# Mario Party/Minigames

This is a list of minigames in Mario Party.

## 4 player

* Face Lift - Similar to playing with Mario's face in Super Mario 64, players try to get their Bowser face to match the face in the center. The player with the closest match to the center face wins.
* Coin Block Blitz - Nine boxes give different amounts of coins, and players must jump at the boxes repeatedly in classic Mario style to get as many coins as possible.
* Platform Peril - Players jump from platform to platform towards a goal. Platforms fall after being landed on, so players must progress quickly to reach the end.
* Box Mountain Mayhem - A stack of boxes lay in a corner holding varying amounts of coins. Players break open boxes to reveal the coins.
* Mushroom Mix-up - Players must run to the same colour mushroom as the colour of the flag that Toad holds up.
* Musical Mushroom - After walking in a circular pattern, players run for the chest on the mushroom in the center as soon as the music stops.
* Balloon Burst - Players pump up and down to burst a Bowser-shaped balloon. Rhythm is important.
* Hot Bob-omb - A Bob-omb is passed between players until it explodes. Whoever holds the Bob-omb when it explodes loses.
* Skateboard Scamper - Players rapidly tap B to skate along and A to jump over obstacles in a race to the finish.
* Crazy Cutter - Players must direct their characters to carve an outline displayed on the screen with a jackhammer.
* Treasure Divers - Players dive to gather treasure chests holding varying amounts of coins and bring them to the surface. They must avoid the sea creatures that float in their way. If they hit one, they are stunned and drop their chest if they are carrying one.
* Grab Bag - Players steal other players' coins by running behind them and rapidly pressing B.
* Bumper Balls - Players balance on balls on a small island and seek to knock the other players off the island. The winner is the last one left on the island. This game has been described as "classic multiplayer mayhem".
* Tipsy Tourney - Players tilt a grid-square platform with their weight to move a Koopa shell across it. The objective is to move the shell across every square on the grid, so as to reveal a hidden image. The winner is the first person to accomplish this.
* Bombs Away - All four players run about on a topsy-turvey island while a ship in the distance fires cannonballs at the island. Players must survive the ship's cannonball attacks until time runs out. If one player is left when time runs out, they are the winner. If more than one player remains after time completely elapses, all of those players are given coins.
* Mario Bandstand - (One character conducts and the other three play the violin, trumpet, and snare drum. Players must follow the commands displayed on screen in order to hit the notes for their instrument with acccurate timing.
* Cast Aways - Players cast out fishing rods to reel in treasures varying from one coin to ten coins until the time runs out. Because of the requirement to rapidly rotate control stick, this game is one of many which was notable for the fact that it's mentioned in a class-action lawsuit.
* Hammer Drop - A Hammer Bro. drops coins and hammers onto a platform. Players try to collect the coins while avoiding the hammers.
* Shy Guy Says - A Shy Guy holds two signs in each hand - one for "A" and one for "B". Players have to press the button matching the sign he holds up. As the game progresses, Shy Guy will attempt to trick players by holding up both signs at once. The last player remaining wins.
* Key-pa-Way - A cooperative game. All four players must work together to get the key to the lock at the top of the screen. They must also avoid letting the Koopas get the key, or else they lose.
* Buried Treasure - A treasure chest full of coins is located somewhere unknown on the screen and players dig towards it. Arrows may also be revealed as a result of digging, hinting at where the treasure lies.
* Running of the Bulb - One player carries the bulb to the end while the other three seek to protect him from ghosts by punching them. If touched by ghosts, players become infected and seek to hinder this goal. Infected players can be released by punching.
* Hot Rope Jump - Players press "A" in time to jump over the skipping rope, which gradually speeds up. If anyone touches the flame, the game is over, and that person loses 15 coins which are divided amongst the other three. If all players survive after 20 turns, they all win.
* Slot Car Derby - Players must accelerate across a small race track by pressing the forward analog stick, but if they go too fast around a corner they will spin and lose time. The first person to reach the finish line wins.

## 1 vs. 3

* Pipe Maze - A quick overview of a maze-like pipe structure is given at start. A single player drops a chest into one of four pipes at the top. The chest then takes a predetermined route along the pipes to the bottom and ultimately comes out to reach one of the four players at the bottom.
* Bash 'n Cash - The single player gets their coins stolen by the others who hit the single player. The single player's goal is simply to avoid getting hit by the other three.
* Tug 'o War - Rotate the control sticks rapidly to try and pull the other players into a pit with a Piranha Plant. Similar to the Tug of war. Because of the requirement to rapidly rotate control stick, this game is one of many which was notable for the fact that it's mentioned in a class-action lawsuit.
* Bowl Over - The single player bowls a Koopa shell across an alley, attempting to knock down pins that represent the other three players. Other players can move their pins slightly by jumping. If a player's pin is knocked down, that player loses five coins to the single player.
* Paddle Battle - A single player and three player team try to paddle a boat to the opposite sides of a river by rapidly rotating the control stick, and thus force the other team to lose coins. Because of the requirement to rapidly rotate control stick, this game is one of many which was notable for the fact that it's mentioned in a class-action lawsuit.
* Coin Shower Flower - The single player is on top of a flower above the water, collecting coins that fall from the sky. The other three players are on leaf boats on the water, left to collect what the player lets fall to the bottom.
* Piranha's Pursuit - The single player skates rapidly to avoid the chasing Piranha Plant. The other three players stomp on a storm cloud to water the plant, thus causing it to go faster. If the plant catches the single player, the other three players win. If the single player makes it to the end, he/she wins.
* Tight Rope Treachery - The single player walks across a tightrope while the other three players are in boats firing cannonballs at the single player in an attempt to knock the single player off.
* Coin Block Bash - The single player is equipped with a hammer, which the other three players do not have, but are able to steal from the single player. There are nine blocks (this game takes place in the same arena as Coin Block Blitz), which take many jumps or one hit from the hammer to break. Once broken, they reveal coins to be collected.
* Crane Game - The single player is the crane and the other three are plush objects representing themselves that the single player can pick up. If the single player is able to drop one of the other players into the pipe, they lose 1/3 of their coins. The single player can also pick up the coin, the coin bag, or the treasure chest.

## 2 vs. 2

* Handcar Havoc - Racing in mine carts across a sea of hot lava, one team must cooperate with correct timing and leaning to beat the other team to the finish line.
* Deep Sea Divers - Working in teams, one player dives on a line for treasure, while the other player reels him in after getting the treasure. The game ends when all of the treasure has been collected by the two teams. Because of the requirement to rapidly rotate control stick, this game is one of many which was notable for the fact that it's mentioned in a class-action lawsuit.
* Bombsketball - A Bob-omb serves as the basketball in this game. The team that shoots the bomb into the net first wins.
* Bobsled Run - The launch onto the ice involves rapid button pressing in order to get a quick start. Then players must guide their bobsled as fast as possible to the bottom of the ice-covered course.
* Desert Dash - Players tap left and right with the controller stick to push a board along. If two players press different directions at the same time, they collapse and lose time. The first team to the finish wins.

## 1 player

* Memory Match - A typical memory game where the player must reveal pairs by stomping on cards before time runs out. If you pound and reveal Bowser, you can't move for a few seconds.
* Knock Block Tower - Thwomps and crates are stacked atop each other with a chest on top. In order to reach the treasure, the player must destroy the crates without hitting the Thwomps. If the player hits a Thwomp, they lose.
* Limbo Dance - The player presses A to limbo forward, slightly lowering their character. If they press A too many times in quick succession, they will fall. If they hit one of the limbo sticks, they will also fall. The player must reach the goal within the time limit without falling.
* Slot Machine - A typical slot machine game where the player must reveal three matching symbols to gain various amounts of coins.
* Pedal Power - The player must ride a bicycle as fast as possible by rotating the control stick in order to charge a light bulb before time runs out and Boo catches the player. Because of the requirement to rapidly rotate control stick, this game is one of many which was notable for the fact that it's mentioned in a class-action lawsuit.
* Whack A Plant - The player jumps on Piranha Plants in order to get coins before the plants disappear back down their warp pipes. More and more plants gradually appear each time.
* Shell Game - There are four Koopa shells; one of them has ten coins. They spin around and shuffle. The player must guess the correct shell after the spinning and shuffling takes place in order to win. This is much similar to the pricing game from the television game show The Price is Right.
* Ghost Guess - The player is surrounded by a circle of Boos and must hit the Boo that moves first to win. The ghost's shadows give away the answer.
* Ground Pound - The player must pound all of the flat stumps into the ground, while avoiding the spiked ones. The stumps are covered with butterflies to make telling them apart nearly impossible, so a good memory is very important.
* Teetering Towers - The player must jump from falling tower to falling tower in order to reach the other side.
The following mini games do not appear in adventure mode:
* Bumper Ball Maze 1 - Players receive this game as a reward for completing Mini-Game Island; they must guide their character on a ball along a narrow path to the end of a maze without falling into the sea.
* Bumper Ball Maze 2 - Players receive this game as a reward for completing all of the mini-games on Mini-Game Island; a fork in the road makes it possible to finish the Mini Game Island without completing all the mini games. The gameplay for maze 2 is the same as for maze 1.
* Bumper Ball Maze 3 - Players receive this game after completing the other two Bumper Ball Mazes; gameplay is the same as Bumper Ball Mazes 1 & 2.

## References

* ↑ Nintendojo Review
* 1 2 3 4 5 NINTENDO TO ADDRESS EFFECTS OF VIDEO GAME ON CHILDREN
* ↑ Gamepro Review
* Mobygames article covering the Mario party minigames
* Answers.com article covering the minigames