What parents need to know
Super Mario Party Jamboree is a multiplayer board game where players compete to reach the end of the board and accumulate the highest number of stars. To get stars, players must complete various mini-games, and Jamboree offers more than 110 of them and many game modes. It is the third installment in the series on Switch, and the thirteenth installment in the series on Nintendo home consoles. You don’t need to have played the previous episodes to play this one. The games take place with 4 participants, whether human or console-controlled. There must always be at least one human participant. Each participant chooses a character from Mario’s universe, and competes against the 3 participants on a board game board filled with many bonus squares, penalties and obstacles of all kinds.
Here is the full list of the 22 playable characters in Super Mario Party Jamboree:
1. Mario
2. Luigi
3. Peach
4. Daisy
5. Yoshi
6. Toad
7. Toadette
8. Wario
9. Waluigi
10. Donkey Kong
11. Diddy Kong
12. Rosalina
13. Birdo
14. Bowser
15. Bowser Jr.
16. Koopa Troopa
17. Shy Guy
18. Boo
19. Hammer Bro
20. Monty Mole
21. Pom Pom
22. Goomba
At the end of each round, participants compete in a randomly selected mini-game. These are the mini-games that have made the reputation of the series thanks to their often absurd context and their great potential to make everyone laugh. Depending on their success or defeat in this mini-game, participants win more or less coins. Unlike some previous installments in the series, Super Mario Party Jamboree does not contain a game mode, which can be played as a team. Super Mario Party Jamboree features seven game maps, five of which are new and two of which are classics from the series.
Here is the full list of available cards:
1. Mega Wiggler’s Tree Party (new)
2. Roll ‘Em Raceway (new)
3. Goomba Lagoon (new)
4. King Bowser’s Keep (short story)
5. Rainbow Galleria (short story)
6. Western Land (Mario Party 2 classic)
7. Mario’s Rainbow Castle (Mario Party Classic 1)
The winners of the games in the classic “Mario Party” mode are decided in the following way: the one who has accumulated the most stars wins the game, and if the people have the same number of stars, this is decided with the number of coins collected. All episodes of the series are considered “unfair”, i.e. during a game, everything can change, you can lose and gain the coins and stars accumulated at any time because of a bonus or malus encountered, or triggered by another person. There is a lot of randomness in the games and it is very difficult to control the outcome of the game, even if you succeed in the maximum number of mini-games possible.
This allows for many reversals of the situation and a kind of balancing of the players’ level. Even the best don’t necessarily win. It’s something that has always been known in the series, and it’s really not a series to be taken seriously at the competitive level (even if there are still people dedicated to it). That doesn’t stop millions of fans around the world from having fun with it.
The game was provided by the publisher for review. It does not influence our opinion.
Details
Level of experience required
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Evaluation
No problem
No problem
Lots of reading and instructions
Encourages competition but in a very healthy way and without real stakes.
Several difficulty levels are available and several mini-games require a minimum of dexterity. All this remains very easy and affordable.
No problem. Everything is included in the game. You just need as many controllers as you need players.
Local game modes
Mario Party: the main game mode of the game with the 4 participants evolving on a board and performing mini-games to disembark.
Minigame Bay: the game mode that allows you to play mini-games individually without having to go through the board game. It can be played either by:
- Showdown Minigame Battle: A series of games where you have to accumulate the most coins. For 1 to 4 players online or locally.
- Survival: Compete against online players in a parasailing competition. Playable online with 1 player only.
- Free Play: Choose the mini-games you want in the order you want. Playable locally
- Daily Challenge: A competition on 3 selections of 3 mini-games that change every day. Playable online or locally
- Tag Match: 2 vs 2 team matches that compete on banana boats. Playable online with a minimum of 2 players on the console, or with computers, or humans locally.
Toad’s Factory: puzzle boards where you have to operate blocks with joy-con motion recognition. For 1 to 4 players locally.
Paratroopa Flight School: Imagine the scenes of flying through the air in Super Mario 64. Now imagine flapping your wings with the joycons in your hands to steer yourself through the sky. That’s what this game mode is all about. You move between floating islands, collect power-ups and try to complete objectives. Personally, I have a lot of trouble moving around in this mode. There is no possible alternative to the controller. I’m probably clumsy with the joycons but I don’t have the impression that it detects correctly. For 1 or 2 players locally.
Rhythm Kitchen: Several mini-games based on the… rhythm and on the… kitchen. Very fun and similar to the ones present in Super Mario Party. For 1 to 4 players locally.
Party Planner Trek: A single-player mode where you complete tasks in the game worlds to do the characters a favor. For 1 player locally.
Online Game Modes
The Koopathlon online mode in Super Mario Party Jamboree allows up to 20 players to compete against each other in a series of mini-games. Here’s how it works: 1. Online Competition: Players join in an online lobby and participate in fast-paced mini-games.
2. Varied Mini-Games: Challenges include games like a chase with Bowser and a crane game where the scores depend on the number of coins collected.
3. Points System: Players accumulate points based on their performance in each mini-game. The player with the most points at the end wins the game.
4. Rapid Progression: The higher your score in each mini-game, the faster you progress towards the final goal. The discovery of the Koopathlon is fun, but the longer the games last, the more you replay the same mini-games several times in order to collect the most coins, and so it becomes boring.
Bowser Kaboom Squad: Cooperate with other players online or computers to fill the cannons with bombs, and wipe out the massive Bowser. The whole thing is punctuated by mini-games allowing you to get bonuses. I really found that the mini-games broke the rhythm of the game in this case. It’s not a very fun game mode. Many game modes are available both locally and online. Please see the section above for more information.
Our opinion
Wow! This Super Mario Party Jamboree has a lot of content! Lots of characters, many boards and game modes. Some game modes are also playable online, which allows you to play more regularly than just in the evening with family and friends. Note that in most modes, you can only play one player per console during online modes. There are so many things to do that it takes time to describe everything. It’s a very good game, everything works well, everything is fun and entertaining. I haven’t played all the episodes of the series but many of them, and yes, it’s one of the best, as the rest of the critics on the internet say.
In terms of criticism, the menus to change controllers are not practical at all. You can start a game with a Pro Controller, switch to a joy-con because of the game modes that require motion capture, and then you can’t switch to a Pro Controller in the game. You have to go to the Switch’s menu and manually change the controllers used. In many other games, you can trigger the change of controllers directly. The main menus to access the different game modes, bonuses and settings are confusing. When we tested this as a group, we were lost and going back and forth multiple times through the radial menus that either move your character between areas or turn the lens of a camera. Simple vertical or horizontal menus with detailed descriptions would have done the trick.
There is something for all tastes and moods in this game. It is also a very well calibrated production, ideal for the whole family and for the end of year celebrations. If there was only one Mario Party to recommend, it would be this one, but the 3 on Switch are excellent.
In addition, the first ones are available on the Nintendo 64 app present with the online subscription + Expansion Pack (sold separately).
