Just when I thought I was out, Mario Party Jamboree pulled me back in

I thought I was done with Mario Party.

When I reviewed Mario Party Superstars in 2021, I praised the party game and called it a sort of logical conclusion for the series. Its curated nature made it feel like a greatest hits collection that the series could neatly end on if Nintendo chose to do so. It didn’t, and we’re getting another new installment this October in Mario Party Jamboree.

I was skeptical when it was first announced. Does the Nintendo Switch really need a third Mario Party game? Why release this instead of giving the finely tuned Superstars any form of post-launch support. It was easy to write it off from afar, but Mario Party always has a way of winning me over as soon as I pick up a controller. After an hourlong demo showcasing what’s in store this time, I’m ready for one more go around. I’m not expecting a package as perfect as Superstars, but there are enough new ideas here to justify one more trip around the board.

Familiar fun

To start my demo, I’d play the first two rounds of a traditional board game map with other members of the press. I’d get to see both Pauline and Ninji, both playable newcomers to this installment, in action. Our round would take place on one of Jamboree’s new boards, Mega Wiggler’s Tree Party. It’s a classic Mario Party map that’s loaded with gimmicks. There’s a Piranha Plant that eats players coins, and takes more each time it’s activated. Another space lets players collect honey. The key gimmick, though, is that there’s a giant Wiggler at the center of the map. Players can cross over it to shortcut through the map, but another player can land on a space that enrages it and moves its position. I learned that the hard way when my speedrun to the first star was foiled by a route change.

After some familiar dice-rolling and item buying, I got a taste for a few of the package’s new minigames. Most of the ones I tried follow the series’ usual elegant design. Light-Wave Battle had all four of us ground-pounding a button in each