Kamek welcomes you to a bigger, bolder Mario Party at the beginning of Super Mario Party Jamboree, and it quickly became clear that his assured opening statement was not just hype. The newest addition to Nintendo’s 25-year-old star-swiping, dice-rolling party is the largest and among its greatest. Jamboree is a faithful sequel to the original Mario Party games from the Nintendo 64 and GameCube eras and the sequel to 2021’s Mario Party Superstars that I had hoped for. It almost seems as though Jamboree was taken from a different universe where Mario Party never got lost at all because it so masterfully repeats and enhances that tried-and-true concept.
Superstars was a fantastic game, but it was also a remake—a greatest-hits collection of the best minigames and boards from Mario Party’s past. With five entirely new boards (and two returning ones for good measure), strategy-heavy mechanics that rival the best of the series, and an amazing selection of new minigames, some of which honor Mario’s past in unexpected and delightful ways, Jamboree outperforms Superstars. It is also the most adaptable Mario Party ever, with additional choices that allow for more competitive, regulated matches as well as rulesets that appeal to players seeking that signature chance and randomness.
Although Jamboree occasionally stumbles due to its erratic side modes—such as an admirable attempt to add more single-player content than ever before, which is still not as enjoyable as playing with others—this is still a successful comeback for the series and unquestionably one of the greatest multiplayer games available on the Switch.
In a Mario Party game, this may be the strongest set of boards we have ever seen. There are seven stunning options to pick from, which is already a significant upgrade from the four in Super Mario Party and the five in Superstars. The selections range in quality from decent to amazing. Every single one of them has a distinct twist, so playing through them all with a full group of four is an absolute blast. While Goomba Lagoon is located on a tropical island where fluctuating water levels will open and close branching paths and could leave you stranded for several turns, Rainbow Galleria is a shopping center where frequent flash discounts lower the price of things and Stars. The reappearance of board-specific elements, such as Roll ’em Raceway’s Turbo Dice, which allows you to use an incredible four Dice Blocks in a single round at the cost of skipping all stops you pass by, including the Star, further emphasizes the uniqueness of each board. The elements and mechanisms of each board allow for incredibly fulfilling risk-reward choices, keeping me alert with something fresh to think about at every step.
Additionally, the regular item selection is very extensive. While new additions like the Super Dueling Glove allow you to challenge another player to a duel with a Star on the line, returning favorites like the Custom Dice Block give you more control over what happens during your turn. Every game in Jamboree feels new because of the incredibly large number of items, and there are a plethora of tactics to try and manage the mayhem that is Mario Party. It is entertaining (and frequently extremely frustrating) to know that a match is practically never ended until the results screen because there are still a lot of things that are entirely out of your control, such as randomly placed hidden blocks that can contain Stars and two Bonus Stars that are given out after the final turn.
However, that is the core of Mario Party, and Jamboree masterfully captures the delicate balance between fate and self-determination upon which the series rests. You will undoubtedly steal some wins that you did not truly deserve and lose some games that you deserved to win, but that is all part of the fun.
Professional Partiers
If that does not sound like fun, Jamboree’s brand-new Pro Rules aim to radically change the way Mario Party is played by substituting more strategies that make it feel like a fiercely competitive tabletop game for as many luck-based events as possible. Star Stops show where the star might travel after the current one is acquired, item shops will have limited supply, so you have to buy the stuff you want before they are gone, and the single Bonus Star category is disclosed before the match begins so you can adjust your actions to attempt and win it.
Additionally, the four players vote among three options to decide which contest is played, as opposed to having minigames chosen at random. I liked how different Pro Rules felt from regular Party Rules, and those are just a few of the tweaks that made it a much sweatier option. Whether or not you enjoy the mayhem will depend on your taste, but if you have been griping about how arbitrary everything can feel since Mario Party first started, Pro Rules is Nintendo’s (completely optional) solution.
The choices do not end there. You can choose to play between 10 and 30 turns, toggle Bonus Stars between off, Random, and Classic, pick whether to choose minigames at random or by a vote like the Pro Rules, and switch motion controls on or off in regular Party Rules. I was able to completely alter the ruleset based on the experience and ability level of the players because of its amazing degree of versatility. It is a welcome system that lets you choose how you party, although I wish I could change a few aspects (why are 30-turn games the only option to play with three Bonus Stars?).
Mario Party may also be played online with friends or strangers, and in a Nintendo-hosted online play session before release, it functioned flawlessly. The CPUs can easily fill one or two slots if you only have two pals to play with, and when you set them to Hard difficulty, they can even compete in an emergency.
The variety is further maintained by Jamboree’s extensive cast of 22 playable characters, and the overall experience is enhanced by some of the great minor elements that vary based on the character you are playing. They would say, for instance, that it was “like gazing in a mirror!” when I was Boo and went to the Boo on the board to steal an opponent’s Star. Alternatively, the devoted Troopa greets Bowser Jr. as “Your Majesty” when he stops by Koopa’s store.
However, the board game is only half of the picture; Jamboree’s fantastic selection of minigames essentially masters its second crucial element. Although Jamboree has more than 110 minigames overall, including the challenges from all modes other than base Mario Party, there are not quite as many in the main Mario Party mode as I would want. You might be able to get a little more than 50 minigames after each turn, and even fewer if you disable motion control minigames. After Superstars spoiled us with more than 80 options that may often arise, Jamboree’s minigame number was a little disappointing, but now it is more on par with earlier entries in the franchise.
However, all of the available minigames are excellent. Highlights include attempting to capture a picture that precisely matches an example, cutting a steak in half with a partner, and surviving as long as you can while avoiding many falling sandwiches. A few minigames are also making a comeback, including classics like Platform Peril and Jump the Gun. The motion minigames are much more entertaining than I anticipated, and aside from the fact that you have to use a single Joy-Con instead of a Pro Controller for the duration of the game when you enable motion control minigames, I did not mind having them in the rotation.
It is enjoyable to go to Minigame Bay to play my favorites and break records, even though the minigame selection does not match Superstars’ list of all-time classics.
One of Jamboree’s attractions is the Showdown Minigames.
The Jamboree Buddies’ ease of theft by other players is my sole complaint. You can battle to the death in a three-minute minigame, but once you are back on the board, all it takes to win one is for another character to pass you from behind and swipe them away. The friend who deceived you then has the gall to appear on the results screen with your face on it, waving a flag as if nothing had occurred. Stop pretending that everything is fine, Wario; I know what you did! Playing a lengthy minigame that can be pointless was annoying at first, but I ultimately grew accustomed to looking out for my friend’s safety, even though sometimes losing them is unavoidable.
Including a long showdown, Mario Party’s duration appears to have reached an all-time high due to minigames. It took my four-person group about two hours to finish a 15-turn game in the early hours, but that time will undoubtedly decrease as everyone becomes more accustomed to the boards and minigames. (It also cuts down on runtime if you have one or two CPUs thrown in and set to maximum speed.) Although a 10-turn game is considerably quicker, most Jamboree boards are too big for short games, and occasionally 15 turns do not seem like enough. Even though it is a significant time commitment, I do not mind how long these matches take because I am always having fun. Nevertheless, I much prefer that to the diluted Mario Party games we have been receiving for so long, plus you can save and end your play to come back to it later if you run out of time.
Koopathlon and Bowser Kaboom Squad are the two major new side activities. They are online modes that are limited to one player per system. Though their quality varies, both modes are commendable attempts to provide single players with something to do when they are not enjoying Mario Party with friends or family. Koopathlon is a marathon of single-player minigames in which you race around a track and collect cash while competing against 19 other players at once. Although the mode-exclusive minigames are entertaining, there are only nine of them, and after only a few plays, I felt like I had experienced most of Koopathlon’s offerings. Although I would like to think Nintendo could support it with DLC updates, I am not holding my breath as the Mario Party series on Switch currently has no DLC at all.
In the meantime, you must cooperate with seven other players online in Bowser Kaboom Squad to defeat the enormous Impostor Bowser, who resembles Godzilla and is rampaging all over the battlefield. The cooperative minigames that interrupt the action are annoying when playing with strangers you can not talk to, and gathering explosives and adding them to a cannon becomes old very quickly. If you could get seven friends together to play online, there is a good mode here, but you would have to search for it. (At that point, you would most likely enjoy playing two different Party matches with complete squads.)
Verdict
Super Mario Party Jamboree is unquestionably one of the greatest games in the franchise and an amazing sequel to Mario Party Superstars. With an amazing collection of boards that add distinctive and unforgettable mechanics, it not only firmly builds upon the timeless model established in the Nintendo 64 entries, but it also faithfully returns to it. With a plethora of options to personalize your game, including its innovative new optional Pro Rules that minimize luck-based components and intensify strategy for those who choose it, it is also the most adaptable Mario Party ever. Even if I wish there were a few more minigames in the rotation, the fantastic maps are backed up by an amazing selection of both new and returning minigames as well as character-specific challenges that make the game. While the side games might not be very popular, Super Mario Party Jamboree, the series’ newest hero, bravely completes the series’ redemption arc when played locally or online with friends and family.
