Mario Party: Star Rush Critic Reviews

Mario Party: Star Rush is far and away the most fun I've ever had with a Mario Party game.

Mario Party Star Rush could be considered as a new start for the franchise, due to huge and deep changes in the gameplay. The turn based system is abandoned and makes room for a more dynamic and fun real time system. You can play up to four players and one copy of the game through the freeware software Party Guest, and multiplayer is really fun.

Mario Party returns to 3DS with Mario Party Star Rush. The game offers lots of fun to be had with friends due to various game modes and mini games. No more waiting for your turn either.

A fresh take on the series, with new mechanics that keep things quick and unpredictable. The level designs are perhaps a little bland compared to the older titles, but the mini-games, boss battles and additional challenges bring together an enjoyable little package that can quite easily be played solo, with solid multiplayer and an eShop download option for those with a single copy of the game.

With Mario Party: Star Rush the classic and static mechanics of the series finally changes (for the better!). Overall, it's a decent party game, and it's fun to play by yourself, too. Its weak points are a lack of minigames, which make the main mode boring after few hours, and some slow loading times.

Its gameplay is more adapted than ever to portable experience: the modes are fast-paced, and Party Guest lets us enjoy the full multiplayer with just one copy of the game. But it has too few minigames, and the game becomes repetitive quickly.

Mario Party: Star Rush is a fresh take on the Mario Party franchise. There’s a lot of familiarity here – many of the same Mario Party characters are re-used and none of the environments stood out as really unique compared to previous games – but even the most die-hard Mario Party fan will find something new here.

Mario Party Star Rush’s gameplay design is definitely played on the safe side.

Mario Party Star Rush may be a turning point for the franchise, fastening the game mechanics and letting players enjoy its minigames even in short bursts. Just don't think you can play it alone: its single player is still relatively disappointing, but all the rest is well done.

Mario Party: Star Rush is a little step ahead in the series. It still lacks in contents, but NDcube added a brand new pace in the game mechanics that would be useful in the future.

A strong package overall. It has a lot of smart ideas that will hopefully be used in future games, and there’s a good variety of modes to play with.

Quotation forthcoming.

It's inherently limited by the handheld format, but this is a smart reinvention of a faltering series.

Mario Party: Star Rush may not excel in many ways, but it addresses some complaints from past entries and delivers some harmless entertainment. We're not sure you should rush out to buy it, but it still shows that Mario and company can be stars of a party.

Randomness issues excepted, Star Rush brilliantly charged at the main flaw of Mario Party - the slow pace - thanks to a simultaneous turn, while adding some strategy along the way through the boards' architecture, allies and clever amiibo integration.

Mario Party: Star Rush displays the series' evolution within its standards. Adding a needed innovation in the form of free movement across the game boards, the latest installment of Mario Party brings its usual mix of multiplayer frenzy and competition for coins and stars. As before, this is not the most indicated game for those who stick with mostly solo experiences but anyone with a group of friends will not come out disappointed.

The board game was optimized for mobile gaming needs, but the fun factor of the minigames fluctuates quite a bit.

Mario Party: Star Rush tries to solve some of the series' problems without success, while leaving the turn based gameplay on the road.

Mario Party Star Rush is definitely a sibling to the classic Wii game Mario Party and although you do miss out on some of the fun that you have on a big screen TV, it’s still a very entertaining event with some enjoyable mini-games and quirky characters. Whether you’re playing solo or with other players, it’s one of those games that you wouldn’t play all the time but when you do, you’ll have a blast as you play against both real and virtual characters.

An enjoyable sign that Nintendo is still willing to experiment with the series. More importantly, it’s proof that the developer will go out of its way to accommodate those hoping to play with nearby friends, and that’s a noteworthy selling point for a notorious multiplayer title.