Mario Strikers: Battle League is like a nonstop party of surprising and hilarious character moments. Whether it’s Wario butt-slamming a soccer ball so hard it explodes out toward the goal or a group of five Toads celebrating a goal with an airplane run, the soccer game manages to pack a surprising amount of personality between the whistles. Fans have been posting their favorite moments online, and Polygon decided to round up some of the best taunts and reactions from characters in the game.
Mario Strikers: Battle League is the next installment of the Mario soccer franchise, Mario Strikers. The game has players duke it out in short, roughly four-minute-long matches. There are 10 characters, and developers Next Level Games and Nintendo EPD have done a stunning job showing each of their personalities. Characters react to the start of each match, goals scored, and goals lost, and they have unique animations when they pull off a Hyper Strike, which is a supercharged shot on goal.
Peach being petty
Peach’s losing animation, trying to keep her cool! #PrincessPeach #SuperMario #Nintendo pic.twitter.com/InBhOrgPV2
— Lexi Bun (@wife_peach) May 27, 2022
Peach’s appearance in Mario Strikers Charged would be a hard one to follow. She straight up throws a temper tantrum in the original. Now, we see she’s done a little bit of anger management and won’t let a goal or two get to her. Instead, she fans herself and gives her anger a bit of time to cool off after she loses.
The Wario ass strike
Wario’s Hyper Strike is certainly intense. In it, he combines the power of his giant ass with completely realistic fart physics to butt slam and send the soccer ball flying at rocket speed. We’d expect nothing less from the king himself.
Wario eating a whole head of garlic
https://t.co/DTGjtIanz4
Two Wario moments on one list? Imagine that! Definitely not because we love Wario at Polygon. But seriously, I think the stench of his breath alone from eating an entire head of garlic would be enough to win the match.
Toads supporting Toads
All the little guys gotta stick together. In Toad’s goal animation, he runs across the field doing an airplane run (or a Naruto run, depending on your sensibilities) along with five other Toads. The Mario franchise has always been joyful and playful, but I think five happy Toads sharing this moment together reaches new heights of wholesome.
Waluigi’s contorted legs
Waluigi has legs for days and he puts them to good use in Battle League. In his winning animation, he does a little dance for the crowd. He twirls and contorts into what looks like a bone-breaking posture that’s even more dramatic with his stick legs. He’s got class, so he tops it all off with a rose in mouth.
Donkey Kong gets goofy
Fans noted online how great Donkey Kong looks in this game, but it doesn’t stop there. The banana-loving primate also does a little dance for the camera. When celebrating, he’ll treat the audience to the best shoulder wiggle you’ve ever seen.
Source: Polygon
