To a lot of Nintendo fans, the Switch seems to be the company’s way of granting as many fan requests as possible. The Switch saw several of the most requested characters make it toSuper Smash Bros. thanks toUltimate, the return ofMetroidwith a new installment, and the most acclaimedZeldagame sinceWind Waker. One thing that people tend to forget is that the Switch era is one where some spin-offs are going back to their roots. TheSuper Mariospin-offs, particularly the sports games, are such an example.Mario TennisandMario Golfmade a comeback in the form ofMario Tennis AcesandMario Golf: Super Rush. Now, it is time forMario Strikers, the ludicrously aggressiveSuper Mariotake on soccer, to come back withMario Strikers: Battle League.
Battle Leagueis not only a game that fans of theMariospin-offs have been wanting for over a decade, but it is also one that appears to aim to combine the strengths of its predecessors while moving forward for a fresh experience. While the familiar gear introduced byMario Strikers Chargedis back, and so too are the superpowered “strike” shots (now called “Hyper Strikes”), the iconic goals are now Boom Booms, replacingDonkey Kong Country’s Kritters. This is not the only change thatBattle Leaguewill bring according to the trailer. The character selection screen shows Toad, a sidekick in the first two games, alongside characters that were captains. Additionally, the characters who were captains can be on the same team. This implies thatBattle Leaguewill change the team dynamic, and specifically upgrade sidekicks.
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How Mario Strikers Team Dynamics Used to Work
InSuper Mario StrikersandMario Strikers Charged, the teams consisted of a single captain that led a posse of sidekicks. The captains were major characters from theSuper Marioseries: Mario himself, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, Wario, Waluigi, and Donkey Kong.Strikers Chargedadded Bowser, Bowser Jr., Diddy Kong, andPetey Piranha. The sidekicks were members of recognizable species from the Mushroom Kingdoms. Hammer Bros, Koopa Troopas, Birdos, and Toads were the original sidekicks. Shy Guys, Monty Moles, Boos, and Dry Bones were added inStrikers Charged. The originalStrikersforced players to pick one kind of sidekick to stick to it until the end of the game. InStrikers Charged, players could pick one single species for their sidekicks, or pick sidekicks from three different species as well.
So far,Battle Leaguehas been confirmed to bring back most captains from the first two games, and Toad. Whilethis Toad might be the individual characterand not a random member of the species, the series never bothered separating the Toad everyone knows from his brethren. Alongside the revelation that characters who were captains in the first two games can be on the same team, this implies that captains and sidekicks, as methods to categorize characters, have been removed entirely.
This is a mixed bag forMario Strikers: Battle League. One on hand, this will give more freedom to players regarding the customization of their teams. On the other hand, the strict way to classify characters the captain and sidekick concepts brought separatedMario Strikersfromother Nintendo sports games.
Battle Leagueseems to be taking the series into a direction similar to that oftheMario Baseballgames. While this will happen at the expense of some of the series’ uniqueness, the sidekicks will be elevated to the same level as the captains. If they become their own character like Toad, they might get their own signature color scheme, emblems, and Hyper Strikes.
Very little has beenrevealed aboutMario Strikers: Battle Leagueaside from some playable characters, stages, aesthetic choices, and signature mechanics. Still, the lack of generic sidekicks means that the special shots fromStrikers Chargedwill also be removed, leading to the loss of a layer of strategy. Nevertheless, the upgrade given to sidekick characters will hopefully make up for that creative decision and lead toMario Strikers: Battle Leaguebeing more interesting.
