Mario Strikers: Battle League Reviews

It’s been 15 years since Mario and friends last laced up their boots and decided to become football (or soccer) stars. For the initiated of the sport, back in those days, Italy were the world champions, Zinedine Zidane was famous for all the wrong reasons, and Ronaldo actually wanted to be at Manchester United. The serious second outing, Mario Strikers Charged received much less recognition than its GameCube predecessor, but that didn’t make it any worse of a game. On the contrary, it was...

Those who were starving for a new Mario Strikers game will likely get a lot of playtime out of Mario Strikers: Battle League despite its general lack of content, but those who need a little more meat on the bone will likely come away disappointed. The core gameplay is great, but there's not much to the game beyond that.

Mario Strikers: Battle League is a fun and chaotic experience let down by a lack of content and personality.

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.

We finally have a sequel to Mario Strikers Charged, but the Switch outing lacks content and interesting items to keep this soccer game engaging.

15 years after the release of Mario Strikers Charged, a new entry, Mario Strikers Battle League, makes it ways to Switch to offer fans more of a zany Mario-esque soccer game.

The criticisms leveled at Nintendo’s Switch-era sports games for being too barebones weren’t taken on board for Mario Strikers: Battle League, which somehow includes even fewer things to do than Mario Tennis Aces and Mario Golf: Super Rush. Like those games, Battle League’s core gameplay is fast-paced fun, but not fun enough to prevent it from being dramatically overshadowed by a complete lack of things to do.

Mario Strikers: Battle League presents a shockingly deep take on Soccer held up by some incredibly charming and expressive character animations. Sadly there’s not much to see outside of the core loop, and can quickly wear out its welcome as things start to feel too repetitive.

We tell you, it’s a good game! It’s not average! It might have some problems here and there, but you have to admit it is a “Good” game.

Mario Strikers: Battle League may be barebones, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun. More characters, customization options, and game modes could really help improve the game, but the package delivered on release still holds incredible replay value. It’s a game worth coming back to over and over again, whether with friends or by yourself. Over-the-top action and the stylized Mario look make Mario Strikers: Battle League one of the most fun sports game experiences, I just hope more is added soon so it doesn’t get stale after a few months.

Mario Strikers: Battle League is a game that’s carried mostly by its local multiplayer and gameplay. There was so much missed potential for this game to shine brighter than its predecessors. From the lack of single-player modes, content, and limitations to its online, it’s very tough to justify buying the game in its current state.

Mario Strikers: Battle League is a good soccer game. Its potential greatness is marred by its complexity. The soundtrack and art style offer enough to tempt gamers into trying it out, and if they can grok many nuanced gameplay systems, then this soccer game might have legs. Still, issues with scoring and collision detection hold this latest Mario sports game from being a champion.

“Mario Strikers: Battle League delivers the deepest Mario sports experience yet, with surprisingly nuanced soccer gameplay. There's just not much to do once you've mastered those skills.”

Mario Strikers Battle League see the series return for a third season after a lengthy layoff, following GameCube and Wii instalments. It reminds us Nintendo is the king of reimaging the world’s most popular sports into pickup and play multiplayer shenanigans — and this is a comeback we’ve been waiting for.

It's been 15 years but Mario and his chums are back on the field and they're ready to score some goals in Mario Strikers: Battle League.

While that's not necessarily a problem for those just looking for a good time, it does make me wonder why Mario Strikers: Battle League can't just invent its own sport and be done with it. The significant changes to design in terms of gameplay make it feel utterly unfamiliar to those who enjoy soccer, while it's adherence to some of the elements of soccer make it less ambitious than it could have been. In a lot of ways, Battle League feels like the blueprint for Nintendo to expand its sports offerings into its own inventions, rather than continuing to pair up its characters with an existing pastime. Mario Strikers: Battle League is a good game with fun to be had, but a lack of identity and some lackluster roster variety means its one that won't stand shoulder-to-shoulder with other greats in the Mario sports catalog.

The Mario range of sports titles have become a Nintendo staple over the years, but Mario Strikers, the series based on soccer (or “football”), has always remained one of the more underrated. Pitting your favourite Mario characters against one another in an aggressive game of 5v5, Mario Strikers: Battle League is the third time around for this particular brand of competitive sport, and the first since Mario Strikers Charged on the Wii way back in 2007. While the action here is furiously fu...

Soccer is considered by many the world's most beautiful game. There's an elegance to the way players pass, score, and celebrate during their time on the pitch. While Mario Strikers: Battle League may share foundational DNA with its real-world inspiration, it focuses more on brutality over beauty.

The Mario Strikers games have always stuck out amongst the plumber’s various athletic outings. While most Mario sports titles follow a tried-and-true formula – simple arcade action with a handful of somewhat superfluous Nintendo touches – Strikers offers dialed-up intensity and complexity served with a heaping dose of 2000s-era ‘tude and a rockin’ soundtrack. The franchise has been missing in action for 15 years, but the hiatus comes to an end this week with the release of Mario Strikers: Battle League and Canadian developer Next Level Games seems to be picking up right where they left off.

However, the biggest downside to Battle League is that there just isn't more to it, because we've seen that Next Level is capable of delivering more. Even if there are DLC characters coming down the road (Daisy fans, I hope you don't think I forgot about you), it won't fix the relatively low number of items, the gimmick-free stadiums, or the lack of substantial unlockables. This package could and should be so much better than what it is.

Next Level Games goes three-for-three on brilliant Mario soccer games, but at launch Battle League's content is thin on the ground.