Even Though it Adds Virtually little New, this Outrageous Soccer Brawl is Well-Oiled and Hilarious Fun.

You can’t ask for much more when you’re trying to outmaneuver your buddies and score a goal while participating in disturbing amounts of cartoon violence and no referee is in sight other than laughing with joy one minute and then screaming in wrath the next. Although very little has changed in the fifteen years since Nintendo released the final Mario Strikers, the concept of outrageous mayhem and intense competition still works astonishingly well.

Two teams of four players each compete to punt, smash, punch, or butt-stomp a soccer ball into the opposing team’s goal in Mario’s twisted version of the sport, which bears just the slightest similarity to the real-world sport it is based on. The idea is straightforward and easy to grasp in a couple of moments, but what’s astonishing is how challenging it can get as your ability and drive to succeed increase. You can become a master on the pitch by honing your power shots, understanding how to time your sidesteps, and finding out how to employ on-field item pickups to your greatest advantage.

You must master both the fundamentals of soccer, such as passing, shooting, tackling, and getting the ball, as well as the art of using goods and your character’s special skills and stats, in order to become a Battle League champion. Even if it’s hilarious to hurl a turtle shell in someone’s face, the fundamentals are still crucial for putting the ball in the basket. For instance, learning to dodge at precisely the right moment gives you a momentary extra speed after that, so although perfect timing when powering up your defensive plays or layups at the goaltender makes them more effective—both of which can be very useful in getting past your opponents’ defenses—makes them more effective.

You’ll be able to accomplish a lot inside the midst of this foot battle depending on the characters you’ve selected for your team. Toad, for instance, is quite quick, but you also need to fire up all of his tackles if you want any chance of being able to clear the ball of someone as strong as Bowser. On the other side, if you play as Donkey Kong, you’ll be a mouth machine but also a lot slower. You can even purchase equipment with the coins you’ve earned from playing to boost a character’s stats so they are stronger in the area you care about from the moment if they don’t feel exactly how you want them to.

Part brutal brawler, part skillful soccer game, Mario Strikers: Battle League is almost always a delight to play. There won’t be many surprises for you if you’ve played any of the series’ other games, and the lack of personalities and game types is undoubtedly disappointing. However, what is present is very enjoyable and replayable. The brief time spent with the online mode has also left an impression. It paves the way for a prioritized list that the players are eager to get to the top of.