Mario Party Legacies

The year’s 1998. The N64 has been out for 2 years. Nintendo, trying to capitalize on the Holiday Season, teams up with Hudson Soft, creators of the Bomberman franchise, to make a party game. Taking Nintendo’s mascot and pitting him against his pals, the two companies, with the Shigeru Miyamoto’s oversight, release Mario Party in Japan on December 18th. The game is a hit, eventually coming to North America and Europe early the following year, and spawns a sub-franchise that’s still going. The looming question, however, is “What makes it worthy of gamers’ attentions 23 years later?”

Like Super Smash Bros., I was the perfect age when this first came out. Like Super Smash Bros., I also discovered it at a friend’s house. But whereas Super Smash Bros. has stayed in the limelight because it’s the video game-equivalent of The Avengers, Mario Party always played second fiddle. It’s enjoyable, but it’s never garnered the praise of its fighting counterpart.

However, because Mario Party Superstars was recently announced for later this year, I figured that I’d discuss it anyway.

What’s Mario Party about? Well, it’s a board game that’s interspersed with mini-games. Taking inspiration from Fortune Street, another party game with sequels that never arrived here until recently, you pick a character, choose a board, set the rules (turns, number of players, if bonuses are allowed) and watch the magic. Each player then rolls a dice block to determine the order of play, is alerted of the stakes of the board and watches the chaos ensue. That’s the basic set-up.

It’d be easy to say “The rest is up to you to figure out!”, but that’d be dishonest. Because while Mario Party might be straightforward, it’s the finer details that shine through. For one, you roll a die to determine the number of spaces you can move. And two, while the objective is to collect enough Coins for a Star, the individual spaces are always unpredictable. Blue spaces, for example, give you coins, while red spaces take them away. But there are also green spaces, which range from Events (which cause something weird to happen), Duels (where you fight someone for coins), Solo Mini-Games (where you play a game alone) and the ? (which is as it suggests). There are also Bowser spaces, which mess up everything. Because the space you land on is mostly based on chance, it’s as exciting as it is suspenseful.

Additionally, you can buy special Items from the Item Shop. The trinkets are varied, but they often keep everything exciting. Some, like Mushroom Blocks, give you extra Dice to roll. Others, like Boo Bells, can summon aids to steal from other players. And then there are that items that take you to the Star’s location. They’re easily the cheapest items, yet they cost the most Coins. Items are as much a staple as the boards, and using them wisely can tip the game to your favour.

Yet the real heart of the franchise is the mini-games. Once all players have rolled their Dice and moved their allotted spaces per turn, a 4-Player/1V3/2V2 mini-game is selected based on the space each player landed on. These range from simple to infuriating, and their existence has caused plenty of chaos and frustration. More than any other franchise on a Nintendo console, nothing’s ruined more friendships than these mini-games. And that’s part of the fun.

The mix of unpredictability, frustration and intrigue is what’s kept these games going. Mario Party has had many iterations, some worse than others, as well as many themes, but the core dynamic has remained. It doesn’t matter if it introduced costumes, a Duel Mode, where you fight an opponent like the Wild West, tag-teaming, or even partners, the spirit of the franchise hasn’t left; after all, what’s better than seeing Yoshi face off against Peach, Mario and Luigi for the title of Superstar? Friendly competition!

That’s probably why I can still play these games and enjoy them like I did as a kid. Whether it’s 10 year-old me playing with some friends at a sleepover birthday party, 15 year-old me playing with my cousins at a family brunch, or 28 year-old me having a late-night tournament with old classmates at a high school reunion, Mario Party never feels old. If anything, like the Smash Bros. games, it’s as much fun to play drunk as it is sober. Bless it for that!

Still, if the Mario Party games have one advantage over the Smash Bros. games, it’s that they pick your brain as much as they test your competitive side. Are they gambling? Maybe. Is that good for children? Maybe not. Do I care? Not really, as I’d rather they play this than get wasted at a casino! Especially if it means testing their education!

Here’s to you, Mario Party! May you frustrate, and entertain, people for many more years! If you’ll excuse me, I’d going to overhype myself for Mario Party Superstars again. (You got me hooked once with the classic mini-games and maps, but can you do it again by making them still work?)