Ahead of Super Mario Party Jamboree’s new Switch 2 upgrade launching later this week, we’ve had a play around with many of the new features and game modes that Nintendo is introducing.
Utilising Switch 2-exclusive features and hardware such as the camera, microphone, and mouse controls, there’s more here than just a simple upscaling of the graphics and resolution. In fact, it might be one of the most interesting innovations the series has done in years.
Super Mario Party Jamboree - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV (yes, that’s the full title of the game) launches with the aforementioned Jamboree TV, a new game mode which utilises the console’s camera hardware to record your reactions live during gameplay, as well as presenting you with exclusive new minigames that take advantage of the unit in ways that the original Switch couldn’t.
The thing about Jamboree TV is it’s a pretty expensive upgrade for what it is, at least if you want to experience everything the game has to offer. Not only do you have to buy the game (currently being sold for £66.99, or a £16.99 upgrade on top of what you paid for the original game), but you’ll also need to fork out an extra fifty quid for the Nintendo Switch 2 camera.
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Then if you’ve got a party of three or four people, you’ll need an extra pair of Switch 2 Joy-Cons to access the new minigames that require mouse controls. These are retailing for £74.99. Altogether, that puts the total cost of Super Mario Party Jamboree – Switch 2 Edition at just under £192.
Do you really need to make these extra purchases? Technically not. The game is really fun without all the extra fluff, as my colleague Sam covered in his review of the original release last year. If you lack some of the hardware required to play the new features, the game will recognise this and adjust it accordingly so you can only access what you can play. For example, you won’t be barred from Jamboree TV if you don’t have a camera, but you’ll miss out on a crucial feature.
It’s pretty obvious that Nintendo was going to try and use Super Mario Party Jamboree as the Switch 2’s first proper game to show off the new tech. I mean, we got a glimpse of what this stuff was capable of with the Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, but now we actually can see how it looks when integrated into a video game.
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For what it’s worth, these new features are extremely fun. Having the camera turned on while playing with a party of four can result in some hilarious scenes. You know those pivotal moments when someone manages to snag a minigame victory at the last second, or the absolute betrayal at seeing someone steal a star from another person in your group? Those are all the more hilarious when you can see everyone’s reactions in real time.
It genuinely might be one of Mario Party’s best innovations of the last few entries, because now actually having your faces appear on screen, whether you’re all in the same room together or playing online, feels like a gamechanger in terms of the social aspects of the game.
There are also several new game modes available with Jamboree TV too. Similar to the base game, Nintendo understands that simply playing the standard Mario Party board game over and over might be repetitive, and that it helps to have a few alternatives to keep players occupied.
The two new bonus game modes available here are Bowser Live and Carnival Coaster, which both take advantage of the new Switch 2 features.
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Bowser Live uses the Switch 2 camera and microphone to let you perform on a stage with everyone’s favourite big bad, Bowser. He’s putting on a big show for the residents of the Mushroom Kingdom, and he wants you to be a part of it.
This mode is essentially a demonstration of the new minigames. The camera minigames require full body movements to complete simple but fun actions, while the microphone minigames give you a chance to exercise your lungs with several competitive games that’ll have you shouting all night long. There isn’t a huge amount of minigames on offer here, but they’re creative in their approach to using the Switch 2 tech.
Meanwhile, Carnival Coaster utilises the Switch 2 Joy-Cons’ mouse controls, where you’re hurtling down a rollercoaster track shooting at enemies and earning time back to complete the course. Occasionally you’ll hit a co-operative minigame, and similar to Bowser Live, these games take full advantage of the mouse controls to present fun alternatives to the regular activities Mario Party Jamboree has to offer.
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Both of these modes are very quickfire, offering around 10-15 minutes of playtime before you hit the end. This makes it a decent alternative for groups of players who don’t have a lot of time. Considering a regular Mario Party board game can take over an hour to complete, I’m always in favour of adding a few shorter experiences to the game. These modes mean your group is able to play a few different rounds in quick succession, or one quick one before moving onto something else.
Speaking of which, Nintendo has also made some efforts to cut down the time spent playing the regular Mario Party board game. A new “Frenzy Rules” mode has been added, which basically tweaks the rules so it starts in the homestretch portion of the game. All players start with a star, a large number of coins and items, and have five turns to take victory.
These games don’t last as long as they do with the standard game rules, with most Frenzy rounds taking around 30-45 minutes to complete. As I mentioned earlier, it’s just another way for players to have quicker games without running the risk of getting bored or running out of time. Instead of having one game take place over a 90 minute period, it means you can potentially play up to three.
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As for these new minigames, they’re fun for what they are. The mouse minigames do a good job of utilising the Switch 2’s mouse functions on the Joy-Cons, while the camera and microphone minigames do the same there too. There’s enough creativity and diversity here that makes them worth playing.
The main issue with them appears to be that the connection can sometimes be unstable. Sometimes the camera will cut off part of your body, or the microphone won’t pick up your voice, or sometimes even the mouse controls don’t register movement at all. As someone who also played Super Mario Party and Mario Party Superstars on the original Switch, connectivity issues with the console hardware isn’t necessarily a new phenomenon. It’s just annoying that this is still a problem.
Is Super Mario Party Jamboree - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV worth the cost of the upgrade? Sure, if you can afford it. Without the camera you’ll be missing out on some fun features and minigames, and if you’re playing with a group of four then you’ll need an extra pair of Switch 2 Joy-Cons instead of using your old pair for the original Switch. Otherwise, expect to be missing out on a large chunk of content.
Pros: Innovative use of Switch 2 features, decently expanded minigames, new game modes are fun
Cons: Very costly to get the full experience, connectivity issues
For fans of: Earlier Mario Party entries, Super Mario, board games
8/10: Excellent
Super Mario Party Jamboree - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV is available exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2 on 24th July. Review code was provided by the publisher. Read a guide to our review scores here.
Topics: Nintendo Switch 2, Mario Party, Nintendo