Review: Super Mario Party Jamboree Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV Is Perfectly Fine

We’re in a bit of an odd position with Super Mario Party Jamboree Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV. Since the base game came out on the Switch, we know what to expect from most of it. It’s a solid experience with an interesting approach to single-player that involves us helping “set up” boards for actual game sessions. This updated version, available on its own or via a $20 Upgrade Pack, includes new content, technical improvements, and support for new features only present on the Switch 2. It’s still a great game, but someone who plans to primarily play with folks locally could probably just stick with the original Switch version. 

The original Super Mario Party Jamboree had a number of modes, with Mario Party being the basic one, Minigame Bay letting you focus on minigames only, Party-Planner Trek letting you explore the boards in a single-player experience to fulfill objectives, face bosses, and play minigames, Bowser Challenges for a group, and Motion Island for motion-based games. The major new content changes here involve Jamboree TV being added. That lets you play Mario Party with Frenzy and Tag Team rules, Free Play minigames including new Switch ones, a CameraPlay motion-based game called Bowser Live, and the Carnival Coaster cooperative mode that involves motion and mouse-controls. Of those new modes, only Mario Party with the additional modes and minigames and Free Play are available online.

To start, the base game features are great. I agree with Cody who, in our past review, gave it an 8 out of 10 possible points. There’s a lot to the game. It’s fun with friends. The nature of Party-Planner Trek means it is fun alone as well. It’s incredibly responsive and looks great on the Switch 2 both in handheld mode and when docked. 

I thought Super Mario Party Jamboree Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV also worked wonderfully when playing online. GameChat is smooth and clear. The other player’s video feed was very well-defined and easy to see. There was no lag, which is important with minigames that prioritize precision. Even when using mouse-based ones, such as a 2v2 mission involving scooting Goombas into goals. I will admit that I was disheartened to see only Mario Party and Free Play supported online multiplayer.

In terms of the new Mario Party mode rules, both seem to add to the experience in potentially positive ways. I spent the most time in Tag Team, which involves 2v2 teams facing off. Stars and coins are shared between each pair, and there is a Together Dice that lets you join up at the same spot, roll together, and potentially get double the rewards. This proved incredibly frustrating on the Rainbow Galleria board. The other team managed to pass the coin-stealing Boo on their Together Dice turn, getting them to steal almost 40 coins from my team, then also passed a Star and getting to purchase two at that point since they had enough coins. Frenzy Rules makes the game last only five turns and start with a Star, one Double Dice, and 50 coins each to go through as quickly as possible. I could see Tag Team being great for families or folks with kids, while Frenzy Rules could be fantastic for quicker experiences. 

As for those minigames, I will say that Super Mario Party Jamboree Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV ends up being a good showcase for what the Switch 2 Joy-Con 2 mouse functionality can look like due to the diversity regarding what’s in there. While the actual actions can be simple, such forcing Goombas into nets for points, plucking Bob-ombs out of one hot air balloon basket into another, placing dominos, or drawing nets across spaces to catch Cheep Cheeps while avoiding Porcupuffers, the fact that they work so well in such quick, dire situations, even over the internet, says a lot about the execution. Now, I haven’t seen every new minigame, but the ones I have make sense, show off the hardware, and sometimes are even quite fun. Now that I know exactly how it works, I’d even say I’m most impressed by the one involving working with another player to place dominos to trigger a reaction before the other team of two. 

I would say Bowser Live feels like the biggest “gimmick” mode in Super Mario Party Jamboree Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV. As someone leaving in a situation where being too loud isn’t ideal, I’m not a fan of the screaming element. The camera-based motion controls did register my actions correctly, which speaks to Nintendo’s technology in a positive way. I could see that becoming a favorite for kids. The amount of actions and yelling seems like something children under 12 would really get into, given exactly how silly it even got when I was playing with… well, two other people decidedly older than 12. 

Meanwhile, I consider the Super Mario Party Jamboree Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV Carnival Coaster superfluous. It’s an on-rails experience in which up to four people play together to use the Joy-Con 2 mouse to shoot enemies, then occasionally play cooperative minigames. How well you do, both in terms of shooting down enemies and completing minigames, determines how much time you get. There are a few coaster backdrops and the camera will display everyone’s facial expressions while playing, but I honestly don’t see myself playing it again.

I will also say the GameShare feature works quite well in Super Mario Party Jamboree Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV. This works with both other Switch 2 consoles and original Switch models, though someone with a Switch standard or OLED model or Switch Lite wouldn’t get access to every minigame. It feels competent and, again, I didn’t notice any lag when I tested it.

Super Mario Party Jamboree remains a solid game, and I feel like Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV is a natural pick-up for families. If someone is in a home with multiple players who own both Switch or Switch 2 systems, it could be great for game nights. However, if you’re going to go with one Switch or Switch 2 system for a group session or plan to play only online, I think you might be fine sticking with the original game.

Super Mario Party Jamboree Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV debuts on July 24, 2025, and the original Super Mario Party Jamboree is available on the Switch now.