Critics say Nintendo’s Mario Party Superstars combines the best-of-the-best from two decades of Mario Party games, curating a list of 100 fan-favorite Mario Party minigames in a return to form. Anticipation has been high for the 12th mainline installment of the Mario Party franchise, mainly due to its compilation of updated content from previous iterations. Mario Party Superstars is said to mix together what worked well in past games to create an improved coin- and star-stealing experience.
Mario Party Superstars resurrects minigames and game boards from across the Mario Party series, ranging from Mario Party (1999) to Mario Party 10 (2015). As can be expected, players are tasked with traveling across a board, winning minigames, and ultimately collecting the most stars to win the game. The full list of Mario Party Superstars 100 minigames was unveiled in September, including 12 from the original Mario Party for the N64, 19 from Mario Party 2, 24 from Mario Party 3, and many more from later entries. Mario Party Superstars releases for Nintendo Switch on October 29, but early reviews have already heaped praise on the new party game.
While Mario Party Superstars has impressed many reviewers, its foremost issue seems to be a lack of new, groundbreaking content. Keeping things grounded in its franchise roots seems to work for the game overall, but several critics agree additional features and one more classic Mario Party Superstars board could have elevated the game above past iterations. Minigames are their main focus of praise, as the curated roster seems to have hit the mark. Few, if any, have been deemed duds, unlike Mario Party games of the past with unremarkable minigames intermixed with heavy-hitters like Shy Guy Says and Monty’s Revenge. Having all of the series’ best minigames in one package – combined with classic boards and other game modes to try them out in – seems to have made Mario Party Superstars one of the better franchise entries in recent memory. Here’s what Mario Party Superstars reviews have to say:
William Cennamo – 4.5/5 – Screen Rant
“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.”
Mitchell Saltzman – 8/10 – IGN
“Mario Party Superstars is more than just a collection of excellent boards and minigames from the series’ past: It’s a complete return to form for the Mario Party series. There’s a really great mix of classic and more modern minigames, the overall quality of which is top-notch, even if some of them are a bit redundant. It really could have used one more board, and the balance of the 1v3 minigames isn’t the greatest, but with solid online play acting as the icing on the proverbial Peach’s Birthday Cake, it’s easy to say that this is the best Mario Party has been in at least a decade.”
Alex Olney – 8/10 – Nintendo Life
“Mario Party Superstars is a love letter to the parties you remember attending 20 years ago. A disappointingly slim selection of boards takes the shine off things somewhat, but it’s hard to argue that this is the best Mario Party has been in over a decade. No new ideas absolutely feels like a missed opportunity, but by the same token we’d much prefer to have all these classic ideas intact rather than potentially tainting them with unwanted and unnecessary inclusions only added for the sake of being new.”
Ryan Gilliam – No Score – Polygon
“Mario Party Superstars is great because it’s both exciting and malleable, filling a variety of different roles depending on who is playing. For a parent, it’s an easy-to-understand game that’s fun to break out every few weeks. For younger generations, it’s an enjoyable glimpse into video game history, and a not-incredibly-boring way to connect with your grumpy, old uncle. And for those of us who’ve been partying since 1998, it’s a lovingly crafted blast of nostalgia.”
Colette – 8.5/10 – My Nintendo News
“Mario Party Superstars attempts to find common ground with fans of the series. Between the strategic boards, the mountains of minigames on offer and online gameplay, there is more than enough content to keep any Mario Party fan occupied for 20+ hours. Older generations may say, ‘they don’t make them how they used to’ and, for Mario Party, that’s certainly been the case for several years. So, while it’s not a perfect (re)union, Superstars returns to form with the old, the borrowed and the new.”
An early critical consensus seems to place the latest franchise installment toward the top of the franchise’s long history. Bringing back fan-favorite Mario Party minigames while improving graphics, game mode options, and maintaining gimmick-free gameplay, Nintendo seems to have cracked the code on its two-decades-long series. Abandoning party cars, motion controls, and other trial-and-error mechanics of previous games have apparently worked in its favor, with reviewers sharing their fondness for Mario Party Superstars‘ simplicity and minigame focus. The game’s lacking gameplay advancements are a common complaint, but the lack of innovation reportedly isn’t very detrimental to the greater experience.
Mario Party Superstars may not have its place as the best in the series secured, but critics agree it excels where Super Mario Party’s lack of content failed. While Super Mario Party received praise for its few innovations, Mario Party Superstars’ return to a gimmick-free party game experience has given it a critical edge over other modern installments.
Mario Party Superstars will be available for Nintendo Switch on October 29, 2021.
