When you attend a party, you only need to observe a few things to quickly decide whether to stay for a long time or leave early. For example, who is attending? What’s the atmosphere like? What fun activities are there? When I first experienced the latest installment of Mario Party, I made a similar assessment. After playing Super Mario Party: Unprecedented Gathering for about an hour, I can guarantee that I will probably party until I’m completely exhausted.

This brings me comfort, as ever since Nintendo's developer Nintendo Cube (formerly NDcube) took over the series' planning more than a decade ago, the quality of Mario Party has been unstable. They forcefully shoved four players into one car, pitting everyone against a giant Bowser using the Wii U GamePad. They also developed some mediocre 3DS entries in the series, trying to innovate the traditional Mario Party formula, but the results were minimal.

However, since the release of Super Mario Party in 2018, things have started to look up. That game abandoned the driving mechanic and returned to the roots of the series, a clear step in the right direction. Shortly after, Nintendo Cube followed up with Mario Party Superstars in 2021, featuring many great mini-games from previous titles, bringing players back to the golden days of the series on the N64 and GameCube.

Now, this series is combining everything learned from Super Mario and Superstars into one ultimate party. From my current experience, Super Mario Party: Unprecedented Gathering could very well be the best Mario Party game in the past 15 years.

First, the guest list for this party is finalized. Unprecedented Gathering will feature 22 playable characters (as far as we know), making it the largest roster in series history. Familiar faces return: for years, Donkey Kong, Toad, and Toadette have served as staff in the Mario Party series or were only present in mini-games, but now they’re joining the party themselves.

Newcomers Pauline and Ninji brighten the party even more. Personally, I’m thrilled to see my beloved Shy Guy back, and I had no hesitation in choosing him during my first playthrough of Unprecedented Gathering.

The party's venue choices are also quite refined. Unprecedented Gathering features seven maps, and I played several rounds on the sunlit forest-themed “Mega Wiggler’s Tree Party.” In the center, a massive Wiggler spins players into different sections of the map, unlocking shortcuts to stars, combining luck and strategy perfectly. You can try to plan your next moves to ensure you reach the stars first, but things are bound to get tricky.

For the first time since the release of Mario Party 8 and Mario Party DS in 2007, I had the chance to experience classic Mario Party gameplay on a new map, and it was truly enjoyable. Stars still cost 20 coins, and there’s no character-specific dice design that was often criticized for breaking the game balance in Super Mario Party.

Moreover, the maps in Unprecedented Gathering are quite large, making the experience even more exciting. Unlike Super Mario Party, where the small maps limited play to ten rounds, here, it seems you can play much longer on these maps, and I’ve heard you can play for up to 30 rounds if you wish.

During my first turn, I passed a shop and bought some items from Koopa. While browsing, I noticed some new items, like the “Shop Hop Box,” which transports you to a random shop. If these shops sell powerful items like the “Golden Pipe” later in the game, it will surely add a lot of fun. Additionally, map-exclusive items have returned, such as the “Wiggler Bell,” which changes the direction of the giant Wiggler in the center of the map.

Thanks to my lucky high dice roll and strategic items like the double dice, I snagged the first star in the second round. However, unlike previous Mario Party games where a character would sell you the star, I felt like I completed the transaction via self-checkout. Although this might seem nitpicky, such changes could disappoint some hardcore Mario Party fans.

Veteran Mario Party players will also notice a subtle detail: the UI has been revamped when characters explore the map. The ranking is no longer in the four corners of the screen; your coins, stars, and inventory are neatly arranged at the bottom. This way, you can easily see who goes next and how many mini-games remain until the next round.

The sticker feature from Superstars returns, and the UI has been refined to neither obstruct player taunts nor block important information, like when a player is about to purchase a star.

Without a plethora of mini-games, a Mario Party game loses its soul. So far, every mini-game I’ve played has left a deep impression. For example, “Sawing the Steak” is a fun 2v2 mini-game where you and your partner must saw a steak in half. I don’t know why the Mario Party series is known for its steaks, but I’m glad they’re back.

However, the best new mini-game I experienced was “Sandwich,” which reminds me of “Booksquirm” from Mario Party 4. Players stand in a picnic basket and must jump around to avoid being squashed by falling sandwiches until only one winner remains. Although I barely managed to get second place, I immediately wanted to play again.

Meanwhile, the mini-game “Boulder Escape” from Mario Party 6 also makes a return. I found myself running (or should I say floating, as I was playing as Shy Guy?) for my life from a giant boulder, giving off strong Indiana Jones vibes. Like the seven maps in Unprecedented Gathering, it’s fun to see the series combine new and old elements through specific mini-game choices. Although the new mini-games shine, let’s face it: they can’t replace the classics.

Though we didn’t finish the entire game, I experienced some memorable moments, like encountering another Shy Guy who helped steal coins from my opponents, or stepping on a space that moved Wiggler, causing Goomba to steal the next star right in front of my eyes.

Later, I said goodbye to Shy Guy and switched to Goomba. I also tried Unprecedented Gathering's new 20-player online multiplayer mode. Nintendo has been working hard on online features for this game and has even bundled a three-month Nintendo Switch Online membership with the purchase.

The first mode I tried was “Koopathlon,” where you compete against 19 other players to see who can run five laps around a long track first. For now, I could only race against three other players and sixteen NPCs, but once the game launches, you’ll be able to race against 19 real players.

Your progress on the track depends on the number of coins you collect in solo mini-games during the race. Everyone must participate in mini-games, like collecting as many coins as possible on a sandy track or a baking challenge where I had to keep an eye on multiple pastries to prevent them from burning. There was also a Whack-a-Mole game where I had to hit Monty Mole while avoiding Bob-ombs. It was all very enjoyable, and a live display on the right side of the screen showed my ranking against other competitors.

After three rounds of mini-games, we faced the final boss, Bowser. Everyone had to survive as long as possible, or risk falling far behind. Watching my Goomba run frantically across a collapsing bridge surrounded by lava with Bowser in hot pursuit was thrilling, reminding me of the old Mario Party vibes from the GameCube days, where losing a Bowser mini-game often meant being thrown off the course.

 “Koopathlon” was fun, but honestly, I wouldn’t choose it over the classic Mario Party experience or other competitive online games.

“Bomb Squad” was the last mode I tried in Unprecedented Gathering, and it’s a cooperative mode. 20 players must work together to load bombs into a cannon and blast Bowser, who roams around acting like Godzilla. At the end of each round, everyone plays a cooperative mini-game to earn power-ups for the next round against Bowser.

These power-ups include increasing the number of bombs players can carry or placing speed pads on the map to help players reach or leave the cannon faster. The mini-game designs themselves were fine, like a tower defense game where players had to protect a gate from waves of Bob-ombs. But I don’t play Mario Party to cooperate; like everyone else, I play to ruin friendships.

It took about 15 minutes to defeat Bowser, which felt a bit long. Considering the many gameplay options in Super Mario Party: Unprecedented Gathering, I’m not sure I’ll revisit this mode often. Although beating Bowser was satisfying, it didn’t compare to the excitement of beating your opponents in mini-games or being the first to buy a star on the map.

Apart from the 20-player online mode that didn’t leave much of an impression, Super Mario Party: Unprecedented Gathering has great potential to restore the series' classic gameplay. After Superstars brought back the classic designs and succeeded, I’ve been eagerly waiting for the next installment to continue the glory of past games.

So far, I’ve experienced all the joys of rolling dice, buying stars, and betraying friends, and these experiences reassure me that this game understands the true needs of long-time Mario Party fans. Although I’ve only scratched the surface of the game's vast collection of mini-games, what I’ve played has left a lasting impression. I’m also pleased to see some classic mini-games return to shine alongside new ones.

Perhaps the Mario Party series has been around long enough to become a tradition, like meeting up with old friends after years of being apart. There’s a special joy in rolling dice, competing for stars, and leaving the results up to luck. Super Mario Party: Unprecedented Gathering embodies this joy more than any other installment in the past decade. I can’t wait for this game to come out and join the party.