![]() One is River Survival, a co-op game with its own set of minigames. There are two other Super Mario Party modes I didn’t feel like returning to. Even worse, you can’t turn this off, or adjust the settings in any way. In the latter scenarios, it’s just dumb luck that will decide who gets the precious star. But this is random, too, so you never know what you’re supposed to be going for: Sometimes the bonus stars are given out for the most times you’ve stomped on another character, or landed on an event space (spaces that change the level layout). This time, these bonus stars can be well-deserved, like getting rewarded for having the most coins or the most minigame wins. You can still get a really bad dice roll, Kamek will award the losing player(s) with extra items near the end, and bonus stars are awarded at the end that can change the tides. but winning is not guaranteed because there’s a random element that keeps the most skilled player in your group from dominating every game. Pair this with some light strategy and you should come out ahead. In both Mario Party and Partner Party modes, minigames really matter because you need to beat your opponents consistently to win coins. Playing with a friend ramped up the competitive vibe of the Party, which I loved, and added complexity, which Super Mario Party needs to keep from feeling like a simple roll of the dice. Each turn requires a discussion, and my partners would plan several turns in advance. You and your partner can tackle different things around the board, scooping up Allies, gathering stars, and stomping on opponents. The mode I ended up liking the best is Partner Party, which recycles the four maps from Mario Party but adds a co-op partner and converts the gameplay area to a grid in which you can choose your own path. Above: Koopa Troopa's dice roll can give you a 10, but it's a big risk. Unfortunately, you can’t see characters’ unique dice blocks on the character select screen, which is an oversight. Rolling big or little can make all the difference, and now there’s something (in addition to items) to help you even the odds. ![]() This makes for an extra layer of strategy I really enjoyed. You can freely switch between a regular dice block, your character’s special block, and your Allies’. Each character (including yours) has a different-numbered block: Mario’s gives you more chances at 3s (The faces read: 1 3 3 3 5 6), while Wario’s can give you a 6 two-thirds of the time - but the other third of the time you might not move at all (The faces read: -2 Coins +2 Coins 6 6 6 6). The third big advantage Allies give you is a unique dice block to roll. It’s great when you win, but nothing hurts worse than losing to your human opponent’s mindless drones. In some games they row alongside you on a boat, or linger just long enough after you get knocked out of a violent clash to clinch a victory. Yes, they get in the way with their crappy AI, but that can potentially help you overwhelm an opponent. Second, the Allies appear in some minigames, too. ![]() This has three big advantages that really change the way you play: First, for each Ally you get bonuses for your dice roll. Because I also run the strategy guide team here at IGN, I’m going to give you a great tip: recruitable Allies are incredibly important in Super Mario Party. There are also only four to choose from, which means if you don’t like one or two (I found the unlockable board, which I won’t spoil here, to be pretty dull) Parties will get stale fast. The boards are fun, but still simpler than those of the best Mario Parties ( 5 and 6, for my money). The boards are also less linear than before, with branching paths and an ever-changing end goal as the star space moves around. This is not how Mario Party 10 worked: It significantly limited minigames to spaces you had to land on. ![]() As you make your way towards spots to purchase stars, the currency of winners in Mario Party, you thankfully end each turn with a minigame. (There’s an option to play with computer-controlled opponents, but I don’t recommend playing by yourself.) The main Mario Party mode has one to four players rolling dice and moving around four board game-like levels with branching paths. There’s a lot of filler there, too – I would have preferred more focus on the core modes – but there’s enough here to support up to four partiers having a lot of good fun. Party ModeSuper Mario Party is a collection of hit-or-miss virtual board games, broken up by competitive minigames – a few of which are worth your time. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |