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Like other members of the Mario Sports family of games, Mario Strikers: Battle League favors fun over realism. To this end, it’s often triumphant in small doses, although can start to feel a little repetitive if played for more than an hour or so. Its best and worst features are finely balanced, though the overall lack of variety may well end up tipping the scales for some.
Love: Team Composition
Rather than choosing from pre-built squads like in FIFA or Pro Evo, Mario Strikers: Battle League has players build their own team of four for each and every match and tournament in which they participate. All of the playable characters have their own strengths and weaknesses, allowing players to tweak and tailor their team selection to best suit their style of play.
Players can opt for a team of speedsters so that they always get to items first or pack their defense with bruisers so that they’re able to bulldoze the opposition’s frontline whenever they’re on the attack. Most will probably opt for a more balanced team, but the ability to choose for oneself and the huge impact that team composition and gear selection can have on a match is undoubtedly one of the game’s biggest strengths.
Loathe: Team Selection
Experimenting to find the perfect team can be a lot of fun and finally finding one that works well can be incredibly satisfying too. Unfortunately, however, the process of actually selecting said team can be more than a little tedious, particularly as there is currently no way to save a team lineup for easy access the next time around.
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As well as having to select all four team members, players will also need to enable gear for each one separately. They’ll then need to select a kit color and a stadium, the latter of which is pretty much inconsequential due to the lack of variety. Doing this over and over again can be incredibly annoying, particularly since the solution to this problem is such a simple one.
Love: The Items
There isn’t all that much item variety in Mario Strikers: Battle League, but those which are included work incredibly well. The Green Shell introduces an element of chaos, for example, while the Mushroom can help a player break through the enemy’s backline or chase down an opposing player who’s bearing down on goal. It also introduces an additional strategic element and can help to even the odds when a team falls behind.
Much like how those who find themselves at the rear of the pack in some of the more recent Mario Kart games get better items, Mario Strikers: Battle League provides losing teams with extra pickups. What’s more, certain item drops are team-specific, and any team that’s two or more goals behind will also get a couple of items at each and every kick-off.
Loathe: The Lack of Item Switching
Just like Mario Kart 8, Mario Strikers: Battle League allows players to hold two items at any given time, with both games forcing players to use the first item before they can access the second. This isn’t a problem in Mario Kart 8 due to how often players run into item boxes as they make their way around the course. This isn’t always the case in Battle League, however, thanks in large to the aforementioned pity system.
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in addition to the losing team getting more item drops, the team that’s in the lead gets a lot fewer. As a result, players will struggle to get their hands on new items after going a couple of goals ahead and so having to waste an item in order to use another can be incredibly annoying. Again, the problem is made all the more frustrating by the simplicity of the fix.
Love: The Striking
The Mario Strikers games have never been about realism and that is once again the case with Mario Strikers: Battle League. However, that doesn’t mean that the controls aren’t still incredibly tight, with players given a surprising amount of control over both the direction and the power of their shots. To that end, the game certainly lives up to its name.
Also worthy of praise are the beautiful animations that play out when using a Hyper Strike. Each one is lovingly crafted and they’re all different enough to prevent them from losing their impact too quickly. The effects that each one has on players with whom they come into contact also provides another layer of strategy, which is very much welcome in a game with such a basic premise.
Loathe: The Lack of Variety
Though more will undoubtedly follow in future updates, the base version of Mario Strikers: Battle League is severely lacking in content. There aren’t nearly enough characters or stages for players to choose from, the completion rewards are lackluster, and a distinct lack of game modes leads to the whole thing feeling repetitive after only a few short matches. It’s nowhere near good enough and a huge slap in the face to those who paid full price to support the game at launch.
The Mario series is one of the longest-running video game franchises of all time and has seen countless releases over the years. With so many to choose from, that so few of the series’ iconic locations and characters made it into the base version of the game really does beggar belief. As a result, it kind of feels unfinished or like a DLC expansion for another Mario Sports game. New content needs to arrive quickly, and plenty of it, at that.
Mario Strikers: Battle League is available now for the Nintendo Switch.
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