In last weekend’s demo, Mario Strikers revealed its strengths as a spectacular arcade game. However, problems with the technology dampened the joy somewhat.
Mario Strikers: Battle League Football is about to be released. The latest arcade football game from Nintendo will be released on 10 June. In preparation for this, the Japanese publisher has released a time-limited demo last weekend.
With the “First Kick”, gamers were able to try on one of the Mario Strikers online modes during certain time periods last weekend. This caused great joy, but also a frown or two.
Chaos on the football field
The 2-against-2 online mode was available. Each player chooses two characters from a selection of familiar Mario universe characters. So on the pitch it’s a 4-against-4, during a match you can freely switch between the characters on your team.
What sounds like a fairly straightforward game situation quickly turns out to be chaotic fireworks. The small playing field is filled with action in no time. Various tackles and offensive utility items à la Mario Kart make it difficult to stay on the ball for more than two seconds. A hectic back and forth with fancy effects ensues, making it difficult to keep track at first.
Of course, this is part of the concept in Mario games. Unfortunately, the cold start was nevertheless marked by excessive demands. Does this extravagance leave enough space and time for skilful ball play? Our first impression of the training mode showed that there are indeed complex game systems behind the beginner-friendly façade. This impression was also confirmed in the online game.
At first, it seemed almost impossible to execute manual passes, dribblings or shot fakes in the fast games. But after a period of familiarisation, moves could be executed better and better. In the last games during the test phase, intelligent pass sequences, targeted defensive work and precise shots into the corner were successful. Even when everything is exploding around Mario, he sometimes gets to the overhead kick.
Technique as a stumbling block
The game’s technology, however, clouded our impression a little. The frame rate on the Nintendo Switch regularly collapsed. However, smooth gameplay is necessary in such a fast-paced game in order to keep track. This was not the case throughout the demo.
Furthermore, we encountered problems with the online infrastructure. Again and again, there were difficulties connecting with other players or finding games. Game crashes due to a lost connection also occurred. However, these problems can still be solved before the release.
Even if Mario Strikers: Battle League Football seems a bit chaotic at first, the latest football game is already a lot of fun in the demo and leaves a good overall impression. If Nintendo and developer Next Level Games fix the technical problems, there shouldn’t be much standing in the way of a possible hit.
