Review: Super Mario Party Jamboree Nintendo Switch 2 Edition

Super Mario Party Jamboree’s Switch 2 Edition arrives as a surprise to the 2024 release, adding to the Nintendo Switch 2’s launch window lineup and providing families who love multiplayer chaos a few meaningful extras without reinventing the wheel.

I reviewed Super Mario Party Jamboree in November so will focus more on the Switch 2 components this time around.

Nintendo Switch 2 Version

The headline addition is Jamboree TV: a new mode that adds about twenty minigames and audience-style challenges that make use of Nintendo Switch 2 features such as mouse-style Joy-Con input, the microphone and optional camera support.

These minigames and shorter rule sets are a bit of a mix bag; played most of it with my wife and kid and we appreciate the co-op mode and the 5 round option but found the camera games to be very gimmicky with little satisfaction.

My six-year-old struggled with the new mechanics and while a bit of practice or a bit of white-collar Mirosoft Office work would improve his mouse skills, it just didn’t feel worth the effort.

It’s cute to have a camera tracking your face on screen but never strays out of the realm of nice to have. I appreciate innovation but I can’t justify the investment. I’ve read that some webcams also work, unfortunately mine did not.

Gameplay stays true to the base game’s strengths: crisp minigame design, easy-to-pick controls and a pleasing mix of skill and randomness.

Minigame variety remains the star attraction, and the additions expand that roster without diluting quality. We have a few favourites we go back to, mostly to manage my kid’s expectations if he is on a bit of a losing streak.

The Switch 2 Edition initially exposed notable missed opportunity which soured the experience somewhat. Nintendo confined technical and visual upgrades largely to Jamboree TV while leaving most of the base game boards, several side modes and single-player offerings, largely unchanged.

The result is two distinct experiences in one package: a polished, next-gen showcase and an unchanged, still-excellent base game. Nintendo recently released a patch which increases the resolution of the base game.

Graphically, the new mode is the standout: crisper textures and smoother presentation where it matters. The base boards retain their vibrant, cartoony charm but do not receive the same level of polish, which highlights the inconsistency between modes. Performance improvements are most noticeable in Jamboree TV rather than across the entire title.

On value, context matters. Buying the Switch 2 Edition gives you both halves and is a reasonable proposition because the new content genuinely extends playtime.

But for existing owners the R360 upgrade pack adds appealing content without reworking the whole game, so it’s worth is tied to how much you care about the new modes.

In short: it’s a sensible DLC-style expansion rather than a sweeping upgrade. First time buyers who aren’t upgrading can expect to pay R1 529 on the Nintendo eshop or R 1799 for physical.