Mario Strikers: Battle League preview: Nintendo could be set to score a hat trick with their latest fast-paced football title

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We got to play Nintendo and Next Level Game’s upcoming football game Mario Strikers: Battle League

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Mario Strikers: Battle League trailer

The Super Mario franchise is famously known for its platforming titles that have been a huge success.

But over the years Nintendo has situated these famous characters in games that are far different from their origins.

One particular genre that we keep seeing characters from the Super Mario universe appear in, is surprising, sports games and there’s been a lot of them.

But only a few series have managed to survive through the different console generations like Mario Tennis or Golf.

Another one is the football theme Mario Strikers series which is gearing up for the release of its third title, Mario Strikers: Battle League.

Mario’s first foray into the world of football was in 2005 when developers Next Level Games teamed up with Nintendo to create Super Mario Strikers for the GameCube.

Mario Strikers: Battle League is the third instalment in the Mario Strikers series
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Nintendo/ Next Level)

The game was praised mainly for its fast-paced multiplayer, featuring all the quirks from other Mario multiplayer games.

This success led to a sequel two years later on the Wii, called Mario Strikers Charged, which added more characters and tweaks to the gameplay.

But since 2007 it’s been radio silence, so fans probably found it a massive shock when Mario Strikers: Battle League was announced in the last Nintendo direct.

Before its release on 10 June, the Mirror was invited down to Nintendo HQ for a hands-on preview.

Mario Strikers: Battle League features 10 characters from previous games in the Super Mario franchise.

The roster is filled with the usual suspects such as Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser and so on, with Rosalina being the newest addition.

Each character comes with their own playstyle, abilities and attributes that make them stand out from each other.

Characters can be upgraded with special gear
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Nintendo/ Next Level)

It was quite funny to see how weak Toad was at tackling and how much faster Princess Peach was then everyone else.

Players will be able to upgrade their characters with gear that can be purchased with the in-game currency.

This essentially allows you to create your own custom build of that character but what will be interesting is how much gear is available and how they drastically change your character.

In terms of modes that are available I was only able to try out the tutorial and play some quick matches.

Matches will play out in a 5 v 5 scenario, with players picking their four on-field players whilst Boom Boom will always be in goal.

The gameplay is a fun mix of technical football mechanics with the wacky additions that we have seen in past Mario games.

Players will be able to access items such as red and green shells, bomb-ops and even super star.

They all work like they do in other games which of course led to some wacky unpredictable matches.

Each character will be able to execute a Hyper Strike
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Nintendo/ Next Level)

But under all the colourful chaos there is a somewhat competitive football game. The tutorial does a great job at teaching you all the basic and advanced skills, from one-touch passes, through balls, team tackles, shot cancels and more.

The game required quite a bit of well-timed finesse to execute some of the more advanced skills. So it’s going to be really interesting to see how the online community approaches this game.

In other Mario sports games, players had the option to turn the items off and special skills off, which made titles like Mario Tennis and Golf feel more like sports simulator than a party game.

So it will be really interesting to see how Mario Strikers: Battle League plays if that is an option.

Visually the game looks stunning with its brazen colours and flashy character designs looking the part on the Nintendo Switch.

All the famous items from past Mario games return
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Nintendo/ Next Level)

I was very impressed with the animations for the Hyper Strikes which look so slick in motion.

Mario Strikers: Battle League feels like it’s made the right amount of progression from its predecessor, to feel like a new experience.

It may not be the next big football simulator but I feel like it might have found the right balance between being a technical sports title and a frantic party game.

Mario Strikers: Battle League is out for the Nintendo Switch on 10 June