USD ($)
EUR (€)
The Mario Party line is one of the jewels in the crown of the Mario universe, bringing friends and family together to see who can snag the most stars while moving round a virtual game board. Jamboree, the third instalment for the Switch, has seemingly taken some of the best bits from the franchise, mixing them all together to create something that is genuinely delightful to play.
Along with the new boards and 22 playable characters come some new rules. The first of these is the titular Jamboree Buddies. These helping hands will drop onto the board randomly throughout the game, and players can battle to see who wins the Buddy, each having bespoke minigames. Winning one of these Buddies will be incredibly useful. As well as their own unique abilities, they allow you to pick up an extra of anything, including stars! Be careful, though, as landing on negative spaces with a Jamboree Buddy doubles the fallout, even on Boswer Spaces, meaning you could gain and lose two stars in the same turn. To make it even tighter, Jamboree Buddies will only hang around for a couple of turns, meaning you will have to time it perfectly to make the most.
The other switch up comes to the application of the rules themselves with the introduction of Pro Rules. This tighter, more competitive ruleset can be applied optionally before a game, removing some of the chance by reducing shops’ stock, slimming down the luck spaces, and introducing a vote system on the end-of-round minigames. It also announces that game’s one bonus star category before play, allowing for a much greater degree of strategy than would otherwise be possible. Granted, this won’t be for everyone. However, it is a welcome addition to those seeking more of a challenge from their Parties.
Along with the roster of new rules comes a raft of new boards and minigames. Seven boards are available to choose from in Jamboree, four from the off and three that will be unlocked as you go. As ever, Jamboree brings a fantastic mix of challenge and whimsy, with each board brining its own features that make play unique. From the escalators in Rainbow Galleria to the rolling tide Goomba Lagoon, each arena has its own appeal and requires different tactics to succeed. Overall, Jamboree’s board selection is absolutely top notch and provides enough content to keep players going for a long time.
PICK THE WAY YOU PARTY
Jamboree even caters to the solo audience, leaning in to help players who don’t have a routine game night booked in, but who still want to make the most out of the game. The most noteworthy of these solo features are the Koopathlon and Bower Kaboom Squad. The first of these sees players compete in a raft of minigames against 19 others from around the world, while the latter leans more towards the co-operative, with up to seven players working together to take down Imposter Bowser. This collaborative element can prove frustrating at times, as it doesn’t provide any communication channels and forces players to make do. Overall, the solo modes are a little lacking, feeling more as a side dish to the main course that is Mario Party proper. However, they do provide an excellent opportunity to cycle through and enjoy the host of minigames. With 110 minigames advertised with roughly 50 of these routinely appearing at the end of rounds, Jamboree provides plenty of diversity to keep games feeling fresh. It would have been nice to see a greater variety of games appearing at round end. That said, it is nice to keep some surprises in store for the minigames section of play if you aren’t feeling up to a full 10 round game.
Overall, Jamboree stands out as the best of the Switch-based Mario Party games. Its huge selection of characters, impressively varied boards, and exciting new minigames paired with the new Pro Rules and Jamboree buddies have really whipped it into something that feels fresh and new.
