Are Long Time Mario Party Fans Getting the Game They Want?

Mario Party is back, channeling the original titles focus of board game playing, and ditching the recent team concept. And I’m all for it! For a whole console generation now, Mario Party as a franchise has been on a steady decline. Both Mario Party 9 on the Nintendo Wii and Mario Party 10 on the Nintendo Wii U, ditched the concept of individual play, and instead put players together in a vehicle. For players who had been fans since Mario Party 1, this was a letdown, and enthusiasm for the franchise waned.

Move forward to the announcement of Super Mario Party at this years Nintendo E3 Direct, and longtime franchise fans are back on board with what Nintendo is doing to the Mario Party franchise. Even Nintendo, in their press release to media, detailed that this newest game would harken back to the modes and gameplay of the Mario Party 1 and Mario Party 2, which could be considered the best two Mario Party titles ever. Based on what was briefly shown off, Nintendo really is rebooting the franchise.

Here is a brief statement from Nintendo on Super Mario Party,

Inspired by the original Mario Party board game play, the beloved series is coming to Nintendo Switch with new mini-games and play styles that make use of the Joy-Con controllers. Super Mario Party includes features like character-exclusive Dice Blocks that add depth to players’ strategy. Up to four players take turns rolling the dice, and individually race across the board searching for Stars. In Toad’s Rec Room, new gameplay links two games and two Nintendo Switch systems for side-by-side fun. The game launches Oct. 5.

With the horrid memory of Mario Party 9 and Mario Party 10 behind us, longtime fans can look forward to Super Mario Party, an obvious reboot of the franchise. By not adding the traditional number to the end of the title, Nintendo can do as many different things as they want, without an expectation outside of a board game with friends that involves mini-games. And they’ve already shown their desire to expand the franchise in new ways.

During the stream, Nintendo showed off two Nintendo Switch screens being put together to create a tabletop mini game. While this won’t be a component of the main game that you’ll play on just one system, it is a unique feature that will encourage playing with friends. This is only the beginning of what I think Nintendo will do with Super Mario Party.

The other big change I think we might get with this title is the inclusion of DLC. Now that Nintendo is very deep into the DLC game – and to their credit, they always release excellent content at a fair price – it wouldn’t surprise me to see them begin to incorporate new ideas, and perhaps old maps, as DLC to continue to support the game. Without the number tag on the title name, Nintendo can use this as a benchmark for future add-ons, and perhaps keep Super Mario Party alive for the life of the Nintendo Switch.

What do you think about the changes coming to Mario Party? Are you fan? Let us know!