Mario Strikers Battle League: football with no rules

GameMario StrikersNintendo Switch

Five-a-side, no referee, and Hyper Strikes worth two goals. Released on June 10, 2022 on Switch and developed by Next Level Games with Nintendo EPD, Mario Strikers: Battle League Football brings the series back fifteen years on. This guide covers the total absence of rules, Hyper Strikes, gear-based customisation and the online Club mode.

Football in the Mushroom Kingdom is anything but a quiet match. With Mario Strikers: Battle League Football (simply “Mario Strikers: Battle League” outside Europe), Nintendo delivers a brutal arcade football game, refereeless and packed with items, exclusive to Nintendo Switch.

Tackles allowed, an electrified fence, Hyper Strikes worth two goals and deep customisation: here is everything you need to know about the third instalment in the Strikers series.

Contents

• The third Strikers, fifteen years on
• Five-a-side football without a single referee
• Hyper Strikes: two goals in one shot
• Gear and stat customisation
• Online Club mode and post-launch support
• Quick recap
• FAQ

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The third Strikers, fifteen years on

On June 10, 2022, Nintendo Switch welcomed Mario Strikers: Battle League Football, the third instalment in a wild football series that had stayed silent for nearly fifteen years. The game is developed by Next Level Games (with support from Nintendo EPD) and published by Nintendo.

It follows Mario Smash Football (2005, GameCube, “Super Mario Strikers” outside Europe) and Mario Strikers Charged Football (2007, Wii). In Europe, the word “Football” is tacked onto the title; everywhere else, the game is simply called “Battle League”.

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Five-a-side football without a single referee

On the pitch, you play five against five: four outfield characters plus a goalkeeper, the ever-loyal Boom Boom, always handled by the console. The playing area, a close cousin of futsal, is ringed by an electrified fence that violently throws back any character sent into it.

The game's real signature is the complete absence of a referee. Tackles and hits are not merely tolerated, they are encouraged: putting an opponent on the ground stops them defending. As compensation, the player who gets flattened is sometimes handed an item straight out of Mario Kart.

• Slippery banana peels dropped on the turf to send an opponent skidding.
• Shells to fling at the ball carrier and knock them flat.
• Super Star that makes you untouchable for a few moments.

The result: every match turns into controlled chaos where positioning and cunning count as much as reflexes.

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Hyper Strikes: two goals in one shot

The ultimate weapon has a name: the Hyper Strike (“Hyper Frappe” in French). Hold down the shoot button and each character unleashes a spectacular strike of their own, introduced by a short cinematic flourish.

The payoff is enormous: a successful Hyper Strike is not worth one goal, but two goals in a single shot. Enough to flip a match in the very last seconds.

Nothing comes free, though: you have to land a double gauge stop on the blue zones to secure the shot, which leaves the opposition a window to tackle the striker before the ball is away.

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Gear and stat customisation

Every character has five stats — strength, speed, shooting, passing and technique — that shape an attacking or a defensive profile. But nothing is set in stone, thanks to the equipment system known as Gear.

By kitting out head, arms, torso and legs, you reshape those stats exactly as you like. Launch offers six sets (Turbo, Cannon, Bushido and more): the very same Mario can become a defensive bulldozer or a sharpshooter.

As for the squad, ten characters are playable from day one: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Rosalina, Toad, Yoshi, Bowser, Wario, Waluigi and Donkey Kong. Rosalina makes her big debut in the Strikers series here, on one of the game's five stadiums.

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Online Club mode and post-launch support

Online, the heart of the game beats in Club mode: you found or join a club of up to 20 members, all climbing the divisions of a seasonal league together.

Locally, the party scales up to eight players on a single console, controllers in hand. That is where Battle League shows its true colours as a sports party game among friends.

Criticised at launch for content many found thin, the game went on to receive free updates. The first, on July 22, 2022, added Daisy and Shy Guy, a new gear set and a brand-new stadium.

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Mario Strikers: Battle League at a glance

European title	Mario Strikers: Battle League Football
Release	June 10, 2022 (worldwide)
Platform	Nintendo Switch
Developer	Next Level Games / Nintendo EPD
Publisher	Nintendo
Genre	5-a-side arcade football
Roster at launch	10 characters, 5 stadiums
Place in the series	3rd instalment (after 2005 and 2007)

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FAQ

• What is the European name of Mario Strikers: Battle League?
  In Europe, the game is called Mario Strikers: Battle League Football. The word “Football” is added only for the European market; everywhere else it stays “Mario Strikers: Battle League”.
• Which consoles can you play Mario Strikers: Battle League on?
  The game is a Nintendo Switch exclusive, available since June 10, 2022.
• How many characters are there at launch?
  Ten playable characters: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Rosalina, Toad, Yoshi, Bowser, Wario, Waluigi and Donkey Kong, with Boom Boom in goal. Free updates later added Daisy and Shy Guy.
• What is a Hyper Strike?
  It is a charged special shot, unique to each character, that scores two goals instead of one when it goes in.
• Is this Mario's first football game?
  No, it is the third, after Mario Smash Football (2005) and Mario Strikers Charged Football (2007), both developed by Next Level Games.

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