The new Jamboree Buddy mechanic is a great addition toSuper Mario Party Jamboree;not only do Buddies impact the game in powerful ways, but they also introduce the exciting Showdown minigames.
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These “mega-minigames” are my favorite aspect ofJamboreebecause they add difficulty and variety to the minigames experienced in a typical game.They often add a dash of color, too, based on the Buddy’s own games.
A Showdown minigame’s length and (usually) increased complexity offers players an opportunity to catch up or leap ahead by gaining a Jamboree Buddy. If you’re the player who triggered the Showdown minigame, the Buddy gives you a bonus which may help you clinch a win.
Most of all, though, Showdown minigames are really fun! Let’s roll off down the board, and discover the bestJamboreehas to offer.
10Yoshi’s Mountain Race
Ride To The Top
Player Bonus
3 speed-up apples are placed in front of your Yoshi at the starting line.
Hop aboard a friendly Yoshi, and race in circles around this mountain to reach the top first.Yoshi’s Showdown minigame features a mix of racing and platforming while you climb the peak.
While dodging obstacles, it’s important to grab the course’s red apples. These give your Yoshi a brief speed boost to get ahead.
Unfortunately, Yoshi’s Mountain Race is troubled by rocky camera angles. The rigid camera follows you awkwardly during turns, and feels just plain unpleasant during transitions between various sections of the course.
9Daisy’s Field Day
Run And Jump For Medals
Gain 3 red medals (+9 points) at the start of the minigame.
Suitably for Daisy’s “tomboy” personality,her sports-themed Showdown minigame sends you racing to collect medals and score points in three events.Ordinary medals are worth 1 point, and red medals are worth 3 points.
The first event sees you hopping back and forth atop platforms which threaten to sink into the water. It’s quite a bit of fun, with a little strategy and timing allowing you to block opponents from jumping.
The latter events all have a single theme—running around across moving platforms while collecting medals. Whether spinning platforms or racing through hurdles, these events play pretty similarly to one another.
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8DK’s Konga Line
RIP Donkey Konga
You get a larger target area for hitting the notes.
Donkey Kong’s Showdown minigame is warmly nostalgic for GameCube kids like myself.Inspired byDonkey Konga,this rhythm game uses L and R to play the bongos in a call-and-response melody with DK.
As modern rhythm games demonstrate,what really makes this kind of game “sing” is the variety of music. Since DK’s Konga Line has just a single tune each time you play it, the nostalgia wears off fast.
On top of that, there’s a slightly-awkward solo section during which each player follows the music on their own. It’s fun if everyone’s pretty good at rhythm games, but just sort of sad if someone can’t follow the beat.
7Mario’s Three-Peat
Blasts From the Pasts
Gain 3 bonus points at the beginning of the minigame.
Instead of something brand new,Mario’s Showdown minigame challenges you to score the most points across three old-school minigames:
Considering two of these are amongthe franchise’s best minigames,I actually don’t find myself wishing for something new instead. Mario’s Showdown is pretty fun, thanks to the variety of the minigames it contains.
However, it’s not particularlymemorable,either, and that’s why even these great games can’t ascend higher up our list.
6Rosalina’s Radical Race
Motion-Controlled Snowboarding
Gain a speed boost at the start of the race.
Speaking of memorable, Rosalina’s Showdown minigame certainly sticks out!Rosalina’s Radical Race is the only Showdown minigame which requires using motion controls.Thus, if motion minigames are turned off, you can’t encounter Rosalina as a Jamboree Buddy.
Turning the Joy-Con side to side to steer, you navigate the course from an icy slope to a rainbow pathway reminiscent ofMario Kart’sRainbow Road. There’s a pleasant difficulty spike when the course changes, and the race’s motion controls are pretty fun to use, but overall this minigame does suffer a bit from its lack of variety.
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5Jr.’s Jauntlet
No, It’s Not Gauntlet
The Koopa King himself won’t condescend to be your Jamboree Buddy, but Bowser Jr. has no problem with it! In his Showdown minigameyou’ll have to survive a deadly jauntlet of foes(and possibly try catching a Zelda-esque chicken, too).
Finally, you must escape Bowser Jr.’s punches as he roams the arena! The variety and challenge of this Showdown minigame make it quite fun.
Even if Idosometimes get absolutely screwed by RNG when the enemies spawn.
4Luigi Rescue Operation
Save The Scaredy-Cat
First room is already unlocked at the start of the minigame.
In this homage toone of Nintendo’s spookiest games,you must complete ten different puzzle rooms to free poor Luigi from the Haunted Mansion.While none of the puzzles are particularly difficult, they offer charming variety in the different tasks you must accomplish.
Whether pushing a route through barrels or navigating a tile-covered floor, the Luigi Rescue Operation is filled with quick and simple fun.
3Peach’s Day Off
Good Blend Of Games
Begin the first minigame with a golden package worth 10 points if you successfully carry it to the finish line.
Similar to Daisy and Mario’s Showdown minigames, Peach’s Day Off requires you to score points during three different events.Each event offers an engaging and different challenge,requiring caution, speed, strategy, and (of course) a bit of luck to be victorious.
Peach’s Showdown minigame is probably the best demonstration that variety is the life of theMario Party.None of her minigames are spectacular on their own, but as a trio the result is a fun event.
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2Wario’s Buzzer Beater
King Of Quizzes
Gain 5 bonus points at the beginning of the minigame.
In a Showdown minigame which feels like it could be drawn straight out ofWarioWare,Wario’s Buzzer Beater is a fast-paced set of quiz questions which forces you to keep your eyes peeled.
Quizzes, spotting differences, and so on are a classic element inMario Partyminigames. This Showdown minigame is my favorite use of that theme because therapid-fire rounds juxtapose a variety of question types.
This keeps you constantly on your toes. Further, the 5th and the 10th round are worth extra points—and considering how difficulty escalates, this gives an actual opportunity for a comeback later in the event.
Altogether, Wario’s Buzzer Beater is a surprisingly fun and engaging minigame. It’s a great example of how a single core concept can nonetheless be utilized in a variety of ways.
1Waluigi’s Pinball Arcade
He’s A Pinball Wizard
Waluigi scatters 10 point bonus medals onto your pinball machine at the beginning of the game.
Of allSuper Mario Party Jamboree’sminigames,Waluigi’s Pinball Arcade is the one I’d most want to play for hours on end.This minigame is neither simple nor complex. It’sjust pinball.
And it turns out, that’s all it needs to be.
In this minigame, you have three minutes to secure the highest score in a game of pinball. Lighting up the letters of Waluigi’s name earns you a bonus, helping you score quickly.
The secret sauce of this Showdown minigame is that it just feels like a real pinball game. The levers are responsive, the ball’s physics feels surprisingly realistic, and the position of objects on the pinball machine are right between being easy and difficult to strike.
Introduce a single-player mode where you have only three balls, and I could grind this for ages trying to beat my prior high score. It makes me wish thatthis riff on a greatMario Karttrackcould eventually result in Waluigi’s first solo game.
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Looking for a new party game? Super Mario Party Jamboree is packed full of fun. Check out our review to learn more!
