Mario Party Star Rush Reviews
Mario Party Star Rush’s gameplay design is definitely played on the safe side. The only real ‘off the beaten path’ element in the game is the size and functionality of the game boards, which may or may not work, depending on your expectations. Outside of that, the game follows along with a typical Mario Party title structure, especially in mini game and boss battles (thankfully). The additional modes and option for Amiibo integration help to add some variety, but again, not too far off the typical MP structure. Before we move on to presentation, let me just commend Nintendo for providing friend codes for local players to go head-to-head in the game. I know this isn’t a new concept, but it’s nice to see they understand sharing a game can be beneficial to them and to player loyalty. Bravo to Nintendo for doing this.
The minigames range from frantic and fun to repetitious and uneventful
Mario Party: Star Rush had one good idea, but lost sight of everything else that makes the series great. Ditching turns, and having players roll and move at the same time is interesting and does fix a problem that many have had with the series. But in making this change, and reshaping so much of the game, most of the fun was lost along the way. It’s admirable that Nintendo is aware of the problems the series has had, and is trying to fix them, but there’s just nothing here to keep players interested, unless they’re dying for a new multiplayer experience on the 3DS.
While Star Rush isn't the horrible 'car' wreck of the past two titles in the series, it is hardly recommendable due to a lack of mini-games and thus content, even if four players can play nearly the full game pending one other in the same room has the game (there is no online play to speak of, in case you were wondering). It is a shame, honestly. If there were around 30 more mini-games, and more bosses, this would have been easily recommendable, but as it stands at $40, it feels too expensive for what little is here. Now if you'd excuse me, I'm going to go to my Reggie shrine that I have in my closet and perform a blood sacrifice in hopes of getting a remastered collection of the classic games for the Switch. Praise be to his body, as it is always ready!
What started as a fantastic idea ended up as a pile of wasted potential.
If you’re looking for some quick, simply, local multiplayer fun, prefer the old Mario Party mechanics, or want a board game that isn’t boring, Mario Party Star Rush won’t let you down.
Mario Party: Star Rush might be the best Mario Party game since Mario Party 9 on the Wii and its absolutely a big improvement over the other 3DS Mario Party: Island Tour. I think the initial $40 might be a tad high for a mini-game collection, but there’s definitely enough variety, mini-games, and modes to keep you entertained if you want to jump in.
Mario Party: Star Rush is not what I expected nor what I wanted.
Overall, Mario Party: Star Rush has some fun and original mini-games, and looks great. Toad Scramble’s new fast-paced simultaneous is enjoyable enough, but it’s too bad it can’t be played online.
Mario Party: Star Rush can be a charming title at times, and definitely shows some promise. However, the game tries too hard to separate itself from its predecessors which causes its mechanics to fall under the pressure of trying something drastically new.
Mario Party Star Rush’s modes range from OK to uninteresting, and even the fun mini-game challenges can’t make up for the boring overall package. The sheer repetition of events is a major problem that saps the excitement out of this party. After a few trips through Mario Party Star Rush’s modes, you’ll have seen nearly everything it has to offer.
Mario Party Star Rush gets rid of a few bad ideas from the previous games in the series, but it just doesn’t have the staying power to keep players come back for more week after week.
A brilliant collection of mini games, tied together with mediocre game modes.