Mario Strikers: Battle League – Everything you need to know
Nintendo has announced that Mario Strikers: Battle League will be heading to the Nintendo Switch in June, acting as a sequel to the GameCube’s Super Mario Strikers and the Wii’s Mario Strikers Charged.
Mario Strikers is effectively Nintendo’s spin on the football-series FIFA, as the iconic Mushroom Kingdom characters take to the football pitch in a 5v5 matches.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Nintendo game without some outlandish features, as Mario Strikers: Battle League gives each character their own unique Hyper Shot, which sees the ball blasted into the back of the net so hard that it counts as two goals rather than one.
There’s also no such thing as a foul in Mario Strikers, allowing you to slam opposition out of the way, or even into the electrified forcefield that surrounds the pitch. You can also hurl items at other players, including the red shells and banana peels from the Mario Kart series.
For more details on the upcoming Mario Strikers: Battle League, keep reading on.
Release date
Nintendo has confirmed that Mario Strikers: Battle League will launch on the Switch on 10 June.
You’re able to pre-order the game right now via the Nintendo eShop.
Price
Mario Strikers: Battle League will cost £49.99 in the UK, and $59.99 over in the US.
There are seemingly no special editions available to pre-order right now, although we’ll make sure to update this article if that changes.
Trailer
Gameplay
Mario Strikers: Battle League is a football/soccer game, where characters from the Mushroom kingdom characters take to the pitch in teams of five.
You’re able to play by yourself, automatically taking control of whoever is currently in possession of the ball in your team, just like FIFA 22 and eFootball. Passing between players will speed up the ball, making it easier to smash into the back of the net.
Picking up a randomly spawned orb will also allow you to activate the ‘Hyper Strike’ shot, which will blast the ball into the back of the net and earn you two goals rather than one. However, you’ll need to charge up the shot in order to pull it off, which can be tricky if an opposition defender is breathing down your neck.
Battle League is also introducing gear, which allows you to customise characters with various accessories and clothing to alter their stats. For example, the trailer shows Mario seeing his strength stat boosted when equipped with a helmet. Other stats that can be altered include speed, shooting, passing and technique.
There are also plenty of items to make use of in Mario Strikers, with green shells knocking rival players aside, and banana peels tripping characters over to put an end to their dribbles.
Multiplayer
Nintendo has confirmed that up to 8 players can play in each multiplayer match, for both local and online play. Players can pick anyone from the 10-character roster, which includes the likes of Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Yoshi and Bowser.
You’ll need a Nintendo Switch Online subscription in order to play online.
Nintendo has introduced Online Clubs for Mario Strikers: Battle League, where multiple players (up to 20) can group together and climb up the online rankings. Clubs can also be be personalised with their own name, football shirts and stadium.
That’s everything we know about Mario Strikers: Battle League right now, but be sure to keep an eye on Trusted Reviews to keep up with the latest news.