Despite the many games recently released, I committed to buying Mario Party for the Switch as I have had great times from playing it in the past, particularly during travel given the mobility the Nintendo Switch has. I have also start to see how the family is enjoying playing the Switch when we have down days indoors and thought this could be a great way to spend time together.
As usual, Nintendo continues to evolve the way we interact with games and use the hardware to the fullest capabilities. Mario Party is no different in that it uses motion sensors as well as the small controllers of the Switch for mobility and room. It can be played with up to four players and it becomes quite competitive for sure as the many mini games keep you engaged in the gameplay.
The only issue I have found is that the pace of the games become somewhat stale as the boards are full of activities and the search for stars and the coins to buy them are pretty challenging particularly given the competition. In addition, the end of the match continues to provide additional starts for random tasks completed during the match which adds some randomness that when competing with other fierce competition (the family) gets frustrating.
However, the fun mini games and the different ways to play them with the Nintendo Switch hardware provides for a fun experience. Some additions like 2v2 battles on the maps are pretty innovative and eliminates some of the randomness from players against the computer AI which is a great option. Also, the fact that character selection also changes gameplays as each has their own dice to play which adds risk/reward consideration is very interesting and adds a level of strategy before even playing.
Overall, I think the gameplay is solid and great to have on the road and with the family. Graphics were good and while I am still exploring some additional features that need to be unlocked, I think the replayability is good considering the pace of the game. The game has gotten me thinking about playing more with the family and doing something I enjoy with them makes it worth the while.
Thanks!