Mario Strikers has been missing from the video game zeitgeist for over a decade now, even with fans clamoring for a new title every time a Nintendo Direct was announced. Those gamers got what they wanted earlier this year when Nintendo and Next Level Games pulled back the curtain on Mario Strikers: Battle League, the latest Mario sports game that brings the whole Mushroom Kingdom together for a good-natured match of somewhat-violent soccer.
Mario Strikers: Battle League hits a lot of the notes that long-time fans are looking for with strategic gameplay and plenty of ways to team up with or take on your friends and random strangers on the internet. However, while the core gameplay and online modes are both solid, the initial package still feels a little light for a full-priced video game.
Gameplay
Mario Strikers: Battle League is essentially Mario Soccer, though it claims that the sport the characters are actually playing is an original creation called strike. This is because Strike is a little more aggressive than traditional soccer, with a variety of techniques and tools to steal the ball away from opponents. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Each action in the game is tied to a different button on the Nintendo Switch controller e.g. the A button shoots the ball while the B button passes to another player. The controls are very simple in theory, but they’re anything but when put into practice. Coordinating a pass with a shot on goal might seem easy, but when there are four other players in the way things start to get a little complicated.
This brings me to defense. When not in possession of the ball, the Y button becomes the ultimate tool of destruction. This is how you tackle other players, which is the most reliable method for stealing the ball back from the opposing team. Time the tackle right, and you’ll initiate a sliding tackle that immediately puts the ball back in your possession.
In fact, just about every action in the game has a timing mechanic that activates a more effective and powerful version of that technique. It’s a fun, added mechanic that rewards careful field positioning and timing with stronger shots and speedier passes. There are even ways to coordinate special moves between teammates, a feature that turned several of the online matches I played into wild juggling displays.
Each action is tied to a specific stat as well, and each character in the admittedly small roster boasts unique stats that affect how they perform during a match. High speed means that character will cross the pitch much faster than others, while high strength affects the potency of a tackle. The customizable gear pieces also allowed me to tailor a character to a specific play style, though the options are fairly limited at launch.
All this to say, the game feels very good to play, if a bit on the challenging side for a Nintendo title. Lining up the perfect shot and hitting a goal from around the goalie is incredibly satisfying, and taking an enemy out at the knees and running away with the ball is just silly fun. There are even items ripped straight from the Mario Kart franchise that add an extra bit of dimension to each match. Play certain items the right way and you’ll have an easy time sending the ball into the back of your opponent’s net.
Modes
There are a few different ways to play Mario Strikers: Battle League, but they all amount to the same thing: matches of strike played against either a computer or other people. Whether you’re diving into Quick Battle, Cup Battles, or the online Strikers Club, you’ll be playing a fairly standard game of strike, though the circumstances around the match might differ.
Quick Battle is for players who might not have a lot of time on their hands or just feel like getting in a quick match. It’s a no-frills mode than can be played either locally or over the internet, and it’s about as basic a game mode as you can expect from a predominantly multiplayer title.
Cup Battles are double-elimination, tournament-style matchups that pit different teams against one another until there’s only one left. They’re very similar to the different cups in Mario Kart games, and they pay out big coin rewards at the end that you can use to buy new gear. These Cup Battles make up most of the single-player content in Mario Strikers: Battle League, and while they’re a decently fun time the first go-round, they don’t hold up under repeat playthroughs.
The final mode is the Strikers Club, which is the central online mode that allows friends to group up together and take on other clubs for bragging rights and unique, seasonal rewards. It’s a neat mode, and it shows a willingness to invest in online infrastructure that Nintendo hasn’t been known for in the past. Unfortunately, the one thing a game mode like this needs is a strong player base, and it’s unclear if Battle League will have the legs to support it.
In the few matches I played in Strikers Club, I was trounced thoroughly by the same player over and over again. I even quit out of the mode entirely and jumped back in for a fresh pairing, only to be matched up with the same guy. After several matches of this, I just had to put the game down and walk away, and I can’t imagine bringing friends into a situation like that would have made it any more fun.
It also didn’t help that I ran into quite a few issues with lag while playing in online matches. Characters would run in place before suddenly teleporting to the other side of the field and the ball floated through obstacles more than a few times, adding to the already growing frustration at my public humiliation.
Nintendo has promised there will be support for Battle League post-launch, including more gear, stadiums, and characters, but hopefully, they can add more modes to that as well. Right now there’s just not enough to do in the game unless you have a regular group of friends to play with, turning what could have been a neat spinoff into just another party game.
Audio and Visual
Mario Strikers: Battle League looks great on the Switch, especially when compared to the previous titles in the series, which might not be fair considering they’re running on much older hardware. But the character models really pop and Next Level Games have really captured the energy and stylistic elements of each of these characters. Waluigi in particular is fantastic, especially during his victory screens.
In a similar sense, the audio works in a really fun way to bring each of the characters to life. There’s a really authentic quality to all of the noises they make, whether they’re shooting a goal or being tackled by an opposing player. Hearing Wario shout “It’s Wario time!” while farting on a soccer ball is a joy I didn’t know I needed, and now I can’t imagine my life without it.
What Could Be Better
More modes and more ways to interact with the existing modes. I think this game could have benefited greatly from a short, single-player campaign that introduced the mechanics to players while also providing a fun and engaging bit of content that doesn’t require other players to be entertaining. I’m hopeful that once the Strikers Club’s first season kicks off, the game will get a little more lively, but right now it just doesn’t feel worth booting up.
There’s also the quality of Nintendo’s online infrastructure, which has admittedly gotten better in the past few years. But the connectivity issues persist and the lack of dedicated, in-game communication makes it impossible to truly connect with other players over the internet. If you don’t already have a group of people to play with, you’re only other option is to find one by other means like social media or being an extrovert.
Verdict
I was very excited when Mario Strikers: Battle League was announced, as I loved the original game on the GameCube. What Next Level Games has made here is an excellent new entry in the series that unfortunately doesn’t feel like it has enough content. While the gameplay, mechanics, and characters are all fantastic, Mario Strikers: Battle League just doesn’t feel quite like a fully finished game.
Mario Strikers: Battle League is available now for the Nintendo Switch.
