Super Mario Party

 Switch
User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 653 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 360 out of 653
  2. Mixed: 183 out of 653
  3. Negative: 110 out of 653
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  1. night4
    Oct 5, 2018
    4
    -Forced to use joycons? What about my pro controllers? Lame.

    -Can't play in handheld. Why is this even on the Switch then?

    -Can't play full game online.

    -Only 4 maps and they're small and boring.

    Shame on you, Nintendo. Shame.
  2. Vigo
    Oct 13, 2021
    4
    This game was not a good game. Pre release had hyped this up as a more return to the original formula i.e. no cars (didn't even bother playing those) but couldn't have been further from the truth. This turned out to be a a major disappointment for various reasons as many other people have noted in reviews.

    - There's only 4 boards. These 4 boards can barely be considered boards as they    This game was not a good game. Pre release had hyped this up as a more return to the original formula i.e. no cars (didn't even bother playing those) but couldn't have been further from the truth. This turned out to be a a major disappointment for various reasons as many other people have noted in reviews.

    - There's only 4 boards. These 4 boards can barely be considered boards as they have a small grid like structure. It's almost as they tried doing some kind of grid like formula, scratched it, and said well heres 4 let's make it work. They are painfully pathetic, aesthetically and playability.

    -Economy is bad. Stars are now 10 coins reduced from 20 of the original. Everyone gets coins from mini games also.

    -Golden warp pipe is broke. This ties in with last point but a golden pipe is 10 coins which can be farmed to buy over and over and then buy 10 coin star. Don't remember much of the other items but not good.

    -Dice block only goes to 6. No idea why they would change this but I'm sure it has to do with tiny boards for making this decision.

    -Ally characters also impede flow of game. If someone gets one, two, three or even four, (don't know how many you can get) they are able to lap the entire board it makes no sense. Now had they done it where you get an ally and can use their special dice ability, that would have been fine as that idea is the only decent new addition to the game. But it doesn't work that way they roll extra dice on the turn allowing for more travel on the tiny maps with broken economy.

    -Online support was a joke. This made it sound like, and I'm sure most people agree, that online meant you could play the maps online with others. Not the case of-course. You're allowed to compete in FIVE mini games online to see who wins.

    - And my least favorite I saved for last, motion controls & Joy Con. This is the worst aspect in that you cannot use the pro controller or even two joy cons. You have to use one joy con but it gets worse...there's motion control. I hated that about the Wii (least favorite NINTENDO console ever) but now you have to give high fives and other motion BS. Don't get me started on the motion control specific modes I'm sure as F*** not getting up pretending I'm in a marching band.

    And there you have it for reasons that ruin the game. But why 4 /10? Well, realistically I'm sure some kids and people out there will enjoy so even though I overall don't like it, I can see where some may enjoy it. Especially kids who never played originals. As an adult who grew up on the originals and probably too old for my age to be playing Mario party (F*** it) there's bound to be some young kids or dumb adults who will enjoy it. I, however, would not recommend this Mario Party.    … Expand
  3. HexSCTV
    Oct 8, 2018
    1
    Looks nice. Lacks substance. Not worth the price tag. Your money is better spent elsewhere.
  4. RPDoggo64
    Oct 8, 2018
    3
    I grew up playing Mario Party 4, 7, and 8, having fallen off the hype train after the disappointments of Mario Party 9 and 10. Yet, me and my friends nonetheless got excited to play what was advertised to be a step in the right direction for the franchise in Super Mario Party. So we got it on launch and were ready for a night of fun and battle. However, we only got 2 games and 25 combinedI grew up playing Mario Party 4, 7, and 8, having fallen off the hype train after the disappointments of Mario Party 9 and 10. Yet, me and my friends nonetheless got excited to play what was advertised to be a step in the right direction for the franchise in Super Mario Party. So we got it on launch and were ready for a night of fun and battle. However, we only got 2 games and 25 combined turns in before we came to an unfortunate conclusion: this game wasn't fun.

    The game was developed by NDcube, who had also developed Mario Party 9 and 10 (what a coincidence). The game gives you various modes to play, from River Survival to Online Mariothon (more on that later), with the titular Mario Party being the main attraction. The first alarm bell went off when there were a grand total of... 4 boards to play. Now let me say that quantity doesn't trump quality, but these maps simply aren't expansive enough to justify the low count. Even then, if the maps were small but packed full of fun, there wouldn't be that big of a problem. However, despite said small size, turns can't help but feel like a slog to get through. This of course isn't due to the two best additions to the series: character exclusive dice and allies.

    Each character gets their own dice, which means that character selection is no longer just a cosmetic choice (although that still can occur). These dice can range from real baller status (Bowser can either roll 2 -3 coins, an 1, an 8, a 9, and a 10) to mediocre (Monty Mole is just the regular dice but with a +2 coins instead of an 1). This seems to be an attempt to add some flavor to the game and the attempts don't stop there. If you land on an ally space, you can get an ally who give you their dice along with either an 1 or a 2 each turn. These two features would be the complimentary features of a good Mario Party, but they're the few positives I can think of (still appreciate it though).

    A major issue of this game is a big one: the minigames aren't as interactive and seem very bland compared to the past editions. No longer can you punch or jump in most of the minigames, as the lack of interactivity bogs down the main course. However, at times the forced switch controller usage (no pro controllers fellas) can be legitimately fun and engaging; these times are very few and far between though.

    The lack of turns you can play through is a blessing, as the way the game is no more than 25 turns means the slog can be done quickly.

    Online Mariothon, in theory, could've been good. Had there been board play online, even with the mediocre game, it would've been another step in the right direction. So what actually happens? A random group of 4 people play 5 minigames randomly selected out of 10 minigames. I think that speaks for itself.

    So why does this game lack the fun that the first 8 Mario Parties had? The answer is simple: this game isn't a Mario Party at heart. It lacks the competitive edge that those had. One might argue that those game were like the video game Monopoly, a game where you pretty much lose your friends. If you think that attitude wasn't your style, that's fine. However, even then the game isn't fun. This leads to the most fatal issue of all: its staying power. I personally believe most people will never touch this game after a maximum of 50 or so turns, as the lack of online and good gameplay ultimately gives this game an early expiration date.

    But before I finish, let me say a few things. Firstly, the fact that the game could get new maps and be updated to a better game doesn't mean you shouldn't criticize this game for being as bad as it is. The same criticisms that are levied at Microsoft and Sony should be levied more so at Nintendo, who was deemed by many to be above them due to their lack of paying for online (which has changed). Even then, I doubt the additions would extend the game's shelf life.

    And now to end on a somber note, I'd like to quote a certain individual who was against this lack of fun:
    "The game, is fun. The game, is a battle. If it's not fun, why bother? If it's not a battle, where's the fun? It's a test that you pass, or a quest that you fail. A race against time, fun and battle, always lock together. But the game is also something else. Its a journey, a passport to new worlds. Maybe even... An Odyssey. A look, a feel, an exploration. Close your focus and open your mind. Yes, the journey requires the right ticket. And that ticket, is the Nintendo Switch. But in the end, it's not just where you can take YOUR game, its where your game, can take YOU... So lets go." -Reggie Fils Aime    … Expand
  5. Jarcher1192
    Jan 17, 2020
    0
    It doesn't matter how well you play everything is left to chance and I have the worst luck.... This game is stressful for no good reason -10/10
  6. royalcrown28
    Oct 6, 2018
    2
    hey made stars only cost 10 coins. Presumably to scale with the smaller boards and more restrictive max turns. But the deflation in star value cascades through the rest of the game.

    It is an extremely rare scenario that you wont have 10 coins at any point during the game. You'll almost never be in a scenario where you make it to a star and can't afford one. This in turn makes    hey made stars only cost 10 coins. Presumably to scale with the smaller boards and more restrictive max turns. But the deflation in star value cascades through the rest of the game.

    It is an extremely rare scenario that you wont have 10 coins at any point during the game. You'll almost never be in a scenario where you make it to a star and can't afford one.

    This in turn makes minigames trivial. Since the value of a coin is next to nothing now, the importance of actually winning minigames to earn coins plummets. The main appeal of Mario party now has little to no relevance to the board game.

    In previous installations of the series the game required a combination of minigame prowess, coin management, and a little bit of luck. Now the game requires little more than praying to RNGesus so you can stamepede around collecting as many stars as you can; limited by nothing more than your ability to roll high numbers. Previously this wasn't a viable strategy because you needed to ensure you had 20 coins before passing over a star.

    Example, after coming in 3rd place in the first mini-game, I bought a star on turn 2. In another game on turn 5, after losing every single mini-game, and rolling 1s. I used items and rolled a 15. I earned 3 stars in a single turn, buying 2 stars in one turn, and getting one from a hidden block. Boards are tiny and there are no interesting tiles to land on. All the usable items are lackluster. Mini-games are solid however.

    Normally buying two stars in a single turn would require some form of achievement. This is not the case in Super Mario Party. As far as I'm concerned this game is just the participation trophy of the franchise.

    2/10    … Expand
  7. vgmkyle
    Oct 9, 2018
    0
    All they had to do was copy the success of MP1-MP3, but no... for the seventh consecutive game they go a different route. One that provides players 4 TINY MAPS and a bunch of crappy mini-games. What a tragedy. Anyone that says this game is good is lying to themselves... it would have been so easy to make a good one.
  8. ElargiL
    Oct 9, 2018
    0
    Cant believe were in 2018 and we still can´t play the board online with our friends.
    The boards are too small and theres only 4 boards!! I had so much hope in this game and i am very disappointed. Can´t believe mario party 7 back in 2005 had bigger and more boards!!
  9. Tempnix
    Oct 10, 2018
    0
    Quite bland after a bit of playing. The boards are rather basic and the online mode is quite bad, you don't even get to play a proper game online it is just a couple of mini-games and thats it.
  10. Slientninja
    Oct 12, 2018
    0
    Maps are way too small and the star system is jank. definitely needs to have bigger maps
  11. SugarHBear
    Oct 5, 2018
    2
    No pro controller support. So I can't play a 4 player game with the controllers I have.
  12. muttsy13
    Oct 5, 2018
    4
    If you are like me and only buying this game for online dont you can only play minigames and theres only 8 or so to play
  13. booshwa
    Oct 9, 2018
    2
    Gets 2 out of 10 for the total number of fun hours spent. What were they thinking? Four tiny boards is insane for $60 game! Also while introducing 'Allies' which makes it is possible to roll huge numbers and get multiple stars per turn! Mini games are fun but they need to spend a lot more time and money on this delivering a game that is half what their previous games were. Also can'tGets 2 out of 10 for the total number of fun hours spent. What were they thinking? Four tiny boards is insane for $60 game! Also while introducing 'Allies' which makes it is possible to roll huge numbers and get multiple stars per turn! Mini games are fun but they need to spend a lot more time and money on this delivering a game that is half what their previous games were. Also can't play the board online... what? They demand payment for online gaming and can't deliver what people want. Don't buy this until they can actually give us Mario Party. This game should have bigger boards, ability to create custom rounds (20 coins per star, +1 blue, -1 red, etc), and online pay worthy of their fee.… Expand
  14. Jumping121
    Oct 5, 2018
    3
    -No Online Board game feature

    -Nintendo Pushed their online service on us all and provide a lackluster online experience for this game with only 10 Mini games.

    - 3/4 small playable boards
  15. BryanHan
    Jan 2, 2019
    0
    The character dices are not balancing well example. Wario. And this game has not much extreme boards and less board only 4? Seriously? than the other Mario party games. Kind of boring as well it makes me mad that the game is extremely luck. No using procons are handheld it needs to be more developed.
  16. Juroslaw
    Sep 21, 2019
    0
    Like seriously, its been almost a year, and they added nothing into this unfinished game, like seriously? There is only 4 tiny maps, and you dont have any options to customize your game
  17. PleaseFixOnline
    Oct 6, 2018
    0
    This review is solely based on the online portion of this game. Super Mario Party has got to have the most disappointing Nintendo online features of all time. Normally you would think I am complaining about the board game feature being available for only offline and local but i'm not. Mario Party's online consist of a 4 player lobby with only 10 available mini-games at launch and will beThis review is solely based on the online portion of this game. Super Mario Party has got to have the most disappointing Nintendo online features of all time. Normally you would think I am complaining about the board game feature being available for only offline and local but i'm not. Mario Party's online consist of a 4 player lobby with only 10 available mini-games at launch and will be rotated periodically. Honestly it doesn't take too long to get bored of playing the very short mini-games between 30 mins-1 hour of game time. It is ridiculous that you have to purchase the game at full price and be limited to such a half-ass commitment to a online mode. Personally the game shouldn't have included a feature they spent no time on working on and kept them game local only at best. In conclusion not worth 20 for online (for this game at least) and 60 for the game unless you have friends near by for local play.… Expand
  18. moistcake123
    Oct 6, 2018
    0
    Maybe I'm biased having played mostly Mario Party 7. But this game is about as fun as pooping blood.
  19. SypherZ
    Oct 7, 2018
    0
    How can a game with such a history be designed so badly today?
    The maps are smaller and feels rushed, you cant play online multiplayer on the boards...
    Also, there is no way to play with the pro controller or the joycons attached together, only seperatly. You cant play the game in handheld, so you cant play singleplayer... No other controller works than the single joycons... Also,    How can a game with such a history be designed so badly today?
    The maps are smaller and feels rushed, you cant play online multiplayer on the boards...
    Also, there is no way to play with the pro controller or the joycons attached together, only seperatly.
    You cant play the game in handheld, so you cant play singleplayer...
    No other controller works than the single joycons...
    Also, there is only 10 mini games, feels like they just milked the franchise instead of actually releasing something proper...    … Expand
  20. PabloKamien
    Oct 10, 2018
    4
    Only 4 maps and they're small and boring. It's insane for a $60 game. This game should have bigger boards, ability to customize your game. (20 coins per star, +1 blue, -1 red, etc)
  21. TitaniumDragon
    Sep 26, 2020
    4
    Super Mario Party is a party game – a digital board game that is also a collection of minigames, as well as a few other modes that are also, in effect, collections of minigames, such as the cooperative River Race as well as the Sound Stage area, which is a party rhythm game.

    The board game is the “heart” of Super Mario Party, and here, there are actually two closely related board games.    Super Mario Party is a party game – a digital board game that is also a collection of minigames, as well as a few other modes that are also, in effect, collections of minigames, such as the cooperative River Race as well as the Sound Stage area, which is a party rhythm game.

    The board game is the “heart” of Super Mario Party, and here, there are actually two closely related board games. The objective of each game is to collect stars, but there are two ways to play – as single players, and two teams of two. The individual player mode has you moving around a fairly linear board with a few branching paths, while the team mode has you moving around on a rectangular board with various features interrupting the flow through the board. In either case, your goal is to get enough coins and then to land on the star space, which allows you to buy a star, which then causes the star to move afterwards to a new location.

    This mode is chaotic but reasonably okay. There’s some strategy involved – each character has special dice, which can be rolled instead of a normal six-sided die, with various dice giving less random results or more extreme results (Bowser, for example, has a die with 0, 0, 1, 8, 9, and 10 on it, while Shy Guy has 0, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4), but as the rolls are random, there’s only so much control you have over where you land. Various spaces have various effects, and while you can control what area of the board you’re aiming for, you have no guarantee of actually landing on critical spaces. The team game gives you a bit more control, as the players roll dice and have them added together to determine the team’s movement, and the board gives you more control over where you’re going. There are allies around the board (player characters who you aren’t playing as), which can give you additional movement as well as access to their dice. The team mode gives you more control over getting these, but both modes give you at least some access to them.

    The minigames are ultimately at the heart of the game, and are where players make most of their coins. Some of these have the players competing against each other as individuals, while others have them paired randomly into teams (sometimes with your allied characters following you around a well!). These games are much more skill-based, which is both a good thing (more skilled players have an advantage) and a bad thing (it’s entirely possible for better players to literally never lose at the minigames).

    All in all, this is an okay game, but it’s nothing particularly special; I wouldn’t play it very much, and it isn’t worth the asking price of $60.

    The Sound Stage mode is a pretty generic rhythm game with Mario theming, which is cute enough, but very limited in scope.

    The River Cruise mode has you paddling a raft down a river as a team while completing a series of team minigames against the clock to try and get more time. This mode is actually really easy, so while it is kind of nice to cooperate as a group, you’re going to succeed every time, which means that repeated trips can get boring after a while, especially as there isn’t all that much variety in what the actual river trip brings.

    Finally, there’s Challenge Road, where you play through all 80 minigames back to back to try and get to the end of it. You can quit whenever you want and come back to it, but it is still nothing particularly exciting or special.

    All in all, Super Mario Party is what it is – a mediocre party game. It is chaotic enough to create some potentially interesting moments, but ironically, the minigames may be *too* skill based, making it less random and thus making me wonder whether it’d be better to just play a game like Super Smash Bros. or Super Mario Kart, which are more fun as actual *games*.

    If you can rent this from the local library for some short term dumb fun, that’s not a bad choice, but I can’t really say this would be worth buying – if you play it much at all on your own, you’ll get too good at the minigames to really be able to play it as a fun party game. The game itself is rather repetitive, so it isn’t something you want to play a ton of, and after about 17 hours or so, you’ll have seen literally everything the game has to offer many times over.    … Expand
  22. TsukasaHiiragi
    Nov 14, 2018
    2
    Just as bad as all the previous versions of Mario Party where skill and fun go out the window for predictable AI and winning through bonuses because the AI gets all the great dice rolls and the human player gets shafted far too often to be chance, Super RNG Party?

    Not to mention, the boards are limited with only 4 - limited unlockables and just overall can be very frustrating to play    Just as bad as all the previous versions of Mario Party where skill and fun go out the window for predictable AI and winning through bonuses because the AI gets all the great dice rolls and the human player gets shafted far too often to be chance, Super RNG Party?

    Not to mention, the boards are limited with only 4 - limited unlockables and just overall can be very frustrating to play when you can clearly see the AI cheating.    … Expand
  23. PortalKid
    Sep 20, 2020
    0
    The reason that I'm giving this game a 0 is that I've never seen a boardgame that solely depends on such skill (because of the minigames). The game itself revolves around coins. And the minigames are the game changer. Also the cpu's are the worst teammates in group based minigames, the cpu's programming is awful.
  24. JRice
    Dec 26, 2021
    0
    You can NOT play the game with pro controllers???
    We did buy two of them, just to be able to play with 4 players, and now cannot, but would have to buy two more useless joycons???

    Thats it, Nintendo, im fed up with you, totally and finally...
  25. MistahJuicyBoy
    Mar 8, 2020
    0
    Contains the least amount of content of any Mario party game and has never been updated. 4 boards, 84 shallow minigames (some are locked to side-game modes), and lack of controller support, or even decent online multiplayer makes this game dead in the water. Play the n64 or GameCube games if you are feeling that Mario party itch. This game will never be updated, and it's very likely youContains the least amount of content of any Mario party game and has never been updated. 4 boards, 84 shallow minigames (some are locked to side-game modes), and lack of controller support, or even decent online multiplayer makes this game dead in the water. Play the n64 or GameCube games if you are feeling that Mario party itch. This game will never be updated, and it's very likely you will play it for less than 5 hours.

    The 0 is an honest score. If you look at my history, you'll find that I rarely ever give it, but this game is deserving. Makes Warcraft 3 reforged look like a masterpiece.    … Expand
  26. iTheAlchemist
    Jun 20, 2021
    0
    It's a party game meant to play with your friends but nintendo limits the controllers to joy-con only, which means that even if you have a couple controllers that are not joy-con your friends wont play. Not to mention the forgotten online play.
  27. NeuroShock
    Jan 13, 2019
    4
    This game is an unbalanced mess. The mini games are poorly described, sometimes they are not even described at all in the case of VS tiles... so most of the time you do not even know what your doing... which gives experienced players too much of an advantage. There are too few maps... I want alot more than 4 maps considering the price of this game. The maps given are too small. YouThis game is an unbalanced mess. The mini games are poorly described, sometimes they are not even described at all in the case of VS tiles... so most of the time you do not even know what your doing... which gives experienced players too much of an advantage. There are too few maps... I want alot more than 4 maps considering the price of this game. The maps given are too small. You cannot see characters special dices when choosing characters which make the game entirely unbalanced. Since every character has a specific dice... some are ALOT better than others which again only advanced players would know. The partner mechanic... which makes it so that you get a partner on the board, additional dice roles and sometime help in mini games makes the game excessively unbalanced. The prices of stars are too low (10 coins instead of 20) making it so that it is too easy for the lead character to get mulp stars. Despite the amazing looking maps, and fun mini games... the unbalanced problems outweighs the good... this is a poorly thought out game!… Expand
  28. mike4156
    Feb 19, 2019
    4
    Im incredibly dissapointed this is half finished this game has no multiplayer for the actual board game part of the game, thats so freaking disappointing its why i bought the game! come on!
  29. aditya1101
    Nov 26, 2018
    2
    Honestly just dumb fun - I really don't understand how Nintendo has been able to screw up every single mario party game after having so much success with the first three, but this just continues the list of mario party games with unfulfilled potential. It has way too much RNG, allies/star relocations/etc. are unbalanced and often feel unfair, and they removed a lot of my favorite elementsHonestly just dumb fun - I really don't understand how Nintendo has been able to screw up every single mario party game after having so much success with the first three, but this just continues the list of mario party games with unfulfilled potential. It has way too much RNG, allies/star relocations/etc. are unbalanced and often feel unfair, and they removed a lot of my favorite elements from the series (like replacing the battle minigames with some dumb rumble minigames that are super short and unsatisfying). But at the end of the day, the minigames are still on point and it's still a lot of fun to play when you're not in the mood for something fair/competitive and are just looking for some dumb fun.… Expand
  30. Chell_R
    Nov 23, 2020
    0
    The 2ND, WORST Mario Party... Ever.

    Bad mini games, terrible boards... Cheaper feeling, cheaper presentation...

    Worser game. all around.

    Play Mario Party 8, 6, or... preferably 4....

    It's WAYYYYY more worth your time,

    and money.
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Awards & Rankings

8
#8 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2018
2
#2 Most Shared Switch Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 84 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 58 out of 84
  2. Mixed: 26 out of 84
  3. Negative: 0 out of 84
  1. PLAY! Zine
    Mar 6, 2019
    80
    Super Mario Party goes back to its roots and delivers just like it should. The vast number of different modes, really prevents any to shine the brightest, but the entire game is a small step back that greatly leaps forward. It makes us only more excited for the next entry. Something we haven't felt with the Mario Party series in ages...
    Read full review
  2. CD-Action
    Feb 13, 2019
    85
    Both players and critics agreed that in the last couple of years Mario Party’s quality has been dropping. Nintendo decided to go for broke this time and I hope slapping “Super” in front of the title heralds the restart of the franchise, because SMP finally delivers what we expected. [12/2018, p.51]
  3. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Dec 21, 2018
    77
    Complex and unpredictable board game, numerous mini-games and being able to play as your favorite character – those are the three pillars of Mario Party’s success. Neither of these elements was polished to perfection over the years, but together they offer a very enjoyable experience. [Issue#234, p.72]
See all critic reviews »