Super Mario Party Jamboree Review

With over a dozen games in the series, Super Mario Party has been the go-to for Nintendo fans when it comes to party video games. Even if you aren’t the biggest Nintendo fan, you have likely played a Super Mario Party game somewhere down the line. While many have tried, there simply isn’t another party game like it. Stealing stars, beating your family members at mini-games and all that light-hearted competition that comes with it is a staple for the series.

Watch Our Super Mario Party Jamboree review below

But while there have been many Super Mario Party games, they have all kind of been good and others, okay. Some feel like they miss out on certain features and the core board game mode has often been criticized by hardcore fans for being too loose on its rules and the bonus star system. Essentially making the game more casual than anything else. Super Mario Jamboree wants to fix all these issues and at the same time, be the biggest Super Mario Party game to date. I am happy to report that it succeeds in many ways and more.

Not only does Super Mario Party Jamboree deliver the biggest and most exciting game in the series, but its fleshed-out Mario Party mode, dedicated single-player campaign and excellent Koopathon mode make this the most relevant Super Mario Party game on the Switch.

Honestly, going into Super Mario Party Jamboree, I expected less. Nintendo has dropped the ball in past games on the Switch. Be it by completely leaving out motion games to include the Nintendo Switch Lite’s limited capabilities or releasing previous games with smaller mini-games and fewer boards. Super Mario Jamboree is crammed full of content. So much so that even as a solo player, there’s so much to do here outside of the traditional mode.

It is almost as if Nintendo took every critique from past games and fixed the issue in Jamboree. You can now turn off motion mini-games, play an adorable single-player campaign, participate in large-scale marathons both online and offline and best of all, there are hundreds of mini-games here. Some mini-games are designed specifically for certain modes. Jamboree kept surprising me. However, the biggest surprise was the new Pro Rules mode in the board game.

No joke here. The Pro Rules mode isn’t playing games. After playing through the mode a couple of times, I can tell you that Jamboree will become like that old box of Monopoly that you haul out every now and then because it offers great family and friend time without the gimmicks. The Pro mode is that refined. It is the mode you’ll always return to when you want to play a video game board game without worrying about bonus stars and how the game’s often-unbalanced mechanics screw you over. This is the mode for the real pros who want a dedicated no-nonsense experience. It is superb.

First off, you are welcome to a 15-page document detailing the strict rules. Pro Rules is limited to 12 rounds and only one bonus star which you as a team choose at the start of the game. This means there’s an alternate objective everyone can go after knowing how to earn it. You also choose the items you can find and buy and these items have limited quantities for sale. You’ll also choose what spaces reward you with.

The best part of Pro Rules is the lack of randomness. There are no more Hidden Blocks. Mini-games are voted for by the players and Homestretch no longer triggers changes across the board. The Star spot is also fixed for each board so it gives players the opportunity to strategize around their movements.

These might not sound like big changes but they actually are a pretty big deal for the series. Pro Rules sort of takes Super Mario Party Jamboree into a competitive genre now and I absolutely loved the mode. You can now get good at Super Mario Party by dedicating time and effort to the game’s boards and mechanics. Something that was limited in previous games.

Outside of the Pro Rules, there’s a lot to love about Jamboree. The boards are incredibly fun with 7 boards in total. Each one puts an emphasis on some specific mechanics. Rainbow Galleria is a shopping mall with a large focus on items. You’ll obtain more items thanks to the extra shops and the smaller board with multi-layered floors adds confusion to the mix.

Goomba Lagoon has an ever-changing path due to the rising water levels. The grapple slides mean you can also get around much faster and cut movement times in half. Mega Wiggler’s Tree Party is a bit basic but I think it is meant to be a starter board. Wiggler moves around when you ring a bell and you can also purchase a bell item to trigger the movement.

I enjoyed every board. I have some favourites but there’s enough variety on offer here. Each board comes with its own mechanics to learn and some cool surprises too. Even if you have to play each board once, you’ll spend hours in Jamboree.

Mini-games are what they are – mini-games. Some are incredibly detailed while others last just a few seconds. Each one was colourful and oozed the typical Super Mario charm we expect from the game. I did enjoy the mix between the motion and the button games. It always kept me guessing what I would encounter. Although, the motion games are still my favourite.

One big surprise was the Jamboree Buddy mini-games. When you encounter a Jamboree Buddy on a board, all players then need to participate in a themed mini-game to get that buddy on their side. I expected a short game here but got the complete opposite. These games lasted well over 5 minutes and were carefully crafted for the character. Luigi, for example, saw us explore a haunted mansion which spanned a series of rooms. In each room, we had to complete a puzzle. There are ten rooms in total and the first player to get out of the last room had Luigi join them on the board.

Given the sheer number of Jamboree Buddies in the game, you’ll likely encounter a new fleshed-out mini-game for weeks after picking Jamboree up. It is just another excellent addition to the game that pads it with even more content.

Speaking of which, outside of the board games, Super Mario Party Jamboree has a lot to do and most of it isn’t just padded nonsense. The single-player campaign saw me trek across each board to help Kamek prep for his party. I could move freely across the boards, chat with characters and complete objectives. These objectives were often fetch and return quests but they were in-between mini-games and cinematics that explained certain board mechanics.

Yes, the single-player mode is essentially just a glorified tutorial for the game’s boards but it works. It was something cool to do when my family weren’t around to play Jamboree and I actually enjoyed that Nintendo included this in the game.

Rhythm Kitchen is then a cooking game where I had to perform certain motions to chop vegetables, mix cream, make sandwiches and other dishes. The music is catchy and the motion movements were surprisingly on-point. It gets much tougher than I thought it would too. So much so that the later modes had me sweating while I tried to knock a cherry into a bowl of ice cream all while listening to the music of the game. Sure, this mode’s lifespan isn’t going to last long but it is fun to return to with new players.

Toad’s Item Factory then had me take away Toad’s job as we had to use precise movements of the Joy-Con to move platforms, lift blocks and rotate levers to get a ball from one part of the stage to the next. Each player is assigned a set block and you have to communicate with one another to get this whole process perfected. After each stage, you then manufacture an item which is used in the board game mode. So this factory is the place where all the items are made. I thought this was a cute concept and the motion movements made it quite enjoyable.

Paratrooper Flight School is a one or two-player mode where you fly around a series of floating islands using two Joy-Cons. Flying isn’t easy. You really have to flap your arms up and down to get momentum and soar around through the air by tilting down and up the controller. There’s enough here to keep you busy too. The explore mode has mechanics that you can interact with and achievements to unlock which go towards your profile level. There are also some game modes. One had me and a friend acting as sky taxis as we picked up characters and had to deliver them to a certain location within the time limit.

Koopathlon is likely my favourite mode outside of the board games. Here I raced across a map against opponents. There are 150 spaces to move and each coin you collect moves you one space up. The mini-games are then designed completely different to the board game. You earn coins, of course. So while you’re focusing on the map, you’re also playing mini-games to move up spaces. As you lap around the map, the mini-games get harder and faster. All this while players are tossing negative item effects your way like the good old Blooper that covers your screen in ink. It is frantic and I can’t wait to play this online with other players.

Lastly, there’s Bowser Kaboom Squad. This mode is a team-focused mode where I had to run around a map and collect bombs that came out of crates I smashed open. These bombs were then carried to a cannon and shot at Bowser who was constantly running around the map chasing players down. The mode includes items that help the combat and mini-games that reward teams with more items. I was surprised at how long this mode lasted. Each battle went well over 20 minutes and delivered an exhilarating time. Especially at the higher difficulties.

The only bummer about both the Koopathlon and Kaboom Squad is the lack of local multiplayer. But you can take your online friends with you after creating a room. So at least there’s that.

Outside of this, Super Mario Party Jamboree kept surprising me with more content. I could decorate my Party Plaza with items obtained in the single-player campaign, and purchase music, reactions and stickers. All of this expanded as I earned new achievements and increased my rank. Granted, I was already on rank 31 by the time I wrote this review but there are some tough achievements that I will likely never get to. Jamboree is overflowing with content.

There have been big Super Mario Party games in the past but Jamboree takes the cake. Not only is it feature-packed but the core board game mode is better than ever now thanks to the Pro Rules. Jamboree is the party game fans have asked for and Nintendo delivered that and so much more. I think the fact that we’re getting this game so far to the end of the Switch lifecycle is another testament to Nintendo’s love for its fans. Simply put, Jamboree is the greatest Super Mario Party game ever made.

This Super Mario Party Jamboree review is based on a code sent to us by Nintendo. The game launches on 17 October for Nintendo Switch. It retails for R1,199.