By William Rogers

“Mario Party Superstars” is a celebration of Nintendo’s Mario-themed party game series. The game features remasters of five game boards from the original three “Mario Party” games, as well as 100 of the best minigames from the series’ 11 other iterations.

The main game features three main game modes: “offline play,” for couch co-op up to four players on a single system, “local play,” for up to four players on individual Nintendo Switch consoles and “online play” for the ability to play with players from around the world. 

The game starts players off in Mushroom Square, formally known as Mushroom Village in the original “Mario Party” game. The village is home to a number of various buildings that serve a variety of functions.

The first building players are introduced to is the Data House. In this building, the character Kamek stores all of your gameplay data including records, achievements, and historical information regarding previous games.

At Toad’s Shop, players are able to purchase unlockable items including new music tracks, stickers, in-game items, and player card backgrounds. Items are purchased using the in-game currency coins which are earned through playing the game and unlocking achievements.

The square also features the Friend House, an easy way to connect with friends online, the Option House, for changing game settings, and a raft to Mt. Minigames, a way to choose and play minigames directly.

The center of the square features a green warp pipe which transports players to the party world. Here you have the option of five game boards: Peach’s Birthday Cake and Yoshi’s Tropical Island from “Mario Party,” Space Land and Horror Land from “Mario Party 2” and Woody Woods from “Mario Party 3.”

Along with the normal gameboard settings such as number of turns, the inclusion and exclusion of bonus stars and handicap stars, “Superstars” also allows players to choose the type of minigames they wish to play. Players are able to choose between all, skill-based, family and action minigames, in addition to those from specific consoles, such as the Nintendo 64 or Gamecube.

Returning minigames include cult classics such as Booksquirm and Trace Race. All the minigames feature button controls allowing the use of a Pro Controller.

Players are also given the ability to add more rounds in the middle of the match, allowing them to extend playtime.

“Mario Party Superstars” features 10 playable characters. Series mainstays Mario, Luigi, Peach and Daisy make a reappearance, alongside fan favorites Wario, Waluigi, Yoshi, Rosalina and Donkey Kong. Birdo also returns, marking the character’s first appearance as a playable character in the series since “Mario Party 9.”

As previously mentioned, stickers have been added to the game. Replacing “Mario Party’s” traditional taunting system, players are now able to choose from 67 stickers to express their opinions during other players’ turns and react to various events.

Player cards allow players to share their favorite “Mario Party” game, gameboard, and minigames online. Through this card, players are able to view other players’ choices and see which games are favored the most.

Following the disappointment of “Super Mario Party,” “Mario Party Superstars” provides a breath of fresh air for the franchise, and is an absolute blast to play with friends and family of all ages.

Image from Nintendo via YouTube