Both Super Mario Party and Mario Party Superstars offer online play, allowing players to enjoy various modes and minigames with friends or players from around the world.
Super Mario Party Online Features
Released in 2018, Super Mario Party was the first main series Mario Party game on the Nintendo Switch to introduce online functionality. Its primary online offering is the Online Mariothon mode.
- Online Mariothon: This is an online-only mode specifically designed for minigame competitions. Players can jump into a series of five random minigames to compete for the highest score.
- Worldwide Match: Connect with random players from across the globe.
- Friend Match: Create a private lobby to play exclusively with invited friends.
- Limited Online Scope: While Super Mario Party does have online capabilities, it's important to note that the main board game modes are not playable online. Online play is limited to the Mariothon minigame mode.
Mario Party Superstars Online Features
Mario Party Superstars, released in 2021, significantly expanded upon the online features found in its predecessor. This title offers a much more comprehensive online experience.
- Full Online Play: Unlike Super Mario Party, Mario Party Superstars allows players to enjoy the full board game experience online. This means you can play complete Mario Party rounds, including moving around the board, collecting stars, and participating in all minigames, with players globally or locally.
- Extensive Minigame Selection: The game includes 100 classic minigames from previous Mario Party titles, all of which are playable online.
- Flexibility: Players can choose to play online in various ways:
- With Friends: Easily invite friends to private matches for either board games or minigame modes.
- With Random Players: Join public lobbies to compete against players worldwide.
- Suspend Play: The game also includes a useful feature that allows players to save and suspend online matches, a convenience for longer board game sessions.
Comparing Online Capabilities
Here's a quick comparison of the online features in Super Mario Party and Mario Party Superstars:
| Feature | Super Mario Party | Mario Party Superstars |
|---|---|---|
| Main Online Mode | Online Mariothon | Full Board Game and Minigame Play |
| Online Board Games | No | Yes |
| Online Minigames | Yes (Mariothon mode only) | Yes (All 100 minigames, can be played standalone or within board games) |
| Match Types | Worldwide Match, Friend Match | Worldwide Match, Friend Match |
| Overall Online Experience | Limited to competitive minigame sets | Comprehensive, allows for full party fun |
For players looking for a complete online Mario Party experience that mirrors local multiplayer, Mario Party Superstars is the more robust option. However, Super Mario Party still offers a fun way to quickly jump into online minigame action.
