I Have Played Super Mario Party Jamboree

Super Mario Party Walked So Jamboree Could Run

I went hands-on with Super Mario Party Jamboree at PAX West 2024. The game did not disappoint it felt like a major next step for the franchise. Nintendo sat us down and gave us an overview of the game before separating us into groups to try each game mode.

Super Mario Party Jamboree Overview

• The game offers a huge roster with over 22 characters
• Play how you want toggling off motion controls if you only want to play with buttons.
• There are over 110 minigames
• Seven main boards, five new boards, and two returning boards
  • Roll’em Raceway: is a fairly linear board but each character is in their own race car.
  • Mega Wiggler’s Tree Party: You have to pay attention to Mega Wiggler’s location and mood. He may be a shortcut to the Star but a bell can change that real quick, and when he’s angry watch out cause all his spaces turn red and it adds a Bowser space.
  • Rainbow Galleria: This three-story shopping mall will have you looking for the best deals on the Stars. One of the most creative-looking maps the series has ever seen I imagine I will be spending a fair amount of time on this board.
  • Goomba Lagoon: With a massive Goomba-shaped volcano in a beautiful beach setting you will need to watch out for the changing tides.
  • Western Land: A classic western-themed board from Mario Party 2
  • Mario’s Rainbow Castle: A throwback to the very first Mario Party where the board is made up of clouds swirling around Peach’s Castle.
  • King Bowser’s Keep: This board is Imposter Bowser’s secret base and it comes with a warning “Watch out for attacks!”
• Daily Mini game challenge where you compete in three, four-player minigames.
• Jamboree Buddies can partner with you allowing you to get two Super Stars if they are with you when you land on the space.
• Party of pro rules. The party mode is a more lighthearted Mario Party experience, while the pro focuses on skill and less on luck.
• Koopathlon is a 20-player online mode to see who can get the most points in minigames.  Get the most points to get around the track as fast as possible.
• Bowsers Kaboom Squad will have you teaming up with 8 other players online to defeat Imposter Bowser. Collect bombs with your teammates and load up the canon as quickly as possible to get to the minigames! Work together in the minigames to unlock helpful items.

Hands-On With Super Mario Party Jamboree

Koopathlon

The first mode I jumped into was Koopathlon and right off the bat, you get Fall Guys vibes. Twenty-player minigames are such a breath of fresh air to the series and have so much potential for so much more. To say it rewards you for winning while punishing you for losing is an understatement after winning one of the minigames I jumped 60 spaces ahead of second place. I was awarded 30 points while everyone else lost 30 points. All I can say after the short demo was I want more a lot more. I hope this is a mode that is supported or becomes a stand-alone game in the series because it was that fun. The only thing I can see holding it back not getting more minigames over time, but if it is supported it will be something we are playing for a long time.

Bowser’s Kaboom Squad

The second mode Nintendo had us play was Bowser’s Kaboom Squad and it felt like a bite-sized 3D Mario multiplayer game. Eight players working together to take on Imposter Bowser. Teamwork was the name of the game as crates full of bombs landed on the board. You have to make your way to the crates punching them with your teammates while avoiding Charging Chucks and the menacing Imposter Bowser. While he roams the board you can see who he’s targeting, so I did my best to keep his attention while my teammates loaded the canon with 20 bombs. After the canon blast, it’s minigame time and again it’s about working together to get those S-tier rewards to use against Imposter Bowser. After one minigame we were given bananas to place on the board to cause Imposter Bowser to slip giving us time to collect more bombs. The change of pace from your standard Mario Party makes this a great addition to Super Mario Party Jamboree.

Minigame Bay

Minigame Bay in Super Mario Party Jamboree was demoed on the floor at PAX West. In this mode, you will play with four other people either online or local in Tag Match, Daily Challenge, Showdown Minigame Battle, Survival, Free Play, and more. It’s a nice bitesize mode that lets you compete in 3 minigames to see who’s crowned the champ by getting the most points. There’s a twist though, sometimes you compete as a team, or 1 on 3, and not all the games are focused on gaming skills, but become a battle of mind. Anticipating your opponent’s next move was the only way to win. One game was about sending bombs to the opposing team while you try to collect coins and it’s all done by simply standing on a pressure plate or in some cases not standing on it to dictate how many times the center rotates either delivering bombs or coins. One mode has one player piloting a massive Bullet Bill while the rest of us try to avoid it. If minigames are your thing I know you will be spending plenty of time in Minigame Bay.

Standard Mario Party

The final mode that Nintendo let us play was the standard mode and it did not disappoint. Mega Wiggler’s Tree Party is where we jumped in. For this mode, we strapped on Joy-Cons and played with motion controls. Everything felt fresh and familiar with all the standard options and instructions. Throwing our fists in the air we rolled the dice for who would be starting us off. Once on the board it was definitely Mario Party. I watched as one of my opponents made it to the Mega Wiggler. From that point we were buying up Wiggler Bells to mess with each other and landing on Wiggler Bell spaces to mess with anyone trying to take the shortcut. The minigames were intense as we all tried to avoid the food falling into the picnic basket or get as close to the edge on our sleds as the penguins drug us the ice. Nintendo was kind enough to even extend our play a bit but we all left wanting more.

Super Mario Party Jamboree Can’t Get Here Soon Enough

Nintendo had a very strong showing at PAW West with Zelda Echos of Wisdom and Super Mario Party Jamboree. Zelda was amazing but after playing Mario Party I could not help but think of all the fun that will be had with this game for many many months. This is one of the fullest Mario Party Packages with have ever seen and the future of the franchise is looking very bright.