The lack of DLC for Super Mario Party was somewhat devastating to fans, but with the release of Mario Party Superstars, Nintendo has a chance to change that strategy. The idea of a Mario Party collection with classic boards has been around ever since The Top 100 failed to capture the attention of fans, and with Superstars, that dream is finally coming true - somewhat. The game is a great celebration of the Nintendo 64 games but what could and should be added is more content from later entries - specifically from the GameCube and Wii titles.
Mario Party Superstars launched with 100 minigames, with the full list spanning the entire series, but it somewhat neglects a large portion of the franchise’s history. There are no boards from the GameCube or Wii eras of Mario Party and the majority of the minigames come from the N64 versions. Out of the series’ 22-year lifespan, ten of those years were spent developing games for those later systems. The number of installments that existed on both the GameCube and Wii outnumber those on the Wii U and Switch combined, showing how popular they were and their importance to the series. These games were all unique and built upon the N64 games in ways that were unexpected and fun.
Superstars is a love letter to the entire series, but there seems to be large gaps missing from the era that kept the franchise going strong. Not only that, but a lot of Mario Party’s best games were available on the GameCube and Wii - the most interesting and game-warping boards were designed during this era. If Nintendo and ND Cube were to bring the most important boards and minigames from those eras back, the game would not only be radically different, but it would also start to function as a living museum of the fan-favorite party game’s legacy.
GameCube Mario Party Games Have The Experiences People Remeber
The Nintendo 64 Mario Parties are well regarded enough, but many of the classics came from Mario Party 4 and beyond. Some of the best minigames are from 4, 5, 6, and 7 – Booksquirm, Dungeon Duos, Trace Race, and The Final Countdown all make “best-of” lists frequently and there’s a wealth of lesser-known but still fun minigames that were created back then. Games like Astro-logical, Hide and Go BOOM, and Dust 'til Dawn would be welcome re-additions to the Switch game given the fact that there are new and old audiences for this who own Switches and didn't own GameCubes.
The GameCube was also where the designers began experimenting with all-new board designs. Windmillville from Mario Party 7 as a board set a new precedent for what a Mario Party board could do, integrating a small investment minigame into the board play and completely upending the formula of grabbing stars. Not only this board stood out, though - Snowflake Lake builds a board entirely around stealing stars from people, Goomba’s Greedy Gala adds multiple fun casino minigames, and Pagoda Peak mixes it up with a race to the top of a tower on a linear path.
Mario Party: A Wii Motion Control Minigame & Board Package Could Change Superstars
Mario Party 8 has had a strange renaissance over the past few years - despite its strange 4:3 aspect ratios and motion-controlled minigames, it is a classic of the Mario Party franchise. The Wii turns fifteen this year and set a record for sales the Switch might break, so it’s a prime target for nostalgia, and having Mario Party 8’s boards recreated in HD would be fun. It would add much-needed variety to the board selection as each one has its own special gimmick. King Boo’s Haunted Hideaway is the most interesting map from the game, being a board full of randomly shuffled hallways that players must navigate through in order to find the star.
Adding motion-controlled minigames might seem like a concern given some fans’ reticence to the gimmick, but as Mario Party Superstars DLC, it could spice up games and act as a togglable add-on giving Superstars a new mode to play with. Minigames like Shake it Up, Speedy Graffiti, Snow Way Out, and Lean Mean Ravine would be perfect to play with Joy-Cons and allow for a radically different play experience from traditional controller play.
Mario Party Superstars DLC Could Borrow Minigames & Boards From The DS Too
Even though the Nintendo DS game is now incredibly expensive, the first “real” portable Mario Party was a big deal in 2007. The ability to not only take the game on the go but to let others play a full game of Mario Party using the Nintendo DS’s download play was essential to this game’s success. Bus trips, car rides, and sleepovers were full of this game even though the loading times were terrible because it was a game that felt like it didn’t have any cut corners - it was just a great Mario Party game. Plus, its miniaturized theme made for a unique aesthetic that hasn’t been replicated in a Mario Party since. Now would be a great time to remaster those boards and bring them to the Nintendo Switch.
While there were a fair amount of touchscreen-based minigames for the Nintendo DS version of Mario Party that might be difficult to replicate on the Switch, there were also many classics that could be played without one and could likely be played even with a Nintendo 64 controller, if it could be mapped. One that comes to mind is Hanger Management, where players have to maneuver themselves on coat hangers to tilt themselves and avoid obstacles. Many others could be reworked like Cherry-Go-Round to work with motion controls, and it would give Superstars an interesting overhaul.
There’s so much content that could be added to Mario Party Superstars that would add the most interesting parts of Mario Party back into the game. One issue many had with Super Mario Party was that with four somewhat generic boards, the game sometimes felt like it was going through the motions. DLC could change this game to be a more expansive and exciting look at the best of Mario Party.
Whether or not the exclusion of GameCube and Wii boards is due to the item and space systems in these games differing from version to version, or if it’s just because Donkey Kong isn’t playable on those maps, it would be nice to call back to the times when Mario Party was fun and experimental - but always in a way that felt like nothing was changing. Nintendo already has a problem not re-releasing fan-favorite GameCube titles for the Switch, but that can change in an instant. With Mario Party being such a staple, it would make the most sense for Nintendo to jump on the nostalgia and release Mario Party Superstars DLC based on that era.