Super Mario

Super Mario Party – Nintendo Switch Mini-Game Extravaganza Bursting With Familiar Characters

The latest edition of Nintendo’s Mario Party games comes to the Nintendo Switch and sees the Mushroom Kingdom gang going back to basics. Individual members of the Mario squad move around a virtual board-game, earning stars in a collection of fun mini-games, and battling to become the winner. Players can take part alone, locally in groups of up to four, or with friends online!

Super Mario Party Bundles

In June 2018, Nintendo and games developer NDcube, announced at that a new party title, Super Mario Party, would have a release date in October of that year. On 5th October 2018, it was released for the Nintendo Switch, becoming the eleventh title in the main Mario Party series.

There are two key formats of Super Mario Party, the digital version and the physical version. Alongside these, there are four bundled versions that might be of interest to collectors who want a limited-edition pack, or players who like Mario-themed gifts.

• Digital Download – For people who prefer to keep their games instead of eventually selling them on, or when space is at a premium, downloading a title rather than buying a physical copy makes sense. Digital download codes are available for the full version and can be installed right onto your Switch. If you choose to buy this title as a download and store it on your Switch, you will need at least 2983.20 MB of space. And of course, once you’ve purchased a copy of Super Mario Party digitally, it will always be in your games library.

• Physical Copy – For some buyers only a physical copy will do. These buyers have the choice of playing for a while and keeping it or completing each level then selling it on. Alternatively, if you’ve chosen to invest in a collection of Switch games, you might want to show them off. Nintendo Game Cards are similar to the older GameBoy cartridges and just click into place on top of the console. You will require around 300MB of space on your Switch, enough to cover any updates and saved data. However, any future DLC may require more room on the console.

• Neon Joy-Con Twin Pack – This bundle includes a pair of Joy-Con controllers, one neon pink and one neon green, along with a copy of Super Mario Party for the Switch. This pack is a limited edition and is ideal for players who want to expand their Nintendo memorabilia collection. Buying this version is also a good idea for people who want the title and the new colourful controllers, which cost more when bought separately.

• Mario Cap Bundle – Few items are more iconic to Mushroom Kingdom fans than Mario’s red cap. Whether you’d like one in a child or adult size, you can take your pick with the Super Mario Party and Mario Cap bundle. This is a great item for enthusiasts and it’s available to buy separately, but you’ll save money with the bundled version.

• Question Block Lamp Bundle – The Super Mario Party and Question Block Lamp bundle pack comes with a copy of the Game Card plus a yellow Question Block Lamp, designed to replicate the game’s iconic question block. This is another great choice for Nintendo enthusiasts or anyone who wants to save money on buying the lamp and gamecard separately.

• Mario Hat 3D Keyring Bundle – The final version contains Super Mario Party and a Mario Hat 3D Keyring, this comes with a red hat keyring and a tiny silver Super Mario logo. Again, the keyring is available separately, but buying these two items together is cheaper than buying them individually.

Gameplay and Modes

Aimed at older fans who have fond memories of the massive Mario Party library and younger players who love basic mini-games, Super Mario Party is a fun and fresh reboot of the Mario Party series. This is the first version of Mario Party to have an online mode and there are seven individual modes of play to master.

It all starts at the Party Plaza, where you can choose which way you'd like to begin. In order to select an option, just walk up to it, or make a choice using your Party Pad if you’ve played before. The different modes are:

• Mario Party – In the Mario Party area there is a sense of nostalgia coupled with plenty of fresh new surprises. The retro board-game element is reassuringly familiar, as you select members of the Super Mario cast to move across the squares depending on how the dice fall. In this mode, there is not one single way of winning and as the action unfolds, look out for cute visuals like character dice blocks, each offering different abilities, along with other charming Nintendo-style touches. The aim is for players to collect gold stars, but as they do the stars shift around the board, which can be quite confusing for people who like to have a strategy. To further complicate things, each star has to be bought from Toadette using a total of ten Mario coins. The principal way of earning coins is introduced at the end of each round on the board, as players take part in a series of hectic and funny bouts, known as mini-games. Each space on the board has its own colour and these can determine your fortune as you make your way around. They also influence the type of mini-games you’ll play, so it’s worth trying to manipulate where you land, as well as grabbing secret items and bonus coins along the way. The action evolves as the rounds progress, so the longer you play, the more chance you’ll have of resident baddies popping in for a visit, or new hurdles and fun challenges like ice cream melting.

• Mini-Games – Possibly the best thing about Super Mario Party is this mode, an excellent collection of 80 mini-games, all of which are fun to try out. While you’re playing, look out for an astonishing level of detail, with reflections, layers and texture all forming part of the action. The developers haven’t paid as much attention to crisp visuals in previous Super Mario outings, but here the kitchen games have bubbling pans and individual blades of grass sway in the Mushroom Kingdom breeze. Nintendo has provided a huge amount of content for players to work their way through, but three standout titles with chaotic but entertaining gameplay are:

  • Smash and Crab – In this 3 vs 1 title, one person controls a giant robot crab, while two others are armed with a huge mallet and the remaining player tries to avoid being smashed by them. It’s a pretty simple premise and as odd as it sounds, but the bizarre set up makes for a lot of fun.

  • Slaparazzi – In Slaparazzi, four players use their skills of cunning to become the most photographed by the Koopa Troopa paparazzi crew. You can choose to push people out of the way or not let them past you, but punching and stunning are also allowed. As things descend into anarchy, the winner is the player who has landed in the centre with the most snaps.

  • Bumper Brawl – The heir of Bumper Balls on the N64, this competitive title pits 16 characters against each other. As you roll around in a transparent orb, the aim is to knock everyone else out of the board. If your team has one player left standing at the end, victory is yours.

• Online Mario-thon – Once you’ve bought Super Mario Party and developed your skills, you can branch out to playing with up to four other people either online or locally, in the Online Mario-thon mode. This is an open competition where players from around the globe try to win the most points and in doing so bag themselves a place on the famous Super Mario leaderboard. Although it has been dubbed a marathon by the developers, it’s really more of a dash to the finish as each group of four people only play five mini-games together. In this mode there are more restrictions and players do not have access to their board-game experience, as that’s been reserved for local play only. The mini-games are chosen from a random selection of ten games which are eventually whittled down to five. Players who do well move up the leaderboard and the ranking system, but there are extra rewards just for playing in this mode.

• River Survival – For gamers who love the four-player co-op style of play that Nintendo has done so much to popularise, the River Survival adventure will be a hit. It starts when you join a crew and hop into a raft before setting off down a raging river. As you all work together to paddle further downstream you’ll need to avoid a succession of obstacles, then pop balloons in order to compete in mini-games and add extra time to the clock. Splash Mountain-style waterfalls and other familiar landmarks make up the scenery and players use their Joy-Cons in unison to change direction, slow down or build up speed.

• Sound Stage – This element is separated from the other mini-games. In the Sound Stage mode, players can participate in a selection of continuous music-based challenges. Each contender lines up in a row and follows the routine of a lead character, moving their Joy-Cons in time and trying to beat everyone else’s score.

• Partner Party – In this mode, players are divided into two teams of two and move around the board freely, competing in a range of mini-games. If they are successful, they earn stars, coins and other items which are then shared with teammates. Bad Luck Spaces and the need for precise rolls add a more challenging element to this straightforward contest.

• Toads Rec Room – Toads Rec Room gives players the chance to experience the split-screen Switch feature, as they go head to head with other people in mini-games. Two games and two consoles are needed to use a local wireless function in this way.

Super Mario Party Reviews

In general, critics were impressed with the blend of new ideas and nostalgic references to past Nintendo Super Mario titles. They mention the good selection of mini-games and fresh new touches, like favourites from the Mario roster getting more involved with the action. However, the problems people encountered included mini-games experiencing a series of random glitches, joy-cons getting in the way during group sessions and an online mode which could have been more exciting.

Super Mario Party is considered one of the best titles in the Mario Party series, but is there anything that Nintendo could have done better? Here’s a look at the pros and cons:

• Pros – There is a huge amount of content, with various ways to play with friends! The graphics have been upgraded to include higher levels of detail. It is also aimed at newcomers to the Mario world and also seasoned fans, so its fun for everyone!

• Cons – The main downside is that four people managing two controllers in group play can be awkward. In addition, some mini-titles can feel repetitive or a little unimaginative.

Super Mario Party Official Trailer

How to Buy Super Mario Party at the Best Price

For the bundled versions of Super Mario Party, you can shop at the Nintendo Store, this is a good place to find digital copies, though these are also available through Amazon. Most online retailers which stock titles for the Nintendo Switch, like Argos, Asda and Very, also have plenty of physical copies on offer. At the online store Game.co.uk, you can choose to purchase a brand new physical title, a bundled copy, the digital download, or a cheaper second-hand copy.

Big titles always become cheaper as they get older, but if you want a copy immediately there are a few ways to save money. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are popular times in the UK and shoppers can find gaming titles reduced by up to 50% at retailers. Retailers like: Smyths Toys, 365 Games, Sainsbury's and eBay; all reduce the price of certain lines, and regularly include items from their gaming sections.

Super Mario Party Deals on HotUKDeals

The best place to find discounts and promo codes for Super Mario Party is on HotUKDeals. Here shoppers can find the best deals on Super Mario Party games and bundles from a wide source of retailers. Check the Super Mario Party page on HotUKDeals for the best prices around.