The party is back on with the new Mario Party Superstars. Developer NDcube has taken some of the best parts from the last two decades of Mario Party and mixed them all together for this newest entry into the series. 100 minigames and 5 game boards from the past have been revamped with new graphics, tighter controls, and the same level of frustration that has always been present in a Mario Party title.
Up to four players can play Mario Party Superstars at once, either locally, online with random players, or online with friends through the use of Nintendo's Friend Codes. The game revolves around a roll-and-move board game where players compete for stars and play multiple mini-games in between rounds. The basic premise of Mario Party hasn't changed all that much over the years and Superstars doesn't really push the series forward. However, what it does do is create one of the best all-around Mario Party games for the newest console generation.
In addition to the standard board game, Mario Party Superstars offers players Mount Minigames. A hub for minigame enthusiasts who just want to compete without all the cheating dice rolls and randomness that come with the board side of the game. Mount Minigames is broken down into different playable sections like Coin Rush, Sports & Puzzles, Two on Two, and Free Play. Coin Rush is the most entertaining of the pack, pitting players against each other in random minigames with the overall winner being the one with the most coins.
Minigames and Boards in Mario Party Superstars
100 minigames were brought in from the past for Mario Party Superstars, and many fan-favorites make a return. Face Lift and Tug of War from the original Mario Party, Booksquirm from Mario Party 4, and Manor of Escape from Mario Party 9. Each minigame feels fresh with the updated graphics, and they still create the feeling of close competition that has always been present in the series.
For the actual game boards, Mario Party Superstars brings back five boards from the series. Yoshi’s Tropical Island and Peach’s Birthday Cake from Mario Party, Space Land and Horror Land from Mario Party 2, and Woody Woods from Mario Party 3. Although some slight adjustments were made to the board spaces, each one still feels like its classic counterpart. Yoshi's Tropical Island is incredibly easy to start out with, and Horror Land still has some of the most unfair and frustrating systems ever. Lucky Spaces and Bowser Spaces make a return, but only a smaller number of usable items are available, as compared to the last game in the series, Super Mario Party.
The Encyclopedia and Unlockables in Mario Party Superstars
One glaring omission to Mario Party Superstars is the lack of unlockables. The game starts out with everything that's playable already available. Players can still unlock new stickers and music tracks with coins through Toad's Shop, but these items have no real use during gameplay. Stickers will allow players to taunt, and the unlockable card designs allow players to customize their online Mario Party Card. The only thing promoting play is the small achievements list located in the Data House, but overall there isn't much to strive for in the game.
One of the more enjoyable unlockables in Mario Party Superstars is the Encyclopedia Pages. Each page can be bought with coins in Toad's Shop and added to the large Encyclopedia in the Data House. The Encyclopedia acts as a tour guide to the Mario Party series. Pages range from character bios, including which games in the series they were in, to specific board and minigame pages filled with tips and information on the chosen subject. It's a neat little addition to the game for players who have been around since the Nintendo 64 days.
Overall, Mario Party Superstars does exactly what it set out to do: Make the best of the best in the series. It takes two decades worth of Mario Party minigames and combines them into a perfect little party package. There's really nothing new in Mario Party Superstars, but what is here is pure nostalgia and the perfect entry for any player new to the series.
Update 11/01/2021 11:00am: This article originally erroneously stated online play was limited to friends. It has since been updated to accurately reflect Mario Party Superstars' online experience.
Mario Party Superstars is available on the Nintendo Switch on October 29, 2021. A digital copy was provided to Screen Rant for the purposes of this review.