Nintendo has recently released an update for Super Mario Party, which adds online multiplayer functionality for the game.
Super Mario Party came out in 2018 but had a few details missing, including a full-fledged online experience. Today’s update gives the game a proper online multiplayer. The surprise came out of nowhere, considering the game is two years old now.
Mario Party only had limited online capabilities
The latest Mario Party came out for the Switch in 2018. The game was well-received, generating as much as 13.82 million copies sold in its life span. The title, even if it was the 7th best-selling game for the Switch, had problems.
Super-charge the fun of Super Mario Party on Nintendo Switch with new online play options, available now via a free update. Enjoy Mario Party mode, Partner Party mode and dozens of minigames online!
Find out more: https://t.co/xtV23phRBA pic.twitter.com/Y4m6etnAk4
— Nintendo UK (@NintendoUK) April 27, 2021
Among its primary issues, the game launched with only a proper local multiplayer in its Mario Party and Partner Party Modes. The only online capability it had was Online Mariothon, where four random players competed in five random mini-games.
For so long, players have asked for an update, and it seems Nintendo heard them. The free update now allows both its Mario Party and Partner Party Modes 100% online capable.
What all this means is Mario Party’s main board is now ready for online play. This is the first time in the series throughout the franchise’ history. According to Nintendo, up to 70 out of the 84 mini-games available are playable online.
New online update adds more play options
With Super Mario Party now fully online, more players can enjoy without being in the same room. Among the only mini-games unavailable are the ten rhythm games, which is understandable. The four others are the Toad’s Rec Room games due to hardware limitations.
Those who want to do online play can pick Friends Match or a Private Game. Players can play up to four players, but if two players share one system, they can only play with another system. Free Play also allows both coop and versus play.
The first-ever party game that featured Mario characters was Square Enix’s Fortune Street. The game had not only Mario characters but also ones from Dragon Quest. The title was online in 2011 and lasted for 3 years, up to 2014.
Much like many Switch games, players would need to have a Switch Online subscription to play. In 2018, the Switch Online service became a much-needed service, benign a requirement to play anything multiplayer.
Overall, Super Mario Party will get a boost in replayability for sure. The new online feature will surely get players picking up the title again. Getting to play boards with friends from far away is as good as it gets.
Featured image courtesy of Nintendo UK/Youtube Screenshot