Mario Strikers Revealed: The Next Rocket League?

Mario is making his Strikers comeback, with Mario Strikers: Battle League. Here's the trailer, the game's release date, and everything else you need to know.

Mario strikers battle league
Mario is taking on Rocket League. | © Nintendo

At today's Nintendo Direct, Mario Strikers Battle League was revealed, and immediately, the game draws obvious Rocket League. Why? Well, for one, it's an alternative take on soccer, and for another, the co-op experience and strategy elements make the comparison obvious. Still, the game is vastly different from Rocket League, for one simple reason: You control your player in the same way you would in FIFA. Yes, said player is a Nintendo character, but you still can merely run, shoot, or use items. The key difference Rocket League has over other sports games, is that you literally control every aspect of the car, akin to controlling the foot of a soccer player, as he strikes the ball. So, no, Mario Strikers is not the next Rocket League, but it's still a fun game worth looking forward to.

What We Know About Mario Strikers: Battle League

  • The game will be released on June 10, with pre-orders open now
  • The game is played in 5v5, and you can play with up to 5 players locally

Outside of that, we don't know much, but everything that we do know can be seen in the trailer, which we don't want to keep from you:

For a Mario game, this surprise sure came out of the blue. Usually, every Mario game has at least some fanfare or rumors before it gets revealed, but there was literally nothing preparing us for Mario Strikers. Even better, then, that the game is already being released in June this year. While it's different enough from Rocket League to not warrant any comparisons, it might still become a major player in the sports genre.

Amidu Njiemoun

Amidu is a Brunel University graduate, and former published novel & screenplay writer turned gaming journalist and show host. He was a Senior Content Creator and Content Co-Lead at EarlyGame....