Featured Article Summary #273

Mario Party: Star Rush is a 2016 party video game for the Nintendo 3DS, made by NDcube and published by Nintendo. It is the fourth handheld entry in the Mario Party series and the second one released on the 3DS, coming out in Europe, Australia, and Japan in October 2016 and in North America in November. The game changes the usual Mario Party style by moving to a dice-rolling system where players travel simultaneously on non-linear, grid-like boards instead of using the series’ older turn-based format. Like other games in the series, it focuses on multiplayer competition, with up to four characters working toward the goal of winning the most Stars through various minigames. Sales were modest, with over 88,000 copies sold, and reviews were mixed: some people liked the new direction and the removal of the car-based gameplay from Mario Party 9 and 10, while others criticized repetitive modes and the limited number of boards and minigames. It was later followed in 2017 by Mario Party: The Top 100, a minigame compilation for the 3DS. Mario Party: Star Rush is a multiplayer party game where up to four Mario characters compete on board games with minigames. Players roll dice, move on non-linear grid boards at the same time, and gain coins and Stars by winning minigames and boss battles; they also level up via a “Party Level” that unlocks extra characters and modes. The game includes modes like Toad Scramble, Coinathlon, Mario Shuffle, Balloon Bash, Rhythm Recital, Challenge Tower, and Boo’s Block Party, with minigames that range from skill-based to luck-based. It supports local multiplayer through Download Play and a free “Party Guest” app, and it can use Amiibo to unlock and gain in-game advantages. Nintendo revealed Mario Party: Star Rush on June 14, 2016, during E3 2016 coverage, with more details and gameplay shown in a trailer the next day. The game changes the series’ usual turn-based style by using simultaneous movement to make play faster on the go, a shift reviewers praised for creating more hectic action and new strategy options. Developed by NDcube and published by Nintendo for the 3DS, it released from October to November 2016 across different regions and launched with seven new Amiibo figures. Mario Party: Star Rush received mixed reviews from critics, with Metacritic calling them “mixed or average.” Some praised the revamped gameplay—especially removing the old car mechanic, faster board movement, better strategic dice-movement, and easier local multiplayer—while others criticized certain modes and aspects like limited content and luck-heavy gameplay. Reviews were split on the game modes: Coinathlon was a standout for some but seen as repetitive by others, Mario Shuffle was widely questioned, and Rhythm Recital drew criticism for its lack of settings and mismatched audio. Minigames were generally liked, especially the boss challenges, but some reviewers felt there were too few overall (53 minigames versus Island Tours’ 81), leading to concerns that the game offered less variety than past entries. In Japan, Mario Party: Star Rush sold over 26,000 copies in its first week and ranked #2, behind Battlefield 1. This was a drop compared to Mario Party 10 and Mario Party: Island Tour, which sold more in their debut weeks, and by December 16, 2016, Star Rush had sold over 88,000 copies in Japan.