In just over a week, Mario Party Superstars will be released, and it looks like it will cap off a fantastic October for Nintendo. With other big AAA releases being delayed, Fall 2021 has quickly become Nintendo’s time to shine after the launch of the Switch OLED and Metroid Dread. Few games do a better job of highlighting Nintendo’s past and future successes than Mario Party Superstars. It’s shaping up to be a big celebration of the entire era by remastering five classic N64 Mario Party boards.
Mario Party Superstars’ concept allows for a lot of potential expansion. While there’s room for more remastered N64 boards in the future, the game also has the opportunity to pay homage to the GameCube era of Mario Party games. The GameCube was responsible for some truly unique and memorable boards in Mario Party 4, 5, 6, and 7. If DLC expansions for Mario Party Superstars are ever considered, there are boards from each GameCube game that should be
included.
Mario Party 4: Goomba’s Greedy Gala: Mario Party 4 was the first game on the GameCube, and it took advantage of the system’s new technology in some innovative ways. Despite the fact that it was a little barebones, each board’s character shone through. This was especially evident on the Goomba’s Greedy Gala board, where players had to navigate a virtual roulette wheel to get close to the star. The roulette board would reward players who put in the most coins, raising the stakes of each minigame and cementing the board as one of Mario Party 4’s most memorable.
Mario Party 5: Toy Dream: With Mario Party 5, the franchise began to introduce many of the key features that would be carried over to the rest of the GameCube era of Mario Party. Toy Dream is the standout board from this entry, with players chasing the star across a massive playset. Someone who lands on an event space may be able to ride a toy train or be shot out of a toy Bowser cannon. Overall, it’s a colorful board with a lot of personality, and its colorful features could really pop on the Switch’s newer hardware.
Mario Party 6: Snowflake Lake: Many fans consider Mario Party 6 to be one of the best, and the game’s creative boards are proof of that. Snowflake Lake is deserving of inclusion in Mario Party Superstars DLC, owing to the level of chaos it can generate. Unlike most boards, where players chase after a Star, Snowflake Lake assigns each player a specific number of Stars to steal from their opponents. It becomes an unforgettable experience when combined with Mario Party 6’s unique day/night cycle.
Mario Party 7: Neon Heights: Mario Party 7 was the GameCube’s final game, and it didn’t leave without leaving some memorable boards behind. Neon Heights, like Snowflake Lake, is a standout in this installment, shaking up the Mario Party formula. This board gave players the option of chasing one of three chests, each of which contained a bomb, coins, or a Star. This sense of unpredictability made obtaining Stars even more stressful, and the Switch’s diverse locations would look stunning.