Ever want to play a game of soccer where tackling is encouraged and there aren't any rules? If so, you'll love Mario Strikers: Battle League. Players take control of a member of the Mushroom Kingdom while competing in 5-v-5 games where you're out to score the most points before the time runs out. But you can take advantage of special skills and items to trip up your opponents and come out ahead.
What is Mario Strikers?
Much like Mario Tennis and Mario Golf, Mario Strikers is one of Nintendo's Mario sports games. Strikers is basically super-charged soccer where players compete in 5-v-5 teams, use their characters' special abilities to get the ball, and score the most points in an allotted amount of time. The biggest difference from traditional soccer is that characters can sometimes use their hands, tackling is encouraged, and special items can be used to trip others up.
Super Mario Strikers, the first game in the series, was released in 2005 on GameCube. Then the second game, Mario Strikers Charged, was released in 2007 on the Wii. This means it has been 15 years since the last Strikers game was released, so it's not surprising if you haven't heard of these games before.
Mario Strikers: Battle League Trailer
This is the launch trailer that was first revealed during the February 2022 Nintendo Direct.
Mario Strikers: Battle League Character roster
These are all of the characters we saw by scouring official images and videos. Any unplayable characters are marked with (*).
| Character | Description |
|---|---|
| Boom Boom* | Hyper Strike: NoneBoom Boom is the goal keeper. He moves automatically and cannot be controlled by the player. Don't worry; he knows what he's doing. |
| Bowser | Hyper Strike: Flame CannonBowser's powerful offense dominates the field with incredible shots and brutal tackles. |
| Donkey Kong | Hyper Strike: Banana BlastWith his crushing tackles and skillful passing, Donkey Kong is a defensive barrier few can surmount. |
| Luigi | Hyper Strike: Spin TornadoLuigi is a well-rounded team player who excels at setting up shots with his high passing attribute |
| Mario | Hyper Strike: Fire CycloneMario's high technique and shooting attributes make him a great choice for those seeking a balanced, capable character. |
| Princess Peach | Hyper Strike: Dance of HeartsQuick and capable, Peach's high movement and technique attributes help her confuse and evade opponents. |
| Rosalina | Hyper Strike: Orbital BurstA powerhouse on offense, Rosalina's mighty shooting ability will put any goalie to the test. |
| Toad | Hyper Strike: Drill SmashToad's high speed and passing attributes are perfect for any team looking to quickly set up a potent offense. In Quick Battle and Cup Battles, you can have more than one Toad on a team. |
| Wario | Hyper Strike: Electric RicochetBoasting high strength and fierce shooting power, Wario eagerly tackles his way to the front lines to take his shots. |
| Waluigi | Hyper Strike: Thorn BarrierA nimble defender, Waluigi uses his high speed and technique to rush over and knock opponents down with a punishing tackle. |
| Yoshi (various colors) | Hyper Strike: Egg StompYoshi is always ready to help his team with excellent passing and strong shooting. In Quick Battle and Cup Battles, you have more than one Yoshi on a team. |
Mario Strikers: Battle League Do characters have different stats?
Yes, each character has different base stats that makes them play a little differently. For instance, Mario is a balanced all-round character, Bowser is slower but packs more power, and Peach is fast with good passing skills. Each character's stats can be changed by giving them new gear.
What do these stats mean?
Each player has a specific stat for Strength, Speed, Shooting, Passing, and Technique. Here's what these categories mean for your character.
| Stat | Description |
|---|---|
| Strength | Determines the power behind a character's tackle and their resistance to being tackled. |
| Speed | How fast your character moves. |
| Shooting | How powerful and fast your shot is. |
| Passing | The higher this is, the faster the speed of a pass and the range of a free pass. |
| Technique | This attribute determines a character's shot accuracy and curve, and it affects how well the character dribbles the ball. It also affects the meter for the Hyper Strike and the timing of perfect moves, making both easier to execute if the attribute is high. |
Mario Strikers: Battle League Stadiums
These are all of the stadiums we know of so far.
- Lava Castle:: A fiery fortress that takes after Bowser's Castle.
- Spooky Mansion: A field that features spooky spectre-tators and purple and grey buildings remeniscent of ones found in Luigi's Mansion 3.
- Jungle Retreat: This arena features tropical trees holding huts similar to the one that Donkey Kong lives in.
- Mushroom Hill: A verdant stadium with a background akin to a Super Mario sidescroller.
- Royal Castle: A gorgeous pink and white castle befitting a princess.
Mario Strikers: Battle League Gear
As you complete matches, you'll earn Coins, which can be used to purchase gear for your characters in between games. Gear determines your strength, speed, shooting, passing, and technique stats. The better your gear, the better your stats will be. Gear also changes what your character looks like.
Specific gear can be purchased for a character's head, body, arms, and legs. You'll want to mix and match gear to find the perfect balance for your playstyle.
Mario Strikers: Battle League Items
Much like in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, players can acquire helpful items after touching a ? Block. These are all of the items we saw by scouring official images and trailers. We'll add more as we learn more.
| Item | What it does |
|---|---|
| Mushroom | Greatly increases speed for a short time. |
| Banana Peel | Players who touch the Banana Peel fall to the ground and disrupt their movement for a short time. |
| Bob-omb | A Bob-omb is shot forward on the field, anyone near its blasting radius when it explodes is knocked away. |
| Green Shell | A projectile to launch at opponents while in close range. When struck, players fall and are stunned for a time. |
| Red Shell | A homing projectile to launch at opponents. When struck, players fall and are stunned for a time. |
| Star | Makes you invincible for a short amount of time and boosts all of your character's attributes. If you touch an opponent while it's active, you will knock them down. |
Mario Strikers: Battle League Hyper Strike
At certain points while playing, a golden orb might appear on the field. The player who successfully reaches it and then charges it up will be able to do a special move known as a Hyper Strike. Each characters' Hyper Strike move is different. If a player scores while in this state, it can count for two points instead of just one, which could mean the difference between winning and losing.
Mario Strikers: Battle League Team Tackle
In order to encourage players to work together and to give a team a leg up, players can use Team Tackle. This is where one team member gets behind another and then propels them forward. Use this ability to get to the ball faster or to try and intercept an opponent on their way to your goal.
Mario Strikers: Battle League How many players can play at once?
Up to eight players can play at a time from one console in local play as long as you have enough Joy-Con to go around. However, online play only allows two players at a time from each console. Teams are made up of five characters, but both sides have a non-playable goalie named Boom Boom.
Mario Strikers: Battle League Modes
As of right now, we know that there are at least two main game modes available to players.
- Quick Battle: 1-8 players can play offline or online in a fast round.
- Cup Battle: This is an offline option where 1-4 players compete against a team controlled by computer.
- Strikers Club: Create or join your own club with up to 20 members in it to compete against others. Clubs can have a unique team name and customizable uniforms.
- Training: Get to know the controls and practice making the right moves in this tutorial mode.
Mario Strikers: Battle League Online multiplayer
If you don't have anyone around to play with you but you have a Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) membership, then you can play with people from around the world in online matches.
Mario Strikers: Battle League Striker's Club
Those with an NSO subscription can also participate in Striker's Clubs. Here you create or join an Striker's Club that can host up to 20 players. Members compete for placement amongst themselves and can see each other's stats. If you work hard, your club might just be the best one in the whole world.
Club Owners' privileges
Those in charge of a club can manage their members and choose the color of their team uniforms. Additionally, Club Owners can change the look of their team's stadium. Whenever two clubs play against each other, half the field will look like your club stadium while the other half will look like your opponent's stadium.
Mario Strikers: Battle League Developer
As with the first two Mario Strikers games, Battle League is being developed by Next Level Games. This is also the developer that brought us the Luigi's Mansion series.
Mario Strikers: Battle League Game file size
Mario Strikers: Battle League is a rather small game taking up only 3GB of space. Still, you'll want to make sure you have plenty of room on your microSD card before playing it.
Mario Strikers: Battle League Demo
There is currently a free Mario Strikers: Battle League demo on the Nintendo Switch eShop, which goes through basic controls and allows players to access Quick Battle mode. Download it and you can get a taste for what the full game offers.
Mario Strikers: Battle League Release date
Mario Strikers: Battle League releases on June 10, 2022, and sells for $60. It's currently available for pre-order.
Mario Strikers: Battle League Will there be DLC?
There hasn't been any word on DLC yet, but it's very likely that we'll get some since this is a common practice by Nintendo. DLC would more than likely bring additional courses and additional characters. For example, some notable playable characters from previous games are missing like Daisy, Birdo, Bowser Jr., and Diddy Kong.
Mario Strikes again
It's crazy that after 15 years we're finally getting another entry in the Mario Strikers series. It looks like this one will be a doozy and we can't wait to get our hands on it.
Get ready for crazy soccer
Mario and the other Mushroom Kingdom characters are out to score in 5-v-5 competitions. Use each characters' distinct abilities to aid your team.
