Now that it’s finally been released,Mario Party Superstarshas fans revisiting classicMario Partyboards and mini-games while embracing the joy of completely unfair competition. After playing it for a little while, however, it begins to feel strangely similar toanotherMariogame that was re-releasedearlier this year:Super Mario 3D World. While the two share very little in terms of mechanics and player goals, they have a fair bit in common when it comes to the overall feeling that players get while playing: friendly competition.
TheMarioseries isn’t necessarily known for being particularly challenging or punishing, but theMario Partygames andSuper Mario 3D Worldpurposefully pit players against one another, showcasing Nintendo’s ongoing initiative to bring players together through the world of gaming. Although3D Worldis several years old at this point and there hasn’t been a new properMario Partygame since 2018, the fact that Nintendo was willing to release multiple highly competitive games in the same year with the Switch port of3D Worldand theMario Party Superstars, a compilation title, seems to suggest that more competitive and multiplayerMariotitles could be in the works.
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The Competitive Nature of Mario Party and Super Mario 3D World
Due to its nature as a virtual board game,Mario Partyis inherently a competition. This is aided by the fact that the games are constantly putting players at odds with one another through competitive mini-games, by encouraging in-game sabotage, and with the fact that, at the end of the day, everyone is trying their hardest to win. The final tally of points, whether it’s stars, coins, or other medallions, usually results in the losers challenging the winners to one more game, furthering the competitive cycle thatMario Partytraps its player in.
This sort of play is exactly the appeal ofMario Partyand can be observed withthe experience of playingSuper Mario 3D Worldas well. Similar toMario Party,3D Worldscores its players at the end of each level, making it very clear who’s doing the best and who’s dragging behind. The game digs further wedges between players by giving the person who won a giant gold crown to wear throughout the next level and can be stolen by other players and redeemed at the end for bonus points. Although there isn’t an inherent competitive nature to3D Worldin the same way that there is withMario Party,3D Worlddoes a lot to help its players embrace the spirit of competition.
Cooperative Play in Mario Party and Super Mario 3D World
Alternatively, both games can also be played cooperatively, and, oddly enough,Mario PartyandSuper Mario 3D Worldshare similar elements in that regard as well. When playing on the same team inMario Party, there’s still the opportunity to accidentally sabotage one another during mini-games whether that’s through poor communication or intentionally challenging games.Super Mario 3D Worlddoesn’t have a cooperative mode, but the end goal is to get players to the final flagpole of a level, which can be completed through teamwork. If the players decide to work together instead of playing competitively, however, there are still pitfalls that can await them, similar to inMario Party. In3D World,players can bounce off one another, accidentally pick up and throw teammates, and even spawn directly on top of each other, messing up precise platforming sections.
The similarities between the two games could simply be coincidence, but, while most other gaming companies have shied away from competitive party games,Nintendo seems to be leaning into the multiplayer experienceand continuing to give major focus to bringing players closer together.
Mario Party Superstarsis available now on Nintendo Switch.
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