Super Mario Party Jamboree is now available on Nintendo Switch, and it marks the first game in the series that does not feature the voice talents of actor Charles Martinet. After decades of voicing Mario, Martinet stepped away from the franchise in 2023. New Mario voice actor Kevin Afghani took over the role with Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and can be heard once again in the new Mario Party. In a post on X/Twitter, Afghani talked briefly about how much the Mario Party series has meant to him, calling it “surreal” to hear his voice in the newest entry.
“Hearing my voice in a Mario Party game is surreal,” Afghani wrote on X/Twitter. “A pillar of my childhood has a tiny piece of me and that is so special.”
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Presumably Afghani is also the voice actor for Wario in the game, as he voiced the character in WarioWare: Move It! last year. In a follow-up post, Afghani confirmed that Super Mario Party Jamboree marks his debut as the new voice actor for Waluigi, another role previously held by Martinet. Afghani notes that voicing Waluigi “was probably the most fun I have ever had in the booth.”
Charles Martinet’s voice work has been heard in some Switch games this year, including the remaster of Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD. While Martinet will no longer be heard in wholly new Mario games, Nintendo has no plans to record new lines for remasters of existing games. Martnet still seems to have a good relationship with Nintendo, now serving as a “Mario ambassador” for the company. We don’t know exactly what that entails, but he will continue to appear at conventions in an official capacity. No real reason has ever been given for the change from Martinet to Afghani, but the latter actor has largely stuck to the voice Martinet crafted for Nintendo’s characters. While there are some differences that can be heard, fans could be forgiven for assuming that Martinet is still voicing these roles, given the vocal similarities.
While Super Mario Party Jamboree was just released on Friday, it won’t be too long before Mario fans get another chance to hear Afghani as Mario. Mario & Luigi: Brothership is set to be released on Nintendo Switch November 7th, marking the first new game in the RPG series in nine years. As of this writing, that’s the only confirmed Mario game currently in development. However, rumors have been circulating about a successor to Super Mario Odyssey, which will launch alongside Nintendo’s next video game console. We don’t have any specific details at the moment, but the system will be officially revealed at some point before Nintendo’s current fiscal year ends in March 2025. It’s a safe bet that when the system is revealed, a new Mario game won’t be far behind!
Have you played Super Mario Party Jamboree yet? How do you feel about Kevin Afghani’s voice work so far? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
