A Definitive Ranking of Every Board on Mario Party Jamboree

It's official. Mario Party Jamboree is our No. 1 game of 2024. It's only been out for five days, and we can't get enough of it. It has all the exciting mini-games (including the return of some fan favorites), an even more expansive roster with Pauline and, most importantly, new gameplay from their its boards.

The team at Nintendo was kind enough to send us a key to try out the game for ourselves. After multiple days of play, we've got our opinions on all seven boards from Jamboree. Continue reading to discover our complete ranking.

7. Mega Wiggler's Tree Party

We started out with Mega Wiggler's Tree Party because it had the lowest difficulty. The only thing that makes it a bit challenging is the Wiggler moving in the center of the board, which can prevent you from moving closer to the star. It's great if you're trying to understand the mechanics and strategy behind Mario Party. But we've been playing the game for decades, so we'd like a little more action.

 

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6. Roll 'em Raceway

As an ode to Mario Kart, we're surprised that Roll 'em Raceway didn't rank higher. It has a lot of exciting Easter eggs, like the fact that you move across the board in a car instead of on foot, and is aesthetically pleasing to look at. However, this board has a mechanism similar to Space Land that chases you back to a specific area. It's fun for a while, but after you can't seem to make it past a certain point for more than half of the game, it becomes super annoying.

 

5. Rainbow Galleria

Rainbow Galleria might take the award for the cutest map in the game. After all, you get to walk around a pastel-colored shopping mall. On every turn, you might have a chance to move up the escalator or elevator, collect a punch card or go thrift shopping.

Somehow, whenever we play this board, the CPU always wins, even when we select easy mode. There are no real other problems with the map—we're just sore losers.

 

4. Goomba Lagoon

If you've ever played Wii Party, this map might remind you of Board Game Island. We have so many fond memories of that map, so we were excited to see something come close to it in Jamboree.

Because of the low and high tides, there is a lot of uncertainty about where you'll land, offering extra tension while playing. But even if you're stranded, there are other fun activities to do, like zip-lining. Oh, and if you're lucky, you might even get to see the volcano erupt.

 

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3. King Bowser's Keep

You can't play King Bowser's Keep until you reach Platinum rank and watch the credits, so it might take a couple of months to unlock as a casual player. It'll be worth it when you do because the stakes are high on this one.

Impostor Bowser is here with a vengeance, and you'll find many feared Bowser Spaces. And that's not all that can go wrong—you might have a Bob-omb chase you or get hit by a bullet. We can promise you, though, this board will lead to a few raging (but hilarious) moments!

 

2. Mario's Rainbow Castle

Mario's Rainbow Castle is another unlockable board after you reach the Gold Player Rank. Unlike other Mario Party boards, this game is a race to the top, and you don't want to fall behind or you'll meet Bowser. This map is, by far, one of our favorite designs to look at, with all the iridescent hues, but it's also equally engaging because of its start-to-finish style. Despite that, it's actually quite simple to play and great for a more chilled gaming experience.

 

1. Western Land

From the trailer, we knew Western Land would be our favorite. It was one we loved when it first appeared in Mario Party 2, and our feelings haven't faded in Jamboree. It's probably the biggest board in the game, which could pose some frustration. Thankfully, like real life, we've got trusted transportation to streamline things: the Steamer. Along the way, you'll also get to take a pit stop at the saloon and have a hootenanny. And that's only scratching the surface—there's so much to do you'll never get bored.

 

Looking for more things Nintendo? Click HERE to discover four more Switch games we were looking forward to alongside Mario Party Jamboree.