TheMario Partyfranchise is one of Nintendo’s most beloved among a large part of its fanbase. The colorful party games are fun for the whole family, and they inspire the same kind of friendly competition as any other classic board game does. As far asMariospin-offsare concerned,Mario Partyis arguably the most popular, and its long history has built up cherished memories in a generation of fans. Now, Nintendo is preparing to give classicMario Partyfans a taste of nostalgia, while also creating all new memories for others in the form ofMario Party Superstars.
Mario Partyfans have felt let down by the most recent entry,Super Mario Party, for a serious lack of content compared to previous games.Mario Party Superstarslooks to fix that by giving fans more mini-games, more boards, and all of it coming from classic N64Mario Partygames. This announcement was fantastic news for fans that grew up with the very firstMario Partygames, butSuper Mario Partyshouldn’t be completely disregarded. While the Switch game fell short in some ways,Super Mario Partydid have some features that could makeMario Party Superstarsthe ultimateMario Partyexperience.
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Super Mario Party’s Character Specific Dice
Super Mario Partymay not have been the most innovative in regards to its boards, but there was one feature that added a layer of strategy to each game. The many characters oftheSuper Mariofranchiseare known for their unique quirks, andSuper Mario Partyrecognized this by giving each character their own special dice block. For example, Mario’s dice block gives players a better chance at rolling a three, while Bowser’s dice block is the only one that can roll a ten. They added a layer of personality and strategy toSuper MarioParty, and they could spice up the classic N64 maps thatMario Party Superstarsis bringing back.
Super Mario Party’s Allies
AlthoughSuper Mario Partylost some of the franchise’s special board spaces in order to include Bowser and Donkey Kong in the playable roster, the game did introduce new mechanics to make up for it. One of the more exciting new features was the ally system, which gave players an additional character by their side if they landed on an ally space. This then gave players access to that character’s unique dice block in addition to their own, and the ally would be able to roll their own dice to help out the player. This feature could really shake up the momentum of some games, and it was especially useful in late-game situations.
Super Mario Party’s Partner Party
On top of the usualMario Partyfeatures,Super Mario Partyalso introduced some new modes for players to try out. Partner Party allowed players to pair up with a friend and move through the board in whatever way they want. It gave players a chance to work together when mostMario Partygames have an “every man for themselves” mentality. The free movement across the board was perhaps the most interesting feature, and it could be an interesting new way to approachthe classic boards inMario Party Superstars.
Mario Party Superstarsseems to be doing right by classicMario Partyfans. The game is giving players the best ofMario Partyin one sleek, modern package, and there’s endless potential to expand from there. If Nintendo really wanted to, it could addMario Partycontent from the GameCube erain the form of DLC, extending the life of the game well into the future. And even thoughSuper Mario Partywasn’t everything players were expecting, there are still redeemable elements that are worth keeping.
