Nintendo has announced that the second free content update for Mario Strikers: Battle League – known as Mario Strikers: Battle League Football in Europe – will be made available later this month, news that was shared in this week’s Nintendo Direct presentation.
This will add Pauline, “a physical powerhouse with fast movements and strong tackles,” and Diddy Kong, “a midfield speedster with dazzling techniques and high pass accuracy,” as new playable characters.
You can also expect new gear, another stadium Striker Ranking based on skill points, customisation options for the supports in the audience and “splashy” match celebration effect options to be added.
Nintendo has previously clarified that there will be three free content updates “arriving before the end of 2022,” meaning that Wave Three will be the last to be made available beyond this one.
This latest game in the Mario Strikers series challenges you to tackle, pass and score with the Mushroom Kingdom gang in Strike, a five-on-five, football-like sport with no rules in which you can do whatever it takes to win.
Stopping at nothing to score, you will need to tackle your rivals, use items and pull off score-boosting special shots, with the chance to customise your characters with gear that can augment their stats and appearance.
There’s the chance to “pummel the pitch” with up to eight players on one Nintendo Switch system, with local wireless play or online. In local play, four players on each team face each other on opposing teams.
You can also join an online club with up to 20 players online, with which you will compete against other clubs for points to increase your rank and strive to become the world’s top club each season.
We enjoyed our time with the game, however, concluded in our review: “Mario Strikers: Battle League Football plays a mean game of soccer, proving to be just as much fun, chaotic and satisfying as its predecessors. Unfortunately, what surrounds it is a package that feels light on content and options limiting it from reaching the dizzying heights of the series’ best. As a result, Mario’s latest sports outing is a solid goal rather than a full-blown hattrick.”
Mario Strikers: Battle League is now available at retail and digitally on the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch worldwide.
