For the first time in more than a decade, Mario returns to the court. Mario Strikers: Battle League, a revival of Nintendo’s long-dormant soccer series, arrives on the Nintendo Switch on Friday. Nintendo not provided my box with an early copy of the game for reviews. We experience it and its pressure cycle along with the rest of you.
At the moment Mario Strikers: Battle League is sits at 75 on Metacritic, the review-gathering site, indicating reception is widespread. Most reviewers agree that it offers some solid soccer game mechanics. They also say it certainly brings back the antics of the original games and serves as a patently ridiculous – and more entertaining – antithesis to them certain other football series. but fight league has been criticized for its lack of engaging single player modes and conspicuously missing some key characters that have been part of the series since its heyday in the mid-2000s (Sorry Daisy fans).
my box will make up his own mind Mario Strikers: Battle League early enough. Meanwhile, critics say the following:
“[Battle League] presents itself more like a Mario Kart as something like that Mario Golf: Super Rush. In other words, there’s no underlying story or portrayal of its campaign or world. It’s a colorful series of short, roughly four-minute matches of 5-on-5 soccer. If you wish, the game’s unforgettable robot mascot offers you a tutorial. But other than that, you just start the game and get straight onto the field. Unfortunately, if you want to know more about the characters or how to intercept a Lob Pass, the game hides additional information in a guide that is only accessible between games. Unlike many sports games and many sequels, really, striker avoids the ethos of more.” – Ana Diaz
“This Strikers episode isn’t without character – every now and then I’ll see Wario resolutely carrying the football around under his arm like the big con man he is, or watch another celebration of the really weird Waluigi dancing, and I’m left with a giggle. The ability to simply Hyper Strike when an opponent slides in to stop you is immensely satisfying. And there’s already a suggestion that the game will receive a series of post-launch updates that will be followed by more characters. But even with those, and even with the weekly Strikers Club taking off, it’s hard to compare the slim pack of modes currently on offer to anything like this rocket leaguethe other non-football soccer game, then consider the MSRP of Nintendo’s signature boxed switch game and still recommend Battle League for a quick kickabout.” – Tom Phillips
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IGN (8/10)
“Mario Strikers: Battle League is part skillful soccer game, part ruthless brawler, and almost always an absolute blast to play. If you’ve played games in the series before, you won’t be in for many surprises, and the small selection of characters and game modes is definitely disappointing, but what’s there is incredibly fun and replayable. I’m also impressed with the online mode in the time I’ve had so far as it sets the stage for a ranked playlist that I’m looking forward to grinding my way to the top.” – Travis Northup
“Honestly, Mario Strikers: Battle League is a bit of a thin experience overall. No story campaign, just 10 playable characters, six items (including the completely broken Mario Invincibility Star, which might as well amount to a free target), and a few other weird design options that feel hollow enough to leave an empty echo, if you tap them. …I just wish the zest for life had carried over into the gameplay of Mario Striker, which is essentially an average football arcade game with a few Nintendo-branded bells and whistles. I think I had fun at times, but I suspect deep down that I would have felt a lot less charitable about the whole thing had I paid full selling price for it.” – Joel Franey
“Mario Strikers: Battle League can be mechanically the most dense Mario Sports game I played. Mushroom Kingdom’s latest soccer spin takes the sport seriously, allowing you to juggle passes, attack, dodge and break moves as the situation demands, even before you factor in its unique stupidity Mario turns. That makes for a high skill cap that could potentially give the game longevity, but its potential is held back by the fact that there just isn’t that much to do.” —Steve Watts
“As far as modes and content go, Mario Striker is a little light, depending on how many people you have available. … In the modern era of bells and whistles, season passes, and hyper-progression, it will feel easy for many potential players and refreshingly easy/non-exploiting for others. But it goes beyond this discussion. Even in the context of “old-school arcade action,” the overall lack of unlockables (especially early on) is notable. Similar to switch sportsyou really have to keep that in mind striker is a multiplayer game first, whether local or online.” – Chris Carter
“Mario Strikers: Battle League may not be the ultimate take on the world’s most popular sport, but its strategic matches, fun online modes, and high-energy animations make for an entertaining experience. While the single-player crowd might find the game a little lacking, Nintendo’s return to the field is bound to induce the same triumphant highs and amicable lows that the company’s suite of other party titles is known for.” – Alex Stadnik
That’s not to say Mario Strikers: Battle League is destined to disappoint. For fans who have been waiting for more than a decade, the lack of content (only 10 characters!) can certainly be a bit disappointing. But Nintendo recently confirmed game informant However, adding more Mushroom Kingdom paragons to the list as free DLC hasn’t made it clear who’s coming or when they’ll be joining. Fingers crossed for Daisy!
