[Review] Super Mario Party Jamboree (Nintendo Switch)

Welcome to EXPlay, (Explain & Play) the review series where we care not for scores but tell it how it is when it comes to every game we get our hands on, whilst also taking the time to include some lengthy gameplay, to give you the reader, the chance to shape your own impressions and views whilst watching and reading. In this installment, we’re covering Super Mario Party Jamboree by developer Nintendo.

Super Mario Party Jamboree:

Mario Party is back again and even bigger than before with new boards, minigames, and a huge roster of characters! We join Mario and his friends once again for the latest entry in the series: Super Mario Party Jamboree! This game is a culmination of all the best things from previous Mario Party titles and wraps it all into one great big fiesta for all! There are both button and motion control minigames, seven boards to bend and break your friendships on, as well as a variety of other game modes including a single player mode, an 8-player co-operative mode, and a 20-player online Koopathon of minigames!

Up to four players can play together either locally or online for some classic Mario Party fun. For online play, you can set up a room or join one and once the room is full, away you go! You can even have three players on a single system and have another join you via online as well. As is the norm for Mario Party games, the players all take it in turns to roll a dice and move the number of spaces that was indicated on the dice to move around the board. There are four boards to play on at the start of the game that include Goomba Lagoon, Rainbow Galleria, Mega Wiggler’s Tree Party, and Roll ’em Raceway. There are also another three boards that you can unlock gradually as you play. The objective is straightforward. Earn coins through by landing on blue tiles or by winning minigames, and try and buy stars. The player with the most stars at the end of the game is the winner.

Of course, before you can actually play any of the game modes in Super Mario Party Jamboree, you will need to choose your character first. There is quite the roster of characters available to choose from with 20 base characters and another two characters to unlock. A lot of seasoned Mario Party characters have returned as well as a couple of new ones, which means there is plenty of choice when it comes to choosing your character to play as.

Each board in Super Mario Party Jamboree is made up of several different spaces. The blue spaces reward players with coins and the red spaces take them away. The lucky space (indicated by a four leaf clover icon) prompts players to stop a roulette that can reward players with one of several bonuses like a mushroom item or coins and the unlucky space will do the exact opposite. There are, of course, other spaces on the board including event spaces, Bowser spaces, swap spaces, and VS. spaces. There are also some spaces on the board, that will allow you to purchase helpful items like a double dice or a mushroom to get you around the board quicker, slow down other players with creepy dice, or even rob them of their coins and stars using traps.

After all players have had a turn around the board, it will then be time to part in a minigame. Minigames are selected at random bby default, but there is an option in the sub menu before starting a game to have the option to vote on which minigame you would like to play. This is actually a very welcome addition as minigames can get quite repetitive in some sessions sometimes. Therefore, it is nice to be able to have the option of choice so you can avoid playing a minigame you have already played so many times before.

After you have played the minigame, coins will be dished out to those who came first, second, and third with more coins going to the winner and less to those in second and third. However, there are some minigames where you have to collect coins and you get to keep what you collect. The game will then proceed to the next round and will continue on this pattern until all the final round has come to an end where the bonus stars will then be rewarded and the winner will be announced. Bonus stars can really turn things on their heads as a player who has been struggling all game can all of a sudden come up top. What bonus stars are rewards is random though so you won’t know what they may be until they are announced after the last round. You can also do away with having bonus stars at the beginning of a session if you would rather not risk the chance of other players snatching a win from you.

Well, that covers Mario Party Mode so lets focus on what other modes Super Mario Party Jamboree has to offer. Over on Minigame Bay, you can play any and all of the minigigames you have unlocked thus far. You can also take part in a number of challenges and minigames-centered game modes without having to make your way around a board to do so. Rhythm Kitchen, Toad’s Item Factory, and Paratroopa Flight School are motion-control minigames that you can play using Joy-Cons. For those looking to player with more than four players, Koopathon and Bowser Kaboom Squad has you covered. Koopathon pits 20 players online against each other to race around a circuit whilst playing minigames. By collecting coins in the minigames, players will move a space in concordance to the amount of coins collected. The winner of the Koopathon is whoever makes it around the circuit after three laps. As for Bowser Kaboom Squad, 8 players must work together to take down Imposter Bowser by collecting bombs and blasting them at him using the cannon.

For those looking for a single player experience, you can play pretty much all the other game modes with CPU players, but there is an exclusive Party-Planner Trek mode just for you. You can move around freely on the featured Mario Party Boards and help out NPC by finding items and playing minigames so you can collect mini stars. Upon collecting enough mini stars on each board, you will have the chance to take on a boss in a special showdown minigame.

Of course, when you want to wind down from all the fun, you may wish to have a wander around the Party Plaza. You can find a number of shops where you can spend points you earned from playing minigames and other game modes. The shops in the plaza contain Reactions that allow you to express your joy or disdain in local and online games. You can also buy stickers and cards that can be shared with other players online or use them to make up your own collages to save to your Nintendo Switch system. Music can also be purchased with points, which you can use to turn your switch into a Music player for your very own IRL Mario Party. Also in the Party Plaza is where you can find your records and achievements, as well as your ranking in the online leaderboards.

One thing I should add is that for those who like having an extra incentive for playing all the boards and minigames, there are achievements you can earn with some rather simple ones like Try Mario Party for the first time and then harder ones like Hold 7 stars at once or win every minigame you play during a game of Mario Party. Completing achievements will help you level up your Mario Party ranking and unlock new items in the stores, meaning that even when unlocking achievements you can earn even more rewards.

As I come to a close on this review, I must say that Super Mario Party Jamboree has been one of the best Mario Party games I have played yet. There is just so much to do that you will keep coming back time and time again to play more and more. The minigames are also so much fun that its hard to pick a favourite because they are all just so good. I especially like the Bowser Kaboom Squad mode and it is nice to be able to play cooperatively with fellow players around the world.

The motion minigames are also so great and the new boards are probably the most ambitious yet in a Mario Party game. To wrap up, if you are looking for the best possible Mario Party game on Switch, look no more cause this is one Jamboree you never want to end.

Game Specifications:

Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo Switch (eShop)
Category: Party, Multiplayer, Board Game
No. of Players: up to 4 players (local), up to 20 players (Online)
Release Date: October 17, 2024 (EU & NA)
Price: $59.99
File Size: 5.3 GB
Nintendo.com Listing