Preview: Super Mario Party Jamboree

I think it’s safe to say that numbered releases for the Mario Party series are officially a thing of the past. After the controversially unique gameplay of Mario Party 10 (2015) on Wii U, Nintendo brought the series back to its beloved, classic format with Super Mario Party (2018) on Switch. Mario Party Superstars (2021) then followed, acting as sort of a celebration of the franchise by bringing back 100 fan-favorite minigames from series history. Now, three years later (just like clockwork), the third Mario Party on Switch, the thirteenth overall home console entry, and the second to use the “Super” naming convention, Super Mario Party Jamboree, is almost here. With promises of it being the “biggest and boldest” Mario Party game yet, let’s take a look to see if Jamboree will actually be worth an RSVP.

Ever since the Wii introduced motion controls to Mario Party minigames, the fan community has been split on whether or not it’s their preferred way to play. Super Mario Party heavily relied on the use of motion controls, and Mario Party Superstars exclusively used standard button controls, but Super Mario Party Jamboree takes a ‘best of both worlds’ approach by offering a balanced mix of both. With the newly added option to disable the motion-controlled minigames entirely, every type of party-goer can join in on the fun. There are over 110 minigames in Jamboree, more than any Mario Party game that came before.

The number of playable characters in Jamboree also reaches new series heights with a total roster of 22, over double the amount in Superstars and two more than the original Super Mario Party. However, although most of the characters from the past two games are back, Diddy Kong, Hammer Bro, Dry Bones, and Pom Pom have been cut in favor of older returning characters. Toad and Toadette, both of which were last playable in Mario Party: Super Rush on 3DS, and Spike, whose last and only appearance was in Mario Party 10, make their return, with Pauline and Ninji also joining the party for the first time.

Super Mario Party Jamboree’s main event is, of course, the classic board game-style mode; known simply as “Mario Party.” Playable either locally or online with up to 4 players, the core Mario Party formula remains the same: take turns rolling a dice block, gather more stars than your opponents, collect coins and items along the way, and compete in various minigames. Jamboree switches things up slightly with the inclusion of Jamboree Buddies, a new mechanic (not too dissimilar to the Allies in Super Mario Party) where a character randomly appears somewhere on the board. The first player to reach the space that the Jamboree Buddy is on will get an advantage in a showdown minigame where the winner will receive the character as an ally. This will provide the player with a unique special ability depending on which character it happens to be, but don’t get too attached, as if another player passes you on the board, the Jamboree Buddy will immediately start assisting them instead.

Before starting the game, there are plenty of custom rules and options. You can select the difficulty and movement speed of the CPU (only required if playing with less than 4 people), turn Bonus Stars on/off (random conditions or “classic mode” with only the Rich Bonus and Eventful Bonus), change the number of total turns (10, 15, 20, 25, or 30), give a player a handicap by starting them off with 1-5 stars, choose if minigames are selected randomly or by vote, skip the minigame explanations, and as mentioned before, toggle the motion-controlled minigames. On top of all that, as if Mario Party wasn’t competitive enough, Jamboree also introduces “Pro Rules,” which prioritizes strategy and skill by removing some of the RNG luck-based aspects.

7 different game boards are available to choose from this time around, with 5 brand new ones (Mega Wiggler’s Tree Party, Roll ‘em Raceway, Goomba Lagoon, King Bowser’s Keep, and Rainbow Galleria) and 2 reimagined classics (Mario’s Rainbow Castle from the original N64 Mario Party and Western Land from Mario Party 2). Each board has a unique layout, style, tactics, and an exclusive item that can either benefit yourself or hinder your opponents. These boards also appear outside of the Mario Party mode, as they can also be experienced in a different way in the single-player campaign, Party-Planner Trek.

Super Mario Party Jamboree is obviously best enjoyed with friends or family, but for times when you’re unable to get a group together (or perhaps while you’re waiting for your guests to arrive), that’s where Party-Planner Trek comes in. Starting from Goomba Lagoon, Party-Planner Trek has you freely travel from space to space on each of the game boards to help NPCs (such as Toads and Goombas) with tasks and earn mini-stars by doing so. There are 60 total mini-stars to collect per board, but only 30 are required to move on to the next one. The types of tasks include coming first place in a minigame, finding and retrieving items somewhere on the board, or answering trivia questions. Completing tasks will also reward you with decoration items that can be used in the Party Plaza, a small free-roam area that functions as the main navigation hub of the entire game.

The Party Plaza connects you to everything that Super Mario Party Jamboree has to offer. Alongside Party-Planner Trek and an all-important hot-air balloon that leads you to select from the different game modes, there’s also an Antenna to connect with friends online, a Guide Toad to adjust game settings, a Reaction Shop where you can buy and collect a selection of 109 total reactions that can be used during gameplay, a Mario Party Card Shop for a variety of cards and stickers to decorate with, a Music Shop to listen to all the wonderful music from the game, an online Rankings Board where you can view worldwide and friend rankings, and a Data House that features a list of achievements. Completing achievements will add more stock options to the shops, and the currency used to purchase items, Party Points, is earned progressively just by playing any of the modes.

Party-Planner Trek and the main Mario Party mode is only scratching the surface of the game modes included in Super Mario Party Jamboree. There are also two online-focused modes: Bowser Kaboom Squad, an 8-player co-op mode where you work together to defeat Bowser, and Koopathlon, a 20-player competitive race where every coin you collect in a minigame moves you forward. Additionally, there are three local-multiplayer motion control-focused modes: Rhythm Kitchen, a 4-player co-op mode where you move the Joy-Con to the beat in food-themed minigames, Toad’s Item Factory, a 2-4 player co-op mode where you tilt the Joy-Con to move machinery and navigate a ball through an obstacle course, and Paratroopa Flight School, a 1-2 player mode (either co-op or competitive) where you fly though the sky by flapping your arms like wings while holding the Joy-Con. Lastly, if you’re in the mood to just play some minigames, Minigame Bay will more than suit your needs. I will be going much more in-depth about each of these unique modes in our upcoming review, but first-impressions are very positive.

Super Mario Party Jamboree combines all my favorite aspects of both Super Mario Party and Superstars and turns it into something that feels both fresh and familiar. With an almost overwhelming number of brand new modes and gameplay options, Nintendo wasn’t exaggerating by referring to Jamboree as a “bigger, bolder” Mario Party, but whether it’s the best is still to be determined. Don’t miss your invitation to find out the final verdict in our review right here at My Nintendo News before Super Mario Party Jamboree launches for Nintendo Switch on 17th October 2024. The party is just getting started!

A copy of Super Mario Party Jamboree was provided by Nintendo UK for the purposes of this preview.