Back in the early 2000s, Nintendo seemed eager to capitalize on the success of Mario Tennis and Golf’s N64 debuts by not only developing GameCube sequels for both of them, but allowing third-party studios to create their own Mushroom Kingdom-inspired takes on these beloved sports. In addition to Mario Superstar Baseball from Namco in 2005, Next Level Games got the distinction of releasing the final Mario game on the GameCube in North America that same year with Super Mario Strikers, a soccer-like title that felt surprisingly edgy for Nintendo at the time as players were encouraged to tackle their opponents into the electrified walls surrounding the stadiums. Two years later, its sequel Mario Strikers Charged kicked off the next generation of Mario sports titles on the Wii, which introduced online multiplayer and motion controls while still retaining the over-the-top atmosphere of its predecessor. Fifteen years later, Next Level Games is launching their first title as a Nintendo-owned developer with a return to Mario Strikers on Switch, as Battle League puts a much stronger focus on online competition and unlockable gear to change the stats of your teammates. Despite technical issues while playing online and a lackluster amount of modes, the core gameplay of Mario Strikers: Battle League remains as fast-paced and strategic as ever while being bolstered by a charming presentation.

Mario Strikers: Battle League pits two teams of five, consisting of four teammates from the game’s ten member roster as well as an AI-controlled goalie, against one another in a game of Strike, a soccer-adjacent sport that not only welcomes but promotes the usage of items like banana peels and bombs, as well as unrestricted tackling, although players who abuse this feature will end up rewarding their opponent with more items. Randomized item boxes are now thrown onto the field by the crowd, with rainbow boxes that can be picked up by either team and color-coded boxes that can only be used by one squad. In addition to traditional soccer moves like ground and lob passes, sprinting and chargeable shots and tackles, Hyper Strikes make their return but with some restrictions, as one of your teammates must now collect a randomly appearing Hyper Orb in order to unlock this move for their entire team. This ability will run out after twenty seconds, however, inspiring brief moments of chaos as you try to return the ball to the opposing half of the field and clear enough space around you to complete the timing-based minigame before an opponent disrupts it. Only perfectly-timed Hyper Strikes are guaranteed to result in a score, as the opposing player must button mash to attempt to reject the flashy goal attempt, but even successful Hyper Strikes only result in two points, ensuring that neither team can gain a substantial lead.

Much like in past entries, Battle League strongly encourages cooperation with your teammates by speeding up sequential shots and passes that are performed immediately after a prior pass from your allies. This precise timing can take a little getting used to, but it feels satisfying to pull off and is an essential part of trying to gain the upper hand on the surprisingly effective goalies, who are more likely to be stunned or pushed back if the shot attempt is coming at them at a higher speed. Since the ball can (and inevitably will) collide with other players and items, an over-reliance on passing can also make it easier for the opposing team to regain possession, making aerial lob passes all the more beneficial. Battle League also introduces some more advanced mechanics for skilled players, such as dodges that, when timed correctly to avoid a tackle, will grand an additional speed boost, and team tackles that can be used to send a companion flying in a given direction in the hopes of knocking out an opponent or simply positioning them in a more opportune spot. Shots and tackles can now also be canceled mid-move to readjust to a changed situation, and players can also free-aim passes to place the ball in a specific spot, with all of the above moves being covered thoroughly in the training mode as well as a browsable Game Guide.

All of these new and returning mechanics may make Battle League seem harder to pick up and play than other Mario sports titles, but the relatively-simple controls ensure that players of any skill level can make shots on goal and effectively defend without relying on the more advanced abilities. The standard length four minute matches always seem to fly by quickly, and the mid-game cinematics initiated by Hyper Strikes or successful goals do little to break up the fast-paced nature of the gameplay, since most of them are brief and easily skippable. Matches that end in a tie will seamlessly transition into a two minute overtime period, giving both sides one last chance to score and secure victory or end in a draw. While blowouts are certainly possible, most of the games we played tended to end with close scores, regularly going down to the wire as both teams strive to achieve a comeback or maintain their lead. These intense finishes combined with the frenetic gameplay with room to strategize make most matches a blast to play whether against AI or other humans.

Each character on the roster has a ranking of up to 25 points for each of five different categories: strength, speed, shooting, passing and technique, with the last of the five affecting shot accuracy and Hyper Strike timing. These stats are modifiable through cosmetic gear that can be purchased with in-game currency that is bestowed for finishing matches and tournaments. While the gear does add flair to your team’s appearance and ultimately does prove useful on the field as characters with higher strength can simply avoid being tackled by weaker opponents, every single piece offers an equal amount of benefits and disadvantages, which makes each unlocked piece feel less rewarding than expected. With substantial coin drops being given simply for completing training and accessing the gear menu, it won’t take most players long to purchase a full roster’s worth of gear, making this new aspect of the gameplay easy to forget about after the opening hours.

In addition to quick battles that can be played locally with eight players or online with four, Battle League’s two main offerings come in the form of Cup Battles and Striker Clubs. Cup Battles can be played solo or with up to four players as four teams compete in a double elimination tournament, rewarding the victor with a trophy and plenty of coins. Teams that lose twice can buy back into the tournament, keeping their earned victories so far while reducing the potential total payout. Each of the starting five cups focuses on AI teams that specialize in one of the different stat categories, with an additional cup and difficulty to unlock.  The normal tournaments don’t offer much of a challenge as standard AI opponents are more than happy to give you plenty of space to pull off Hyper Strikes, but the harder difficulty does a better job of keeping players on their toes.

Meanwhile, Strikers Club allows up to twenty players a chance to collectively earn bolts for their created club by completing matches, which the owner can funnel towards customizing their stadium and outfits. Each week will alternate between an offseason and an ongoing season, the latter of which will grant participants points based on their performance in matches and the collective point total determining whether the club rises or falls in the ranks. The long-term nature of this mode prevented us from fully experiencing it, but if the rewards and/or the journey of rising through the ranks feel substantial enough, it wouldn’t be hard to see Strikers Club keeping the most dedicated Mario Strikers fans satisfied for a long time.

Strikers Club’s heavy reliance on online matches could prove worrisome, as the technical performance when playing Battle League is not as solid as it should be. During our time with the game, there were no mid-match disconnects, and finding new opponents was quick, but once the matches started, the minor amount of input lag and slowdowns make the core gameplay feel off when compared to the offline matches. The online matches are still playable by most standards, and players who spend a substantial amount of time online will likely be able to look past these shortcomings. But the fact that these issues are as easy to spot as they are is a clear knock against the central mode, and one can hope that future updates will improve the stability to be more in line with the Switch’s better online multiplayer experiences.

Outside of the above technical issues, Battle League runs smoothly with almost no other issues thanks to quick load times and a solid framerate, outside of a few select cinematics. Fortunately, these cutscenes, while repetitive in the long run, are amusing at first, as each character has their own introductions, Hyper Strike sequences and post-goal reactions that highlight the wide range of personalities in the Mushroom Kingdom. These expressive animations can be found mid-match as well, as Wario’s cheating tendencies lead to him straight up carrying the ball instead of dribbling it, while Donkey Kong’s aggressive tackles can lead to him falling flat on his face if they don’t connect with another player. On the downside, the stadium designs and soundtrack isn’t as inspired, as each of the five field halves feel largely similar to one another outside of their lighting, and the background music consists of generic rock and a few twists on some classic themes that are neat at first but ultimately forgettable.

Closing Comments:

Mario Strikers: Battle League is the most stylized and chaotic Mario sports game to date, with quick, intense matches that reward strategic and aggressive playstyles. Next Level Games’ adoration for each member of the roster shines through both mid-game and during cinematics, making each contest a joy to play and watch, even with the minor but apparent online issues and the modes and unlockable gear not being deep enough to justify the full-priced title. Longtime Mario Strikers fans will get a kick out of the refined and engaging gameplay, while casual soccer fans and first-time players won’t need long to understand the compelling mayhem of the Mushroom Kingdom’s take on soccer.