(characters cheering)
- [Samuel] Super Mario Party is the best party
in two console generations.
It's done away with some, but not all of the slowness
of previous games.
You get to play a ton of great mini-games.
And that infuriating randomness of awarded stars
at the end of the game is still a problem.
But even those painful upsets can feel
like less of a party killer this time
because Super Mario Party is competitive, strategic,
and above all, a lot of fun.
(both laugh)
- [Wario] Yeah! (fun, upbeat music)
(Wario grunts)
- [Samuel] Super Mario Party is a collection
of hit-or-miss virtual board games, broken up
by competitive mini-games.
There's a sheen of quality
that previous Mario Party's noticeably lacked.
It doesn't approach the level of graphical
or gameplay fidelity of Super Mario Odyssey,
but Party fans will notice the bump.
The main Mario Party mode has four main boards
to play with branching paths.
The boards are fun, but simpler
than those of the best Mario Parties.
Because there are only four to choose from,
your party time might be limited.
The mode I ended up liking the best is Partner Party,
which recycles the four maps from Mario Party
but adds a co-op partner and the ability
to choose your own path.
You and your partner can tackle different things
around the board, scooping up Allies, gathering stars,
and stomping on opponents.
Playing with a friend ramped up the competitive vibe
of the Party, which I loved, and added complexity.
Super Mario Party needs that to keep
from feeling like a simple roll of the dice.
In both Mario Party and Partner Party modes,
mini-games really matter because you need
to beat your opponents consistently to win coins.
- Winners! - Pair this
with some light strategy and you should come out ahead,
but the down side is that it's just dumb luck
rather than skill that decides
who gets the bonus stars at the end.
Unique dice blocks are one
of the coolest new features in Super Mario Party.
Each character has a different-numbered block.
Mario gives you more chances at three's with little risk,
while Wario's can give you a chance
at a six at the risk of losing coins.
This makes for an extra layer of strategy
that I really enjoyed.
There are several standalone mini-games
that make use of the Switch's ability
to sense and interact with another console nearby.
If you have two Switch's and two copies
of Super Mario Party, you can play Banana Split,
a pretty astounding tech demo but not much of a game,
and Shell Shock Deluxe, which is meatier
than Banana Split but still simplistic compared
to the main Party modes.
There are other modes and standalone games
in Super Mario Party too, like co-op and rhythm games,
but my Party crew kept returning
to Mario Party and Partner party.
(whimsical music)
Super Mario Party requires every player
to use a single Joy-Con to take advantage
of unique 3D rumble effects and motion controls.
While this makes for some wacky mini-games,
the hardware presents some pretty serious problems as well.
For example, for a four-person game,
you'll need the four Joy-Con,
the little wrist strap attachments,
and a lot of charging time.
You can buy more Joy-Con and a charger to solve the problem,
but that can get expensive.
(fun, upbeat music) (characters grunt)
Super Mario Party's biggest win and its best surprise
is its top-notch batch of 80 mini-games.
It's easily the best in years, and I can't think of any
that were so stupid or boring
that they're worth warning you about.
Good ones include Dash and Dine,
a shameless but fun Overcooked clone, Sizzling Steaks,
a motion controlled game about frying a meat cube,
and Slaparazzi, which has players jostle
and punch their way to get in front of a photo.
(characters grunt)
(characters cheer) (energetic music)
Super Mario Party adds an awesome new layer of strategy,
80 mostly-great mini-games, and the quirky tech
of the Switch controllers to keep things feeling fresh.
The downside is that with the Switch's controllers
come some annoyances that make getting people settled
onto your couch a bit more of a hassle
than previous parties, and the best games
are prone to annoying random upsets.
But it's far better paced than recent games,
and Super Mario Party reset my expectations of the series
with its graphics and gameplay creativity.
For more Super Mario Party, check out this video
of all 80 mini-games or this look
at the cool, multi-Switch games in Toad's Rec Room.
For all things Mario and parties, keep it locked to IGN.
(energetic music)