Mario Golf: Super Rush has managed to succeed where many Nintendo games tend to come up short - online functionality. Super Mario Party was notoriously lacking a quality multiplayer experience until a free online update recently brought improvements, while Nintendo continues to have lackluster multiplayer functionality in general with Nintendo Switch Online being a disappointingly barebones service compared to its Xbox and PlayStation counterparts. Super Rush, however, defies the odds by delivering an online multiplayer experience that is not only easy to use, but also thorough in its matchmaking settings.
In an attempt to offset Super Rush's disappointing number of game modes, players can fine tune their rounds of golf with a variety of settings, all of which translate into the online multiplayer. Creating a room - what Super Rush calls its lobbies - will let a player looking for some online competition play exactly how they want, provided others are willing to play with the set rules. Hosting a room might be necessary if another with the desired settings can't be found, but searching for rooms has a surprising range of specificities.
If someone wants to play Standard Golf with traditional stroke play rules, they can choose to search for games with 3, 6, 9, 18, or any number of holes, where players can either take turns shooting or swing all at once. They can also search for games with or without Mii golfers, with special shots enabled or disabled. Speed Golf adds the option to play with or without time advantages. People without a specific game in mind can just leave many of these settings on "Any" when setting up their search, letting Super Rush provide a longer list of rooms.
Super Rush's Online Functions Handle Standard Golf Best
While the game makes it refreshingly easy to get into a game, actually playing online works best with Standard Golf. This isn't to say the multiplayer for Speed Golf and Battle Golf is bad, but poor connectivity can have more adverse effects on these modes given their nature. Even a reliable internet connection appears prone to the occasional dip in ping, making for some confusing and frustrating moments when racing opponents across the fairway.
As a result, Standard Golf stands out from the other modes as the smoothest experience. Even with a subpar connection to a Super Rush lobby, its turn-based nature keeps the experience largely unaffected by lag. One's own shot is never interrupted by lag or input delay, since it appears to be entirely client-side, despite the rooms having a host. Those that enjoy the basic golfing experience in Super Rush can near effortlessly compare their skill to those around the world. While a lack of modes might affect Mario Golf: Super Rush's longevity, the surprisingly adept online functionality will at least provide some replayability for those invested in the core experience.