As in other games such as Mario Power Tennis, the player can use Mario-themed items such as bananas and red shells to hinder the opposition and gain the advantage.

[7] Strikers follows the basic gameplay featured in most football video games, including the ability to dash, tackle players, and lob the ball.

Once charged, the player must time button presses accurately on a visible gauge to trigger a successful shot at a goal, resulting in a character-specific animation.

As the player advances through the game, further adjustments can be made called "cheats", that can render goalkeepers weaker and grant an infinite number of items.

[2][6] GameSpot's Brian Ekberg praised the game's accessibility, stating that "Strikers' pick-up-and-play design will have you playing like a cartoon Pele in no time".

[2] On a similar note, Eurogamer criticised the vague presentation of characters attributes, making it difficult to determine what their respective strengths and weaknesses are.

[3] Despite enjoying the variety and appearance of Strikers' stadia, GameSpot noted only cosmetic differences among them, and criticised a lack of physical features to make them more interesting.

[18] GameSpot thought some features were "overpowered" in parts, including the big-hit tackles and the ability to dash constantly given the absence of a stamina meter.

[5] While praising the character models and goal animations, GameSpot bemoaned the absence of a "Mario feel" when appraising the menu and settings.

[10] IGN noted "blurry textures, uninspired stadium designs, and almost incomprehensibly a sometimes sluggish framerate", despite enjoying the characters art style.

[2][10] GameSpot thought the menu music had "some nice flair to it", despite noting sounds such as Luigi's goal celebration that, while charming when first heard, became tedious.

Common Sense Media gave it all five stars and called it "a perfect game for a bunch of teenagers to play because it's wacky, fast-paced, and just plain fun.

"[26] However, Maxim gave it a score of seven out of ten and stated that "With matches of five-on-five taking place on small fields with really basic controls, Strikers is classic arcade-style soccer, but the game gets an extra kick from power-ups, random Bowser attacks, and a Telemundo-style announcer.