If you’ve never played a Mario Party game in the past, the key to understanding what it is resides in its title.
These games essentially feature character favorites from the Mario franchise and plop them down in a smorgasbord of minigames. It’s the sort of quick play and board game-like fare that would work well in a party gathering where friends grab a controller and play together for short, grin-worthy bouts. So, there’s no deep story and nothing too complicated here.
Which brings us to Super Mario Party Jamboree, the latest and largest gathering of such Mario-focused minigames and activities.
Of course, the above assessment doesn’t mean that you can’t play on your own. You can. And the gameensures that there are some AI-generated pals to compete against if you happen to be flying solo. But you quickly get the sense when playing that Super Mario Party Jamboree is specifically designed for, well, a party of pals.
Jamboree pulls in fan favorite characters such as Mario, Luigi, Peach and Donkey King to play as and against. But there’s a cavalcade of others to choose from as well if you’d rather hit the scene as, say, Waluigi, Toadette or Yoshi.
The game world is divided into islands that players can navigate to in a hot air balloon, and those isles are home to some 110 minigame pursuits.
A minigame called Rhythm Kitchen, for instance, challenges players to “cook to a beat,” while Paratroopa Flight School sends players soaring through sky-high challenges in either competitive or cooperative play. You’ll find Mario Kart and ski-board races; fishing games; snowball battles; memory challenges; robotic arm wrestling; canon shooting; pinball-like play; a merry-go-round-esque slapping battle. The list stretches on and on.
It should also be noted that the games are divided up for various numbers of players. Some are designed for one-on-one play only, for instance, while others are two-vs-two contests or one-vs.-three. Some are even four-player free-for-alls. There’s even a section called a Koopathlon that features 20 players racing around a course and completing quick minigames to move forward. And gamers who want a bit more focused task might opt for a Big Boss challenge, such as taking on a gigantic Bowser foe.
The centerpiece of the world, however, is a board game-like play with seven different layouts called Mario Party. Players take turns rolling dice and moving about on a 3D game board.
The difference from a normal board game, however, is that your movement here is punctuated with minigames that can change things radically with each turn. And then more items and events are tossed into the mix to stir up surprise twists and, well, create more chaos than you might expect from your typical Monopoly game.
You can play all of the above with up to three friends in local co-op play or choose an online multiplayer option. But parents should note that online play requires a paid Nintendo Switch Online membership. And a copy of the Super Mario Party Jamboree game is required on each system that’s joining in.
Character interactions are friendly and cheery.
The Jamboree gameplay is quick, colorful and kid friendly. And even in the more challenging activities, the game mechanics feel very familiar to other Mario platforming fare that younger kids may have played before.
Play before bedtime can be kept to small chunks of time with this game’s minigame format.
There’s nothing dark or threatening even when fighting a supersized Bowser. The most frustrating aspect of the game is likely the randomness of the Mario Party board games. A youngster getting good rolls can be suddenly penalized through no fault of their own.
There’s also some broad comical violence in the mix between canon blasts and thumping mechanical arms. A huge slapping hand in one minigame, for instance, can leave characters dazed with stars swirling about their head.
Parents may also not be very fond of having to pay extra to use online multiplayer (see above).
Mario and the gang are back with a world full of content-free minigames in tow. Mom and Dad will be pleased and even the pickiest gamer will find it hard to stay bored.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
Our weekly newsletter will keep you in the loop on the biggest things happening in entertainment and technology. Sign up today, and we’ll send you a chapter from the new Plugged In book, Becoming a Screen-Savvy Family, that focuses on how to implement a “screentime reset” in your family!
