Nintendo
Super Mario Party Jamboree Brings the Party Everywhere
The mini-game party has something for everyone.
The Super Mario Party franchise has made several appearances during the Nintendo Switch’s lifecycle, and while they were fun, they fell short of what people expected. The first title, simply called Super Mario Party, was a great experience that focused on the console’s motion controls, but it didn’t have enough maps or mini-games to keep it alive. Years later, we had Super Mario Party Superstars, which functioned more as a compilation and tribute to the franchise, with nods to the boards and mini-games of the past, allowing you to play again in a “traditional” way, but that’s as far as it went. Again, fun games, but lacking that special spark. The third time’s the charm, Super Mario Party Jamboree, the latest installment in the series, is here and aims to be the franchise title we were expecting for the Nintendo Switch.
Super Mario Party Jamboree is the latest installment in the party game franchise featuring the characters of the Mushroom Kingdom. As in the previous games, the main mechanic is to use the colorful characters to move them around a board to reach stars while earning coins by playing a series of mini-games. Up to 4 players can interact at the same time. However, the game greets us with a plethora of options to take advantage of the large amount of mini-games, showing that there is a little bit of everything for all players. The main screen is a square where we will find everything from a hot air balloon, which is the entrance to all the game options, to stores where we can buy different items for the games, as well as the “Party Planner Trek”, which serves as a small and simple adventure mode that we will talk about later.
With the hot air balloon, we will find an archipelago that will serve as the different game options. The main island will be the Mario Party Island, where we will find the main boards and the traditional experience that has given the name to the saga. With an initial selection of 4 maps (plus some unlockable) and 20 characters we have here a game mode that will allow us to play alone, with friends in person or online with friends and strangers. In this mode, the game comes with some changes and adjustments to consider.
The first is the option in the mini-games, being able to choose that these are only old school, or also included with motion control. On the other hand, we have the option of finding “Jamboree Buddies” on the boards, characters that appear randomly at certain times in the game, and if we meet them on the stage, they will become our allies and lend some of their abilities to our cause - as long as no other player takes them away from us. Finally, and as we progress, we will be able to unlock the “Pro Rules”, which will make some changes to the general rules of the game, making each game longer and skill winning over luck.
The rest of the islands in this archipelago offer a range of different experiences for all players, with mini-games that can use the Joy-Con and its motion controls, or more classic formats, but with their own twists. On the one hand, we have a mini-game bay where we will compete in a fast-paced way with mini-games themed around another character, either against the CPU or against other players.
On the other hand, we have the “Bowser Kaboom Squad” mode, which allows us to play with up to 7 other players in a mode where we have to load the cannons with bombs that come out of boxes to stop the attack of a giant Bowser in a city. The mode only offers 3 scenarios, which makes the fun feel limited. On the other hand, we have the “Koopathlon”, an event with up to 20 characters, where we find ourselves in a circuit with 3 mini-games that, when repeated, increase in difficulty. The characters advance depending on the number of coins they get in the mini-games, turning everything into a series of showing off your skills and who manages to get enough coins to go around the track three times.
In addition to these Bowser-focused options, we find game modes that focus more on the use of the Joy-Con and its motion controls. The first is “Paratroopa Flight School”, which allows us to take to the skies. Whether it’s a free-roaming experience, combat or the fun Paratroopa Taxi, there’s something to get us flying around from our living room. On the other hand, we have the Rhythm Kitchen island, where we use the Joy-Con to become real chefs to the rhythm of the musical, using the motion controls in a very special way.
An important point to note is that each of the game modes must be played, as there are unlockable rewards through an achievement system. Each time you get one, you will advance in a kind of “season pass” where you will be able to unlock items for the stores in the plaza. At the same time, playing will allow us to earn points that can be used to make purchases in these stores in the main plaza.
Returning to the main square, we find “Party Planner Trek”, which serves as a little adventure where we will help Kamek to go through the boards “while they are being built” to make sure everything is ready. Here we have free control within the board, where we will have to help the various characters that are there, either by finding items or playing a mini-game, all to get the mini stars. This is another area that serves to entertain veteran players as well as those who have not had the opportunity to play Super Mario Party. It is worth mentioning that as we progress in this mode, we will be able to use different elements to decorate the game’s main plaza and make it as unique as we want it to be.
‘Super Mario Party Jamboree’ features a plethora of gameplay options and mini-games that finally deliver the franchise title we all wanted for Nintendo Switch. With multiple ways to play and challenges to complete, the Super Mario Party experience is on a roll that will last until the next Nintendo console arrives.