It’s an impressive and enjoyable tabletop experience, but, of course, you’ll need two Nintendo Switch systems and two copies of the game for the trick to work.ĭespite all the promise of both the Mariothon and Toad’s Rec Room modes, though, my family seemed to get the most enjoyment out of River Survival, a four-player cooperative river adventure that combines the best of Wii- and Kinect-era motion-enabled gaming with the spirit of friendly (or not-so-friendly) competition inherent in the Mario Party franchise.įly, you fools! You and yours will paddle downriver using only your single Joy-Con inputs to navigate rapids, avoid obstacles, chart branching paths, and, most importantly, pop balloons to play mini-games and earn more valuable seconds for your timed journey. These exclusive minigames can be played across two shared Switch systems, doubling the in-game real estate by extending the playing surface across one tablet and onto another. Much was made of the Toad’s Rec Room local multiplayer mode when it was revealed at E3 2018, and it does manage to offer a bold new take on the Mario Partyexperience. There’s also Sound Stage, a rhythm game mode the single-player Challenge Road the five random minigame mayhem of the new Online Mariothon and a requisite Minigame mode, wherein you can explore all your unlocked content. You and your huckleberry can split up to explore the board, harvest Coins and Stars, divide and conquer (and stomp) your competitors to stymie their progress or any combination of the two.īowser rolls them bones. Partners combine dice rolls, but they can move independently, which adds a nice layer of strategy. In the spirit of cooperation, Super Mario Party also adds Partner Party, a two-on-two variant.

Rolls can also be supplemented by picking up Allies, additional characters that pop up on the board and can be recruited by the first player they encounter. It’s an every-man-for-himself kind of affair, with bonds forged and relationships ruined with every roll of the character-specific Dice Block-a new element that offers modified versions of the standard D6 tailored to each player character’s strengths, weaknesses, and personality. Players take turns casting dice, roaming around a dynamic game board, and competing in various mini-games, all in a quest to capture those sweet, sweet Stars. At its’ core remains the classic four-player Party Mode. The game boards are boobytrapped-because of course they are. It arrives with its stalwart virtual board game mode intact, some 80 new madcap minigames, and, it turns out, a whole lot more. Now in its eleventh incarnation, Super Mario Party lands on the Nintendo Switch this Friday, October 5th. For the rest of our readership, allow me to introduce you to Super Mario Party. The gang’s all here! Mario Party is the video game equivalent of Monopoly it’s been around forever, there are seemingly endless permutations, and it’s practically impossible to lure anyone back to the table once it’s decided they’ve had their fill.įor those of you who are through with the property, go in peace-there is nothing for you here.

Super mario party switch character dice