Although 2020 wasn’t the best year to play Mario Party thanks to the rise of a global pandemic and such, 2021 is thankfully a better and safer year for many people to play it next to their friends and family. Released just in time for the holiday rush, Mario Party Superstars is a new opportunity to test the strengths of your relationships with people as you steal stars from each other.

Truth be told, I was a little hesitant with this new entry. I’ve had plenty of experience playing Mario Party games at friends’ houses over the years, but the first one I’ve owned was the previous mainline entry and the first to be on the Nintendo Switch, Super Mario Party. As much as I would end up playing it, there was a lot of content spread across different modes and some of them simply weren’t very fun to me. Online play being restricted to minigames only was also unfortunate, to say the least. Earlier this year there was a patch that did add online play for boards, but it was two years too late.

Comparing that entry with Mario Party Superstars though, and it’s not surprising that I would be easily convinced. Taking cues from Mario Party: The Top 100 on the 3DS, the latest entry focuses on the heights of its history with 100 fan-favorite minigames. The focus isn’t solely on the minigames though, as five boards from the first three titles have also been brought back.

Continuing to distance itself from the vehicle-based movement of Mario Party 9 and Mario Party 10, each of the four players individually rolls dice to move across the board. Once each player has moved, a minigame is played for the end of the turn. Depending on the spaces the players landed on, this can be a three vs one, a two vs two, or a free-for-all minigame.

The main goal for each player is to reach and gather as many stars as possible before the game ends. Of course, there are plenty of additional ways to get stars from stealing them through certain mechanics or receiving one or both bonus stars at the end of a game.

Unlike the previous game which did have a strong focus on the movement and gyro-capabilities of the joycons, all the minigames here are purely button and stick movement-based. This means those with pro controllers and even Nintendo Switch Lite owners can join in on the fun this time around.

Speaking of which, this game is a whole lot of fun! As someone who did still enjoy Super Mario Party but also has nostalgia for the older games, this game is a perfect pairing. The same engine is used here and a lot of my favorite aspects returned, such as the sleek UI and the ability to practice the minigame on the instruction menu before playing. Meanwhile, the minigames and boards have all been wonderfully remade and updated slightly here and there.

I also must highlight the unnecessary but completely entertaining stickers mechanic. At any time where you’re not specifically in control (whether it be an opponent’s turn or while you’re moving), you can bring up a sticker menu and select one to show off. This sort of acts like a simple, quick chat option that you can use to convey your emotions. It is also a good way to poke fun because you can effectively spam them every few seconds.

It might sound pointless if you are playing locally next to your friends, but each sticker also comes with a sound effect of the character on it. There was always one moment in every game I played where at least two of us devolved into spamming Toad and Toadette stickers that have them screaming in shock. Sometimes we did it because Luigi was about to steal someone’s star and sometimes we did it in exaggerated anticipation of someone about to roll their die. I was also a huge fan of using a Rosalina sticker that just had her saying “TA-DAAAAA” at key moments.

One of the most important inclusions I also have to bring up, even though it’s still an expected standard feature to further ensure the game’s replay value, is that there is decent online functionality! No matter if you’re looking to play one of the five boards or just some minigames, it’s possible to take the fun online as you absolutely should be able to.

The multiplayer isn’t exclusive to just one player per console either. When creating rooms to play with randoms or friends online (there isn’t a lobby system of any sort, unfortunately), you can choose how many players will be joining from your Nintendo Switch.

It’s kind of hard to wrack my brain for any negatives. All the minigames are of high-quality and purely preferential on whether someone likes them or not, but I liked most that I played and I’m not sure there was any that everyone I played with collectively disliked. Five boards isn’t a lot and that certainly is a fair pain point for some, but I do think the number of minigames helps to balance it out a bit. It’s still more than Super Mario Party had, but six boards would have been superb!

A key difference this time around I suppose is that there are only ten characters playable, which is an amount the mainline series hasn’t had more of since Mario Party 5. It’s also extremely noticeable since the previous game featured the most characters of any game in its history with 20 characters. Two of my favorite characters made it in so it doesn’t bug me too much, although I can understand why some may be disappointed in the lack of variety.

Sitting down for a game or two of Mario Party has always been a recipe for a good time. Some entries have been weaker than others, as the developers try their best to innovate and keep the series fresh, which is why banking on nostalgia might seem like a safer choice than making a total brand-new entry. The good news is that it pays off here after the reception of the previous game. Mario Party Superstars can easily earn a spot in your rotation of party games, no matter if you’re already familiar with what it contains or not.

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Mario Party Superstars

$59.99

8.6

Score

8.6/10

Pros

• Fan-favorite Minigames and Boards
• Stickers Add Fun
• Online Play

Cons

• Only Five Boards
• Only Ten Characters