Super Mario Party Has An Online Mode, But It's Just For Minigames

Published: June 15, 2018 2:22 PM /

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super mario party nintendo direct e3 2018

Nintendo's upcoming Switch entry to the Mario Party franchise, Super Mario Party, will be getting an online multiplayer mode...but there's a catch: the online mode is just for minigames.

This news was revealed during Nintendo's Treehouse: Live presentation, where the game was demonstrated. The online mode will be called "Online Mario-Thon" (it's a pun on a marathon, just in case), and it sees players competing in five randomly selected minigames in order to get a high score.

Online Mario-Thon isn't the first time Nintendo has flirted with a "just the minigames" Mario Party mode. Way back in the mists of the GameCube era, Mario Party 5 had a "Minigame Decathalon" mode, which involved players competing in 10 random minigames in a similar fashion to Online Mario-Thon. The Switch iteration, obviously, has a few extra bells and whistles, including an online leaderboard and a ranking system which promises "rewards" for participation.

Although all Mario Party games have had local multiplayer since the first installment, Super Mario Party will be the first in its series to include online play. Perhaps it's natural that Nintendo would want to be cautious - after all, nobody wants a session of Mario Party interrupted by frequent disconnects or lag. Those games can go on pretty long as it is.

Super Mario Party is the latest installment in the Mario Party franchise. It's in development for the Switch and was announced during Nintendo's E3 Direct presentation on Tuesday. The game will contain 80 new minigames, many of which will take advantage of the Joy-Con controller's motion sensor capabilities. The game looks to continue the tradition of Mario Party board game shenanigans, albeit with some new additions. We'll know more about the game in the coming weeks and months, so be sure to stay with TechRaptor as we unveil more about Super Mario Party.

If you missed the Super Mario Party announcement, or you're looking to get caught up with E3 2018, check out TechRaptor's coverage hub here.

Are you looking forward to Super Mario Party? Any minigames you'd like to see return? Let us know in the comments below!

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Joe has been writing for TechRaptor for five years, and in those five years has learned a lot about the gaming industry and its foibles. He’s originally an… More about Joseph