Mario Strikers: Battle League is a wacky and surprisingly fun soccer game that will even appeal to non-sports fans. It can wear a bit thin if you play for too long at once, but the bizarre atmosphere and varied mechanics make Battle League one of the better Mario sports games.
Mario Strikers: Battle League
Developer: Next Level Games
Price: $60
Platform: Nintendo Switch (reviewed)
MonsterVine was provided with a Switch code for review
It would be an understatement to say that I’m not exactly a sports guy. I tried to watch and play pretty much every major sport there is, and none of them ever really grabbed me. Soccer was the most boring to me, but Mario tends to make even sports appealing for me, so I was down to give Mario Strikers: Battle League a go. I’d say it all worked out, as Battle League is actually pretty great considering the sport it’s based on.
The main way you’ll likely be playing is through the Cups, which are tournaments played by four-person teams of your choosing. You battle team after team in moderately short matches, with the goal of winning the coveted trophy at the end. There are quite a few cups to partake in, as well as online for the especially driven. Playing for too long can get a bit boring, but this might be because of my apathy toward regular soccer.
The best part of Battle League is the wanton violence you can partake in on the pitch. Unlike other soccer games, when someone takes the ball from you, you can smack them in the back of the head into an electric fence. It’s a bit weird to see all these happy, marketable Mario characters so angry and vengeful towards one another, but I love it.
“It adds an extra layer of chaos to an already frantic field and makes Battle League feel like less of a straightforward sports game and more of a fresh and exciting experience.“
You can use items in a way that is similar to something like Mario Kart. You break boxes on the field, then obtain things like shells and bob-ombs to whip out at any given time. It adds an extra layer of chaos to an already frantic field and makes Battle League feel like less of a straightforward sports game and more of a fresh and exciting experience. There’s even a moderately extensive gear system, which lets you equip your team with eclectic and sometimes comical technopunk outfits. They change your stats as well as your appearance and can be purchased with coins earned by playing. This extra bit of depth further solidifies Battle League as a somewhat deep sports game, despite the fact that it stars Mario and is as crazy as it gets.
Battle League looks great and has a snazzy art style that is used for special shots. It’s not as dark and grungy as previous Mario Strikers games, but it still has a bit of edge to it compared to the more happy-go-lucky atmosphere of other Mario games. The energetic tracks get you in the mood to wallop the ball and your friends, but it’s hardly surprising that a Mario game would have good music.
The Final Word
Mario Strikers: Battle League is weird and surprisingly fun sports title that combines strong mechanics with a unique atmosphere. If you aren’t a big sports person, it’s best played in bursts, but for a soccer game, it’s actually incredibly enjoyable.
MonsterVine Rating: 4 out of 5 – Good
Dirox
June 21, 2022 at 12:22 am
Mario Strikers has always been one of my favourite game on Gamecube and Wii. I really need to get my hands on this one ^^