Super Mario Party Jamboree is just around the corner, ready for the Christmas campaign and as one of the last big releases for a Nintendo Switch that still resists passing the torch to the next generation. An essential in every home that cannot be missed at family gatherings, and this time it returns with a much more ambitious installment than its predecessors, optimizing the online functions so it’s not just a simple group game and offering more game modes than ever. So, after playing 1 hour of Super Mario Party Jamboree at a demo event at Nintendo’s offices, the wait until its release seems, at the very least, long.
The Ultimate Super Mario Party
The first installment of Super Mario Party was released in 1998 for Nintendo 64 and since then has been making a space in homes around the world for decades. A formula so suitable for both young and old that invites us to immerse ourselves in the world of Super Mario through board games, fun mini-games, and unexpected events that make each game a mystery. There is no Nintendo generation without its Mario Party installment, or in the case of Nintendo Switch, installments (in plural). In that sense, Super Mario Party Jamboree comes to put the final finishing touch with a final installment of the saga on the console that surpasses its predecessors in ambition, like Super Mario Party or Mario Party Superstars.
Essentially, Super Mario Party Jamboree maintains all the essence of the saga. That is, games of a duration determined by a board in which we move our character through squares where things happen with the goal of getting more stars than the other players. Or at least that’s one of the modes, because this installment is packed. But following this concept, this time there are a total of 22 playable characters and 7 different boards of which we have only been able to see one, the Forest of Mega Floruga.
Little but enough to realize that the scenarios look as good as ever or even better, with a large amount of detail in the background, and that they are as dynamic as expected. Players will have the power to modify this board, change the position of the stars, and do all kinds of things to turn the game around in an instant. In addition, new items have been added to add some excitement to the game, such as the Duel Glove, and the possibility to temporarily collaborate with extra characters who will give us a little help to gain an advantage.
When we want to break the routine of the boards or simply play alone, there are many other modes that prioritize this possibility and use the online mode to connect with people from all over the world and enjoy mini-games solo. Because yes, we haven’t talked about them yet, but they couldn’t be missing in this installment.
This is the case of the Mini-Game Port, a space where you can face daily challenges consisting of 4 different mini-games with an associated theme. For example, there is a challenge centered around food in which we will find tests like having to escape from the sandwiches that want to crush us. Each test won is a star and at the end of the challenge, the player with the most will be named the winner and will earn Party Points, of which we still don’t know much. In general, all the mini-games are presented as very fun options, some in the style of Fall Guys, seeking to have more movement and dynamism with great success.
The Bowserathlon is a long-distance race against other players
There is also another mode that is especially striking, which is the Bowserathlon, a long-distance race against other players, advancing more or less along the circuit based on our results in the tests and with a ranking of positions. Finally, we also got to try the Anti-Bowser Brigade which consists of cooperating as a group to defeat a furious and giant Bowser that roams the stage, using bombs. And this is less than half of the game’s content. That is, there are still many more surprises to uncover.
Ultimately, Super Mario Party Jamboree comes with the intention of offering the most complete experience ever. Even in small details, like the amount of stickers we can use during the game, this fact is perceived. While we had access to a full hour of gameplay, this test felt very short and ended at the best moment. We are eager to explore everything, see the rest of the maps, modes, and surprises. The best part, at first glance, seems to be the possibility for the player to delve into the proposal without the need to play only in a group or with a monotonous AI, so it looks like we can spend a few hours on this Super Mario Party Jamboree.
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