Available on: Nintendo 3DS
Mario Party Star Rush brings the latest Mario Party game to a Nintendo 3DS near you. Like all Mario Party games, this one is more fun with friends and family, although it’s certainly easy for a single player to have their own party of one.
If you pick up a copy of the game, all your fellow Mario Party-ers need to play with you is the Party Guest Edition on the Nintendo eShop. It’s a free, easy download, and a cinch to set up over your local wireless network. Up to three players can join in the coin collecting frenzy at once.
So grab the kids and get ready to annoy each other like crazy—but in a fun way. It is Mario Party, after all!
The Gameplay
Mario Party Star Rush is a social party game designed to get you and your friends to throw Koopa shells and other objects at each other. You’ll work together to defeat some classic Super Mario bosses, but the winner is the player who gathers the most coins by the end of the game.
Mario Party Star Rush has different game modes that are unlocked the more you play. Toad Scramble is the mode that will feel the most familiar to Mario Party veterans, as players roll dice and move around the game board to collect power-ups and coins.
In a welcome change of pace (literally), all players roll at the same time, so you don’t have to wait for your turn to play. As you move around the board you’ll gain beloved Super Mario allies like Princess Peach and Yoshi, and they’ll help you in your fight against that level’s bosses.
Coinathlon, one of several unlocked game modes, is packed with minigame fun as you vie to collect the most coins and automatically go around the game board. In this go-round of Mario Party, minigames are more skill-based than luck-based, so you won’t feel as much frustration when trying to collect the most coins.
There’s also Balloon Bash, a mode to choose minigames à la carte, Mario Shuffle, Rhythm Recital, and more, giving you and your Mario Party-goers several options and variety from game to game.
Rating
Mario Party Star Rush is rated E for Everyone and is suitable for all ages.
Takeaway
Changing almost all of the minigames to reflexes and skill rather than the luck of the random number generator does a lot to revitalize the Mario Party franchise.There’s even more strategy involved: In many of the game modes, the spaces you move on the game board can be the difference between a victory and defeat. Some of the longer modes, like Toad Scramble, might wear on kids’ patience levels as the games can go quite long. If you’re playing with the kids, I recommend the Coinathlon or mini-game mode to stave off sighs of boredom.
Mario Party Star Rush is a fun family game to pick up if you’re already a fan of the Mario Party franchise. If it’s the first time you and the kids are playing a Mario Party together, however, be ready for some cries of, “That’s not fair!” when you steal their coins or knock them off a platform. But in no time they’ll be giggling maniacally as they do it right back to you.
