| Super Mario Party Jamboree | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gameplay & Story | Release Date | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
The true test of friendship has arrived yet again with Super Mario Party Jamboree! Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.
Super Mario Party Jamboree Review Overview
What is Super Mario Party Jamboree?
Super Mario Party Jamboree is the latest iteration of Mario Party exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. Retaining its classic multiplayer tabletop-esque gameplay, players will compete against each other in a variety of minigames and aim to earn the most stars at the end of the game. With over 110 minigames, defeat your opponents through different challenges and outsmart them using different items to turn the tide of the game at a moment’s notice.
Additionally, the game also offers new minigames and standalone modes for players to enjoy, where some have a focus on motion-based controls and game modes that include up to 20 players. It also offers a single-player game mode where solo players can enjoy various mini games by themselves.
Super Mario Party Jamboree features:
⚫︎ Board Game-Esque Gameplay
⚫︎ Over 110 Minigames to Enjoy
⚫︎ Single Player Mode
⚫︎ 20-Player Game Mode
⚫︎ Motion-Based Standalone Games
For more gameplay details, read everything we know about Super Mario Party Jamboree’s gameplay and story.
 Super Mario Party Jamboree |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Switch |
Super Mario Party Jamboree Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Tons of Mini Games Standalone Side Games New Mechanics Add More Chaos |
Hit or Miss Minigames Unlocking Boards is Pretty Grindy Some Modes Feel Incomplete More of the Same |
Super Mario Party Jamboree Overall - 70/100
Super Mario Party Jamboree accomplishes its goal in showing new ways for you to enjoy the chaos that is Mario Party. The new mechanics in the main Party Mode introduce more variance to the already unpredictable game. However, some of these additions are a classic case of quantity over quality. The game has over a hundred different mini games included in it, but not all of them are hits. To add to this, the standalone games are other examples of what should’ve been in the main game mode, while some feel unfinished or need to be tweaked a little more.
Super Mario Party Jamboree Story - 6/10
There’s not much of a story in the game as it’s primarily a party game. However, it does have a single-player mode, which kind of counts as something like a story mode. It’s nothing much, just your character helping out in preparation for a big party, and that’s it. The new mode really is just a testing bed for the game’s new mini games, where you’ll be playing them solo.
Super Mario Party Jamboree Gameplay - 8/10
If you’re looking for a Mario Party that has a ton of variety, then this is the one for you. It may not be the best minigames offered compared to its older releases, but it definitely wins in the amount that it has. The game adds more original maps that have their own gimmicks and definitely add more flavor to the mix. The new mechanics also add to the game’s already chaotic and swingy scoring, which may be considered either a good thing or bad thing depending on who’s winning.
Aside from the classic game mode that we all know and love, the game also has other standalone game modes like Rhythm Kitchen, Paratroopa Flight School, and the Bowser Challenges, which add another option for players to enjoy the game. However, you could argue that some of these could’ve been added into the main game mode instead and that some of these could’ve been fleshed out more.
Super Mario Party Jamboree Visuals - 7/10
The visuals of the game are pretty decent. It’s about what you’d expect from the Mario Party series. It’s not a visual marvel or something that’ll blow you out of the water, but it’s a very good-looking party game as it has always been.
Super Mario Party Jamboree Audio - 7/10
The music is pretty good as well. It definitely fits the vibe of what’s currently going on in the game, like the music becomes increasingly more frantic in the Bowser Kaboom Squad while the clock ticks down. Similar to the visuals, it’s about what you’d expect from a Mario Party game.
Super Mario Party Jamboree Value for Money - 7/10
For $59.99, it certainly does have a ton of new additions to make you think about getting it. Yes, it also even has completely new game modes, minigames, and boards for you to try out. But when you think about the amount of fun that you’ll have playing this version rather than the older version, it really isn’t that different. If you’re a big fan of trying out new minigames, then by all means. However, if you’re casually just enjoying the game on certain occasions, it really isn’t all that different from it’s predecessors.
Super Mario Party Jamboree Review: More or Less the Same Way to Lose Friends
Ah, Mario Party. One of my favorite ways to test friendships and relationships. The amount of chaos and unlucky streaks I’ve seen and experienced is definitely something that I hold dear to me. Although what I frequently play are the older releases of Mario Party and not the newer versions. Now that I’ve gotten a chance to try out Super Mario Party Jamboree and seen a lot of the game’s additions, it made me wonder if it was worth it to purchase a newer version of Mario Party when I’ve enjoyed the older ones so much.
More Chaos If You Want
In the main game mode, it introduces the inclusion of Jamboree Buddies, where random characters from the Super Mario series can appear and give you random bonuses to "spice" up your game. Each Jamboree Buddy has a different effect, like letting you have bigger dice rolls, giving you an item after every dice roll, and even getting around the map on your turn.
The more important thing is that these allies give you double the bonuses when standing on item tiles, event tiles, and even give you the ability to get 2 stars in one interaction. This can literally turn the game around for you if you so happen to land on a star tile with 40 coins. All of a sudden, a 2-star lead is already hanging on a balance.
New Isn’t Always Better
The game has a ton of new minigames and a ton of standalone modes that make use of the Switch’s motion controls. However, even with all of these minigames, they’re not all that great. There are some hits here and there, but a lot of them weren’t very memorable in my experience. Sadly, some of the ones that were memorable, like Rhythm Kitchen, are a standalone game mode outside of the Mario Party game mode.
Speaking of the standalone modes, one of the hyped-up game modes in the game were the Bowser Challenges. These challenges consist of the Koopathlon and the Bowser Kaboom Squad, where both can have 20 players playing at the same time. At first, it seemed like a pretty good mode to have more players play a game. However, the game modes feel unfinished, and something about them feels off when compared to the other offerings the game has.
Koopathlon is basically just a bunch of minigames for players to play, where earning coins would mean you move forward in the so-called track. While Bowser Kaboom Squad is a game mode where all 20 players cooperate to take down a beefed-up Bowser by using a cannon armed with bombs. There isn’t any real depth or anything special about these game modes, as they really feel like they got shoehorned in the game.
"Battle Pass” Like Progression
Before you get mad, the game doesn’t actually have a traditional battle pass that you pay for to get cosmetics and other bonuses. Instead, it’s the game’s leveling system where you can unlock more items to decorate your Party Plaza or buy more cosmetics from the shop. This is where you unlock the two other boards for Mario Party, which seems fine, but in reality it’ll take you a while before you can get the additional boards.
In essence, this kind of progression doesn’t necessarily translate to good results, especially for games of this genre. Mario Party is and always will be a party game, so having players "grind" levels to unlock the full content is pretty backwards, if you ask me. Players wouldn’t play Mario Party every time.
Reinventing the Wheel
So to answer my question if it was worth it to get the new version of Mario Party, it would take a lot of different things for me to consider really buying a new Mario Party game at full price. Even with all these additions, none of them really stand on their own to completely convince casual players to buy their new version.
Unless you really like the new minigames or just want to play something different than the previous Mario Party, then it would be an okay purchase at best. But if you’re just in it for the memes and the potential broken friendships with casual Mario Party games, it doesn’t really seem worth the money since you can achieve the same result with the older releases.
Is Super Mario Party Jamboree Worth It?
Not Really. You Could Stick to the Older Games
They say if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it or not reinvent the wheel. You could say that Super Mario Party Jamboree does add something to the series with the amount of new stuff that it has, but the ones before were certainly more than enough already. If you were looking for new minigames while having a slightly more chaotic experience with the introduction of Jamboree Buddies and the like, then sure, you could argue buying the game.
However, at $59.99, it doesn’t really offer a significant improvement compared to its older releases other than having more options. Having more can be good, but they could’ve done way more even with way less.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Switch |
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| Price | $59.99 | ||||
Super Mario Party Jamboree FAQ
What do you get for preordering Super Mario Party Jamboree?
Pre-ordering the game before March 31, 2025 will give you a free three-month Nintendo Switch Online Membership. Additionally, pre-ordering the game on physical retail stores like Target, Best Buy, and GameStop will give you a Canvas Tote, Dice Block Keychain, and Party Tin, respectively.
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Super Mario Party Jamboree Product Information
| |
| Title | SUPER MARIO PARTY JAMBOREE |
|---|---|
| Release Date | October 17, 2024 |
| Developer | Nintendo |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| Supported Platforms | Nintendo Switch |
| Genre | Action, Simulation, Party |
| Number of Players | 1-20 |
| Rating | ESRB E |
| Official Website | Nintendo Official Website |
