Mario Party: Star Rush[a] is a 2016 party video game developed by NDcube and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the fourth handheld game in the Mario Party series, as well as the second installment in the series to be released for the Nintendo 3DS. The game was released in Europe, Australia, and Japan in October 2016 and in North America the following month.
The game has sold more than 88,000 copies and received mixed reviews, with some critics praising the new direction for the series, though criticism was directed toward the repetitive game modes, as well as the lack of game boards and minigames. Mario Party: Star Rush was succeeded by Mario Party: The Top 100, a 2017 minigame compilation for the 3DS.
Following the format of previous Mario Party titles, Mario Party: Star Rush is a party video game wherein four characters from the Mario franchise compete in a virtual board game.[1] The playable characters are each controlled by either a human player or artificial intelligence, with the latter having several difficulty levels.[2] There are 12 playable characters, including Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, Wario, Waluigi, Donkey Kong, Rosalina, Toadette, Yoshi,[3] and Diddy Kong.[4] During board games, players roll dice and move around game boards interspersed with minigames.[5] Most minigames are skill-based, though a few are dependent on luck.[2]Star Rush features a total of 53 minigames – 12 of which are exclusive to the Coinathlon game mode – giving it the lowest number of minigames in the series' history.[4] The game deviates from the franchise via its replacement of the traditional turn-based gameplay in favor of players moving simultaneously on non-linear game boards.[5] The player has a "Party Level" that increases as they earn points based on performance, unlocking extra playable characters and game modes.[6]
The main game mode is Toad Scramble, in which all four playable characters are different-colored Toads.[4] Additional Mario characters appear on the boards, and each player can recruit up to four at a time as allies, allowing them to roll extra dice and receive help during boss battles. There are 15 game boards to choose from,[1] most of which are gradually unlocked.[2] During board games, items can be collected and used to enhance a player's score or hinder rivals.[1] A free-for-all minigame is played every time a Coin Balloon is popped,[7] giving players the opportunity to earn coins.[8] On each board, players share the goal of collecting the most Stars, which can be earned by coming first in boss battles.[2][4] After a certain number of boss battles, the board game ends, and each player is awarded one Star for every ten coins collected.[4] Additional Stars may be awarded based on random criteria, such as performing well in minigames or moving the fewest number of spaces.[8]
In the Coinathlon mode, players race to complete a set number of laps on a board, repeatedly playing the same three minigames to earn coins and moving one space per coin collected.[5] Items can be used to deduct coins from other players or prevent them from obtaining new ones.[9] In the Mario Shuffle game mode, two players are each given three cardboard cutouts and two dice, taking turns rolling both dice and moving a character toward their opponent's side of the board.[2][5] Certain spaces send players forward or backward, jumping over a character stuns them and causes them to lose a turn, and landing on a character sends them back to start.[5] There is only one board in this mode.[1]
The Balloon Bash mode most closely resembles the traditional gameplay of the Mario Party series, with players earning coins in minigames and trading coins for Stars.[2] Coins can also be spent on items such as additional dice at a shop.[10] However, similarly to in Toad Scramble, players roll dice and move around the board simultaneously.[2] There are three small boards to choose from, and games can last between 10 and 30 turns.[1] Rhythm Recital is a tap-based rhythm game wherein players use musical instruments to add musical notes to iconic tracks from the Mario franchise,[2] such as the overworld themes from Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario 3D World.[5] Another game mode, Challenge Tower, functions as a vertical version of Minesweeper.[1][2][4] The player climbs one level of a randomly generated tower at a time,[1] with the blocks they land on lighting up to indicate whether there are zero, one, two, or three dangerous surrounding blocks. Boo's Block Party is a match-three game in which players compete with rotating blocks numbered from one to four.[2] Boo's Block Party has both an endless mode and a versus mode.[1]
Although Mario Party: Star Rush lacks an online multiplayer mode, the Nintendo 3DS's Download Play functionality allows up to four nearby people to play together using only one game card.[4] A free software available on the Nintendo eShop, Mario Party: Star Rush - Party Guest, also allowed up to four players to experience the multiplayer game modes with only one copy of the game.[2] Additionally, this software saved certain data, such as unlocked characters and minigames, which could be transferred to a complete copy of the game.[11]Mario Party: Star Rush is compatible with several of Nintendo's Amiibofigurines, which can be scanned to give the player advantages such as unlocking characters and receiving special items.[2][4][12]
Development and release
Mario Party: Star Rush's removal of the series' traditional turn-based gameplay in favor of simultaneous movement was intended to make the game much more fast-paced and better suited for portable play.[13][14]Nintendo announced the game in June 2016 in a press release for the 2017 Nintendo Switch title The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild during its E3 2016 coverage. Video game journalists described the announcement as "hidden" and "buried" due to it appearing at the end of the press release.[15][16][17] Additional details were shown in an official trailer the following day, including competitive boss battles and the ability to pick up allies in the Toad Scramble mode.[16] Shortly after the game's announcement, Twitter users commented on its box art being reused from other projects, including the label of SpaghettiOs canned pasta.[13][18][19]
Following Star Rush's announcement, Engadget's Sean Buckley praised the "more hectic" simultaneous movement as a "fast-paced upgrade" that required less waiting from players. Buckley additionally complimented the non-linear game boards, writing that the new system "opens the game up to more robust strategies".[15] Moreover, Destructoid's Chris Carter expressed approval with the removal of the "bad" car-based gameplay from the game's two home console predecessors, which required all players to move across boards together.[16]Pocket Gamer's Clement Renaudin praised the removal of the car mechanic, as well as the new movement system for "opening up new strategies and possibilities like blocking other players".[20]
Mario Party: Star Rush was developed by NDcube and published by Nintendo as the second installment in the series for the Nintendo 3DS, succeeding Mario Party: Island Tour,[21] as well as the fourth handheld Mario Party title overall.[22]Star Rush was released in Europe on October 7, 2016; in Australia on October 8, 2016; in Japan on October 20, 2016; and in North America on November 4, 2016.[1] The game was launched alongside seven new Amiibo, including Princess Daisy, Waluigi, and a glow-in-the-dark Boo.[23]
Mario Party: Star Rush received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[24] In Japan, four critics from Famitsu gave the game a total score of 32 out of 40.[25] In summarizing the game for Nintendo Life, Thomas Whitehead wrote: "Mario Party: Star Rush may not excel in many ways, but it addresses some complaints from past entries and delivers some harmless entertainment."[2]
The removal of the car-based mechanic from the game's two home console predecessors elicited praise from Destructoid's Jed Whitaker, who viewed Star Rush as the best installment in the Mario Party series since Mario Party 8.[4] Thomas Whitehead of Nintendo Life believed that the replacement of the vehicle gimmick would address "consistent complaints" from fans of the Mario Party series. Reviewers also praised the new system of players rolling dice and moving around boards simultaneously.[2] Whitaker wrote that the new mechanic "can lead to a lot of strategic moves",[4] Jose Otero of IGN added that it made the game better suited for portable play,[26] and Daan Koopman of Nintendo World Report found that the system "really helps speed things along". Koopman likewise complimented the new ability for players to move more freely on boards, finding it to be "a refreshing change".[1] Praise was also given to the game's local multiplayer options, especially the free Party Guest software.[5][26]
Critics were divided on the game modes, which IGN's Jose Otero referred to as "simply forgettable" due to board games relying on repetitive random events and luck.[26]Nintendo Life's Thomas Whitehead enjoyed the main game mode, Toad Scramble, especially when playing on more complicated boards,[2] while Nintendo World Report's Daan Koopman complimented the number of maps to select from.[1] Both reviewers singled out Coinathlon as their favorite mode; Whitehead stated that the mode was "ideal for quick portable play",[2] whereas Koopman enjoyed the unique set of minigames.[1] Brian Shea of Game Informer was more critical of Coinathlon, deriding it as "a repetitive mess" due to the repetitiveness of its three minigames.[5]
Critics were also divided on the Mario Shuffle mode, which Nintendo Life's Thomas Whitehead deemed "an odd misstep" and "possibly the weakest inclusion in the game",[2] with IGN's Jose Otero adding that it was "another quick and forgettable mode".[26]Nintendo World Report's Daan Koopman found this mode fun but unlikely to be replayed due to having only one board,[1] whereas Game Informer's Brian Shea was "pleasantly surprised" and found his "most thrilling moment" in this mode.[5] Shea stated that his favorite mode was Balloon Bash, which he believed most resembled traditional Mario Party gameplay,[5] though other reviewers criticized the low number of boards for this mode.[1][4] The Rhythm Recital mode was generally criticized due to a lack of difficulty settings,[1] as well as the players' musical notes not matching the instrumental themes.[2][5][26] The Challenge Tower mode received a more positive response from critics,[2] being referred to by Koopman as "surprisingly addictive".[1]
In terms of the minigame selection, Nintendo Life's Thomas Whitehead stated that they were "generally effective and enjoyable",[2]Game Informer's Brian Shea opined that they "were more hit or miss than ever before".[5] and Nintendo World Report's Daan Koopman wrote that "although there could be more variety in the minigames what games are there are a lot of fun".[1] The boss minigames in particular were praised, being described as "entertaining tests of reaction time, memory and even rhythm",[1] as well as "among the strongest minigames available".[5] However, Destructoid's Jed Whitaker complained of a lack of minigames and overall content, noting that Star Rush contained 53 minigames compared to Island Tour's 81, making Star Rush "hardly recommendable".[4]
Sales
In Japan, Mario Party: Star Rush sold 26,000 units in its first week, placing it at #2 on the sales charts. This marked a significant decrease from the 50,000 units sold by the game's predecessor, Mario Party 10, as well as the 132,000 units sold by the previous handheld title, Mario Party: Island Tour, during their respective debut weeks in Japan.[27] As of December 16, 2016, Mario Party: Star Rush had sold 88,000 copies in Japan.[28]
Legacy
Toad Scramble's mechanic of recruiting non-player characters as allies and using their dice returned in Super Mario Party, a 2018 title for the Nintendo Switch.[29][30] This system would later return in Super Mario Party Jamboree, a 2024 title for the Switch, with players now recruiting allies by winning minigames.[31]
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