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, all whilst including some lengthy gameplay, to give you, the reader, the chance to form your own impressions and views while reading and watching.
In this explanatory review, we’re covering Super Mario Strikers by developer, Next Level Games:
Super Mario Strikers / Mario Smash Football (Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics)
Originally developed by Next Level Games, Super Mario Strikers (NA) / Mario Smash Football (EU) is a football-inspired video game that first debuted in 2005 for the Nintendo GameCube. Now, 20 years since its initial debut, Super Mario Strikers returns to Nintendo GameCube via the Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics application for Nintendo Switch 2.
Now, just before we get this review properly underway, there is just a bit of housekeeping to address first. As we are an outlet predominantly based in the United Kingdom and Spain, there will be a certain selection of words we will be using, such as football instead of soccer, and football pitch instead of soccer field. However, despite the fact Super Mario Strikers is known as Mario Smash Football in Europe and Australia, for this review, we will be using the more widely known North American title, Super Mario Strikers.
On the surface, Super Mario Strikers is a five-a-side football game comprised of cup matches and grudge matches for those who want to jump into the game sooner. Each team is formed of three sidekicks, and Kritter takes the role of a goalie (goalkeeper) and a Captain. There is a total of nine Captains, but only eight are available from the start, as Bowser and his Super Team must be unlocked, and the requirement for that is to beat them at the end of the Bowser Cup. This also unlocks the Bowser Stadium, but beating them won’t be easy since Bowser’s Super Team is comprised of Bowser and four advanced robots.
As for the eight Captains that are available from the outset, we have Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, Wario, Waluigi, and Donkey Kong, and the choice of sidekicks you can have accompany them are Toad, Hammer Bros., Birdo, and Koopa Troopa. Both the sidekicks and Captains each have their own gameplay attributes that vary from one another, with “balanced and defensive play types available.” Each Captain also has a signature move when performing Super Strikes, which is essentially a powered-up super kick with button prompts that need to be pressed at the right time, should you wish to score a goal worth two points. You’ll know you’ve done it just right as you will be treated to a special animation of the Captain delivering their signature shot.
In terms of gameplay, Super Mario Strikers is relatively simple and easy to pick up, but for certain techniques, practice does make perfect. Now, being football-focused, all matches are played in stadiums. The football pitches inside said stadiums are relatively small, but it makes for a fast-paced game, nonetheless. Only two teams can face off against each other at a given time, and depending on how many players there are, will greatly impact the game. For instance, if there is just one of you playing, you will take control of one team, and the CPU will control the other. By switching between your sidekicks and their Captain, you can pass the ball to one another, swap out to a teammate to tackle an opposing player if they have the ball, and when lined up to do so, take a shot at the goal. One point is awarded for a regular goal, but two are given for a Super Strike.
The team that scores the most goals wins the match, and when playing cups, the one who wins the most matches wins the cup. In the event two teams are drawing when the final whistle blows, Sudden Death immediately occurs, and the team that scores first wins. So, if it’s a trophy you seek, as there are no referees in sight, feel free to play as dirty as you please. Shoving isn’t just an option, it’s a necessity. If in the event two or more players are playing Super Mario Strikers, as a total of four players are supported, you can either all opt to be on the same team or split up and play on opposing squads. The choice is yours. Furthermore, as there is an electrified fence all around the pitch, there are no throw-ins, corners, and out-of-bounds, and if you try to escape, you’re getting electrocuted.
But, getting back to the subject of playing dirty, when shoving and tackles fail, you can always rely on items instead. Featuring a host of Mario-themed items, players can obtain power-ups by attempting to score goals or getting fouled when they do not have the ball. Your item will appear near the top of the screen, with up to two displayed at a time. Items can be used as a means of clearing a path to take a shoot, or put another player down and consist of Chain Chomps, Bananas, Green Shells, Red Shells, Spiny Shells, Blue Shells, Giant Green Shells, Giant Red Shells, Giant Spiny Shells, Giant Blue Shells, Stars, Bob-ombs, Mega Bob-ombs and Mushrooms. Each item differs in its use, and should you find them to be too much of a nuisance or give you too much of an advantage, they can be disabled. It is, however, worth pointing out that goalkeepers are impervious to items, just as they are impervious to regular attacks.
There are also other options available that can weaken goalies or reward more items. You can even change the duration of a match up to 15 minutes if you want, but no matter how you play, all gameplay is still going to be fast-paced, accentuated football, designed to keep the game moving, and we have NHL Hitz Pro to thank for that. Having developed NHL Hitz Pro before moving on to Super Mario Strikers, NHL Hitz Pro was a major influence on Super Mario Strikers, and honestly, we’re glad it did, as we love the physical, fast-paced gameplay it provides.
Now, as for actual content, this is where Super Mario Strikers draws in a couple of complaints. There are two main modes, with Grudge Match being one and Cup Battles being the other. Cup Battles is Super Mario Strikers’ main mode and closest thing to a story mode. Players can undertake cups, playing a series of matches, in the hopes of coming out on top, to unlock a new stadium and the next cup. Each cup gets progressively harder and longer, thanks to having more matches to play, and, once all is said and done with completing each cup, Super Cup Battles can be unlocked. Of the eight cups available, there are the Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup, Star Cup, Bowser Cup, Super Mushroom Cup, Super Flower Cup, Super Star Cup, and Super Bowser Cup.
Thankfully, you don’t need to come in first to unlock the next cup, as placing in the top three will suffice. Speaking of trophies, since there is a trophy room mode, with it players can view every Cup trophy obtained, as well as view Milestone Trophies, which is Super Mario Strikers’ take on in-game achievements. Another feature available is Strikers 101, and its inclusion is a welcome one. This is the mode you will want to check out if you want to learn all the game’s controls and techniques and practice them, in the hopes of nailing a perfect pass and perfect shot.
In conclusion, despite Super Mario Strikers showing its age graphically, it is still an incredible game to play and highly enjoyable. Yes, a more modern version exists thanks to Mario Strikers: Battle League (NA) / Mario Strikers: Battle League Football (EU), for the Nintendo Switch, but as a free alternative, Super Mario Strikers is a welcome addition to the Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics application and one we’d recommend checking out if you haven’t played it before and if you do, don’t forget to take advantage of the game’s two aspect ratios 4:3 (Normal) and 16:9 (Wide).
Game Specifications:
Developers: Next Level Games
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo GameCube – Nintendo Classics via Nintendo Switch 2 (Digital)
Genre: Sports
No. of Players: 1 – 4 (Single System)
Release Date: June 2, 2025 (NSO)
Price: Free
File Size: 6 GB
Nintendo.com Listing
