Mario Strikers – Battle League Football Preview

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After 15 years, Mario and his friends are kicking the rounds into the squares again. In wild pre-matches we’ve had a lot of fun and see a lot of potential, but also fear big chaos.

All screenshots and video scenes are from GamersGlobal

It’s fascinating how good shape the ex-plumber Mario is. Hardly any sport was safe from him and his friends in the past. Be it Mario Tennis, Mario Golf, Mario Kart, Mario Superstar Baseball or even competing in the Olympics, the mustache man will do anything to stay in shape. In Super Mario Strikers in 2005 he even devoted himself to the Germans’ favorite sport and made the soccer field unsafe. However, after Mario Strikers Charged in 2007, he and his cronies seemed to have had enough, as there hasn’t been a new installment in the series since – until now.

Because on June 10, 2022, Mario Strikers – Battle League Football will be a fresh football title with the popular Nintendo license. It won’t be too serious again, there are no classic rules, whistle whistle for fouls or even the famous field-off. Rather, chaotic, colorful and fast fun should be in the foreground. Easy to learn, difficult to master is the motto.

I had the chance to play a few games on the pitch beforehand. During a visit to Nintendo in Frankfurt, I completed a large part of the training and then tested what I had learned in multiplayer matches and against the AI. You can find out my verdict after the final whistle in the following text or in the preview video with self-recorded scenes attached above.

In the training mode you get everything you need to know. Very useful and recommended.

Small teams, high speed

You compete in teams of five players each. The goalkeeper, Boom Boom, is controlled by the AI. In my experience so far, it does its job very well and saves a lot of balls, but not too many. He also keeps making minor mistakes, even on the highest difficulty level. It’s really annoying when I concede a goal because of it. But it also contributes to the fact that what is happening feels “realistic” and understandable.

The player field offers the typical Nintendo selection of heroes and anti-heroes. You can choose your favorite characters from the following ten characters: Mario, Peach, Luigi, Toad, Bowser, Rosalina, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Wario and Waluigi. So there should be someone for each of you, I think it’s particularly nice that Waluigi gets at least some love – after he was already locked out in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

As expected, the pace of the game is very high. Passes, crosses, and shots don’t require much preparation and fly in the right direction even when you’re barely looking at the goal or a teammate. You can also choose to aim or charge your shots and passes more precisely. Fast sequences à la pass, flank, shot on goal are also possible. You just have to be careful that opponents don’t catch you with a tackle or a sliding tackle. You can also avoid this with well-timed evasive maneuvers, which even grants a small speed boost if the timing is right.

Donkey Kong slightly missed the blue area on Hypershot, so he’s not necessarily going in.

Full pipe into the goal

In addition to the normal maneuvers on the field, you can still use the hyper shot. This special attack is only available for a limited time after you have collected an appropriate orb. But of course you have to be quick, because your opponents can also grab it. Then you still have to find an opportunity to charge the shot in the opponent’s half. If you’re interrupted, the chance is gone and you can’t try again until you next catch the orb.

But that’s not all, after successful execution you still have to hit the blue area in a bar below your player in a quick-time event. How big or small this is depends on the technique value of the respective figure. If you don’t hit it exactly, the goalkeeper may intercept it. Alternatively, you can do it yourself by wildly hammering on the A button. But what you see in any case are the wonderfully silly and charming animations that are typical for Nintendo. In addition, the respective hyper shots have their own abilities.

Peach, for example, can wrap the opposing goalie around her finger with her Hyper Shot, called Heart Dance. When he’s madly in love, it’s quite possible that he’ll let the next ball through. Luigi, on the other hand, unleashes a whirlwind tornado that blows other players across the field while the ball thunders towards the goal.

You can adjust many values ​​via the equipment and put together the perfect team.

A question of equipment

As previously mentioned, each character has a set of character stats. These are power, speed, shot, passing and technique and determine how fast you run, how powerful your shots are or how accurate your passes are. But if you really want to play with Toad now, but the little mushroom head is simply too weak for you, then you can use the equipment to remedy the situation.

In a corresponding menu you can re-dress your head, arms, torso and legs, which affects the status values. A slow but resilient Yoshi? No problem. Bowser supposed to be fast and weak? Who likes it! To unlock the items, however, you need coins that you earn by completing games. But other actions, such as the complete completion of the training mode, should follow you with the precious currency. According to Nintendo, grinding is not necessary.

Author: Dennis Hilla (GamersGlobal)

Opinion: Dennis Hilla

It’s fascinating that Nintendo delivers a guarantee of fun with every Mario sports game. Even such drowsy disciplines as golf become great fun. Mario Strikers – Battle Football League seems to be no exception from my first impressions. The games are fast, varied and, thanks to certain timing aspects and the equipment, also score points with a certain tactical component. This impact, which was unexpected for me, gives the game a depth that could provide long-term motivation, especially in online mode. But even if you play regularly with a regular group, there should be a lot of fun. Incidentally, up to eight players can gamble together on one console.

Actually, I only have two minor worries after my play date at Nintendo. On the one hand there is the question of the grinding aspect. Because you have to buy the equipment with in-game currency, which you earn by completing games. However, the press representatives assured me that there would be enough of them. In addition, the general chaos on the screen should initially seem overwhelming. However, I have already noticed how I have already found my way more and more with Battle League Football in my almost two hours.

In short, if you’re fans of fast multiplayer whizzes and can’t resist the typical Nintendo charm anyway, then you can mark June 10th in red on your calendar. And thanks to the absence of unnecessary rules such as offsides, fouls or other elements, you don’t have to be a connoisseur of the real sport either.

Mario Strikers – Battle League Football