The video game industry has plenty of titles that look like they were gently lifted from some other game that came before them. But few are quite as blatant about it as Mariostro Strikers Soccer League, a recent arrival on Xbox Marketplace. It could charitably be called an “homage” to Mario Strikers: Battle League, but it’s unlikely that Nintendo will let that go without a response.
Via Nintendo Life, LightGamess–with an extra “s”–is the publisher of Mariostro Strikers Soccer League, which was released January 10 on Xbox Marketplace. The description of the game adds some unexpected humor to the listing because someone seemingly forgot to put the actual name of the game in the opening paragraph and never bothered to fix the mistake.
“Dive into the thrilling world of arcade-style soccer with [Your Game Name Here]! Experience the excitement of 4v4 matches, where every player counts. With 10 unique and fun teams to choose from, you’ll dribble, pass, and shoot your way to victory while defending your goal with a skilled goalkeeper,” reads a line from the game’s official description.
The cover art for Mariostro Strikers Soccer League doesn’t reflect the art style of the game itself, but it does have a very funny Mario-like athlete at the center of it. Mariostro’s moustache is apparently popular with the other players, or perhaps this is an AI-generated image that didn’t know when to stop trying to ape Mario.
Mariostro Strikers Soccer League is currently still available, but it’s anyone’s guess how long that will remain true once Nintendo finally notices it. Nintendo recently lost a copyright battle with a completely separate Super Mario, but it would be a mistake to assume that the company won’t go to court to protect its interests. Nintendo went after an alleged Switch pirate in court late last year after following clues online to deduce his identity.