Mario Party Superstars | |
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Developer(s) | NDcube |
Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
Director(s) | Takeru Sugimoto |
Producer(s) | Toshiaki Suzuki Toyokazu Nonaka Kenji Kikuchi Atsushi Ikeda |
Designer(s) | Tsutomu Komiyama Karin Kawakami Ayumi Takimura |
Programmer(s) | Yuuki Konno Takumi Namba |
Artist(s) | Susumu Kuribayashi Keisuke Kasahara Takamitsu Manabe Saori Yamashita |
Composer(s) | Masayoshi Ishi Toshiki Aida Satoshi Okubo |
Series | Mario Party |
Platform(s) | Nintendo Switch |
Release | October 29, 2021 |
Genre(s) | Party |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Mario Party Superstars [lower-alpha 1] is a 2021 party video game developed by NDcube and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the twelfth home console installment in the Mario Party series, and the second for the Nintendo Switch following Super Mario Party (2018). It was released on October 29, 2021. [1]
The game features five remade boards from the original Nintendo 64 trilogy and a total of 100 minigames curated from previous entries in the series, [2] similar to the Nintendo 3DS game Mario Party: The Top 100 (2017). Unlike Super Mario Party, Superstars can be played with button controls. [3] Upon release, Mario Party Superstars received mostly positive reviews from critics who praised the game for its homage to the series' history with its classic minigames and boards, as well as its online functionality.
Mario Party Superstars features gameplay similar to the first eight entries in the Mario Party series, without the vehicle mechanics from the previous two numbered console games. Four characters, played by either humans or AI, traverse one of five boards in the game, collecting coins and stars. The player with the most stars at the end of the game wins. Stars are bought for twenty coins from Toadette, though can also be obtained via other methods. During a turn, each player rolls a die, enabling them to move the result of the roll - one to ten. Additionally, items may be used to affect themselves or other players. Between every round of four players moving, a randomly selected minigame of 100 is played. All 100 minigames are taken from the previous entries in the series, 55 of which originate from the N64 trilogy.
"Mt. Minigames" is another mode, allowing players to freely play minigames without boards.
All playable characters from the first four entries return, while Birdo and Rosalina are added.
Nintendo revealed the game during the Nintendo Direct at E3 2021 on June 15. [4] The presentation revealed and featured remakes of the boards "Peach's Birthday Cake" from Mario Party and "Space Land" from Mario Party 2 . [5] Polygon 's Ryan Gilliam noted that the boards included events not seen in the original versions; moreover, he commented that the game borrowed assets—such as the user interface—from its predecessor Super Mario Party . [6] The presentation also confirmed that Birdo will return as a playable character for the first time since Mario Party 9 (2012). The third game board announced was "Woody Woods" from Mario Party 3 , which was revealed on the game's official website. [7] During a Nintendo Direct broadcast on September 23, the final two boards were revealed, being "Yoshi's Tropical Island" from Mario Party and "Horror Land" from Mario Party 2. [8]
A few minigames from the original Mario Party which required players to rotate the analog stick as fast as they could make a return in Superstars; these minigames feature a warning not to rotate the analog stick with the palm of the hand. This was due to incidents where players sustained hand injuries from using the analog stick in this way. [9]
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2023) |
Aggregator | Score |
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Metacritic | 80/100 [10] |
Publication | Score |
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Destructoid | 8/10 [11] |
Game Informer | 8/10 [12] |
GameSpot | 6/10 [13] |
IGN | 8/10 [14] |
Jeuxvideo.com | 15/20 [15] |
Nintendo Life | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Shacknews | 8/10 [17] |
Mario Party Superstars has an average score of 80/100 based on 88 reviews on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [10]
Mitchell Saltzman of IGN gave a favorable review, stating: "Mario Party Superstars is an amalgamation of some of the best boards, minigames, mechanics, and quality of life improvements from the whole series, resulting in the best Mario Party has been in a very long time." [14]
It sold 163,256 physical copies within its first week of release in Japan, making it the bestselling retail game of the week in the country. [18] As of March 31,2024 [update] , Mario Party Superstars had sold 12.89 million copies worldwide. [19]
Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref |
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2021 | The Game Awards 2021 | Best Family Game | Nominated | [20] |
2022 | 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards | Family Game of the Year | Nominated | [21] |
18th British Academy Games Awards | Family Game | Nominated | [22] | |
2022 Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Video Game | Nominated | [23] |
Mario Party is a 1998 party video game developed by Hudson Soft and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. The game was targeted at a young audience. Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto served as development supervisor. It received mostly positive critical reviews for its multiplayer mode, concept, and music; disapproval of its slow pacing; and mixed reviews of its graphics. It is the first installment in the Mario Party series and was followed by Mario Party 2 in 1999. The game received its first official re-release on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack in 2022. Content from this game was remastered as part of Mario Party: The Top 100 for the Nintendo 3DS, Mario Party Superstars and the upcoming Super Mario Party Jamboree for the Nintendo Switch.
Mario Party 4 is a 2002 party video game developed by Hudson Soft and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. The game is the fourth installment in the Mario Party series and is the first game in the series to be released for the GameCube. Like the previous games in the series, it features eight playable characters: Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Wario, Donkey Kong, Princess Daisy, and Waluigi from the Mario franchise, who can be directed as characters on six themed game boards. The objective is to earn as many stars as possible, which are obtained by purchase from a single predefined space on the game board. Each character's movement is determined by a roll of a die, with a roll from each player forming a single turn. Each turn is followed by a minigame in which characters compete for coins they can use to purchase items and stars.
Mario Party 2 is a 1999 party video game developed by Hudson Soft and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. The second game in the Mario Party series, it was released in Japan in December 1999 and worldwide in 2000. The game received mostly positive reviews, who praised the improvements they made to the original, the multiplayer and minigames, but criticized the lack of originality, while graphics received a better but otherwise mixed response.
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Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga is a 2003 role-playing video game developed by AlphaDream and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. It was re-released for the Wii U's Virtual Console in 2014, Nintendo Switch Online Service in 2023, and remade for the Nintendo 3DS as Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions in 2017. In the game, Mario and Luigi travel to the Beanbean Kingdom in order to combat Cackletta and Fawful, who stole Princess Peach's voice for the purpose of harnessing the power of a special artifact called the Beanstar.
Mario Party is a party video game series featuring characters from the Mario franchise in which up to four local players or computer-controlled characters compete in a board game interspersed with minigames. The games are currently developed by NDcube and published by Nintendo, being previously developed by Hudson Soft. The series is known for its party game elements, including the often unpredictable multiplayer modes that allow play with up to four, and sometimes eight, human players or CPUs.
Super Mario 64 DS is a 2004 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It was a launch game for the DS. Super Mario 64 DS is a remake of the 1996 Nintendo 64 game Super Mario 64, with new graphics, characters, collectibles, a multiplayer mode, and several extra minigames. As with the original, the plot centers on rescuing Princess Peach from Bowser. Unlike the original, Yoshi is the first playable character, with Mario, Luigi, and Wario being unlockable characters in early phases of the game.
Mario Party 6 is the sixth installment in the Mario Party series of board game-style party video games by Nintendo and is the third game in the series made for the GameCube. It was released in Japan on November 18, 2004; in North America on December 6, 2004; in Europe on March 18, 2005; and in Australia on September 15, 2005. It is the first GameCube game to make use of a microphone add-on.
Mario Party 7 is a party video game developed by Hudson Soft and published by Nintendo for the GameCube in November 2005. The seventh main installment in the Mario Party series, it makes use of the microphone peripheral introduced in Mario Party 6, and features twelve characters, including two new unlockable characters: Birdo and Dry Bones. Koopa Kid was omitted as a playable character, after being playable in the two previous games.
Mario Party 8 is a 2007 party video game developed by Hudson Soft and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It is the eighth main installment in the Mario Party series, as well as the first title in the series to be released for the Wii.
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