Platform: Nintendo Switch
Let’s face it – professional football isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Watching 22 millionaires kick a ball around for 90 minutes and only seeing the occasional goal can be a lacklustre way to spend an afternoon. But what if half the players were lizards, dinosaurs, or anthropomorphic toadstools? And what if chomping down on a mushroom mid-match could give a burst of superspeed?
Thankfully, Nintendo had the same though – and so a certain plumber and his pals arrive with a football game fun enough to appeal to both life-long season ticket holders and anyone less enamoured by the so-called “beautiful game”. Like most of Mario’s athletic endeavours, Mario Strikers: Battle League takes a liberal approach with its adaptation of the sport, cutting the full team size to present a colourful, hyperkinetic take on five-a-side, with rapid matches packed with power-ups, charged shots, and nigh-unstoppable Hyper Strikes.
While the smaller teams make matches easier to follow amidst the melee, the basic structure is similar enough to FIFA, albeit stripped back – movement, passing, tacking, and shooting at goal are all simple enough for total beginners to pick up, but with enough tweaks to the footy formula to keep things interesting for more proficient players. For instance, while a basic tap of the shoot button will see whoever has the ball make an attempt at a goal, such a feeble effort is unlikely to make it past the keeper. Instead, a flick of the L-stick as you shoot can change the strike’s direction and may be more likely to score, while holding down A before shooting charges the shot – though it also leaves your striker open to a tackle.
Timing is everything in Battle League. Tapping the pass button again right as the ball is received volleys it immediately to another player, or tapping shoot will see the receiver immediately try for a goal, flummoxing the opposing team with speed. Similarly, releasing the charge button at the precise apex of a shot or tackle boosts their power further – get the timing perfect on a tackle, and you’ll stun the opponent a second or two longer, enough time to make a crucial difference to a match.
Impressively, the power-ups – a collection of familiar items drawn principally from Mario Kart, thrown onto the pitch by supporters – don’t massively unbalance matches. Even the familiar invulnerability star isn’t the game-changer one might expect, offering only a few seconds of power (thankfully, there’s no blue shell). There’s also a brilliant degree of chaos to unleash, as items have to be used in the order they’re acquired rather than saved tactically. If you have a Bob-omb in your inventory first, someone’s getting blown up before you can use whatever’s in slot two.
Fun, accessible, and offers an entertaining twist on the real world sport.
The real MVP, though, is the hyper orb, which can be collected by either team and unlocks the aforementioned Hyper Strikes. Again, timing is crucial – get everything lined up perfectly though, and you’ll unleash a cannonball of a shot that blasts right past the keeper. They’re so impressive, they’re worth two goals. Even then, Hyper Strikes don’t feel overpowered – it’s all too easy to get the timing wrong, so pulling one off successfully really does feel earned.
There’s also plenty of customisation for players, with unlockable gear allowing you to tweak characters’ stats. There’s some clever balance here – every character’s stats always add up to 63, so if you were to boost Peach’s strength to the point she can slide tackle Bowser, her stats in other categories will be cut to compensate. Building the perfectly rounded team is arguably more tactical than Battle League’s matches themselves are.
Unfortunately, that’s about all there is to Strikers’ gameplay. Whether dipping into a quick solo match, playing through elimination cups – generally themed around playing against teams that specialise in one attribute or another, challenging players to think about their own play style to overcome rivals – or in online club matches, there’s little variance in how the game plays. It even lacks the variety of Mario Kart’s courses, as despite the cool visual of the pitch being constructed of two different worlds smashed together, these combo realms have no impact on play.
Unlike Mario’s many other dabbles with sporting or racing fame, Strikers isn’t quite as fun to play single player, either. While taking in a round of Mario Golf or a set or two of Mario Tennis can be fun to dive into solo, Strikers’ is really best enjoyed in multiplayer, either locally or using the online Strikers Club mode. This is the series’ biggest update in the 15 years since the last Mario Strikers game, allowing players to create their own club and customise just about everything from kit to stadium, with club members choosing a preferred character for some permanent presence. It’s a great addition for those who are going to spend a lot of time on the game, but its benefits aren’t as tangible for solo or casual players.
Still, as a package, it’s hard to dislike Mario Strikers: Battle League. It’s fun, accessible, and offers an entertaining twist on the real world sport, yet packs in enough football ‘feel’ to please hardcore fans. A kick-around everyone can enjoy.