Part 4 — Super Mario Strikers

The Nintendo Gamecube – the little purple prism that could…or couldn’t. While the system’s middling performance was a rough patch for The Big N, many young gamers grew up cherishing its library of games. But do they hold up today? Join Anthony on his quest to find out as he reviews every GameCube title offered on Switch 2’s Nintendo Classics service.

And now with part four, we arrive at the inevitable: a game I’ve not touched before. Thankfully, Mario Strikers is not an alien experience for yours truly — while I’d not previously played the original nor the series’ latest in Mario Strikers: Battle League for Switch, I did put some time in the Wii sequel Mario Strikers Charged, so the concept’s certainly familiar. As seen above, this soccer-themed Mario spin-off double downs on the extreme, and by “extreme”, I mean X-T-R-E-M-E: abrasive visuals, sound, and personalities clash on the playing fields; a far cry from the wholesome merriment typically found in the Mushroom Kingdom.

True to its name, Super Mario Strikers is certainly a striking chapter in the plumber’s long history. In a clear attempt to cast away the “too kiddy” stigma haunting the GameCube era, Nintendo tasked developer Next Level Games – already well-versed in gritty, stylistic sports games such as Sega Soccer Slam – to alchemize a similar concoction for their family-friendly mascots. The results speak for themselves: the cover art alone is an artistic feat of adrenaline in its maelstrom of rough lines and neon effects, raw energy crackling forth from the normally cheery Mario as he’s primed to deliver the winning shot.

Obviously, the in-game graphics aren’t as stylized: new duds aside, the plain Jane character models bear little difference from other 2000’s Mario spin-offs, let alone impress with their effects in today’s day and age. Yet the energy’s translated into the gameplay proper: Super Mario Strikers is appropriately cutthroat, Mario and his former camaraderie hashing it out in the dirt as they dribble, juggle, and hustle the ball about. And that’s when they’re not tackling each other into the dirt. Not that Mario sports couldn’t be fiercely competitive – any Mario Tennis fan could tell you that – but it’s never felt this visceral.

Easy to learn, hard to master: such is the creed that has not only defined Mario but Nintendo’s general library, and Super Mario Strikers adheres to that iron-clad rule at its most instinctual level. However, this is arguably to its own detriment – Super Mario Strikers is concerned only with presenting a compelling core rather than offering a complete package. Make no mistake: it’s still a rousing good time, but its long-term appeal depends entirely on how you click with it.

Super Mario Strikers is a contest of mind-games – be it the computer or a fellow human player, both four-man teams’ assortment of kicks and passes all work in tandem to earn points. The Kremling goalies are master interceptors that’ll rebuff any head-on shots, so strategies must be made on the fly to overtake them. Be it back-and-forth kicks baiting them away or clever lob shots exploiting their blind spots, squeaking past their defenses is a well-earned triumph – especially when the game highlights your winning kick in riveting slo-mo.

Naturally, with your opponents hot on your tail, even the best-laid plans can immediately go to ruin. Super Mario Strikers’ casual appeal stems from how matches quickly descend into chaos, from Mario Kart-esque items – Koopa shells, banana peels, the works – that can bomb anyone’s day to spontaneous Bowser attacks wreaking havoc on the field. (Revenge for being uninvited, perhaps?) Even should the dribbler weave their way through the chaos, it takes but one well-timed tackle into an electric fence to have their plans go up into smoke. The ensuing screams are nothing less than games’ peak source of comedy; namely Peach, who unleashes a banshee shriek straight from the bowels of hell.

Of course, if you just want a straight-up game of soccer, you’re free to turn off its more random variables. But who’d want to? It’s this gut-busting anarchy that predicates the game’s unpredictability; one I imagine has crafted countless unforgettable multiplayer memories. As opposed to its fellow 2005 contemporary in the miserable Shadow the Hedgehog, Super Mario Strikers’ so-called “edginess” never violates the spirit of its home franchise purely by value of having fun with the concept. Oh yes, the cast may jaunt and jeer, but as displayed by Daisy stealing the show with her full-throated exuberance, it’s all for the love of the game.

It’s this delicate balance — this push and pull between chaos and skill – that brings Super Mario Strikers to life. Take the Super Strikes: charged-up finishers that, with the right timing, unleash character-bespoke fireworks that rocket the ball into the goal. They’re tough to pull off, especially on higher difficulties – you can’t just waffle around aiming for that sweet spot while everyone’s trying to tackle you. And unless you time it just right, chances are the goalie will intercept it. Satisfying as it may be, it’s often safer (and smarter) to outwit the opposing team with tried-and-true soccer tactics.

Were Mario Tennis not in contention, I’d daresay it’s the Mario sports game at its most technical. I confess I’m not the best at it, often fumbling on anything higher than Rookie difficulty. Thankfully, the Strikers 101 page does a great job in teaching players the basics, with the accompanying practice feature letting us test new tricks at our leisure. Still, I can’t help but notice yet we’re given little differentiation between the captain types: “Playmaker” and “Aggressive” leave their respective strengths and weaknesses to anyone’s guess – let alone the lack of attributes for the sidekicks – until actual play is conducted.

Alas, having never played the original prior, I am ill-equipped to give a verdict on input lag. Being a hyper-responsive venture ala F-Zero GX and Soulcalibur II, it’s likely that muscle memory may well trip up veterans. I can imagine the timed Super Strike charges being particularly troublesome, although I wouldn’t know if they were difficult to pull off on original hardware. Regardless, as a newcomer I found it perfectly playable, so your mileage may vary.

So, strong core game, good push and pull, and an ample supply of pandemonium. Super Mario Strikers gets the fundamentals right, but what about everything else? Well, therein lies the problem: there’s not much else. The game is merely content in offering the bare essentials, with its basic selection of vs. matches and tournaments presenting little differentiation with additional league battles and knockout brackets. There are no side-modes offering creative spins on the concept; no conveyer belt of unlockables to keep the player invested. You come to simply play Super Mario Strikers; nothing more, nothing less.

Even on its own terms, it’s slim pickings. The roster is small, offering eight captains and four sidekicks – all pulling from the series proper. (Barring one original character; an unlockable. I shan’t reveal their identity, but let’s just say I was unexpectedly thrown back to an era of looser control with the Mario IP) The seven courses are featureless, featuring the same gritty, uninspired settings that borrow little from Mario itself. Music is largely absent, gracing our ears with nothing but the din of the crowd and the Mario gang’s familiar soundscape of yelps, growls and catchphrases.

This being Next Level Games’ first rodeo with the Mario IP, it’s inevitable that missteps are made. Some creative choices fare better than others: one could defend the musical de-emphasis as a stylistic choice; the same courtesy cannot be extended to the game’s sterile menu. Seriously, look at that thing. These static menus are devoid of personality, never drawing from the new identity Super Mario Strikers carves for itself nor from the source material it derives from. It is akin to a cheap nick.com flash game rather than a full-price video game, promising little of that signature Mario polish.

Is that an indictment on Super Mario Strikers as a whole? Mario Tennis and Mario Golf had the right idea in offering a healthy selection of mini-games and modes on top of a strong foundation – necessary deviations meant to serve as a cool down when we’re coming off cutthroat matches. In contrast Super Mario Strikers has a similarly strong center but presents no compelling feedback loop to build upon it, concerned only with its laser-focused rough-and-tumble. A perfect recipe for early burnout.

As I understand it, this is an ongoing problem with Mario Strikers: the recent Battle League was also criticized for a bare-bones constitution and Charged was only a marginal improvement in this area. (Come to think of it, I fell off that one quickly too, but it’s been an age.) Is this a statement on the realities of game development, or a sign of confidence in its concept? Some say that simplicity is Super Mario Strikers’ strength – enough to triumph over its two sequels, even – and I hardly begrudge that opinion: the game’s spin on soccer burns brightly in its adrenaline rush, laughter abound amidst its erratic back-and-forth.

Yet for me, the embers fade quickly in the face of one truth: the Mario sports outing must be as inviting as it is plentiful, and we’re essentially left with a proof-of-concept rough draft than a full-fledged classic. A younger me may certainly have enjoyed it, but could my attention have lasted when Mario Kart DS – a stellar example of this creed — was lying right there? Likely not. Super Mario Strikers plays a good game, but it doesn’t quite make that winning shot.

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