Get ready to compete in this fast-paced take on soccer.
Mario Strikers: Battle League will be released on Nintendo Switch on June 10, 2022. Ahead of the game’s release, SuperParent had the chance to learn more about the game at a recent presentation.
Mario Strikers: Battle League will allow players to compete in a 5-on-5 soccer-inspired game called “Strike” that’s played in arenas with electric fences. During each game, players will be challenged to score points by knocking the ball into the opposing team’s goal. Teams are composed of characters from the Super Mario video game franchise.
Many of the rules of a traditional soccer game don’t apply here. For one, players can tackle their opponents to try to knock the ball away from them. They can also “tackle” their own teammates to give them a boost forward. Finally, players can use items like shells to mess with their opponents.
Up to eight people in the same room can compete in matches on a single Switch system. In an eight-player match, four real people will compete on each team (the two goalies are controlled by the game, which we’ll talk about more in a bit).
Before the beginning of each match, players can choose the characters they want on their team, as well as the opponent’s team, if they’re not playing against other real people. The game will allow players to choose from multiple playable characters, including Mario, Peach, Donkey Kong, Luigi, and Toad, among others. Each character will have different stats related to skills such as “Speed,” “Shooting,” and “Technique.” Each character also has a special “Hyper Strike” move that can be used to send a powerful shot toward the opponent’s goal.
When there are less real people playing the game than there are characters on the field, the game will automatically give players control over the character that currently has the ball. For instance, in a single-player game, the player will be able to control every “regular” character on their team, with the controls automatically switching to the player on their team that currently has the ball. In other words, players will be able to pass the ball to themselves and will automatically take control of whoever has the ball in real time.
While players can control the “regular” players on the field, the goalie duties are handled by Boom-Boom, who is generally controlled by the game. However, players can impact Boom-Boom’s actions in a couple of ways. First, when a character takes a Hyper Strike shot, the defending player may temporarily receive control of Boom-Boom and will be able to quickly press a button in an attempt to block the shot.
In addition, when Boom-Boom has control of the ball, players can help decide which character he’ll pass it to.
As players complete matches, they’ll earn coins that they can use to purchase gear items that will affect the stats of the game’s playable characters.
Rather than providing only positive changes, gear items will positively affect one stat while negatively impacting another. As an example, the “Chain Helmet” will increase Mario’s passing skill by two points while also decreasing his speed by two points. Players will need to decide which gear items they want to equip based on the stats that will be affected. Players can also choose to not use gear items at all.
In addition to single-player and local multiplayer modes, Mario Strikers: Battle League will offer online multiplayer gameplay. Solo players will be able to compete against other players online. Plus, two players in the same room will be able to compete against other teams of two players online.
Finally, Mario Strikers: Battle League will feature an online Strikers Club mode that will allow players to create a Club or join a Club that can have up to 20 players. Clubs will be able to compete against one another to earn points that affect their rankings.
A Club’s owner will also be able to customize their Club’s uniform and stadium. During a Club match, the stadium will be vertically split in half across the center of the field so that the two sides of the stadium will represent the two competing Clubs.
Mario Strikers: Battle League will be released on Switch on June 10, 2022 for $59.99. The game is rated E10+ for Everyone 10+ by the ESRB.
Is your family excited to play Mario Strikers: Battle League? Let us know on Twitter at @superparenthq.
Brandy Berthelson has been writing about video games and technology since 2006, with her work appearing on sites including AOL Games, Digital Spy, and Adweek. When she’s not gaming, Brandy enjoys crafting, baking, and traveling with her husband.
