Our Verdict on Mario Golf: Super Rush Update 2.0, Including Ranked Matches and New Donk Town – Feature

Mario Golf: Super Rush has been one of the more notable Switch releases so far this year, and it’s got off to a fast start in terms of sales. Instead we gave him qualified recommendation in our Mario Golf review: Super Rush; it’s a solid entry into the series and offers good entertainment, but we’ve argued that it looks like a “mid-range” version compared to some other Nintendo titles.

Of course, there is now a major version 2.0 update, and it actually addresses a few of our complaints. So we decided to take a look at the new content and share our thoughts on each addition, and how the new content improves the game at large.

Let’s go!

What’s new in the Mario Golf: Super Rush 2.0 update?

Here’s our recap and thoughts on all the new features after spending a day with Update 2.0 …

Motion control improvements

Nintendo said they have made some improvements to the motion controls, which is difficult to quantify; they were pretty good anyway.

One thing you can do if you really focus on your technique is impact the elevation of your shot, something we weren’t aware of during the review process; he tries to judge your swing based on your swing to get under or over the ball, so it’s an added detail if you take your movement game seriously.

The most significant improvement, however, is that the ‘Golf Guide’ area now has an entire section dedicated to motion controls, fulfilling a notable need given the game’s little help in this regard. You can work on shot types and read tips / watch videos so you understand all your options.

We still think the motion controls are harder to use and less precise than the button equivalents, but if you use them for fun and enjoy the activity of playing that way, it looks like they’re better than ever. .

Toadette arrives at the Clubhouse

Toadette joins Mario Golf’s vast roster of characters and takes a total of up to 18 playable characters (including your Mii, of course).

As you can guess from her small size, she has some similarities to her contemporary, Toad. She’s an ideal character for a short and precise game, which makes her perfect for the game’s all new journey ….

New Donk City Course

Nintendo announced it a while ago, but it’s certainly fun to see Super Mario Odyssey’s location recreated as a golf course. It adds something quite different and wacky to the line-up, which is really welcome.

It is a course exclusively composed of par 3 holes, so precision and the avoidance of urban obstacles are at the center of the concerns. You can go through “Rookie” or “Pro” variants: the holes for beginners are usually less than 100 meters, while on Pro there are more delicate variants and the holes are longer.

What makes the course interesting is that the greens (holes) are patches of grass surrounded by normal town, so you can try to shoot straight and use a lot of backspin, or try to use concrete and surrounding obstacles to get closer to the pin. It’s a nice spin and you can experiment with different strategies.

The 18 holes take you through a good part of the city, from ground level to the shot between the roofs of skyscrapers. It’s pretty fun, with just one or two flirting holes on the line being “frustrating” rather than just difficult. It’s a great free addition, however, for players of all skill levels.

Ranked match mode

Along with New Donk City, this is certainly the addition to the front page; in our initial review we pointed out that while the online mode was functional and offered good customization options for playing with friends, there was no incentive to play against random opponents – unlike tournaments in Mario Tennis Aces. Ranked Match corrects this and certainly feels like a feature to us that may have been planned from the start but was not. enough ready for game launch.

If the user base holds up, this mode offers several ways to play. Each month you aim to earn enough points to reach an A rating, with the first month’s rewards being new Yoshi colored characters. The matches are always against three other players of the same category over three holes, the courses rotating every hour. There are four categories to try out, each with its own ranking points: the “Standard Golf” and “Speed ​​Golf” control buttons, then the “Standard Golf” and “Speed ​​Golf” motion controls. You can focus on one category or try to win in all; just participating will earn you Ranking Points, while higher finishes will naturally allow you to level up faster.

And his very good, with a few caveats. On the bright side, the UI for choosing your category and getting started is nice and clear, and the hourly rotation of classes is a fun touch. We can certainly consider diving, enjoying an hour of rapid-fire games – three-hole rounds can be done in 5-10 minutes – and having a good time.

A minor complaint we had, for example, was that in a standard round of golf, special moves were activated, so after one or two holes you could seriously disrupt your opponents. Once we figured this out, with another player there was a stalemate as no one wanted to take the first shot lest the next player follow them and blow their ball on the green. This can be a simple fix for turning off those moves in standard golf – they still make sense in the chaos of fast golf.

That little quirk aside, it’s functional and fun, although the first month’s reward isn’t particularly exciting. As an addition to the game to add a little more value, this is welcome.

So, is the game “better” now?

Version 2.0 is a solid update for Mario Golf: Super Rush, and serves both to attract long-term owners and to make newcomers more enjoyable. New Donk City gives an extra touch of creativity to the course roster, while the Ranked Match is a good addition for those looking for meaningful online play. We still think the ranked match is a step below the Mario Golf: World Tour tournaments and their equivalents in Mario Tennis Aces, but it Is give an incentive to resume the course.

Overall a nice update worth exploring.