One of the games that always works when you need a virtual board game is Super Mario Party and I actually expected the next entry in the franchise to be on the Switch 2, but no! Nintendo would rather use Super Mario Party Jamboree to ceremoniously say goodbye to the Switch, because after the approximately hour and a half party session in Frankfurt, Jamboree shows that something can still be technically squeezed out of the Switch.
We played some classic rounds of Super Mario Party in local co-op, which Jamboree expanded to include numerous new mini-games and maps, bringing Jamboree to 110 mini-games. We also tried out two brand new modes: Im Bowserathlon you are able to play online with up to 20 other competitors. In PvE mode Bowser’s Kaboom Squad You can measure your strength against Bowser together with up to eight players (online or offline). The two new modes also receive several maps. I explain one of each in detail in the video above. Jamboree also offers other islands with supposedly more gaming options that we haven’t been able to take a closer look at yet. However, it has been confirmed to us that there is at least one more challenge mode in which the mini-games will change daily.
Super Mario Party Jamboree (Preview)
In Super Mario Party Jamboree await you 22 playable characters. Paulina and Ninji were still grayed out for us, so you’ll probably have to unlock them first. Kamek then guides you to the many islands where the party fun can begin: If you play the classic Mario Party mode, you first choose whether you want to start casually with the party rules or immediately prove your skills with professional rules. Once you have made your decision, you will quickly notice that there are over five new playing fields and some returning ones.
Bigger, more colorful, more beautiful
The menu we tried first reminded me immediately Pummel party. It still offered enough peculiarities, such as the large caterpillar ‘Wiggler’ in the middle, which moved in circles and thus changed the position of the figure or star that lay on it. Overall, a very fun environment. One map that I’m particularly looking forward to in the future, but which we haven’t been able to play yet, is the pastel shopping center. It intrigues me because it seems to have lots of small obstacles and visually reminds me of a big, cute, non-apocalyptic version of the mall from Kirby and the Forgotten Land.
Of course, the new mini-games stand out – and in a positive way. Jamboree seems to place particular emphasis on teamwork, because during our playing time we formed groups much more often than usual in order to collect the important coins in short challenges. The visuals were also immediately positive: Not only did everything run smoothly, the lively colors and the well-known characterful animations on the screen simply looked great. Once again, inactive players were able to display small messages in the form of stickers and of course we also had the opportunity to look at the map and collect items at any time.
Jamboree convinces me that we are dealing with a full-fledged successor to Mario Party, because it not only offers numerous new characters, mini-games and maps, but also flawless performance and beautiful visuals. In addition to the two brand new modes, there are still a few islands that I haven’t had a chance to see yet that could potentially offer further innovative gameplay alternatives. I didn’t expect a game like this at the end of the Switch cycle, but it’s still a nice farewell party!
Super Mario Party Jamboree will be released on October 17, 2024 for the Nintendo Switch.
