Super Mario Party

Super Mario Party is the best Mario Party in two console generations, but even with a few real winners among the 80 minigames, the party might get stale.

With Super Mario Party on Switch, Nintendo's 20-year-old party franchise ditches its staple randomness for a more strategic game.

Super Mario Party gets an enjoyable reinvention for the Switch, though it introduces as many problems as it fixes.

After 20 years of Mario Party games, this is the one you shouldn't skip

The boards are underwhelming and some of the modes suffer from repetition, but the selection of minigames is among the best in the series

I have a lot of quibbles with Super Mario Party that could have drowned it, but the extras pull it up above water. 80 new minigames, most of which aren't busts, is a feat. Having a team-based mode where you can move around freely and going back to basics with the core board game (goodbye car, hopefully see you never!) was a good move. Restricting play options and easing up on the amount of boards available? Not so much.

Chaos still reigns, yet with more opportunities for strategy, Super Mario Party has aged at pace with its audience.

Recent Mario Party games have previously had a somewhat sterile feel to them, but with Super Mario Party that simply isn't the case. This isn't a cash-grab with Mario's face on the front; this is a well-constructed and beautifully realised Mario Party game which takes the series right back to its roots, but without being a straightforward rehash. There are a few interesting ideas that feel a little bit underdeveloped, but on the whole Super Mario Party is a true return to form.

If you've been eager to get more parties pumping with your Nintendo Switch, then Super Mario Party might be the game to make that happen. Though it could also make your friends throttle one another. Either way, good times are had, and memories are formed and shared. Poetry in motion.

Super Mario Party is a welcome comeback for the series that seemingly plays it safe with its modes, but still manages to be fun.