Two years after its original release, Super Mario Party has received an update from Nintendo that expands the online play options. Now you can play more games online with friends, provided your friends all have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.
The update is called Version 1.1. Players can now start two different online multiplayer lobbies: A Friend Match, which, as the name suggests, allows you to play with friends; and a Private Game, which is a password-protected match that anyone with the password may join. According to the update notes, you can have up to four players in any kind of match and each mode supports up to two players playing on each Switch system. The notes say: “If two players are each playing on their own systems, they cannot play with two players using a third system.”
Up to this point, only 10 out of the game’s modes were available to play online. Now that number has expanded to 70 out of the 80 games total. The ten modes that are still unavailable to be played online are Strike It Rich, Time to Shine, Take a Stab, All-Star Swingers, Rhythm & Bruise, Pep Rally, Wiped Out, Fiddler on the Hoof, Clearing the Table, Baton and On. Also worth noting is that according to the update notes: “When playing over the internet, all 20 characters and all maps are available, regardless of your current in-game progress.”
It’s good to finally see a party game get some use beyond couch co-op multiplayer. After all, it’s not as though we’ve all been able to see our usual co-op partners in person for the last year unless we already live with them. Super Mario Party is an excellent party game in that respect, but this is an update that’s been long-needed, and it’s good to see it finally arrive.
Source: Nintendo Update Notes