Retro instead of experiments: “Mario Party Superstars” – no more luxuries

For 23 years, the characters of the Nintendo universe have been fighting each other in the popular party mode. Combining the best elements of the “Mario Party Superstars” series, the switch shines with mini-games without the console feature, but is a lot of fun.

“I pressed …”, “How fast can you …”, “Why is everyone back against me now ?!” Emotions boil over with “Mario Party Superstars”, especially when there are four players at once in Joycons. The last bastion of Communal Living Room game fun puts another “best off” on the switch console, nothing new dares, but keeps Nintendo fans immersed in memories. More than 100 mini-games offer a wide variety of different modes because they can be kept simple without losing creativity.

Meanwhile, the series has been on the plum of plumbers for 23 years and has already delivered the magic of dice on consoles like the N64 and GameCube. Then came several versions, which were always trying to improve the genre with new ideas. The current version of Superstars keeps the gameplay simple as it goes over time – it’s refreshingly good. Nintendo does without motion-restricted mini-games, no character-based dice and sub-characters. There are four characters from the Mario universe rolling dice on the virtual game board.

The policy has basically changed little. After the players have rolled a row, the stars and coins must be collected. On the one hand, it works with event fields on the game board, and on the other with mini-games. Of course, tactics must also be used. You can activate various bonuses with some items that can be purchased from the mushroom-head toad. It ranges from extra dice to star stealing from opposing players. If two players land on the same field, they fight for the coin.

Colorful, vibrant and contrasting

The number of game boards (five) is manageable, but the level of details is absolutely eye-catching in “Mario Party Superstars”. Horror Land, Peach’s Birthday Cake, Space Land, Yoshi’s Tropical Island or Woody Forest all have their uniqueness and should be played differently. But they are all colorful, vibrant and different. Experienced party lions already know the cards of earlier versions, so it is a shame that Nintendo has not dusted and polished more game boards. You might also think that the number of characters in the word labeled “Superstars” would be special. But with ten characters to play from the Nintendo universe, this part is still manageable.

Mini-games will definitely be the centerpiece and a lot of love has been placed in it. While the games are simple with controls, the game formats, on the other hand, are much harder on the 3-on-1 variant. Depending on the mini-game, regardless of the ability of the individual players, they feel almost insoluble to one side or the other. Yes, some games are very similar in principle, but generally you do not offer one of the game boards in the same party round. 100 games with funny titles like Koko-Kuller, Draisinen-Wahnsinn and Co. Also from old Mario titles to “best” and fast races to memory exercises.

One of the greatest strengths

Performing locally in the living room with friends can be a little difficult as a solo player. You can adjust the level of difficulty of computer opponents, but there is no real fun in the game. It’s good that Nintendo is adding full online mode for the first time. And it works amazingly without any problems.

“Mario Party Superstars” efficiently celebrates the good old days and the best moments of the series. In addition, it has a huge strength: it can create a great movement on its own when playing with friends. Then there is competition, teasing, teasing, laughter. The series is already unique in its form, and the new part expands again in this area. For beginners and fans betting on the company while gaming, the title is a perfect and timeless addition.