Mario Party has been a staple of Nintendo's spin-off catalog and friend group gatherings since the Nintendo 64. The series has gone through numerous iterations over the years, including a stint where its traditional board game structure was replaced by players riding down linear tracks together. Fans expressed displeasure in this system going against the spirit of Mario Party titles before it, and luckily for them the two Switch entries Super Mario Party and Mario Party Superstars have reversed course.
Super Mario Party released in October 2018, offering fans a title with its own unique spread of boards and minigames. It was well received, though a lack of content left many wanting more. The game's boards only supported local multiplayer until a free update let Super Mario Party owners play online in April 2021. This seemingly bizarre decision to add online functionality three years after launch may have been a test for Mario Party Superstars, which included the option at launch in October 2021. Superstars is a game that leans more into nostalgia than its predecessor, making it the perfect title to learn from Super Mario Party's mistakes by receiving extensive DLC support.
The Nintendo Switch's Spotty DLC History
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Post-launch support for Switch games has been a mixed bag. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild got two paid DLC packs with new items and story content, and similar things can be said for Pokemon Sword and Shield, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Meanwhile some titles have received free content, including the sports games Mario Tennis Aces and Mario Golf: Super Rush. Mario-centric games on the whole have been good about this, with Super Mario Odyssey receiving free DLC such as new outfits and the Luigi's Baloon World mode.
However, in many cases fans have said post-launch support doesn't go far enough to keep a game's community thriving. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a curious case in this regard. The game became extremely popular amid the burgeoning COVID-19 pandemic, ever-present on social media sites like Twitter and working its way up to be the second-best selling game on Switch as of September 30, 2021, according to a Nintendo Investor Relations (IR) report. Yet it did not receive any form of paid DLC until last November's Happy Home Paradise, leaving fans a slow drip-feed of holiday events and other content that largely just brought the game up-to par with prior entries in the series.
How Mario Party Superstars Can Hit the Mark for Nintendo
Super Mario Party not releasing any major content updates, limiting its post-launch legacy to additions like online play, left a lot of money on the table. According to the September 2021 IR report, Super Mario Party is the seventh best-selling Switch title, having moved 16.48 million units - nearly three million more than its runner-up Pokemon Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!. A steady stream of new boards could have keep fans coming back and investing their savings, either via paid DLC or Nintendo Switch Online subscriptions to play with friends over the Internet (eventually).
That game's development pipeline could have arguably been constrained by the work of coming up with brand-new content. Mario Party Superstars doesn't have that problem. It's designed as a celebration of the franchise, one that remasters boards from the original three N64 Mario Party titles and sees the return of fan-favorite minigames. DLC based on the GameCube or Wii-era Mario Party titles seems like a shoe-in, something that would appeal to both nostalgic fans and young players who got the game over the 2021 holiday season.
However, Nintendo has made no mention of plans to provide further support for Mario Party Superstars. It was the best-selling title in Japan for a few weeks after release, and was nominated for Best Family Game at The Game Awards 2021, so there is an audience to buy DLC if Nintendo offers a decent package. Rumors about an upcoming Nintendo Direct may offer the company a chance to announce big plans for its latest Mario Party game in 2022, but after three months it should hurry to ensure Superstars remains relevant.
Mario Party Superstars is available now for Nintendo Switch.