The Super Mario franchise has birthed a plethora of spin-offs over the years, from full-fledged RPGs to the occasional Dance Dance Revolution clone. While some have been more successful than others, many fans can agree that the Mario Party series has routinely been one of Nintendo's most inspired Mario spin-offs. That long reputation is set to continue very soon with Mario Party Superstars releasing later this month, and this installment plans to give long-standing fans and newcomers to the series something to look forward to.
Mario Party Superstars is taking an approach that hasn't been seen in the series before, in that it's taking some of the most classic Mario Party boards and completely remastering them for today's generation. Five boards in total will be available when the game launches in late October, representing the first three Mario Party titles on the Nintendo 64. Each board has received a number of overhauls compared to their N64 counterparts, so it's worth taking a look at what's new in Mario Party Superstars and how it's bringing these old boards into a new age.
Mario Party Superstars' Graphical Changes
One of the most obvious changes with each of the five boards in Mario Party Superstars is that they've all been given significant graphical upgrades. Many of the flat, polygonal elements of each board are now full-fledged models, and everything seems much more vibrant and colorful. There's also a greater sense of scale to many of the structures on each board. Woody the tree featured in Woody Woods seems less like it's painted on and more like an established part of the board that dwarfs players. The same can be said for the Bowser Coin Beam in Space Land. While it may have been imposing in its original appearance, the increased scale in Mario Party Superstars really adds to the fear of getting blasted by it.
The other thing to note with the boards in Mario Party Superstars is that not every board appears exactly as it did on the N64. This is most evident on Peach's Birthday Cake, where the large "Happy Birthday" in the middle of the cake has now been replaced by a decorative crown. While this may take out some of the original character, it was likely a necessary decision to give the cake a greater 3D effect, much like Woody the tree or Bowser's Coin Beam. Similar small changes can be found in the other boards, and although it's an unfortunate sacrifice, they likely would have looked strange otherwise.
Mario Party Superstars' Gameplay Changes
The Mario Party franchise has mostly followed the same gameplay structure throughout its long history. There have been some deviations and gimmicks with each new game, but at its core, Mario Party has almost always functioned the same. Mario Party Superstars has a little bit of something for everyone with its N64 boards, keeping the core of each intact while also drawing on the franchise's many evolutions. It's the same dice-rolling gameplay that fans would expect, but changes to unique events and additions like the Lucky Space will make Mario Party Superstars' boards stand out compared to the originals.
There are few better ways to get friends and family around a Nintendo console like Mario Party, and Mario Party Superstars looks to continue that tradition in a big way. Just looking at screenshots for the game, it's clear that Nintendo is set on reviving the Nintendo 64's boards for a new generation, and it opens up an exciting opportunity to bring in Mario Party boards from the GameCube as well. And with N64 games set to release through Nintendo Switch Online in the future, it seems that fans of the classic console will be taking a long trip down memory lane very soon.
Mario Party Superstars releases October 29 on the Nintendo Switch.