Mario Strikers: Battle League Reviews
Mario Strikers: Battle League offers great gameplay paired with creative customization, but it does lack in the single-player department.
Mario Strikers: Battle League could very well be one of the best sports games of 2022.
I was really looking forward to Mario Strikers: Battle League, and for the most part it has been a worthy successor, but it's a little hampered by the complexity of the gameplay. Even scoring goals can be a bit difficult overall. Soccer is definitely not known for high-scoring affairs but it is simply too difficult to score goals in the time allotted. This does seem to be different from what I remember in the previous games. It was a bit easier to score goals and that is definitely missed. There's a balance that sports games need to strike, but Battle League does tend to be just a bit more difficult. Still, there is a lot to love about Mario Strikers: Battle League, but it almost made me want a remaster of the first two games more than anything.
Playing Mario Strikers: Battle League Football is a lot of fun, especially with a group of friends, but the lack of worthwhile progression or unlockable content severely hurts its longevity/replayability. Unfortunately, the initial euphoria fades too quickly. Those who have been craving a new Mario Strikers game will likely accumulate a lot of playtime. All other buyers might as well look for a new game again quickly.
Review in German | Read full review
With a very good control system and ways to guide new players, this new Mario Strikers knows how to integrate everyone. At the same time, there's a disappointing lack o content compared to the other games, and its single player experience feels too limited and quick to explore. The online multiplayer is an absolute joy and the main selling point, even if it's missing functionalities we've seen in other games, but solo players will feel like their experience is too short.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Battle League features a HUGE gap in content that Nintendo is promising to patch in with post-launch updates, but that really doesn’t help anyone who decided to buy the game at launch. Online play is just as you would expect from the Switch, replaying cups just isn’t enjoyable, and quickplay just kind of exists. If I wanted to turn on a game to play for 5 minutes, plus the time the game is paused for each goal (something that doesn’t happen in football), I would be much more likely to turn on something even like Super Mario 64 or Super Mario Sunshine, where you can knock out early levels that quickly. Yet another disappointing Mario sports outing on the Switch.
Mario Strikers: Battle League boasts excellent gameplay mechanics as well as item-based hijinks that make it feel more like a survival game at times. Online options are also much improved, including the ability to create your own Strikers Clubs for competing and earning rewards. The focus on competitive online play, however, has made the game less of a compelling offline experience due to a lack of a true campaign as well as various other modes. It’s still a blast when played with friends or online rivals. For folks playing solo by themselves, however, Battle League can be a lonely experience.
Although the Battle League is far behind in terms of gameplay compared to the old games of the series, the possibility of online matches closes this flaw.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Next Level Games has created a solid foundation for a title, but that’s all it is: a foundation. It’s a barren representation of what could be.
Mario Strikers: Battle League is a great game that suffers the same fate as its Switch sports brethren. It plays great, looks outstanding, but simply lacks content. I truly hope we see more characters, stadiums, and modes as the game goes on. There is a lot here to love, but it feels shallow in the content department for sure. Still if you love the arcade mentality of Mario sports this game is a no-brainer and yet another exclusive gem for Nintendo’s aging platform.
Mario Strikers: Battle League is more than just the Mario Kart equivalent of a soccer game. Next Level Games has showcased its talent through its amazing attention to detail and giving us a worthy sequel to its beloved franchise.
Mario Strikers: Battle League provides some fun, fast paced action within arenas that can be a tad too claustrophobic at times and in general is a bit lacking in content.
Rather than the triumphant return of a fan-favorite franchise, Battle League claims its slow season spot in Nintendo's calendar as just another sports game. If Mario Strikers saw a new release every year, there'd be a problem, but it's been well over a decade since the last entry in the series. Yes, it's more of the same, but when "the same" is so fun-and so hard to put down after just one match-more of the same is more than welcome, even if the game isn't as creative or ambitious as one might hope.
Mario Strikers: Battle League is the perfect multiplayer sports game to get your family's adrenaline pumping. It's the best Strikers entry to date with its exceptional graphics, smooth animations and numerous gameplay enhancements. If you like arcade sports action, you'll get a hyper *kick* out of Nintendo's latest Strikers game.
At the end of the day, Mario Strikers Battle League does not come without its faults. The overall gameplay experience, along with the look and feel, will undoubtedly get a little tiring. When considering the sheer depth of characterisation, however, whether through the selection of characters, the gear they can equip, or the little ways in which characters conduct themselves on the pitch; these all serve as little reminders of how the focus is absolutely on throwing as much personality at the player as possible. Gameplay is as casual as Mario games get, and the game runs as expected. The few faults it does have makes the game a little bit of a hard sell at full price, but overall it is a good title with the ability to become exceptional in time or with a sequel.
"Mario's banana kick misses the goal."
Review in Finnish | Read full review
While it isn't a perfect game, Mario Strikers: Battle League delivers as advertised.
Underwhelming content offerings and bizarrely imbalanced CPU players make single player a no-go. And without the variance or roster of its peers, multiplayer can’t carry all that weight.
A fun and engaging football & brawl mashup that is let down by its anemic content especially in single player.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Mario Strikers: Battle League's core gameplay is a blast, especially with friends, but the game suffers from a severe lack of content.