Arcade footy fans can now try out the game ahead of release and play online for overhead kick perfection.
Switch owners don’t have long to wait for their first shot at the eagerly anticipated Mario Strikers: Battle League with the announcement today that Nintendo have released the ‘First Kick’ demo for download with the aim to test the online servers next week.
The full game releases on the Big N’s hybrid system on 10th June but keen players can get familiar with the controls now with their offline training mode and once ready can then take part in the prearranged online team battles held from 3rd to 5th June.
Nintendo have confirmed that with online matches for the demo event, players can form a team with other players and challenge competitors online. Each team will consist of players from two Nintendo Switch consoles and a maximum of two players per console. It’s also possible to team up with random players and invite friends to play together online as well as experiment with all 10 characters in the game (by testing their unique abilities and being able to assemble a team based on your preferred playing style).
Nintendo have confirmed the set-times for the online battle events however they are presented for a North American audience:
- June 3, 8-9 p.m. PT
- June 4, 4-5 a.m. PT
- June 4, 12-1 p.m. PT
- June 4, 8-9 p.m. PT
- June 5, 4-5 a.m. PT
- June 5, 12-1 p.m. PT
Can Nintendo score a hat-trick with Mario Strikers: Battle League?
For those without an existing Nintendo Switch Online membership, the Kyoto-based company have smartly included the option of a free trial (even if a free trial has already been used previously). Not only does this grant access to the Mario Strikers: Battle League ‘First Kick’ demo event, but Nintendo would hope players experience a week with all the benefits that the Nintendo Switch Online membership has to offer, including access to a curated library of over 100 NES and Super NES titles, online play with compatible titles and cloud saves – with the aim to keep players paying going forward.
Mario Strikers: Battle League is the third entry in the series following the 2007 instalment on the Wii (Mario Strikers Charged) which was the sequel to the GameCube original game released in 2005. With the large gap of 15 years between releases, there is a lot riding on this Switch version keeping a clean sheet and with this new demo aiming to get players in early, they might have started with an early goal.
For those interested in checking out the demo, head online on the Nintendo Switch to download and anyone needing further convincing check out the latest trailer below.
