If you have a sudden or anticipated need for Joy-Con replacements or additional controllers to supplement the pair that came with your Nintendo Switch, the ongoing Walmart Deals event is where you want to be. Until July 11th, the retailer is selling the red and blue Joy-Con bundled with a copy of Super Mario Party for $69 ($31 off). The Joy-Con controllers retail for about that much on their own, and the game is usually around $40 to $50 when it’s on sale, so the game is effectively free.
Super Mario Party for Switch (the 11th in its long history, though there’s a newer title in Mario Party Superstars) offers four-player fun with 80 different minigames, from racing and sports to puzzlers and gladiator-style rumbles. There’s a mix of new and classic boards and games to enjoy, all of which are completely playable with just a single Joy-Con per player (including a sizable amount that use the controllers’ motion capabilities). You can play with up to four people in free-for-all or team-based formats, whether you’re online or hosting a couch co-op night.
Super Mario Party has a fun mix of Nintendo characters to play with. You have iconic mainstays like Mario, Luigi, Bowser, and Princess Peach, of course, but you’ll also find characters from popular series like Animal Crossing, Splatoon, and The Legend of Zelda. You can earn several unique dice blocks for each with special abilities or improved odds to roll the numbers you need.
To win, you’ll need to acquire more stars than your opponents before the turn or time limit expires. As you move across the board, you’ll claim bonuses and powerups that may help you land on lucrative squares that can earn you more stars. You might also land on squares that aren’t so helpful to your plight.
Between the skill-based minigames, boosts and busts you can encounter on the board from random dice rolls, and last-minute swings that can completely turn the tide, no two games of Super Mario Party ever feel quite the same. Be careful playing with loved ones — there’s a good chance your friendly rivalries can turn a little bitter as you continually settle the score.
