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* this article is translated from ign us related content, the original author is logan plant, the translation is zoe, and the editor is kamui ye. reproduction without authorization is prohibited.

when you're at a party, there are a few things you can quickly look at to decide whether you want to stay or leave. who's there? what's the vibe like? what's going on? i made a similar assessment during my first playthrough of the latest mario party game, and after about an hour of playing super mario party: extraordinary, i can guarantee you that i'll probably be partying until the day is up.

that's gratifying, because mario party has been a shaky past since nintendo-owned developer nintendo cube (formerly ndcube) took over the series more than a decade ago, shoving four players into a car and pitting them against a giant bowser that can use the wii u gamepad, and developing a few mediocre 3ds games that tried to innovate on the mario party formula, but ultimately didn't work.

but since they launched super mario party in 2018, things have gradually become more optimistic. that game no longer limited us to driving, but took us back to the origins of the game. they are undoubtedly moving in the right direction. then, nintendo cube took advantage of the opportunity and launched mario party superstar in 2021, which selected many excellent mini-games from past works and brought players back to the glorious history of this series in the n64 and ngc era.

now, this series is preparing to combine all the experience of "super mario" and "superstar" to create an ultimate carnival party. based on my current experience, "super mario party all-time big bang" is likely to become the best authentic "mario party" work in fifteen years.

first of all, the guest list for this party has been finalized. "unprecedented event" will have 22 playable characters (this is what we know so far), which is already the largest cast of characters in the series. all the old acquaintances have returned. for many years, donkey kong, toad and toad pico have usually played the role of staff in the "mario party" series, or only existed in the additional mode of mini-games, but now they will all participate in the party in person.

newcomers pauline and ninji also brightened up the party, and personally, i was happy to see the return of my beloved shy ghost and had no hesitation in choosing him when i first played "all-time gala".

our party planners were also very tasteful in their choice of locations. i played several games on mega wiggler's tree party, one of seven maps in mario party, a sunny forest-themed map with a large flower in the center that would spin around and lead players to specific areas, unlocking shortcuts to stars. this mechanic perfectly combines the luck and strategy of mario party, and you can try to plan your next moves to ensure you get to the star first, but this process is bound to get complicated.

i had a blast playing classic mario party on a brand new map for the first time since mario party 8 and mario party ds were released in 2007. stars still cost twenty coins to buy, and there were no character-specific dice like in super mario party (a mechanic that players often complained about as breaking the game's balance).

the maps in super mario party are also pretty big, which is cool because the maps in super mario party were so small that you could barely play more than ten rounds in them, but here you seem to be able to play them to your heart's content, and i've heard that you can play them for thirty rounds if you want.

during my first round, i passed by an item shop where i could buy something from the slow turtle. while browsing the merchandise, i noticed some new items, such as the shop hop box, which takes you to a random shop, which would be fun if these shops offered powerful items like the gold pipe later in the game. in addition, the mechanics of map-specific items have returned, such as the flower bell, which allows you to change the direction of the giant flower sleeping in the center of the map.

thanks to some good luck rolling a high number and buying strategic items like the double dice, i got my first star on my second turn. however, i found that unlike previous mario party games, there was no character selling me these stars. instead, it felt like i was completing the transaction through a self-service checkout. although i may be nitpicking, this change may not be very satisfactory to some die-hard mario party fans.

another detail that only veterans of the mario party series will notice is that the interface has been revamped as characters explore the map. instead of having your character rankings occupy the four corners of the screen, your coins, stars, and item inventory are neatly displayed at the bottom of the screen, so you can clearly see who's next and how long it will take until the next mini-game.

the sticker function in "superstar" has also returned, and its ui has been changed to be more reasonable. it will not affect the players' mutual ridicule, nor will it block important information on the screen, such as when a player is about to buy a star.

a mario party game would be soulless without its plentiful mini-games, and so far i've been impressed by every one i've played. for example, "sawing a steak together" is a fun 2v2 mini-game where i have to work with a partner to saw a steak in half. i don't know why the mario party series has become famous for having delicious steaks, but i'm glad it's back.

the best new mini-game i played, however, was sandwich, which was reminiscent of the hole book from mario party 4, where players stand in a picnic basket and must frequently jump to avoid being squashed by falling sandwiches until a winner is determined. i barely made it to second place, but i was eager to play another round right away.

meanwhile, mario party 6's rock escape returns, and i had to run (or float, given that i was playing as a shy ghost?) as fast as i could to escape a giant rolling rock, which was very indiana jones-like. as with the seven maps in all-time grand event, it's interesting to see how the series can combine old and new elements through the choice of specific mini-games. because while the new mini-games have plenty of opportunities to shine, let's face it, they just can't replace the classics.

while we didn't make it through the entire game, i did get to experience a few standout moments, like encountering another shy ghost who helped me steal coins from my opponents, or stepping on a space that would have moved buttercup, causing a chestnut baby to slip past me and take the next star.

later, i decided to say goodbye to the shy ghost and played as the baby li, and also experienced the new 20-player online multiplayer mode added to the unprecedented event. nintendo has been working hard on the online function of the unprecedented event. in fact, they did bundle the purchase of this game with a three-month membership of nintendo switch online.

the first mode i tried was koopathlon, which pits you against 19 other players to see who can run five laps around a long track first. right now i can only race against three other players and 16 npcs, but once unprecedented events is officially launched, you'll have the opportunity to compete against 19 real players.

how well you progress through the track is determined by how many coins you collect in the single-player mini-games that everyone has to play, and these include collecting as many coins as possible on a sandy track, a bread-baking challenge that required me to watch over several pastries and get them out of the oven before they burn, and a whack-a-mole contest that required me to bash monty the mole while avoiding the bomber. i had a blast, and the track was displayed in real time on the right side of the screen so i could see how i stacked up against the other competitors.

after three rounds of mini-games, we faced off against bowser in the final showdown, where everyone had to survive as long as possible or risk falling behind. seeing my baby kurosaurus running for his life on a collapsing bridge surrounded by lava, with bowser in hot pursuit, was a thrilling and unforgettable sight, and it reminded me of the atmosphere of ngc-era mario party, when losing bowser's mini-games could have thrown you off the track. koopathlon is a lot of fun, but i honestly wouldn't choose it over the classic mario party experience, or any of the many other online competitive games.

bomb squad is the cooperative mode in all-time extravaganza, and it was the last one i tried. twenty players must work together to load bombs into the cannon and then bomb the "giant bowser" that is wandering around and trying to be godzilla. at the end of each round, everyone also has to play a cooperative mini-game to get power-ups for the next round against bowser.

the buffs include increasing the maximum number of bombs a player can carry, or placing speed pads on the map so that players can reach and leave the cannon more quickly. there's nothing wrong with the design of cooperative mini-games, such as a tower defense mini-game where everyone must work together to defend a gate and block bombers from bombing from all directions. but i don't play mario party for cooperation, but like everyone else, i play it for friendship.

it took us about fifteen minutes to defeat bowser, which i felt was a bit long. given the many different ways to play super mario party: extravaganza, i'm not sure i'd want to replay this mode again. and while it's satisfying to finally defeat bowser, it doesn't compare to the thrill of beating your opponent in a minigame or being the first to buy a star on a map.

apart from the 20-player multiplayer mode that didn't leave a deep impression on me, mario party extravaganza has great potential to revive the classic gameplay of this series. after superstar returned to the classic design of the series and achieved success, i have been looking forward to the next new work to continue the glory of the series' past classic works.

so far, i’ve experienced all kinds of fun in this game, such as rolling dice, buying stars, and betraying friends. all these experiences have convinced me that this game has fully understood the real needs of long-term fans of mario party. although i have only tried a dozen mini-games in the huge game lineup of all-time gala, i have never forgotten them, and i am happy to see some classic mini-games return to shine with the new games.

now we'll have to wait and see whether the rest of the gameplay design can avoid the many bells and whistles that have plagued the series in recent years, but for now, i'm optimistic that all-time gala is the invitation to the party i've been waiting for.