REVIEW: ‘Super Mario Party Jamboree’ Is Chaotic Fun

The Mario Party franchise is back and better than ever with its latest iteration of star-chasing fun with Mario and friends. Super Mario Party Jamboree brings players the chaotic minigame fun they know and love in an updated package with new maps, new minigames, and new ways to test friendships.

The core of Super Mario Party Jamboree is simple. Four players compete on a game board to earn the most stars before the game is up. Each block the characters move past has the chance to give them rewards or throw a wrench in their plans for victory. While Super Mario Party Jamboree does not reinvent the wheel, it does build on that classic formula and makes a few tweaks that make this a refreshing entry into the franchise.

The change that sticks out the most is the “Jamboree Buddies” system. Allies were introduced as a mechanic in Super Mario Party back in 2018, but the idea did not feel fully fleshed out. Here, Jamboree Buddies appear throughout the game and can be won through different minigames. They last up to three turns and can be used by players to earn more items or use special abilities designed around their specific character.

These Jamboree Buddies add another layer of chaos to an already chaotic game. The issue, if you can call it that, is that they add an unfair competitive advantage to the game. Earning a Jamboree Buddy is virtually essential to winning the game. Most games go on long enough for multiple players to earn one, but there is definitely an element of unfairness. Mario Party is never meant to be a fair game by any means, but these are quite a bit overpowered. The option to turn them off would be nice.

Where Super Mario Party Jamboree really stands out is the minigames. There are over 110 minigames in total and I have yet to encounter a single one that wasn’t well-made. Mega Rocky Wrench Wreckers is a combination of an old-school gallery shooter with whack-a-mole and is easily my favorite so far. Some minigames do require separate joy-cons and motion controls, but there is an option to turn those off. It just limits the minigame pool. This was not an issue at first, but I was a bit bummed out not to get the full experience while traveling with only my Nitro Deck controller.

Minigames are fairly distinct, too, making it fun to learn and adapt to newly discovered games, all while trying to beat your friends. With so many options, it keeps different rounds from feeling too similar. One important recommendation is to make it so players vote on the minigames instead of choosing the roulette. This just makes it easier to avoid getting the same minigames and lets you experience new ones more frequently.

The Mario Party game mode maps are all really solid. There are not many—only four to start, with a few more to unlock. Each has a different difficulty and tons of in-game features that make the maps both visually unique and in terms of gameplay. Roll ’em Raceway and its racing-themed mechanics make it a personal favorite, but they all have little quirks that make them incredibly fun to play.

There are also several other game modes besides the core Mario Party. These are found at different islands in the game and give players a new experience. Motion Island is all about joy-con minigames based around movement. Bowser Challenges has an 8-player boss battle and a 20-player racing game mode that amp the chaos up another notch. Then there is Minigame Bay, where players can play any of the minigames they have unlocked without having to be in a regular game.

These modes are more bite-sized Super Mario Party Jamboree experiences. They don’t require the same time commitment as a full game, making them perfect for quick battles against friends or the computer. The rhythm games in Motion Island are particularly fun and challenging.

There is also a single-player mission mode called “Party Planner Trek” that has players going around the main island hub doing small quests for NPCs that unlock new customization options. It is nothing to write home about, but it does give players a bit more to do in the downtime between hopping into another hellacious game of Mario Party. A story of sorts could be really neat if it had time to breathe and expand but in its current state, it is likely to be overlooked by most players.

Super Mario Party Jamboree is a game best played with others. You can play online against random opponents or locally against friends. There is the option to play versus the computer, but the AI characters don’t give the same challenge as human opponents. Playing against the computer is still perfectly enjoyable, but there is just something extra special about knowing you are taking stars away from a real, live human being.

Super Mario Party Jamboree is chaotic fun for the whole family and is the best of what Mario Party has to offer. Unique minigames, fun maps, and the opportunity for a new experience every time make this an all-time Switch classic that everyone should check out.

Super Mario Party Jamboree is out now on Nintendo Switch.