In search of both new connections and a few rivalries, the Mario Party series has served as my trusty sidekick for social events. Its engaging board game style makes it accessible for newcomers while still presenting enough challenge for seasoned gamers. Nintendo has already released two Mario Party titles for the Switch, racking up sales of over 33 million copies combined. Still, before transitioning to the next generation of consoles, Nintendo is set to unveil one last entry: Super Mario Party Jamboree, which is set to launch on October 17, 2024. Given the array of festive activities this game presents, will it stand out as a top contender or fall flat compared to its predecessors?
Brimming with 22 characters, 7 unique game boards, more than 110 minigames, and 8 distinct game modes, calling Super Mario Party Jamboree “overloaded” would be an understatement. Upon launching the game, players find themselves in the vibrant Party Plaza. This central hub allows players to select their characters, determine the number of participants, and access various shops, game records, and unlockables. Once the setup is complete, players can board a hot-air balloon that whisks them off to a selection of game modes. Initially, navigating the menus might feel a bit daunting, but it becomes second nature as players familiarize themselves with the layout. The only minor drawback is being required to return to the Party Plaza to change options, yet the loading times are impressively quick, minimizing any frustration.
Now, let’s delve into the various modes available in Super Mario Party Jamboree:
Mario Party (1-4 players – local or online)
Reinvigorating the classic board game experience, the original Super Mario Party paved the way for this new installment, which not only reflects its predecessor but also enhances it. The gameplay remains notably similar, but several quality-of-life updates—the in-game UI, for instance, shifts position with each turn—greatly clarify the flow of the game, including who’s rolling next and when the minigames will occur. A choice of seven boards adds freshness and replay value, reminiscent of the offerings in Mario Party 5 (2003) for the GameCube and Mario Party: Island Tour (2013) for the 3DS, and just one fewer than the original Mario Party (1998) on the N64, which still holds the title for most game boards.
Every board introduces a unique twist, typically activated by landing on an “Event” space or utilizing a board-specific item. For example, in Mega Wiggler’s Tree Party, a huge sleeping Wiggler shifts the board’s pathways when awakened by ringing a bell, potentially disrupting players’ straightforward paths to the star. The two remastered boards from earlier Mario Party titles, Mario’s Rainbow Castle and Western Land, maintain their classic mechanics, bringing back the Ztars and the Steamer train. I was pleasantly surprised by the level of enjoyment I found in all seven game boards, each presenting its own strategic possibilities. There isn’t a board I wouldn’t gladly revisit, but my personal favorite is undoubtedly Rainbow Galleria. Its lively shopping mall theme also features a special Markup Sticker item, which doubles the cost of stars and items for a player until the end of their next turn. Regardless of the board you select, expect plenty of delightful chaos.
In keeping with the theme of unpredictability, the Jamboree Buddies are a fresh gameplay feature in Super Mario Party Jamboree. At the turn’s onset, a chance arises for one of ten unique characters to appear on the game board. Should a player land on the Jamboree Buddy’s designated space before it departs, it triggers a Showdown Minigame, an exclusive minigame hosted by that character. While the player who reaches the space gains an edge, the ultimate selection of the Jamboree Buddy as an ally relies on the outcome of the minigame. Players who secure a Jamboree Buddy will keep them for three turns. However, if another player passes by during this time, the Buddy will switch allegiance. Not only does acquiring a Jamboree Buddy provide a special ability—like Mario boosting dice rolls by 3-8 or Peach offering half-price stars—but it doubles most attributes. For instance, landing on a Bowser space during this journey means facing penalties double that of normal. Jamboree Buddies significantly elevate the fun compared to the standard Allies found in the original Super Mario Party, offering more depth than just a change of dice mechanics.
Altogether, the traditional Mario Party mode in Super Mario Party Jamboree sets a high standard. The customization features are extensive, with exciting additions like the innovative Pro Mode rules and the option to disable motion-controlled minigames (which only comprise 15 in total), making it possible to enjoy the game in handheld mode or with a Pro Controller.
Minigame Bay (1-4 players – local and online)
Minigames have long been the backbone of the Mario Party franchise, making their separate playability an essential feature. If you’re short on time for a complete round or just want to chase high scores, Minigame Bay has you covered by compiling every minigame from the assorted modes into one easy-to-navigate section. Whether it’s frantic button mashing, strategic puzzle solving, or trying to shake your Joy-Con like it’s a mission, Jamboree boasts an impressive variety of both competitive and collaborative minigames, some of which even take place underwater.
Within Minigame Bay, all 112 minigames are categorically organized into Free-for-All, 1v3, 2v2, Duel, Item, Showdown, Motion, Endless, Koopathlon, Kaboom-Squad, and Rhythm categories. Some minigames even cross-list into multiple categories for convenience. As for sub-modes, the Daily Challenge offers a daily rotating set of three minigames to compete in on jet skis. The Tag Match pits teams of two against each other in banana boat battles aiming to win a target number of minigames. Survival is an online mode focused on solo play where players compete to boost their Skill Grade, while the Showdown Minigame Battle sub-mode has players diving underwater to partake in 5, 7, or 10 Showdown Minigames, earning coins based on their performance—the most coin-rich player declares victory. While the presentation of these sub-modes may not be ground-breaking, they still introduce refreshing ways to engage with the diverse array of minigames.
Party-Planner Trek (single-player)
As a multiplayer-focused party game series, Mario Party hasn’t traditionally been known for its single-player experiences, outside of pitting players against AI. However, Super Mario Party Jamboree attempts to enhance this by introducing the Party-Planner Trek campaign, though it may not reach the depth some were hoping for.
Taking under five hours to complete, Party-Planner Trek allows players to roam freely across game boards from the Mario Party mode, gathering mini-stars by interacting with various characters and fulfilling requests. Most tasks simply involve winning a minigame, and the other assignments tend to feel more like chores, such as collecting items and transporting them to different locations. Even so, I found value in the novelty of navigating the board without dice, and there were fun and unexpected elements throughout my journey. Unlocking decorations for the Party Plaza as you advance provides a satisfying incentive, yet, while I appreciate its inclusion, Party-Planner Trek ultimately feels like an underutilized opportunity.
However, it’s worth noting a few puzzling omissions—specifically, only five of the seven game boards are playable. The two absent boards are the classic Mario’s Rainbow Castle and Western Land, leading to speculation that Nintendo aimed to focus solely on new boards. This rationale eludes me, alongside the limitation of three save file slots for Party-Planner Trek. Once you select a character, you cannot change without starting anew, although some dialogue shifts slightly depending on the character chosen. It would have enhanced the experience if those dialogues were tailored dynamically without necessitating a restart.
Rhythm Kitchen (1-4 players – local only)
A spiritual successor to the Sound Stage from the original title, Rhythm Kitchen shifts the focus to cooperative gameplay. Players attempt to synchronize their Joy-Con movements to the beat while executing food-themed minigames such as pancake flipping and vegetable digging. Your team’s overall Chef Rank is determined by the number of notes hit accurately, with each player’s precision also quantified at the conclusion. Fortunately, if fewer than four local players participate, the NPCs maintain a perfect scoring record. Rhythm Kitchen offers four game modes: Normal (3 minigames), Long (6 minigames), Challenging (3 more intense minigames), and Remix (6 fast-paced minigames). As an avid rhythm game enthusiast, I found Rhythm Kitchen to be one of my go-to modes, though I do wish it boasted a larger pool of minigames.
Toad’s Item Factory (1-4 players – local only)
While Toad’s Item Factory attempts to bring a fresh, engaging experience, it unfortunately ranks lower compared to the rest of Super Mario Party Jamboree. This mode involves motion controls facilitating the movement of machinery while guiding a marble through obstacle courses towards the objective. With 10 areas hosting three levels each, the difficulty progresses but remains insufficiently challenging, with clunky physics hindering the marble’s responsiveness and overall enjoyment.
Paratroopa Flight School (1-2 players – local only)
In Paratroopa Flight School, you will flutter around like a Koopa Paratoopa, flapping your arms while wielding one Joy-Con in each hand. Playable solo or cooperatively, the mode features Mario and Luigi as selectable characters. The gameplay includes three sub-modes: Sky Battle—where you compete to gather more Para-Biddybuds than your rival, Koopa Paratroopa Taxi—a collaborative mode focused on passenger pickups and drop-offs while maneuvering obstacles, and Free Flight—offering limitless exploration of the map without concerns about time or tasks. While the motion controls can be tricky initially, I found the gameplay refreshing and amusing once I got accustomed to it.
Bowser Kaboom Squad (8 players – online only)
A standout surprise within Super Mario Party Jamboree is the 8-player cooperative Bowser Kaboom Squad mode. In this mode, players must collaborate—whether with friends or through online matchmaking—to defeat a giant Impostor Bowser wreaking havoc in a free-roaming area with complete camera control. Players deplete his health over five rounds by destroying crates and launching bombs using cannons. To activate the cannon, players need to load it with 20 bombs, all while racing against the clock, heightening the sense of urgency.
This mode offers three distinct levels, each with unique layouts and adversaries, including Chargin’ Chucks, Bomber Bills, and Ty-foos. When knocked down, players enter a safety bubble and must rely on teammates to help them back into the action. Players can collect coins scattered around the map; accumulating 100 grants 30 seconds of bonus time, where bombs deal double damage. Additionally, at the end of each round, the team engages in one of 10 8-player minigames, with performance graded from C to S. Higher-quality team performances yield better items for the next round, enhancing the strategy against Impostor Bowser.
With a Squad Rank to aim for as a motivation to replay, Bowser Kaboom Squad is an exhilarating addition to the game. I eagerly anticipate returning to this mode at launch, particularly when the servers are bustling with players. As enjoyable as the experience was with NPCs, I can only imagine how much more fun it will be with friends. However, it’s worth noting that despite the Impostor Bowser being tagged as such, the real Bowser remains unplayable in this and the Koopathlon mode.
Koopathlon (20 players – online only)
Koopathlon represents an innovative 20-player race, as players compete in three of nine potential single-player Coin Minigames to gather as many coins as possible. Opting for either 3, 5, or 7 laps, each lap features 150 spaces, with every coin collected translating to one space forward. Accumulating sufficient coins also activates an item box gauge, which bestows various advantages. Rankings are updated post-minigame, offering insights on positioning. After completing the three Coin Minigames, an Impostor Bowser appears, initiating one of five possible Survivathon Minigames—players must endure Bowser’s antics to secure items. Being knocked out results in penalties, sending players back a certain number of spaces based on their rank, with larger penalties for those leading in the race. While Koopathlon can also be played offline against NPCs, it thrives best online.
With a wealth of content, an endless array of minigames, and a charm that could light up any party, Super Mario Party Jamboree is easily the pinnacle of Mario Party entries on Switch. While it doesn’t completely replace Superstars—due to that game serving more as a celebration of the series than a fresh entry—Jamboree elevates the original Super Mario Party in nearly every aspect and is undoubtedly worth the investment. Although the single-player content felt underdeveloped and several peculiar design choices stand out, Jamboree still has a wealth of offerings for all players.
8.5/10
A review copy of Super Mario Party Jamboree was provided by Nintendo UK.