Master
As someone who's been playing Mario Party games since the N64 days, I've seen this franchise evolve through countless iterations, and I've got to say—Mario Party Jamboree truly masters the art of quantity. When Nintendo announced this would be the biggest installment yet with 22 playable characters and 112 minigames, I'll admit I was skeptical. Bigger doesn't always mean better in party games, but after spending dozens of hours with Jamboree, I've come to appreciate how this entry manages to turn sheer volume into a genuine strength rather than just a marketing bullet point.
The character roster deserves special attention because it's where Jamboree's philosophy becomes most apparent. Having 22 characters means you're rarely stuck playing as someone you don't enjoy, and the variety keeps matches feeling fresh even after multiple sessions. I've found myself rotating through at least eight different characters regularly, which is something I rarely did in previous titles where the selection felt more limited. That said, there's one inclusion that continues to bother me—Bowser. Now don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed playing as Bowser since his SNES appearances, but his presence here creates this awkward narrative situation where we now have to deal with "Imposter Bowser" throughout all the maps and modes. It feels like the developers painted themselves into a corner creatively. The purple-lined, PlayStation symbol-surrounded imposter just comes across as unnecessary when they could have either removed Bowser from the roster entirely or introduced a new villain altogether. After about 15 hours of gameplay, I'm still not used to seeing this knockoff version haunting the boards.
Where the game truly shines is in its minigame collection. Having 112 minigames means you're rarely repeating the same activities back-to-back, which was a common complaint in earlier Mario Party titles. I've counted at least 34 genuinely excellent minigames that I hope become series staples, another 45 that are solid if unremarkable, and maybe 15 that I actively dislike—which isn't bad considering the overall quantity. The variety ensures that different skill sets get highlighted throughout a match, preventing any single player from dominating consistently. This balancing act is where Jamboree demonstrates its mastery of the party game formula—it understands that chaos needs structure and that variety must serve purpose rather than just exist for its own sake.
What surprised me most about Jamboree's approach to quantity is how it manages to maintain quality across such a vast content spread. In my experience, games with this much content often feel stretched thin, but here the developers have clearly established strong foundational mechanics that scale well regardless of which characters or minigames appear. The core board gameplay remains tight and engaging, serving as the constant thread that ties everything together. I've noticed that even when I encounter a minigame I don't particularly enjoy, the overall experience isn't derailed because there's always another one just around the corner. This creates a wonderful rhythm where no single element can make or break a session.
The online functionality deserves mention too—having access to all these characters and minigames translates beautifully to multiplayer sessions. I've hosted several online parties with friends across different time zones, and the sheer variety kept everyone engaged for hours. There's something magical about discovering new minigame combinations with friends, and Jamboree delivers these moments consistently. That said, I do wish Nintendo had implemented better matchmaking for competitive play—finding balanced matches can sometimes take longer than I'd like.
After extensive playtime, I've come to view Jamboree's quantity-focused approach as its greatest strength rather than just a selling point. The game masters the art of content curation by ensuring that even with 22 characters and 112 minigames, nothing feels tacked on or unnecessary (Bowser imposter aside). Each element serves the larger experience of creating unpredictable, entertaining party sessions. The developers understood that in a party game, variety isn't just the spice—it's the main course. While I still have my quibbles with certain design choices, I can confidently say that Mario Party Jamboree represents the series at its most ambitious and successful. It's the definitive Mario Party experience precisely because it isn't afraid to go big, proving that when handled with care, more can indeed be more.