As a seasoned gamer with memories of countless late-night Mario Party sessions etched into my memory, I must say that Super Mario Party Jamboree has left me with mixed feelings. On one hand, I appreciate the efforts to extend gameplay longevity and the introduction of the Battle Pass-like system is a welcome addition, albeit without the option for real-world currency transactions.
As a dedicated gamer, I’ve been on quite a journey with the Mario Party franchise since the GameCube days. However, it took a dip after that. But, with the first two titles on the Switch – Super Mario Party and Mario Party Superstars, things started looking up again. Both were hits commercially and with fans, but Super Mario Party felt a bit overloaded with its new Ally system, while Superstars was more like a compilation of classic maps and minigames.
One advantage that Jamboree undeniably possesses is its vastness. Nintendo boasts this version as featuring the highest number of playable characters (22) and minigames (112), making it the most extensive Mario Party ever created. A large cast isn’t inherently problematic, but I do have a minor critique concerning Bowser’s participation. I hold no grudge against him – he’s been a consistent playable character since the SNES era, after all. However, his inclusion results in the antagonist Bowser appearing throughout the levels and game modes being referred to as “Imitation Bowser,” which feels somewhat forced and unnecessary. Either remove Bowser from the playable cast or introduce a new villain to replace him. The continuous presence of an imposter Bowser with ominous purple outlines and PlayStation symbols isn’t essential, in my opinion.
Moving past that significant issue we had earlier, let’s dive into the celebration! It’s been a long time since we enjoyed freshly made game maps. The latest Super Mario Party maps fell short, while Mario Party Superstars had five good ones but they were all from the Nintendo 64 era. The Jamboree maps, however, provide an enjoyable blend of five new creations and two familiar favorites. The new maps surpass those from Super Mario Party, with Roll ’em Raceway and Rainbow Galleria being the standouts. Just two classic maps were included this time, but I’m thrilled to see the return of Mario’s Rainbow Castle (the original Mario Party map) and Western Land (from Mario Party 2).
Each fresh map comes with its unique twist: Mega Wiggler’s Tree Party presents a Wiggler who seems either perpetually asleep or irate, with the option to ring a bell to shift his position and form new paths. Goomba Lagoon encircles a volcano that periodically erupts, creating hazardous zones, as well as tides that rise and fall to conceal parts of the board. Roll ’em Raceway transforms your characters into race cars, which might remind you of Mario Party 9 and 10, but this time it’s executed effectively. Rainbow Galleria is a three-story shopping mall where you traverse escalators and gather stamps for coin rewards. King Bowser’s Keep (overseen by the previously mentioned Imposter Bowser) requires players to maneuver treacherous conveyor belts and strive to open a vault brimming with potential loot. The two retro maps undergo minor adjustments and enhancements, but essentially resemble improved versions of the classic maps you recall.
The traditional party-style games will bring a sense of nostalgia for anyone who’s played the series before. You’ll choose your characters, decide on the number of turns, and strive to amass more coins than others to earn stars. It’s essentially Mario Party, but with some refinements such as a timeline at the screen’s bottom that indicates turn order and board events. The most significant alteration to the standard format involves the Jamboree Buddies and Showdown Minigames.
In the game, characters called Jamboree Buddies will pop up on the board at different stages. If you manage to reach them before they vanish (which happens after a few rounds), you’ll initiate a special Minigame for everyone involved. The winner of this extended and intricate minigame gets to keep the Jamboree Buddy as their companion for several subsequent turns. These minigames are longer and more complex than the usual ones. Wario subjects players to an extended game show segment, Mario challenges with a sequence of traditional minigames, and Donkey Kong activates a rhythm-based bongo game that allows each player a personal performance. Some of these minigames are enjoyable, like Yoshi’s platform race or Daisy’s coin collection challenge. However, others can become tedious and last much longer than anticipated. With the Showdown Minigames, duels, versus games, item games, and more, a 10-turn game could easily feel like it has been going on for 20 or more turns by the end.
Winning with Jamboree Buddy’s company can result in benefits that vary from insignificant to profoundly impactful. For instance, DK might transport you to random locations on the board, Luigi could help you roll higher numbers, and Bowser Jr. can set traps for your opponents. However, the most significant advantage is their ability to let you buy two stars at once. If you have 40 coins and land on a star space within a few turns while your Jamboree Buddy is with you, you can drastically change the leaderboard’s standings. It’s important to note that if another player overtakes you on the board, your Jamboree Buddy will switch allegiance to them. Compared to the constant ally feature in Super Mario Party, where multiple allies could potentially give you an unfair advantage in dice rolls and minigames throughout a game, this system is more strategic and intentionally limited.
As a dedicated gamer, I must say that Super Mario Party Jamboree finds itself in the challenging position of succeeding Superstars, a game brimming with top-notch minigames across the entire series. Frankly, you can tell the difference in quality. Most of the new games are decent at best, but there are some gems like Slappy Go Round, Prime Cut, and Unfriendly Flying Object that truly shine. However, for every game that brings a smile to my face, there’s another that makes me groan as soon as it appears on screen. Gate Key-pers is hands down my least favorite, where you navigate five keys and three locked gates. We painstakingly take turns, using keys on doors while trying to remember which combinations have been tried already. It drags on for ages, slowing down the tempo significantly, a problem that seems to plague more than one minigame in this installment. Furthermore, there are games that incorporate the mechanic of “choose one of these options and hope no one else picks the same one or it doesn’t count,” which has never been enjoyable once. I anticipate a degree of absurdity and randomness in a Mario Party game, but Jamboree sometimes feels like it’s overdoing it.
The final installment of the Super Mario Party series on Nintendo Switch, titled “Jamboree,” aims to strike a balance between its earlier versions. However, it seems that in pursuit of this equilibrium, it unintentionally veers towards an excess of content at the expense of quality during production.
Initially, as I delved into several games, I found myself questioning the abundance of similar mini-games. After all, wasn’t Jamboree boasting about having the highest number of mini-games ever created? However, upon completing all game modes, I finally understood the situation. While there are 112 mini-games, nearly half of them are only accessible in side modes that you may play once or twice before moving on. This means that the 112 games are effectively reduced by almost half if you’re primarily focusing on party mode, which I believe is where most players will want to spend their time.
From a hot air balloon floating above the islands of Jamboree, you can switch between different modes, ranging from “reasonable diversion” to “perplexing inclusion.” Three waggle-based modes are situated on Motion Island. Paratroopa Flight School has an awkward Wii-like feel, where you and a possible second player flap your Joy-Con-held arms to navigate the map, collecting coins or Para-biddybuds, or playing a wonky Crazy Taxi-style delivery game. It’s not enjoyable. Rhythm Kitchen accommodates up to four local players, offering engaging minigames centered around cooking and rhythm, but wrapped in a chef battle format with ambiguous scoring. I wish the minigame concepts from Rhythm Kitchen had been integrated into the standard party pool, as there are some entertaining ones here, but this mode won’t see much use at my house. Toad’s Item Factory resembles an early iPhone game, requiring you to tilt and rotate your Joy-Cons to guide a ball into a hole. Most people will likely play this once, and I would have preferred several new minigames in the party mode instead of this addition.
Intriguingly, the previews for Jamboree hinted at an engaging gameplay style with a mode allowing up to 20 participants. This feature is known as Koopathlon, where either human players or bots populate a race track. The objective is to move forward by amassing coins in a series of mini-games unique to this mode. These mini-games are more extensive than typical ones and tend to be repeated often. However, after the third time of grabbing rolls from an oven before they burn, the excitement of competing against 19 other players noticeably decreases. The concept has potential – Mario Party could benefit from a multiplayer mode offering large-scale games inspired by Fall Guys or battle royale genres. Yet, it seems that this particular implementation needs further refinement to reach its full potential.
The Bowser Kaboom Squad is an online multiplayer mode that allows eight friends to play together against a CPU-controlled Imposter Bowser. Unlike traditional games, the minigames in this mode are designed for cooperative gameplay. Tasks range from arranging cards in order to stopping explosives from damaging a castle gate. These activities can be chaotic and enjoyable, similar to Overcooked. However, there are only 10 minigames available. When not participating in a minigame, players run around the map gathering bombs to throw at Imposter Bowser. Good performance in the games rewards helpful items like additional bomb carrying capacity or faster delivery of bombs to the cannon. It’s entertaining when you have a group, but it might be challenging to find seven friends for a round of Bowser Kaboom Squad regularly.
As a devoted fan, I must say, the fun doesn’t stop at the modes presented. Minigame Island offers an array of engaging ways to dive into the collection of mini-games. You can freely play them whenever you want, take on a daily challenge for fresh excitement, or opt for a sequence of Showdown Minigames. The Party Planner Trek is a captivating solo adventure where you complete tasks, battle CPU opponents in minigames, and gather mini-stars as you traverse the five new maps.
Too much of it seems excessive or unnecessary to me. While having multiple modes can offer variety, it seems that the numerous mini-games exclusive to each mode have diminished my enjoyment of the primary party mode. It’s as if Nintendo aimed to create a fun experience for solo players or those with only one friend, but Mario Party has always shone when played with three friends in person. There are countless enjoyable single and two-player experiences available on every console. I’m not seeking that kind of experience in Mario Party. Each mode contains many intriguing ideas, but if they were combined with the main party mode, I believe it would result in a much more attractive overall package.
Some strategies they’ve implemented to extend gameplay time are commendable. As you progress in the game, you will gather Party Points which can be utilized to purchase a growing variety of stickers, tunes, and response options. Interestingly, there is also a system reminiscent of Battle Pass (without any real-world currency involved) where you unlock additional rewards as your player rank advances.
In an unexpected twist, Jamboree has added a Pro Rules feature to the standard game mode as well. I thought this would merely disable the elasticity effect, but it turns out to be more intricate. It aims to reduce some randomness in the gameplay by revealing the location of the bonus star at the start, giving players the option to pick an initial item, restricting shop items, and using signs on the map to indicate potential future locations for the star. This modification eliminates several unpredictable aspects such as Chance Time or concealed blocks, and minigames are chosen from a limited pool similar to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s online mode.
It’s an interesting idea, but it really doesn’t strip the luck elements out of the Mario Party experience at all. At one point near the end of a Pro Rules game on King Bowser’s Keep, I had 130 coins and no stars. Imposter Bowser covered the map in Bowser Spaces and I landed on one. Pro Rules dictate that if you land on one, you lose a star. Since I had none, he opted to take all 130 coins from me. So even in Pro Rules, you can be completely screwed beyond your control with the random roll of a dice. And with no Chance Time spaces or hidden blocks, the chances of an exciting last-minute change of fortune are effectively zero. At that point you’re just rolling the dice and limply participating in minigames as you wait for the game to end, which isn’t fun at all.
In Super Mario Party Jamboree, numerous innovations have been introduced, yet some of them seem to miss the mark. The new game modes are generally disappointing, the idea of 20-player online interaction is intriguing but lacks substance, and several of the newly created minigames feel laborious. However, the new maps in Jamboree are the best original ones in years, and it promises to be a fun time when you gather friends for a get-together.
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2024-10-15 16:39