Mario Party: Star Rush
A 2016 Mario Party with simultaneous movement and Toad Scramble mode.
Mario Party: Star Rush is a 2016 party video game developed by NDcube and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the fourth handheld game in the Mario Party series and the second installment for the 3DS, deviating from traditional turn-based and car-based gameplay by having players roll dice and move simultaneously on non-linear boards. The game received mixed reviews and sold more than 88,000 copies.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- NDcube
- Publisher
- Nintendo
- Director
- Shuichiro Nishiya
- Producer
- Keisuke Terasaki
- Toyokazu Nonaka
- Toshiaki Suzuki
- Atsushi Ikeda
- Kenji Kikuchi
- Designer
- Takeru Sugimoto
- Programmer
- Masayuki Shinohara
- Artist
- Keisuke Kasahara
- Composer
- Toshiki Aida, Satoshi Okubo
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Mario Party: Star Rush is a party video game in which up to four characters from the Mario series compete on a virtual board. Each character can be controlled by a person or by computer opponents set to Normal, Hard, or Very Hard difficulty. The roster includes Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, Rosalina, Yoshi, Toad, Toadette, Donkey Kong, Wario, Waluigi, and Diddy Kong. Players roll dice and move across boards that feature minigames. Most minigames rely on skill, but a few, like Haunted Hallways, depend on luck—here, players race through a map full of Boos and doors to find a hidden goal. The game has 53 minigames in total, with 12 found only in the Coinathlon mode. Instead of taking turns, all players move at the same time on non-linear, grid-like boards. A player’s Party Level rises as they earn points, unlocking more characters and modes. The main mode is Toad Scramble, where every player controls a differently colored Toad. Other Mario characters appear on boards and can be recruited as AI allies, giving players extra dice rolls and help in boss fights. Each player can have up to four allies at once. There are five worlds and fifteen game boards, most unlocked gradually. Items can be picked up to boost a player’s score or slow down opponents. Whenever a Coin Balloon is popped, a free-for-all minigame starts, letting players earn coins. The goal on each board is to collect the most Stars. Stars are earned by winning boss battles, and after a set number of those battles, each player gets one Star for every ten coins they have. Extra Stars might be handed out randomly, such as for doing well in minigames or moving the fewest spaces.
Development and release
Mario Party: Star Rush was first mentioned on June 14, 2016, tucked away at the end of a press release for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild during Nintendo's E3 2016 coverage. Journalists called the announcement hidden and buried. The next day, a trailer revealed competitive boss fights and a Toad Scramble mode where players could recruit allies. Shortly after, people on Twitter pointed out that the game's box art looked recycled from other sources, including the label on SpaghettiOs cans. The game ditched the series' usual turn-based structure for simultaneous movement, aiming to speed things up and work better on a handheld. Engadget's Sean Buckley liked the more chaotic pace, calling it a fast-paced upgrade that cut down on waiting. He also praised the non-linear boards for allowing more complex strategies. Destructoid's Chris Carter was happy to see the car mechanic from the previous two home console games gone. Pocket Gamer's Clement Renaudin also noted the car's removal and said the new movement system opened up possibilities like blocking other players. NDcube developed the game, and Nintendo published it as the second Mario Party for the Nintendo 3DS, following Mario Party: Island Tour from 2013, and the fourth handheld entry overall. It launched in Europe on October 7, 2016, in Australia on October 8, in Japan on October 20, and in North America on November 4. Seven new Amiibo figures came out alongside it, including Princess Daisy, Waluigi, and a glow-in-the-dark Boo.
Reception
Mario Party: Star Rush received mixed or average reviews from critics according to Metacritic. OpenCritic assessed that the game received fair approval, recommended by 18% of critics. In Japan, four critics from Famitsu gave it a total score of 32 out of 40. Thomas Whitehead of Nintendo Life wrote that the game may not excel in many ways but addresses some complaints from past entries and delivers harmless entertainment. The removal of the car-based mechanic from the two home console predecessors elicited praise from Destructoid's Jed Whitaker, who viewed Star Rush as the best installment since Mario Party 8 (2007). Nintendo Life's Thomas Whitehead believed the replacement of the vehicle gimmick would address consistent complaints from fans. Reviewers also praised the new simultaneous movement system; Whitaker wrote that it can lead to a lot of strategic moves, Jose Otero of IGN added that it made the game better suited for portable play, and Daan Koopman of Nintendo World Report found that it really helps speed things along. Koopman also complimented the ability to move more freely on boards as a refreshing change. Praise was given to the local multiplayer options, especially the free Party Guest software. Game Informer's Brian Shea described the demo as a nice workaround that breaks down the handheld multiplayer barrier. Gamereactor's Jonas Mäki complimented both Party Guest and Download Play for enabling easily accessible multiplayer without requiring multiple copies, though he added that the problem of getting four people to sit together each with a 3DS in hand remains.
More in Nintendo Games of the 2010s
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced