Super Mario Strikers is one of the best soccer games I've ever played as a lifelong soccer fan.  Its striking visuals and extremely energetic gameplay can turn any hater of the sport into a momentary fan.  Anyone can pick up the game and have fun, which is the main reason why it works, however, we can get more in-depth and analytical as to what makes it tick.

The gameplay can be broken down into three main systems, Attack, Defense, and Strategy.  The attack and general pace of Super Mario Strikers is extremely fast and the pitch is very short and tight. This leads to the attack system being fun and versatile. The main component of this is passing. Pressing A will allow you to do a regular pass while holding L while pressing A will lead to a lob pass.   A player can choose to either tie together a quick chain of passes that push up the field towards the goal or build up more passes along their side of the pitch and wait for openings in their opponent's lineup. Lob passes can turn into crosses upon which the player can then shoot in the air toward the goal.

One of the most fun and used components of the game comes from the Defense system, that being the Big Hit.  To do a big hit the player must press Y when not in possession of the ball. Successfully landing a big hit on an opponent will send the opponent flying off of the ball (or flying in general as you can big-hit players on the opposing team who don't even have the ball). Landing a big hit near a wall will cause the opposing player to crash into the wall and be shocked, leaving them out of the game for a couple more seconds.

The main strategy component in the game comes from the Super Strike mechanic.  The Super Strike is a mechanic that can only be used by your main character (captain). You can technically do it from anywhere on the pitch, but the further you get the harder it gets. You must time two button presses to land within the green zone. Successfully doing so launches you into a cutscene and almost guarantees you scoring on your opponent. Scoring off of a super strike grants you two goals instead of one, so pulling a few of these off late in a game can rescue a game that may have seemed completely lost.

All 3 of the core systems constantly mesh together to create an energetic, competitive, and balanced gameplay experience for everybody.