Mario Strikers: Battle League

Battle League is a game with fantastic gameplay and a worrying lack of content. We’re sure there’s a lot of free content coming, but for now it’s a very barebone experience.

Funny kick for in between, that runs out of breath too quickly due to its disappointing scope.

Mario Strikers: Battle League Football is another competitive sporting spin-off for the moustachioed plumber that’s mechanical nuance is only marred by its lack of truly compelling content.

After almost 15 years, the Mario Strikers franchise has returned in a big way with Battle League Football, an engaging arcade football experience that shines in local play. It could benefit from additional characters and an expanded single player offering but for those looking for a super accessible yet enjoyable sports game to play with others, this will satisfy that role nicely.

Although Battle League falls short of old games when it comes to gameplay, possibility of playing online matches make up for this flaw.

Nintendo has delivered a sports game far too light on content with Battle League, missing an opportunity for a memorable series revival. Thankfully, the top-tier animations and chaotic gameplay make for a great time regardless.

What Mario Strikers: Battle League Football does extremely well, and differentiates from the rest of the Mario sports games, is build on its predecessors’ gameplay and provide a traditional, yet refreshingly deep experience, enough to entertain and challenge the players. However, the lack of available characters, the cosmetic-only use of fields and the unnecessary need to grind for coins takes back much of the enjoyment and deprives the title of the opportunity to have been a stellar sports title for the Nintendo Switch.

Mario Strikers: Battle League is a bare-bones experience that facilitates tense competition but leaves behind casual players. The limited selection of game modes, stadiums and characters further limits its potential, leaving the title with good gameplay but almost no interesting ways to engage with it. The hope is that Nintendo has more to add via DLC, but what, when and how is still a mystery. As with previous Nintendo sports titles, you're better off waiting for the additional content to make a more informed purchase decision. In its current state, Battle League is fun and great to play, but it's hardly worth the full price tag.

Another example of Nintendo giving the players a game that seems interesting on the outside but is kind of empty inside. Mario Strikers has some updates planned, but I really hope that the big N understands one day that a full price should mean a complete game. Still, I won't lie - Mario Strikers provides lots of fun, because its core gameplay is good.

Mario Strikers Battle League Football does not disappoint in its gameplay. The controls seem basic but they are extremely deep in reality. But the game has serious problems which are its lack of content and a big concern for clarity on the ground. Online gaming has also been botched.

Some will love the surprising amount of depth that Mario Strikers: Battle League Football offers, but those expecting something they can easily pick up and play perhaps won’t be as enamoured. It’s the lack of modes that’s the real kicker here, though. In addition to some other minor issues, it makes for a game that just doesn’t fulfil on its potential. Still, if you’re after a game that serves up a variation of football that is full of over the top action, there’s little in the way of competition.

Mario Strikers: Battle League is a promising start to filling the football boots of the long awaited sequel. Solid, liquid smooth performance on the pitch and that signature cocktail of personality and gritty football fun from Next Level Games. Where the game falters, at time of review, is the significant lack of offline content, supporting characters and lack of basic online features found in similar multiplayer games. If these issues are patched in, the base game is a solid package that sets the foundations for what could grow to be a more complete package.

Mario Strikers Battle League is a worthy entry in an excellent series that takes the best aspects of the previous games and hones them to multiplayer perfection.

Mario Strikers: Battle League is a fun game, with the fluidity and magical animations you'd expect from the plumber-turned-sportsman, and a remarkable depth despite its apparent simplicity. The Next Level Games project makes a strong commitment to the online world, where the main game mode lives, but on the other hand, it is too scarce in single-player content, an exchange that we didn't ask for. If we had to choose, we'd probably stick with the couch co-op, anyways.

Solo players will complete everything Mario Strikers has to offer pretty quickly, the game is being focused on multi. It's a solid game, from the gameplay, technical and artistic point of view, but it still needs some content updates.

Mario Strikers: Battle League Football plays a mean game of soccer, proving to be just as much fun, chaotic and satisfying as its predecessors. Unfortunately, what surrounds it is a package that feels light on content and options limiting it from reaching the dizzying heights of the series’ best. As a result, Mario’s latest sports outing is a solid goal rather than a full-blown hattrick.

Mario Strikers: Battle League Football offers a fantastic and typical Nintendo spin on football, with thrilling gameplay and a high skill ceiling likely appealing to a large crowd. However, the lack of fleshed-out single player modes is a big disappointment, and so is only really worth the outlay if you’re willing to engage with the online multiplayer.

Mario Strikers Battle League Football is wild, chaotic and – because of that – a lot of fun. The gameplay is smooth and well balanced and the presentation is absolutely gorgeous. Sadly the content is ridiculous. Only 10 players to choose from, five stadiums that do not have any special effects on the game and three game modes are included. That is too little for a price of 60 Euros.

Mario Strikers: Battle League delivers the frantic fun the franchise is known for, but it feels like it’s only fielding half a team. It’s hard to overlook the missing characters, stadiums, modes, and mechanics from previous entries in the series, and new online modes and character customization options aren’t fleshed out enough to make up for what’s been left behind. Battle League will likely be worth it for hardcore fans with a good collection of friends to play with online or locally, but those hoping for more may find the game drifts just wide of the goalposts.

Mario Strikers: Battle League is a welcome return for the sub-series, with engaging gameplay that papers over the thin variety of modes.

Mario Strikers: Battle League is a thin package, without very much variety in terms of game modes and options. But it is a more technically complex game than many of the Mario sports titles, which may give it legs for dedicated players. Sports are all about proving your skill in head-to-head match-ups, and that will have to be enough, because there isn't much else to it.

There's no doubt that fans of the franchise will enjoy jumping back in. The promise of a gradual release of new content will likely keep diehards of the series drawn in with each new announcement. Overall, Mario: Strikers Battle League is a good game that needs more to do. It may be a much better game a year from now, but right now it is noticeably lacking content.

Mario Strikers: Battle League Football excels on the field, but it struggles to make a compelling offer for solo players or anyone not willing to invest time in forming and maintaining a Strikers Club. It's just pick-up-and-play enough to work as a party game with mates and it's compelling to watch in action, but the lack of embellishments is sure to hurt its long-term appeal.

Describing the game as chaotic in action is definitely apt, and for sheer speed this is one of the fastest ‘Mario Sports’ games to date. In a way, that goes against what you kind of expect to see from Nintendo, but in execution Mario Strikers goes all in on the fast and dirty game of Mushroom Kingdom soccer.

Mario Strikers: Battle League is a return to form for the series, and an excellent entry in Mario Sports. A title very easy to recommend for any Switch owner looking for a change of pace.

The core gameplay of Mario Strikers: Battle League is fast and frenetic, keeping your palms sweaty as you battle with your Nintendo favourites in an intense game of soccer. It’s flashy and well animated in all the best ways, with that trademark personality and charm carrying it a long way. It's also a wonderful example of "easy to learn, difficult to master", that starts simple but has some reasonable depth, even within the confines of its short matches. It’s a shame then that there just isn’t much more meat on the bone; with offline modes extremely limited with only quick play and tournaments, you’re going to have to truly love the mechanics to justify spending a lot of your time in competitive multiplayer. For those with a lot of mates to kick around with, that might be enough, but for everybody else, it’s a yellow card.

With a fiendishly fun formula, a production with the greatest of care, and more technical matches, Mario Strikers Battle League is the perfect game for intense parties with friends. Fun times, and mocking around between friends are guaranteed.

Like every other Mario sports game, realism is thrown out the window in favor of ridiculous gameplay. The final product is mostly fun, but overcomplicated systems feel destined to frustrate casual players.

The best and most balanced Mario Strikers title yet, undercut by limited modes and a lacklustre sense of progression.

Mario Strikers: Battle League is a good game with fun to be had, but a lack of identity and some lackluster roster variety means it's one that won't stand shoulder-to-shoulder with other greats in the Mario sports catalog.

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.

Technically flawless bully kick, which is decent in terms of play, but not outstanding. In terms of scope, however, Nintendo urgently needs to improve.

Mario Strikers: Battle League Football requires more skill than its predecessors to get the ball and the game your way (or foot), but unfortunately that diminishes the party game potential. If there had been more characters, game modes and playing fields, Battle League would still have been a fantastic football game, but it falls terribly short in those areas.

Mario Strikers: Battle League is a game that, when viewed individually and making use of multiplayer and online can be quite fun. However, it arrives 15 years after Wii's Mario Football and hardly feels like that much of a leap forward. Not to mention the rampant lack of single-player content.

Mario Strikers Battle League is an excellent soccer game, however absolutely thin in it’s content considering the price tag. The game certainly puts more importance in it’s online mode, however, it doesn’t do enough to compete with other online titles for the player’s time.

Mario Strikers is - despite its so-called 'keraaazy' gameplay - one of the most generic, lightweight footies ever.

As far as control and action go, this chapter of Mario Strikers works very well and it knows how to introduce players to its mechanics. The game disappoints when it comes to its content, however, as it feels like it's been cut short with regards to characters and game modes. On top of that, while the online multiplayer experience is marvelous, despite the lack of some functionalities, the single player experience is rather limited in its scope and its appeal ends too quickly.

Mario Strikers: Battle League Football relies too heavily on whether you fall in love with the core gameplay. Because there’s not much else here, you can either consider it a highlight of the year, or a really mediocre entry in Next Level Games’ track record.

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.

Nintendo's boisterous take on our national sport is thrilling and hilarious, but doesn't offer enough options to play with.

While the multiplayer in Mario Strikers: Battle League is great at its core, the single-player and online content really fumbles the score.

Mario Strikers: Battle League’s core gameplay is fun, but it’s just not enough to justify the incredibly slim package offered. There’s little to do for online players and even less for those looking for a fun offline single-player game, with it for Mario sports games in general. Nintendo fans were hoping for a hat trick here for the third entry in the Mario Strikers series, but were instead left with an own goal.

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 Football is a wonderfully chaotic and entertaining football game where violent kicks and punches are as important as good passes. Unfortunately, the lack of content dampens the fun for solo-players, so football-hungry friends or the ability to forgive the limited online mode is a must.

Ultimately, Mario Strikers: Battle League feels like Liverpool’s trophy cabinet this year. An FA Cup and a League Cup are nothing to sniff at, but it feels below par. With no cup final goals and two victories on penalties, they didn’t even underachieve with style. Battle League is very similar. It’s Mario Strikers again, and the football itself is pretty good, but the stuff of legends? Not even close.

Mario Strikers: Battle League feels like it will be an excellent single-player offering in a year, once much more content is added. At the moment, it’s incredibly thin, and while the online modes are fun, those looking to play alone will be left wanting.

Ultimately, Mario Strikers: Battle League reminded me a bit of last year's Mario Golf: Super Rush. Both games offer a fun core gameplay experience but are ultimately very thin in terms of content which hinders their replayability. If you don't have a dedicated group who wants to play Battle League on the regular, the game could end up collecting dust on the shelf. Next Level Games has promised additional roster updates and other content releases after release, so hopefully the game grows into a more robust experience after a few months.

Mario Strikers: Battle League is the latest in a long line of potentially great Switch games let down by sparse launch content. Strikers Club makes for a compelling competitive hook, but there’s very little to do in its off-seasons right now. That’s a shame, because the core soccer experience here is terrific. Matches are tense, team play is incredibly nuanced, and its Mushroom Kingdom cast shows more character than ever. Hopefully, a steady DLC rollout can liven the experience up over time, but Nintendo has yet to prove that it knows how to score with long-term support.

The game’s on-pitch rough and tumble makes it feel as much like Smash Bros. as a ‘proper’ football game, and slapstick animations help sell the bone-crunching tackles and electrified-fence frazzlings. But once you’ve the measure of the Mushroom Kingdom’s idea of a kickabout, the only thing that’ll really have you coming back to this is multiplayer.

Play soccer in a way that only Nintendo can, in Mario Strikers. Mario Strikers is a game that is especially fun to play with friends, thanks to the variety of moves and in-depth mechanics. Were it not that the field game does not work so well, because the emphasis is too much on tackles and items. Also, the content of the game is rather sparse and to make matters worse, the AI is also very inconsistent. There is certainly fun to be had in the game, but we had actually expected a bit more from this game.

By its publisher's standards, this is lower-division fodder. [Issue#374, p.123]