Super Mario Party Jamboree Review

It’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to dive deep into a Mario Party game. My current life situation hasn’t exactly made it easy to gather a group of people in the same room to play (and let’s not forget the whole pandemic thing…). Nor has it been simple to sit online with friends for hours on end.

We’ve had some unusual Mario Party concepts in recent years, and while Mario Party Superstars was praised, it was also filled with remastered and recycled content. Jamboree, however, is packed with new and exciting ideas, and there’s just so much of it. Nintendo has really let Nintendo Cube (formerly NDCube) cook with this one.

Mario Party games are often lauded for the fun they bring to multiplayer gaming—it’s right there in the title, it’s a party. Recent entries have added online play, so even if you can’t gather your friends in person, you’ve been able to play online in the two most recent installments. However, people who want to play Mario Party but aren’t able to get friends together have asked: “What about me? What about single-player?”. Previous games have made various attempts to cater to solo players, with mixed success. But Jamboree packs in several modes that can be enjoyed solo, and can even be played single-player with others online.

The main course of any Mario Party title is, of course, the Mario Party mode. Let me check my notes—yep, that’s what it’s called. This is the main event, playable locally or online with up to four players. There’s not a lot in Jamboree that’s entirely new to the Mario Party experience. You pick your characters, take turns, play some minigames—it’s a formula we’ve all played before, and it’s still fun.

That said, it’s not all the same old. There are five brand-new boards, each bright and full of unique events, and there are 22 characters to choose from. One new addition to the game is the buddies system. A random character will appear on the game board, and whoever reaches them first will have that buddy assist them in a themed 5-player minigame featuring that character (although regular end-of-round minigames are unaffected). Wario’s mini-game is a quiz show; Donkey Kong is a rhythm game like Donkey Konga – they’re all unique, the ones I’ve encountered so far. Each different buddy also has different perks; some let you buy two stars or two items from a shop or collect double coins as you play through.

However, any other player who passes you on the board can steal that buddy—they’re not loyal at all! They only hang around a few turns before heading back to the bench. It’s another mechanic added to the game that adds in another level of randomness and can turn the tide of a game. If you hate that, then you’re going to love the next thing.

Jamboree introduces Pro Rules, a way to make the game less random, which will appeal to those who enjoy competitive play based purely on skill. While Pro Rules reduces elements like random bonus stars at the end of the game, minigames are also voted on. There are tweaks to the board as well: the last five rounds no longer have special events, Boo can only steal coins, and the shop inventory is limited—though you can select a couple of items before the game starts. These games are also fixed at 12 turns. Some might find it hardcore, while others may want even less randomness, but more options are always a good thing.

Those are the main Mario Party modes, but they’ve packed in more content. While some of it feels like filler, other new modes offer a fresh way to enjoy Mario Party without needing a group or playing through a standard game against the CPU.

Koopathlon is billed as a big new mode, but it’s very similar to Coinathlon, which appeared in Mario Party: Star Rush on the Nintendo 3DS. The main difference this time is that you can play it online with up to 19 other players (or by yourself, if you really want). You pick a character and race around a track, collecting coins in a series of minigames that get progressively harder as the race goes on. The minigames seem to rotate in and out periodically, though I’m not sure based on whose schedule.

Bowser Kaboom Squad, another new addition, sees 8 players take on Imposter Bowser, who’s being his usual angry self, smashing and crashing his way around a small city. During the rounds, you race around the map, breaking open crates to collect bombs, which you load into a cannon to take down Bowser.

After that, you’ll play a cooperative minigame, and the higher your rank, the better item you receive to help defeat Bowser. Interestingly, despite Bowser in this mode being an imposter, you can’t play as Bowser. It’s a fun mode, but it stretches the Mario Party gameplay a little thin—still, it’s a different way to experience some minigames.

There are three games on the map that use motion controls and Joy-Con only. These are the lightest and fluffiest of the bunch, but they still add some value. Paratroopa Flight School has you competing against another player, flapping your arms like a bird to collect as many Para-Biddybuds as possible—you can even steal them from your opponent. 

Rhythm Kitchen has a bit more depth, starting off simple but gradually increasing in difficulty with faster songs and more complex hand movements to simulate preparing food. 

Toad’s Item Factory is the standout here, with one to four players tilting, turning, and balancing a ball through Toad’s factory to build items used in the game. I played this one solo and found it challenging, trying to manage two different mechanisms at once. I can only imagine how much harder it would be coordinating with three others. It’s a real lesson in dexterity and communication.

If you just want to smash through some minigames, there’s Minigame Bay. It’s not just a place to pick games from a list (though you can if you want). In the bay, there’s a range of ways to play, including Showdown Minigames over multiple rounds, a ranked online Survival mode, a local and online 2v2 tag team mode, and a Daily Challenge where you can compete for a spot on the leaderboards.

The last big mode is actually quite substantial and a real joy to play solo—something that can’t always be said about Mario Party. In Party Planner Trek, you assist Kamek in preparing the Party Plaza (one of the game’s hubs with meta activities) for a party. It uses all the existing game boards to tell the story as you help characters scattered across the boards find items or beat minigames to move forward. Every time you complete a task, you earn one or more mini stars. Once you reach a set number, the board’s boss appears, and you’ll need to defeat them in a minigame.

While this might sound a bit repetitive, it allows you to explore all the new boards, sample the best minigames, and enjoy “Mario Party” without waiting for the CPU to take its turn. It’s always your turn—you can move freely around the board, completing tasks at your own pace. The boards aren’t exactly the same as in standard Mario Party, and landing on spaces has no effect; you’re free to roam and play as you like. By the time I finished this mode, I felt like I had my fill of Mario Party—at least for the single-player experience.

Throughout this mode, you’ll unlock decorations for the Party Plaza and earn Party Points, which can be spent at the in-game store on things like reactions (the only real way to communicate with other players), parts for your Mario Party card (which others see when they play against you), and music tracks from the game. New items are added to these locations through the game’s built-in faux battle pass. Honestly, it feels like I’m back playing Apex Legends! Each tier of the pass is unlocked by completing in-game achievements—yes, this game has achievements too.

Everything in this game is tracked and viewable in the Data House. Not only are all modes tracked for online ranking, but every minigame with a time or score is also recorded, allowing you to see where you stand. There’s just so much packed into this game. Oh, I didn’t even mention that there are 22 characters to choose from—two of them are locked, as is some other content like the two classic maps brought back from older games. It’s all pretty easy to unlock, but I wouldn’t want to spoil that.

Graphically, the game is astounding—everything is lively, rich, and vibrant. They really went all out. The character models are fantastic and well-animated; Wario even has his back fat animated, for crying out loud. The boards and the lighting are all just great. Some of the effects in the minigames are incredible. The meat cube has been outdone by the Steak minigame, and there’s a new contender for best looking in-game food involving an oven and baked goods. Not every minigame looks like it’s been giving the same treatment, but the ones have look among some of the prettiest stuff we’ve see on the Switch. The game’s soundtrack bops along, but I felt like there weren’t really any bangers that stand out – it works.

The last time Nintendo was winding down a system, we got a Mario Party title that felt soulless and seemed to exist just to give Nintendo 3DS players something to play. Jamboree is the exact opposite. Nintendo Cube has gone all out with this one—every mode is polished, the new modes are fresh and exciting, and online play is seamlessly integrated into the game’s core. There’s so much to see, do, and play, whether you’re playing solo or with friends, near or far. This is easily the best Mario Party game on the Switch, and while some might argue otherwise, it’s likely the best Mario Party in recent memory, all without using the series’ past as a crutch. It’ll be hard to top this one.

Rating: 4.5/5