Mario Strikers: Battle League

Genre: Sports (Soccer)

Players: 1-8 Team Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)

.

Review:

Mario Strikers: Battle League, released on Nintendo Switch in 2022, is the third game in Nintendo’s Mario Strikers series of Soccer games that started on the GameCube in 2005. As with the earlier games in the series, this game offers a cartoony, Mario-themed take on the sport that’s at least somewhat in line with other Mario Sports games.

Now, while the formula here is much in line with other Mario Sports games, the presentation is not, with this game offering a stylized, amped-up presentation using 3D graphics with frequent moments highlighted with an exaggerated “sketchy” style to give the game a larger-than-life feel. Even beyond this, the game features some very good visuals, with detailed textures, smooth framerates, and a stadium full of animated, detailed fans. This game looks absolutely great.

What’s more, this game sounds great too. Of course, you have the standard Mario characters’ brief voice clips, but the real surprise here is the fantastic metal-inspired soundtrack, that is absolutely phenomenal. Some of the highlights here are Main Menu, Training, Luigi’s Mansion Theme, and Rosalina’s Theme. Excellent stuff here.

When it comes to the gameplay, Mario Strikers: Battle League is a solid Arcadey take on the sport of Soccer. There are some deep mechanics here for those who want to dig for them, but the game is also reasonably accessible as well. However, I will add one caveat to that – anyone wanting to compete online had better practice up with the game before doing so, or you’ll likely get demolished by online players more skilled than you are. Also, be aware that much of the game seems to revolve around grabbing power-ups before the opponent, so make it a point to run for these as soon as you see them.

Otherwise, the flaws here are mainly a lack of variety. There are different players to choose from, and different stadiums that impressively mash together before each match, but aside from stat differences in the players and different appearances, everything is functionally the same. Playing on one field is no different than playing on any other, and you may find this character slower or that character better at shooting, but otherwise the two will play exactly the same.

Still, while its wild appearance may hide a somewhat monotonous experience underneath, that experience is a well-crafted one. Players looking for a great Soccer game on Nintendo Switch should find Mario Strikers: Battle League to be a superb choice with a great presentation and solid gameplay.

tl;dr – Mario Strikers: Battle League is a Soccer game starring Mario and friends that has a wild presentation, a fantastic metal-infused soundtrack, and solid gameplay. Underneath all the flash and substance is somewhat lacking variety, but other than that this is an excellent game of Soccer.

Grade: B

.

This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2022 Game Awards:

Winner:

Most Efficient Use of File Storage Space (3GB) – Given how slick and polished this game looks, the high quality of the visuals, and the style bursting out of every seam of the game, its 3GB file size seems outright tiny. Games that take up twice as much space often don’t look this good.

Runner-Up: Best Arcade / Party Game, Best Sports Game, Best Graphics

.

^{You can support eShopperReviews on Patreon! Please click HERE to become a Sponsor!}

^{This month’s sponsors are Andy Miller, Exlene, Homer Simpin, Johannes, Talissa, Eli Goodman, Francis Obst, Gabriel Coronado-Medina, Ilya Zverev, Kristoffer Wulff, and Seth Christenfeld. Thank you for helping to keep the reviews coming!}