A Japanese trailer for Mario Strikers: Battle League has just dropped, and it's a mixed bag. While the gameplay looks great, running at a smooth 60FPS, it confirms that there will be just ten characters available at launch. This is less than previous entries, and means some fan favourites might not make it into the game until a possible update.
The new trailer confirms that the roster will be: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Rosalina, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Toad, Wario, Waluigi, and Bowser. The most glaring omission here is Daisy, with Bowser Jr and Diddy Kong also not returning from the last entry in the series, Mario Strikers Charged. Newcomer Rosalina will be taking their place, however, and it's possible that more players will be added post-launch.
Picking a character won't just be an aesthetic choice, as it is in other Mario spin-offs. As we can see on the character select screen, everyone has unique stats, and these can be changed further with a range of customization options. The new gear has perhaps been implemented to mitigate the disappointment of a smaller roster this time around, as there are a whole bunch of ways to change how your character looks and plays. And as we see demonstrated in the trailer, it really makes a difference.
Some fans have expressed further disappointment over a lack of single-player content being shown off in the new footage. It definitely seems that the focus will be on multiplayer, either local or online. It remains to be seen if there will be much to keep you busy if you're yet to pick up the online subscription.
We'll get more of an idea of what we're in store for once the English trailer drops, although it's not entirely clear when that will be. Oh, and before you ask, no, we didn't get a look at Waluigi's iconic crotch thrust gesture. Easily the most tragic bit of cut content here.
Mario Strikers: Battle League is set to launch June 10, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.