”
One of the things I loved about Super Mario Party was its pace. Boards were smaller, and Stars were cheaper—costing only ten coins compared to the series’ established 20-coin price—which made the whole game feel bite-sized and more easily digestible. I’ve mentioned before my appreciation for games that take their console into account, and Super Mario Party felt perfect in that regard. So I was initially worried by some of the changes Super Mario Party Jamboree implemented that took the game back to basics a bit, but dang if it doesn’t work!
At its core, it’s the same game we know and love—players roll dice to move around dynamic game boards, with each round culminating in a mini-game. You’re still collecting coins to buy Stars and the player with the most by the end is crowned the winner. Super Mario Party Jamboree expands on the established formula in a way that feels familiar but consistently exciting. This begins with the boards themselves, which are all phenomenally laid out and incredibly creative.
What struck me the most about each of Super Mario Party Jamboree’s boards was how well they’re designed both thematically and functionally. While each board is definitely smaller in scale compared to its predecessors—although they may debatably be larger than its direct predecessor—they’re designed in such a way to easily facilitate larger play sessions.
Rollin’ Raceway, for example, is designed to be progressed in a straight line, with a few crossroads here and there, and it gives players ample opportunity to collect multi-dice to make tremendous gains. However, it also rewards players with a coin bonus for completing laps, and it places the Star in two static locations, cycling between the two every time one is purchased. So even though it’s arguably a smaller, straightforward board, it simulates a racetrack so perfectly by incentivizing doing laps and creating unique opportunities with each lap.
By contrast, Rainbow Galleria is actually quite big in terms of actual board spaces, but it’s quite elaborate to navigate between its use of escalators and an elevator that can exclusively bring players from the first floor to the third (and visa versa). So the ability to move through the mall and grab Stars in their randomized locations definitely works in shorter playthroughs, but this board places multiple stores on different floors, with a flash sale making everything—including the Star—half-price for one turn.
“Super Mario Party Jamboree expands on the established formula in a way that feels familiar but consistently exciting.”
So there are a lot of intricacies to moving through the mall in order to get useful items, coin bonuses and Stars that would certainly make for longer, more strategic playthroughs. And while these are just two examples, every one of the new boards had some unique angle that made it feel both spacious and incredibly tight.
Of course, if you’re looking for a more traditional experience, both Mario’s Rainbow Castle and Western Land from Mario Party and Mario Party 2 are also included, and I think it deserves special mention that Nintendo saw fit to include two of the “easier” boards from previous entries in keeping with the game’s faster, more approachable vibe.
There’s also how the game is played. As I mentioned above, Super Mario Party featured some truly unique gameplay features that not only showcased the Switch hardware, but some genuine creativity. This time around, things have been altered in ways I like and some that I don’t. For starters, Super Mario Party Jamboree removes each character’s unique dice, which is a bit of a shame. Characters having special dice that reflected their character not only added a certain unique flair to them but also some strategy to who you chose and how you played.
“Super Mario Party Jamboree is absolutely GORGEOUS. Every board is bright, colourful and intricately detailed.“
Super Mario Party Jamboree returns to the series’ more traditional style of a standard dice that rolls from one to ten—Super Mario Party’s standard dice rolled from one to six, and special dice could roll up to ten. However, Super Mario Party Jamboree tries to fill the gap here with a plethora of new items that can provide added movement, randomized movement, or some particularly devious obstructions. Not only that, but Super Mario Party Jamboree feels particularly generous with how it gives out items, with each board usually having two or more shops as well as plenty of items and good luck spaces to potentially gain an advantage.
Super Mario Party Jamboree also changes how buddies work. If you don’t recall, Super Mario Party introduced “Ally Spaces,” whereupon if a player landed on it, they could be joined by another character who would not only give them access to their unique dice but give them a bonus one to three on any dice roll—as well as helping them in certain ally mini-games. This game now introduces “Jamboree Buddies,” where one of 10 characters is on the board at certain intervals, prompting players to reach them within three turns.
If a player makes it to a Buddy, they’ll initiate a Buddy Mini-game where all players compete for a chance to keep the buddy. Every character has a specific mini-game attached to them—Waluigi has players competing in a hectic game of pinball, whereas Donkey Kong has a bongo-based rhythm game. Having a buddy gives players access to unique abilities—Yoshi will duplicate an item from any player you pass on the board, while Wario gives players coins at the start of every turn.
Not only that, but every action is doubled, so players can receive two items from an Item Space, collect or lose coins from a Space twice or purchase two Stars at once. Furthermore, Buddies can be stolen by players who pass you on the board, and after three turns, the buddy leaves. I actually like this change for a number of reasons.
For starters, it makes getting a buddy feel a bit more achievable and competitive—no longer relegating it to a chance of landing on a specific space. Not only that, it somewhat fills the gap left by the removal of the Custom Dice, making each character feel unique, with their own individual abilities that suit their character and distinct mini-game. Having a Buddy feels a bit more balanced and makes attaining one feel more pertinent and immediate.
Then, of course, there are the mini-games, which are an absolute riot! I think in the past I’ve gotten a little too bothered by the idea of “luck-based” mini-games in Mario Party, but I don’t think that complaint is without some merit. When you’re in a competition, you want to feel like you have control over winning and losing. Luck should be a part of it, but it shouldn’t be the majority.
I would say that the VAST majority of mini-games in Super Mario Party Jamboree put the player in control while providing a fun and challenging experience. I barely scratched the surface of the 112 mini-games included in Super Mario Party Jamboree, but I have yet to find one I didn’t like. Not only that, but the sheer variety of games on offer, both in the main game and the multiple side offerings, is honestly staggering. It’s not just the largest number of mini-games in any Mario Party; it might be the most fun collection in a while.
“I barely scratched the surface of the 112 mini-games included in Super Mario Party Jamboree, but I have yet to find one I didn’t like.”
Speaking of which, Super Mario Party Jamboree really does have a wide variety of side content for players to participate in. It feels like another instance where Nintendo took ideas from its predecessor and expanded them in a way that’s more fun and interesting. The “Rhythm Kitchen” has players working together in food-based rhythm games that can be quite challenging; Koopa’s Flight School is a fairly unique implementation of the Joy-Con motion controls, but nothing to really write home about.
By far, the most interesting thing to me was Bowser’s Kaboom Squad, where up to eight players need to run around a map while being terrorized by a giant Imposter Bowser. Players are given a limited amount of time to collect bombs and load them into a cannon in order to knock down Imposter Bowser’s health, so they’ll need to work together to avoid hazards and Imposter Bowser himself, collecting bombs and loading them into a cannon.
At the end of each turn, players must work together in mini-games to gain bonuses for the next turn. It’s an incredibly fun combination of action and traditional Mario Party gameplay that I really ended up liking a lot more than I thought I would.
Like a lot of Nintendo-developed Switch games, Super Mario Party Jamboree is absolutely GORGEOUS. Every board is bright, colourful and intricately detailed. Furthermore, Super Mario Party Jamboree really goes all-out with character animations and visual flair—almost every moment feels so alive and full of fun and excitement.
The music is equally as good, maintaining a lot of the joy and joviality of the previous game—brought to life with grand orchestrated arrangements and booming saxophone—but also giving each board unique audio details, like themes that are a bit muted when players are deciding their move, and then even more exciting when they’re racing around the board.
Super Mario Party Jamboree feels like the penultimate version of “best of both worlds.” It keeps everything that worked about Super Mario Party in terms of form and function and combines it with the best elements from earlier games—although it feels the most like Mario Party 2. It’s a game that feels incredibly balanced—maintaining a certain sense of competition but never sacrificing its ultimate goal: to have fun!
*Super Mario Party Jamboree releases on October 17, 2024, for $59.99 USD or $79.99 CAD.
- Join a jamboree of over 110 minigames and 22 playable characters The most of any Mario Party game to date!
- Seven boards to play on Including five new ones like Goomba Lagoon and Rainbow Galleria.
