Super Mario Party Jamboree

Super Mario Party Jamboree
Official logo for Super Mario Party Jamboree
Developer(s)	Nintendo Cube
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Director(s)	Takeru Sugimoto
Producer(s)	Toshiaki Suzuki Shinya Saito Kenji Kikuchi
Designer(s)	Hayato Minigawa Rina Wegner Hirotaka Uchida Tsutomu Komiyama Fumihisa Sato Atsushi Nakao Ryo Yokomizo Yuya Rokuyuma Hiroyuki Seki Satoru Imamura Takaki Kobayashi
Programmer(s)	Akira Matsumoto Haruhiko Tanuma Hatsushi Hamada
Composer(s)	Shigenobu Okawa Yuta Yamaguchi
Series	Mario Party
Platform(s)	Nintendo Switch
Release	October 17, 2024
Genre(s)	Party
Mode(s)	Single-player, Multiplayer

Super Mario Party Jamboree is a 2024 party video game developed by Nintendo Cube (previously known as NDcube) and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the thirteenth home console installment in the Mario Party series, the third on the Nintendo Switch, and a sequel to Super Mario Party, albeit with many similarities to Mario Party Superstars.

Like most installments in the Mario Party series, the main gameplay loop features players, either human or computer controlled, using characters from the Mario franchise to compete in a board game with minigames after each turn. The game features a single-player mission mode as well as several other game modes, some of which require the use of motion controls. Typically up to four human players can compete at a time, but depending on the game mode, up to twenty human players can compete via online matchmaking.

Super Mario Party Jamboree received positive reviews, with general praise for its game board selection, multiplayer functionality, and general polish, but criticism for some of its game modes. Many critics have stated it to be one of the best Mario Party games to date.

Gameplay

Super Mario Party Jamboree's gameplay is split between numerous different modes, most of which require the usage of Joy-Con controllers and all of which can be accessed in the game's hub area called the "Party Plaza". In the hub, the player can access their game data and settings, listen to the game's selection of music, customize different aspects of the hub and change their player character. The game boasts 22 playable characters (Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Wario, Waluigi, Yoshi, Toadette, Toad, Rosalina, Donkey Kong, Birdo, Bowser, Goomba, Shy Guy, Koopa Troopa, Monty Mole, Bowser Jr., Boo, Spike, and newcomers Pauline and Ninji) which makes for the current largest roster of playable characters in the Mario Party series. These characters can be controlled by human players as well as artificial intelligence (AI).

Much like other games in the Mario Party series, Super Mario Party Jamboree's main mode, dubbed simply "Mario Party", is an interactive board game that allows up to four players, human or computer controlled, to compete to collect the most stars by the end of a set number of turns (ten through thirty), with different items and board mechanics that either help or harm the players chances of success. After each turn has ended the players play a minigame. A majority of minigames use motion controls, though it is possible to turn off the motion-controlled minigames to allow for minigames only using button controls. The board mechanic of allies from Super Mario Party makes a revamped return in the form of "Jamboree Buddies". Modeled after ten of the available player characters, Jamboree Buddies appear on the board after a certain amount of turns and, when passed, will trigger a minigame to see which player will obtain them. Jamboree Buddies last for up to three turns, activate a board space effect twice and grant players different abilities that vary depending on the one obtained. For example, Waluigi steals coins from opponents that he passes. Alongside the traditional set of rules, a more competitive ruleset called "Pro Rules" is available to select which is designed to remove most luck-based aspects found in traditional play.

Super Mario Party Jamboree contains a single player mission mode called the "Party Planner Trek", in which players help various NPC's by either talking to them, fetching an item or playing a minigame in exchange for Mini-Stars which are then used to further progress in the mode and unlock hub customization options. After collecting a certain number of Mini-Stars in an area, the player must complete a boss minigame in order to progress to the next area. In Boss Minigames, the players goal is to deplete a large enemy's health bar in a similar vain to traditional video game boss fights. In the "Minigame Bay" mode, players can freely play any of the minigames or play a set number of minigames that are pre-selected based off their specific type or theme, such as 1 vs 3. A Boss Rush sub-mode, which is unlocked after earning thirty in-game achievements, makes players compete in every boss minigame with the final goal of having the highest score by the end.

Three motion controlled modes are present and require the usage of singular Joy-Con controllers to function. "Rhythm Kitchen" lets players work together in rhythm based minigames themed around cooking. "Toad's Factory" is a ball physics-based puzzler which tasks players to work together in moving different contraptions to get a ball to a goal. "Paratroopa Flight School" requires players to use two singular Joy-Con controllers in order to mimic flapping wings and flight. Paratroopa Flight School has various sub-modes which allow players to compete in time-based collection matches, cooperate in carrying characters to destinations or freely fly around a map without any predetermined objective.

Two multiplayer focused modes are present. "Bowser Kaboom Squad" is a cooperative mode where eight players race to defeat Imposter Bowser by collecting bombs, occasionally playing a minigame to obtain items which help the players defeat him quicker. "Koopathlon" is a race where twenty different players compete to complete a set number of laps around a board via collecting coins in minigames. After three minigames, a themed Bowser minigame will be played where if a player loses, they will be sent backwards a different number of spaces, the number of spaces being determined on their current position.

The game supports both local and online multiplayer, with most modes being able to support the former or the latter in some capacity. Players can set up private online lobbies protected by a passcode in order to play with friends. The game also contains an online leaderboard where minigame highscores are logged.

Development

Super Mario Party Jamboree was first announced on June 18, 2024, during a Nintendo Direct. Described to be "the biggest Mario Party to date", the presentation announced 112 minigames, seven boards (including Mario's Rainbow Castle and Western Land, which previously appeared in Mario Party and Mario Party 2, respectively), and thirty-seven items. Also announced during the presentation was the online twenty-player "Koopathlon" mode. An overview trailer, released on September 24, 2024, showed off all the motion-based modes (Paratroopa Flight School, Toad’s Item Factory, and Rhythm Kitchen) and the online eight-player "Bowser Kaboom Squad" mode.

This is the first time that Kevin Afghani voices Waluigi, as Charles Martinet had stepped down from voicing the character and others.

Reception

Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	82/100

Review scores

Publication	Score
Destructoid	8/10
Digital Trends	3.5/5
Eurogamer	2/5
GameSpot	6/10
Hardcore Gamer	3.5/5
IGN	9/10
Nintendo Life	9/10
PCMag	3.5/5
Shacknews	8/10

Super Mario Party Jamboree received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic, and is currently the highest rated Mario Party game on the website. IGN's Logan Plant lauded the game as "an amazing followup to Mario Party Superstars and easily one of the best games in the series". Nintendo Life's PJ O'Reilly likewise praised Super Mario Party Jamboree as "the best Mario Party to date". Ozzie Mejia of Shacknews agreed that the game is "one of the most polished entries in the series yet". Writing for GameSpot, Dan Ryckert complimented the game boards, though criticized some of the game modes and minigames. In a more critical review, Eurogamer's Katharine Castle wrote that Super Mario Party Jamboree "has the misfortune of not being very fun, and mistakes the volatility of chance and happenstance for being the same thing as competitive satisfaction that comes from playing a good game well".