Mario Party Superstars Review: Gather Your Friends!
Mario Party Superstars includes over 100 classic mini-games, reimagined visuals, and new modes. It's ready to be the life of your next party!
Mario Party Superstars is a fun, Mushroom Kingdom-themed party you and all your friends are invited to! The franchise returns with over 100 fan-favorite mini games from the Nintendo 64 and GameCube era.
The latest installment in the franchise is full of fast-paced multiplayer action that everyone from young gamers to seasoned fans will enjoy. If you are looking for a great game to experience with friends and family on the Nintendo Switch, Superstars is a must-play! Let's roll the dice and explore all Mario Party Superstars has to offer.
A Mario Party for a modern audience
Mario Party Superstars takes you on a fun journey where up to four players vie for supremacy in dozens of different mini-games. When starting, each player selects one of ten unique Mario characters to play as. The list of characters includes Daisy, Donkey Kong, Luigi, Mario, Princess Peach, Rosalina, Wario, Waluigi, and Yoshi.
Once the game begins it comes down to roll dice to determine how many spaces you'll move across the board to pick up items and take part in special events like mini-games and boss battles. Players need to collect coins across different boards, and battle for stars at the end of each turn. The different boards feature their own unique challenges and secrets.
Mario Party Superstars upgraded game boards
Superstars features five fan-favorite boards to play on all selected from the Nintendo 64 era of the game. Classics like Peach’s Birthday Cake, Yoshi’s Tropical Island, Woody Woods, Space, and Horror Land all make their return. All the maps have seen a significant graphical upgrade and other changes that help to further streamline the experience.
The standout for me is the stunning-looking Peach's Birthday Cake, the graphics create a beautiful ultra-realistic Candyland. The graphics have seen a full makeover, full optimizing the power of the Nintendo Switch.
Game modes & multiplayer
All minigames work both offline (in single-player mode), locally with friends, or against online opponents. The minigames run smoothly both in handheld and docked mode whether you're playing alone or with friends. The linear game progression returns with new improvements. Gameboards now fully loop players around the game like a traditional board game. Mario Party's strength has always been in its ease of use, and Superstars follows suit once again making it a game that can be enjoyed by everyone regardless of skill level.
More compatibility with the Nintendo Switch Lite
Mario Party Superstars has also made the series more accessible to a wider range of Nintendo Switch. The developers have achieved this by removing the need for motion control in mini-games. This is particularly good news for Nintendo Switch Lite owners, who were unable to play Super Mario Party out of the box because they didn't have traditional Joy-Cons.
All mini games, all the time
One big improvement that Mario Party Superstars brings to the series is a brand new Free Play mode. You can play any of the mini-games right out of the gate, no waiting to unlock them. If you are looking to get more competitive, there's a new coin battle, where players vie to rack up the most coins.
Final Thoughts on Mario Party Superstars
Superstars is a great game for the whole family and easily becomes the life of party. Whether playing solo, locally or online with friends, there's something for everyone to enjoy. The graphics are bright and colorful just like you would expect from a Mario game.
"Superstars is a great game for the whole family and easily becomes the life of party."
The music is upbeat and catchy, adding to the excitement of playing. There are 5 different redesigned boards to play on, each with its own unique challenges and secrets. It would be ideal to see a wider variety of boards but overall, they are a lot of fun. Mario Party Superstars offers something for Mario fans of all ages and skill levels, it was a hit in my household and I highly recommend it!
Mario Party Superstars PROS
+A massive selection of fan favourite mini games
+Completely rebuilt visuals and audio
+No motion controlled mini games
+Excellent variety customization options
Mario Party Superstars CONS
-Only 5 game boards to choose from
-Playing solo isn’t a lot of fun
-Some items are a little overpowered
-A majority of unlockables are only cosmetic
Gameplay: 9/10
Graphics: 8/10
Sound: 8/10
Replayability: 8/10
Overall Rating: 33/40 (83%)
A copy of the game was provided by Nintendo for the purpose of this review.