Mario Strikers: Battle League (Switch) Review

When I think about Mario sports games, I mainly think about Mario Tennis for the Nintendo 64 because if that isn't a masterpiece, I don't know what is. Mostly though, I think about getting together with a bunch of friends and making an evening out of it. Of course, we still have Mario Kart 8 nights, even though we've played it many times, and the standings are always the same. I think that's where Mario Strikers: Battle League will land for most people, a fun game that’s great for gatherings but one that might be lacking when playing alone.

Let's just get the negatives out of the way first. There is no "story" mode in Mario Strikers: Battle League. Right now, the game consists of a tournament mode where you face off against multiple specialized teams that focus on aspects like tackling, shooting, or passing. Mix that with the fact that there are only eight playable characters and five stadiums there’s not much variety in how the game plays. It's concerning that the Shine might come off the apple soon with few options. I hope they add more like my boy Boo, who is my mainstay for any Mario offshoot if he's available. When taking a look at how Mario Golf: Super Rush spaced out content, we can expect more in the future but the initial release of Battle League feels bare.

Now we NEED to talk about the music in Mario Strikers. Is it repetitive? Yes, it's only one or two songs, but it is also some of the hardest I have seen a Mario track go, and it got me pumped up to play every single time it played. 

My time in Mario Strikers: Battle League was evenly split between its tournament mode and free play. This review is being written before the Striker Club is live, which is the competitive online club mode, so keep that in mind. When booting up Mario Strikers for the first time, it asks you if you want to do the tutorial. You should do this. There are a lot of mechanics that don't present themselves up front, so it's nice to be run through these tutorials, which, if you want to do them, all take about an hour which isn't too bad. This is the first glimpse of how Nintendo has really nailed down gameplay. It is so fluid and feels great to play and each character feels different.

For example, if you're playing as Toad and tackle the ball away from someone, you can't unless you charge up your strike because Toad leans on the speedier side of things. However, you can also change this by changing his gear and focusing on strength instead. So the game allows you to choose your favorite of the eight and customize them to make them viable for however you want to play them. The only downside to this is that each piece of equipment in four categories, with five pieces for each category, cost one hundred coins. You get ten coins for a quick match and four hundred for beating a tournament round. So it'll take a long time to fill out the gear for each character. That being said, if you don't really care for the characters, there will be a loadout of gear that suits your playstyle.

While you are playing a match, there are many things to pay attention to. First, there are items like a mushroom to boost speed, a banana to trip up the other team, and the standard Mario green and red shells. Now, these items come in Mario Kart-style item boxes with either your team's color, the opposing team's color, or rainbow-colored. You can only pick up items colored the same as your team, while everyone can pick up the rainbow blocks. So, most of the item blocks will be Rainbow colored while playing. A team-specific item block drops only when someone does what I like to call a bad hit. This is when players strike other players that do not have the ball. The offended team will then have an item block of their team's color shot out onto the field to try and give them the advantage. 

The second but biggest thing by far is the special orb that randomly appears during a match. It's a red electric glowing orb that gives whichever team grabs it a chance to use their special shot. You'll have to hit between these bars that remind me of a power bar from Mario Golf. While doing this, you are open to being struck, which will make you lose your special shot. You have roughly thirty seconds to use your power, so getting this orb isn't a game-ender but adds a certain level of tension to the field for that thirty seconds.

If you're on the receiving end, as long as it isn't a perfect shot landing in the blue bars on both ends, the goalie has a chance to Kamehameha battle the ball away by mashing in the opposite direction of the way the ball is coming in. However, if you or the other team scores a goal using the special shot, it does count as two points. 

Overall, the gameplay of Mario Strikers: Battle League is excellent, smooth, and easy to pick up. The music is repetitive but fantastic. The game looks stunning, specifically the animated super shots scenes, and it's a solidly built Mario sports game. Again, I hope they add more characters and maybe a stadium or two that changes up how the physics work or add in traps or something just to keep it fresh. If Mario Strikers: Battle League is going to thrive, it'll be in the competitive scene and with friends gathered around laughing and having a good time, and sometimes that's all you need.

SCORES

GAMEPLAY - 8 /10

VISUALS - 9/10

SOUND - 7/10

CONTROLS - 8/10

REPLAY VALUE - 8/10

OVERALL - 8/10

A digital Nintendo Switch copy was provided by Nintendo for review purposes. Screenshots were captured using native Switch features. More information can be found on the official eShop listing.