With Mario Strikers: Battle League newly released, many players are wondering why there are no unlockable characters. Previous Mario Strikers games featured unlockable characters as the player progressed in the games. The newest iteration of the series will not have unlockable characters at launch.
Mario Strikers: Battle League is a new take on the Mario Strikers series. The roster size is smaller in the latest game; however, the players are more fleshed out with better abilities. There is also a new gear system where players can purchase gear with earned coins that will impact their traits and stats. Mario Strikers: Battle League will also continue and expand upon online play.
Mario Strikers: Battle League's confirmed roster does not include unlockable characters. In Mario Strikers: Charged Team Captains were unlocked by beating the characters in one-on-one matches. Mario Strikers: Charged had 12 Team Captains and eight Sidekicks. Mario Strikers: Battle League has only 10 players on its roster.
Will Mario Strikers: Battle League Add DLC Characters
Mario Strikers: Battle League's gameplay is different from that of previous games and each playable character has their own special ability. Unlike Mario Strikers: Charged, there are only four characters on the field at one time, all with equal abilities. Due to this different gameplay, team captains are not necessary, getting rid of the feature to unlock them like in the previous game.
If more current Mario games are any hint as to the direction of Mario Strikers: Battle League, any character unlocks will happen in the form of a DLC. Mario Tennis Aces and Mario Golf: Super Rush both added playable characters in free DLC after the game was released. While it is different from previous Strikers games, it seems that releasing new characters in DLC instead of making them unlockable is becoming the norm for Nintendo.
Playable characters that fans could expect to see in a DLC include Daisy, Bowser, Jr., Diddy Kong, and Petey Pirahna who were captains in Mario Strikers: Charged. Also missing from the Mario Strikers: Battle League roster are Birdo, Koopa Troopa, Toadette, Boo, and Shy Guy, to name a few. With each playable character having their own special move, this could lead to some very interesting possibilities.
Mario Strikers: Battle League is a change of pace for the Mario Strikers series, even with unexpected changes like no unlockable characters. According to some datamining, there will be a DLC adding characters to Mario Strikers: Battle League at some point after the release of the game. Hopefully, this DLC will give players some more of their favorite characters from the Mario franchise.