The easy analogue for Mario Strikers: Battle League is found somewhere between its cousin franchises, Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart.
There’s the usual lineup of Mario characters — starting with Mario, Luigi, Toad, Peach, Donkey Kong, Bowser, Rosalina, Wario, Waluigi and Yoshi — who knock each other over and put destructive items like banana peels and turtle shells in each other’s path.
But the better comparison for Mario Strikers: Battle League is actually NHLPA Hockey ’93 on the Sega Genesis. Or, if you want to go more old school, Ice Hockey on the old Nintendo Entertainment System.
Mario Strikers: Battle League for the Nintendo Switch
At its heart, it’s a pass, shoot and score game. Everything else is just decoration and devastation. (If you’ve lined up a one-timer with Mario Lemieux on the old Sega hockey game, this will be a nostalgic experience.)
Among the decorations? Arena backgrounds resembling different landscapes from the Mario universe and animated “hyper strikes” unique to each character.
Among the devastation? Electric fences that immobilize a player, the same type of destructive items that are found in Mario Kart, and slide tackles (the effectiveness of which depend a lot on whether you’re controlling Bowser or Waluigi).
Players who can successfully avoid collisions, bombs and anything else that can knock characters off their feet will find enough room to share the ball and create scoring opportunities. The real thrill of the game comes through precision passing and shooting.
It’s a simple game in concept, but avoiding all that devastation is quite difficult — especially when playing against more experienced, higher-caliber players.
My family first tried the game about a month after its June 10 release, and my son — despite beating me soundly in almost every game — reported feeling about two months behind in online competition.
Other Mario Strikers game notes:
- Add-on characters, like Shy Guy and Daisy, and play-enhancing gear can be earned through gameplay.
- Up to eight players can play at the same time, so if you have enough joy cons and/or consoles, you can involve a lot of friends and family.
- The game retails for $59.99 for a digital download or physical copy.