Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV – Review
Back when Super Mario Party Jamboree was released in 2024, we had a blast with the game. It might be one of our favorite Mario Party entries to date, and we still play it from time to time when friends or family come over. It’s always a hit, and the overall experience never gets dull. Super Mario Party Jamboree was not only fun locally with friends or family, but it also offered a lot of online content that still keeps us entertained. We were quite eager to dive back into the experience with Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV. While probably not the most catchy title Nintendo could come up with, we’ll mainly be looking at Jamboree TV in the following review, as the base Super Mario Party Jamboree experience remained virtually unchanged. If you want to read up on what the base game has to offer, we suggest reading our original review by clicking here. For now, however, we’ll focus on whether owners of the original should consider picking up the upgrade pack or if newcomers could consider the Switch 2 version the definitive way to play Super Mario Party Jamboree.
We personally assumed that the new content would be neatly embedded into the base game, making it into one big coherent whole. Sadly, this is not the case, as the game greets you with a somewhat sterile selection screen that offers you the option between the Switch 1 version of Super Mario Party Jamboree, the Switch 2 addition of Jamboree TV, and the Gameshare option. As stated above, we will not really be delving into the Switch 1 content of Super Mario Party Jamboree. Even though the menu wasn’t the most inviting, we were still eager to experience the changes and new additions of Jamboree TV. In essence, there are a few new modes, mini-games, and rulesets that have been added to the mix.
It’s not surprising that the new mini-games make use of the Switch 2’s new features. Some games will require camera controls, much in the same way Microsoft’s Kinect used to function, while others will revolve around the mouse controls. The camera controls are a neat feature, but you still need to buy an additional peripheral to be able to play said mini-games. Some of the games also have voice-activated controls, which is a fun touch. The mouse controls were often more our cup of tea, especially because they were more complex and also were in sync with the Tag Team format. This means that for the mouse-controlled games, you had to work together with another player, which is a guarantee for silly situations. For example, you’ll have to climb walls, with each player controlling one arm, while at another point you’re airlifting Toad through an electrified maze. It’s typical Mario Party shenanigans, and it just makes sense with the mouse controls. Even so, the mouse controls are still somewhat rough around the edges and not always as precise or responsive as we’d like them to be.
We’ve already mentioned the new Tag Team ruleset, but there’s also the Frenzy ruleset. Both of these can be chosen when playing through the normal boards via Jamboree TV. We thoroughly enjoyed playing in teams with friends or family, but the Frenzy mode also has a lot of charm. This new mode is a 5-turn mode, which reduces play time significantly. You’ll start with 50 coins already, and it’s pretty much a short race to see who comes out on top. It’s a great way to get some Mario Party action in when you’re pressed for time.
In terms of new modes, you’ll have Bowser TV and Carnival Coaster. Bowser TV puts you in a game show-like setting with Mario’s arch nemesis as the host. You can choose to play camera mini games or microphone-controlled mini games. You’ll only have three rounds per match, meaning this is a short mode. Carnival Coaster is also rather short. You and the rest of the players board a rollercoaster that moves automatically. While moving, you can shoot enemies for extra time. You’ll also play mini-games in between. It’s a simple mode, but with a few different rollercoasters on offer, it’s a fairly fun one to explore. Both modes feel like additional modes that would have been great to have been featured on the plaza of the main game, instead of via a separate menu to access the Switch 2 content.
The new Gameshare implementation is also rather cool. You can locally ‘share’ the game with up to three other people to have them sample the Super Mario Party Jamboree experience. You’ll sadly be limited to one game board and thirty mini-games, but this was more than enough for several entertaining matches with friends who don’t own the game yet. Even for a casual experience, having this limited content available is still a lot of fun.
Conclusion
The new Switch 2 content for Super Mario Party Jamboree is highly entertaining, but we were somewhat disappointed that it was just tacked onto the original Switch 1 release, rather than being embedded into the main experience. Even so, if you have not picked up Super Mario Party Jamboree yet, then Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV is the definitive way to play the game. If you can score a cheap secondhand copy of the Switch 1 game, however, we suggest just going for that and purchasing the upgrade pack afterwards.
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