Here I am again, going through the 75 minigames Mario Party 5 includes. As always, this guide offers detailed information of each minigame and how they are obtained.

The categories you will find in this guide are as follows: 4 players, 1-3 players, 2-2 players, Battle, Duel, Bowser, DK and Story. Three more minigames are included outside the minigame mode, which are under the category Bonus mode.

4 players, 1-3 players and 2-2 players are unlocked after a round ends in Party mode. In some cases, a situation depicting a 4 players minigame is switched to a Battle minigame instead, where coins are recollected from all players and then distributed as prizes, with the minigame being chosen at random instead of voting. Duel minigames happen mostly in Story mode, although during the five last rounds at Party mode they also happen when a player lands on a space already occupied by another player, in any case, they are 1-1 face offs with the prize being decided as a previous bet, which can include even stars. Bowser minigames are unlocked when Bowser declares to play them whenever he appears after a player lands on his space, with the loser(s) of said minigames losing whatever Bowser declares at the time. DK games follow a similar scheme, happening randomly when a player lands on DK’s space, but all of his minigames act the same as bonus minigames (see below), turning the collected bananas into coins. Story comprises a single minigame that is the final act of the Story mode, and the Bonus mode is available from the beginning.

The main goal is always to win, in some minigames there are even personal records to set/beat. I list my own records just because it’s the record shown whenever I play those games. Also, a few games are bonus minigames where the goal is to get as many coins as possible, with no winners or losers.

With no more delay, here are the 75 minigames of Mario Party 5.

4 Players

Coney Island: Control stick to move

This minigame takes place in a parody of the Statue of Liberty. Mario appears holding an ice cream cone, instead of the torch, and the minigame is played in the cone’s surface. Players must catch as many scoops of ice cream as they can. Use the shadow of the falling scoops to guide yourself. Of course, the bigger your pile of ice cream is, the harder it gets to move around. Time limit is 30 seconds.

Ground Pound Down: Control stick to move, A to jump, A-A to Ground Pound

You must clear your way to the water pool by Ground Pounding the blocks. Choose one column, all with nine blocks each, and be the first to get to the water pool. You will face soil blocks, which can be easily broken, or rock blocks, which require three Ground Pounds to be broken. As you progress, there will be more rock blocks than soil blocks in your way.

TIP: Use Ground Pound while at the peak of the jump. This way, you can break up to three soil blocks at once. This doesn’t work on rock blocks, though.

Chimp Chase: Control Stick to move, A to grab/release

Four adult Ukikis stand in each corner of the stage. Each adult Ukiki is of a specific color: red, blue, brown or grey. You must grab the Ukikis running through the stage and return them to their corresponding adult. Each returned Ukiki awards one point. Sometimes, a golden Ukiki will appear, which can be returned to any adult, awarding three points. Of course, this golden Ukiki is a lot faster than the others. The player who gets the most points after 30 seconds gets the win.

Chomp Romp: Control stick to move, A to blow the whistle

You must guide the Chain Chomp through the park. Simply go to any point in the course and blow the whistle. The Chain Chomp will come at you until it collides with an object (the swing set, the fountain…). Try not to get hit, or you will be stunned for a short while. The player that gets the Chain Chomp to the end of the course first claims victory.

Pushy Penguins: Control stick to move

All players stand in a chunk of ice, when suddenly a flock of Penguins come across the ice to dive into the water. Any player unable to avoid the Penguins will be pushed into the water and eliminated. Penguins are normally small, but larger Penguins may appear occasionally. Also, any player that falls to the water on the top and bottom areas will also be eliminated. The player that survives, or the players that remain after the 30 second timer runs out, will win.

Leaf Leap: Control stick to choose direction, A to jump

In this game, you have 30 seconds to jump from leaf to leaf and climb the highest possible distance. If you fail to jump to the next leaf, you will fall down until another leaf cushions the fall. An orange leaf will show where the record stands.

Personal record: 129 meters

NOTE: I play the PAL version, the distance in the NTSC version is measured in yards. Each jump is worth 3 meters, which I suppose is turned into 3 yards in the NTSC version.

Night Light Fright: A to shine the flashlight

The goal in this minigame is to stop the Chain Chomp from hitting you. The winner, however, will be the one that stops it at the closest distance. Getting hit means you’re eliminated, so keep an eye out on how the Chain Chomp moves. Also, each Chain Chomp moves at a different pace, so shining the flashlight at the same time as another player might not be the best of ideas. Use references as the barrels or posters behind you to calculate the distance between you and the Chain Chomp.

Pop-Star Piranhas: A/B/X/Y/R to choose a Piranha Plant

Watch the five Piranha Plants dance to the music. One of them will do a different dance. You have five seconds to choose one, and since the characters face away from the screen, you cannot copy the other’s players choice. Spot the correct one and you will be awarded a point. Get three points and you will win.

Mazed & Confused: Control stick to move

Each player starts in one corner of a rectangular maze. The maze is determined by electrical barriers, which change every few seconds, so you will have to figure your way out of it. Touching the barriers will leave you briefly stunned. The first to get to the center within the 45 second time limit takes the win.

Dinger Derby: A to swing

A pitching machine will throw a total of 30 baseballs at you, and you must hit as many as possible. The machine can launch a standard pitch, a fast ball, a slow ball or a screw ball. It can also launch multiple balls, but only one can be hit. Keep an eye on the machine’s arm to determine the speed it will launch the ball at, the slower the arm swings the faster the ball will go.

Personal record: 27

NOTE: This record is pretty useless, as it cannot go higher than 30 (which I haven’t been able to get, ouch). Also, the balls can hit the spectators, dazzling them for a brief while.

Hydrostars: Control stick to steer, A to accelerate, B to brake

Time to drive a boat! Drive through the numbered stars without hitting any of the crates and return to the starting point as fast as you can. An arrow will guide you to the next star mark, and to the exit once you have passed through all five stars. The first to cross the finish line will be declared the winner.

Personal record: 41"32

Later Skater: Control stick to turn, A to go forward

Another race, this time in an ice rink. You must complete five laps as fast as possible, and whoever crosses the finish line first wins. Try not to hit the side or the center of the rink or you will slow down.

Personal record: 30”56

Will Flower: A repeatedly to send Willpower

You are placed in front of a dead sunflower. Send your Willpower to the witted flower and allow it to revive again. The first one to completely revive the flower will win.

Personal record: 13"46

Triple Jump: A repeatedly to float farther (first and third jumps), B repeatedly to float farther (second jump)

Players compete to jump the farthest distance with a Triple Jump. For the first jump, press A repeatedly to float. When you touch the ground, repeat the process with B, and then again with A to finish the jump. Of course, the player that scores the longest distance is the winner.

Personal record: 33.48 meters

NOTE: Again, as I’m using PAL, my distances are measured in meters. Translated into feet, it should roughly be 104.17 feet.

Hotel Goomba: Control stick to move, B to punch, Y to reset room

In this minigame, the first to reach the balcony of the third floor will claim victory. Worm your way to the goal by punching the Goombas out of the way. Each floor presents a maze, so you must punch the Goombas in a way you can reach the exit. If you get stuck, you can reset the room and start again, although you will lose a lot of time.

Coin Cache: Control stick to move, A to jump

Three rows of Brick Blocks move from left to right. You must smash them in order to obtain the highest number of coins. The blocks will change directions occasionally, so be sure to not stick with only one row. Also, you can step off the screen by the sides, only to appear on the other side. A game very loyal to the Mario tradition, smashing blocks to obtain goodies and Princess Peach’s castle in the background.

Vicious Vending: Control stick to rotate the lever

You have five seconds to turn the lever and obtain a capsule from the machine. First, a small capsule comes out of the machine that hints what you’re going to earn. Then, a large capsule comes out giving the player his/her reward. The rewards can be one coin, ten coins, twenty coins or a Thwomp. It’s very easy to notice when you earn the Thwomp when the small capsule comes out. A game based purely on luck, good thing it’s a bonus minigame and not a normal one.

Flower Shower: Control stick to move, A to jump

A wedding between a green-shelled Koopa and a red-shelled one has occurred. The red-shelled launches the bouquet into the air, and you must collect as much flowers that rain upon the stage as possible. Be careful, they disappear after a few seconds. Note that pink flowers are worth one point, while golden flowers are worth three points. Be careful while being in the water zones, as they will make you move a lot slower. After the 30 seconds timer runs out, the player with the most points earns the bouquet, and also the victory.

Dodge Bomb: Control stick to move, A to grab/throw Bob-ombs

You have 60 seconds to literally bomb your opponents. Simply throw the roaming Bob-ombs at them, but avoid being hit in the process. Also, be careful of the Bob-ombs themselves, as they might turn pink, signaling they are about to explode. It’s important to note that there cannot be multiple winners in this game, so if two players remain after the timer runs out, the game ends in a draw.

Fish Upon a Star: Control stick to move, A to jump, B to punch A-B to kick

All the players stand in a star-shaped platform. You must get rid of your opponents by throwing them off the stage. Portions of the stage can also crumble down, and Cheep Cheeps will occasionally fall upon the stage, destroying it and making it smaller over time. Try to not fall off and be the last one standing after 60 seconds.

Rumble Fumble: Control stick to move, A to lift the buckets

Before starting, all players will surround a bucket containing a Fly Guy. This bucket will determine the rumble pattern to find the buckets that contain a Fly Guy. If the Rumble setting is off, an exclamation mark will appear instead, pulsing in different patterns. Roam the stage to find the buckets whose pattern matches the first one, and get three Fly Guys before the 60 seconds timer runs out. You can find buckets with two Fly Guys, or you can also find buckets with a different pattern, which can contain Chain Chomps or Bob-ombs that stun you for a while if lifted.

Frozen Frenzy: Control stick to move, A to jump, B to punch, A-A to Ground Pound, A-B to kick

All players gather at an ice cave, with five crystals in it. You have 45 seconds to obtain as many of them, as the one with the most crystals when the time runs out will win. Punch, kick or Ground Pound your opponents to steal their crystals, and beware of the falling icicles, as touching them will make you lose your crystals.

Fish Sticks: Control stick to move, A to check line

Twelve fishing rods are scattered around a pool of water. You must attempt to catch as many as possible within 30 seconds. You will know when a Cheep-Cheep has bitten the line because the fishing rod will sink. Red Cheep-Cheep are worth one point, while golden ones are worth two points (yep, no three pointer this time around).

1-3 Players

Flatiator

Solo player: Control stick to move

Team: Control stick to move

The solo player stands in a large ball and attempts to squash the team. The ball isn’t easy to control, I must admit, and the team also has to avoid the Monty Moles that pop out of the dirt. The solo player has 45 seconds to squash the team. If successful, he/she wins, if any team member survives unscathed the win goes for the team.

Squared Away

Solo player: Control stick to move

Team: Control stick to move

The solo player enters a square box in one of the corners of the stage. On each of the other three stand the team members in larger boxes. This time, it’s the team’s goal to squash the solo player, but only within 30 seconds. Obviously, the solo player, being smaller, is much faster and agile than the clumsy large boxes. If the team succeeds in squishing the solo player, they win, if the solo player survives the onslaught, he/she will win.

Mario Mechs

Solo player: Control stick to move, A to shoot, A (hold) to charge shot, B to shock beam, B (hold) to charge shock beam, L/R to strafe

Team: Control stick to move, A to shoot, B (hold and release) to dash

The minigame that more often than not ends in a draw, at least for me. The solo player and the team have a showdown to destroy each other. The solo player controls a large robot reminiscent of an elephant, while the team has dragon-shaped scooters, with eyes and wings included. Within 60 seconds, the solo player must destroy all team members, or the team must destroy the solo player. Whoever succeeds will win. It’s not easy to deplete the players’ health bar, either for the team or the solo player, that’s why this game is prone to end in a draw as both the solo player and at least one of the team members will be left when the time runs out.

Revolving Fire

Solo player: R to rotate clockwise, L to rotate counter-clockwise, A-A to Ground Pound

Team: Control stick to move, A to jump

The solo player stands in a platform, in the center of a lava filled arena. His/her objective is to eliminate the team with the rotating flames or with a wave of fire (created through Ground Pound when the crater glows). The time limit is 30 seconds. If the solo player burns out the team, he/she wins, but if any team member survives, they win. Read the in-game advice carefully, because you cannot jump over the flames, so you must avoid them by running.

Heat Stroke

Solo player: A to swing hammer, B to fake swing

Team: Control stick to move, A to jump, A-A to Ground Pound

The solo player must knock the platforms out, and the team members standing on them. When the solo player swings the hammer, the platform is knocked out, so the team has to jump to stay in the game. Be careful, as the solo player can fake the swing and catch you off-guard! Over time, Podoboos will fall upon the stage, knocking out any team member they come in contact with, which also leaves less free space in the platforms. If the solo player successfully knocks out the team, he/she wins. If any team member stands after the 30 second time limit, or after all tiers (eight, if I did the math correctly) are knocked out, they win.

Beam Team

Solo player: Control stick to move

Team: Control stick to move, A to shoot the beam

The team members stand on UFOs, trying to abduct the solo player who evades them. The UFOs are not easy to control, and crashes between them are frequent, no matter who is controlling them. These crashes leaves the UFOs stunned for a few moments. Also, if you fire the beam, you will be unable to move for a little while even if you fail. If the player avoids getting caught within the 30 seconds time limit, he /she wins, catching the solo player is the only way the team can win.

Big Top Drop

Solo player: A to drop balls, B to throw them up

Team: Control stick to move, A to jump

The team members stand on a tightrope, while the solo player swings above them, throwing balls at them to knock them off. The team members move slowly, due to having to attain balance. Also, if any of the team members jump, he/she will be stunned a few moments trying to attain balance. An easy game to be the solo player, may I say. The team must survive 30 seconds in order to win, if they all are knocked off, the solo player wins.

Quilt for Speed

Solo player: A to stop slot

Team: A to stop slot

To the left of the screen, the solo player stands in a Goomba machine. To the right side, the team members stand in a Paragoomba machine. The goal is to be the first to get to the goal. The machine moves following the indications of the slot machine it has incorporated. Through the quilt, you will find obstacles such as houses and trees that must be surrounded. The solo player has an easier time, as he/she will only move one tile per time, while the team’s machine will move in the order of the arrows from left to right. Coordination is the key for the team in order to attain victory. Whoever gets first to the goal claims the win.

Tube It or Lose It

Solo player: Control stick to move, A to speed up, B to slow down

Team: Control stick to move, A to speed up, B to slow down

The solo player, in a spiked machine, pursues the team, in inner tubes, down a slope. The solo player must pop the team’s inner tubes to eliminate them and claim victory before getting to the end of the course. The inner tubes are faster and more agile than the spiked machine, so a bit of teamwork here would be crucial.

Mathletes

Solo player: Control stick to move, A to hit block

Team: A to hit block

In this bonus minigame, you will form a simple equation that will determine the number of coins you earn. There are three blocks, two with numbers from 1 to 6 and a third one with mathematical symbols (+, - and x). The solo player must hit the three blocks in any order, while each member of the team must hit one. In case the equation result is zero or a negative number, no coins are awarded.

Fight Cards

Solo player: A for punch sign, B for chop sign, X for kick sign

Team: A for punch sign, B for chop sign, X for kick sign

The solo player has five rounds to defeat the team. To do so, he/she must raise a sign that matches the sign any team member raises. This results in that team member being eliminated. If all players are eliminated, the solo player wins, but if any team member survives five rounds, the team wins.

Curvy Curbs

Solo player: Control stick to move

Team: Control stick to move

Another race, this time on carts (with c). Be careful, the curbs are narrow, and hitting the sides will slow you down quite a bit. While the team has a harder time dealing with the path for being three carts instead of just one, the solo player’s pathway is slicker, so more or less both sides will have a hard time getting to the goal. As always, the first one to get to the goal wins.

2-2 Players

Clock Stoppers: Control stick to move, A to jump

The small green clock in the center will display a random time. Both teams will have to position their clock’s hands to match that of the center clock within 15 seconds. Once a hand is in the correct position, it will snap into place. The first team to match the time gets a point, with three points needed to claim victory.

Defuse or Lose: Control stick to move, A to jump, A-A to Ground Pound

You must prevent King Bob-omb from exploding. Extinguish the flame in all three fuses that lead to King Bob-omb by Ground Pounding on them. Obviously, as it is too easy, the flames rekindle just a few seconds after being extinguished, so it’s a constant cyclical repetition. Needless to say that in a point where two fuses meet, both flames can be extinguished in a single Ground Pound, so be sure to check these points to gain some extra time. The team that can’t prevent King Bob-omb from exploding will lose the minigame.

ID UFO: Control stick to move, A to jump, A-A to Ground Pound

Time to guess that UFO. You have a panel with ten UFO pictures on it. You will then be presented a pair of UFOs to identify. Both players must Ground Pound the correct picture at the same time. This awards the team one point, with five points awarding victory. It may seem easy, but the pictures aren’t that different from each other, so you may Ground Pound the wrong picture more than once.

Mario Can-Can: A to jump, A-A to Ground Pound

You are in charge of opening a can (who the heck needs such a big can anyway?). Two platforms are attached to the can opener. You must take turns in Ground Pounding the platform so the can opener goes around the can and opens it. The first team that succeeds in opening the can will be declared the winner.

Handy Hoppers

Player jumping: A to jump

Player holding the lever: L/R alternate to turn the bar

The goal of the game is to jump over the bar as many times as possible within 30 seconds. The player holding the lever is crucial, as he/she determines the speed of the bar. Too slow doesn’t guarantee victory, but too fast will make the jumping player trip over, losing a few seconds. The jumping player also has to time his/her jumps correctly, as jumping too high isn’t the way to go either, so you must only tap A to do a small jump. It’s better if you happen to be the jumping player and the CPU managing the lever.

Personal record: 41

Berry Basket

Player shooting: Control stick to aim, A to shoot

Player catching fruit: Control stick to move

Coordination and teamwork at its finest. One player is tasked with taking down the fruits of the tree with a slingshot, while his/her teammate is tasked with catching them as they fall. The player catching the fruit must be very wary, as any fruit that falls down, even if taken down by the other team, can be collected. There are also three types of berries: normal red berries, that award one point, golden berries that award three points, and black spiked berries that momentarily stun the player. You have 30 seconds to get as many points as you can.

Bus Buffer: Control stick to move the buffer

Time to clean the bus! Work together with your teammate to get the job done in the least possible time. Be careful, the buffer is hard to control, and it might take a few tries to master it. Time limit is 60 seconds.

Rumble Ready: A to catch

Possibly the simplest minigame. Two players confront each other in successive rounds. You must be the first to react when the controller starts shaking (hence the name). If the rumble option is disabled, an exclamation mark will appear above your character. If you succeed, you will catch the falling capsule, with three needed to win. Be careful, if you react too soon, the capsule will automatically go to the other player, so only press A when you are fully sure the time is right. Each round lasts five seconds at most.

Submarathon: L+R to accelerate, Y to change places

Yet another race, this time under the water. You must lead the submarine, shaped like a Cheep-Cheep, to the goal before the opposing team. Use the line in the middle of the screen to check whether you are on the lead or falling behind. Although you should switch with your teammate if your character gets tired, or even you yourself get tired, this minigame can be done without having to switch at all.

Manic Mallets: A to swing hammer

A 2-2 players variation of the Domination minigame that appeared in Mario Party 4. You must mash the button during 10 seconds in order to not get crushed by the giant hammer behind you. This giant hammer will slightly turn to the team that has the less hits, giving hints whether you are in the lead or not. The times the button is mashed is never shown, so this is the only hint you can use to check if you will win.

Panic Pinball: A to activate flipper

Time for some pinball action! You have 60 seconds to try to obtain the highest possible score. Each player controls one of the flippers, and of course, try not to let the ball go down the pipe between both flippers. If the ball is lost, a new one will be provided by the Bowser head in the middle a few seconds after. Below the Bowser head, there’s a pipe connecting both tables, so passing the ball through it makes you lose your ball to the opposing team, and you won’t be provided a new ball until that team loses one of theirs, so avoid it at any costs. Last, but not least, the Bowser head has numbers on its eyes, that will count down whenever the head is hit. Whichever team hits the Bowser head and the count down reaches zero, they will be awarded a lot of balls.

Personal record: 8910

Banking Coins: Control stick to move, A to jump

Both players are standing in a round platform, with a vase floating just above. Whenever the vase is hit, a coin or bag of coins will bounce out. Teams must try to get as many coins as possible within 30 seconds. Teamwork here is crucial, one member should stick to hit the vase and the other one to collect the coins. Also, try not to fall off, or you will lose a few seconds until Lakitu brings you back to the platform. The platform tilts as you move so be careful to stay away from the colored boundaries.

Battle

Astro-Logical: Control stick to move, A to confirm

Test your eyesight with this minigame. An astrological symbol will be shown in the center of the board, albeit very blurry at first, and you must find the matching sign. Be quick, there’s one less sign than players, so every round someone gets eliminated! Each round has a time limit of 10 seconds, any player that hasn’t find the matching sign gets eliminated.

Bill Blasters: A to fire Bullet Bills

Each player stands in one corner of the screen, atop a rotating platform armed with a cannon. The goal of the game is to eliminate all other players by firing Bullet Bills at them. With each hit you get, you rotate slower than before, making it easier to aim, so don’t let your guard down. Three hits are needed to eliminate a player, and the last one standing wins.

Tug-o-Dorrie: A repeatedly to pull the rope

The classic Tug-of-war, now with four players. The ropes are connected to a central object, so every time you pull, it has an effect on all other players. A player pulled out of the platform (held by a Dorrie, hence the name) falls down and is eliminated. You have 60 seconds to try and be the last one standing.

Twist ‘n’ Out: Control stick to move, A to swing hammer

All four characters stand in the eye of a tornado, armed with hammers. The goal is to swing the hammer to push the other players out of the eye. The eye gets smaller as time passes, making it difficult to move around, but be careful, as there’s no timer you can pay attention to to determine when the tornado will start to get smaller and smaller.

Lucky Lineup: A to stop slot wheels

Another luck-based minigame. You must hit the block to stop the eight slot wheels and try to obtain three pictures lined up, either vertically, horizontally or diagonally. There are three pictures you can line up: a shell, which grants 5 points when lined up, a cherry, which grant 10 points, and a seven, which grants 50 points. The star in the middle serves as a wild card, it will connect any two matching pictures in any direction. Players have 10 seconds to stop all wheel slots, and the player who obtains the highest points will be declared the winner.

Random Ride: Control stick to move the cursor, A to confirm

This minigame is completely luck-based. You are presented various machines which you will race through the sky. The machines have names that somehow reflect how good it is. You can find anything ranging from Almost-Guaranteed Victory to Miracles Do Happen passing through Feeling Good. You have 5 seconds to select your machine. When played in Party or Story modes, the player in last position gets to choose first, while when played in Minigame mode, the order is random. Technically, the better the name, the better it goes. Once all players have chosen their machines, all is up to luck. Three players will be eliminated through the race, either by being hit by a Bullet Bill or due to an engine blowout, until only one is left, that will get to the goal and be declared the winner.

Duel

Shock Absorbers: Control stick to move

Both players stand in the Lab area, with various Amps connected through beams of electricity acting as walls. More Amps then surface from the ground, and the minigame starts. The goal is to survive 60 seconds without touching the free-roaming Amps or the electric beams they project. These beams can be easily detected. Two of the outer Amps will glow, while one inside the area will stop and also start to glow, and a few moments later, a jolt of electricity will be shot between themselves.

Countdown Pound: A to jump, A-A to Ground Pound

In the Lab area, two platforms are connected to its correspondent timer and a balloon that matches the player’s color. The timer will count down from 10 seconds while pumping the balloon. The goal is to Ground Pound the timer to stop it as close as possible to 0. The player closer to 0 wins, and the loser’s timer changes to XX:XX while it pumps the balloon until it explodes, sending the losing player flying.

Whomp Maze: Control stick to move

The Lab area is filled with Whomps that hide underground. These Whomp form a maze the players must get through. If a player gets too close to a Whomp, it will pop out from the ground, and if a player hits them, said player will be momentarily unable to move. Try to memorize the path the Whomps leave between them and get to the goal before the other player. Time limit is 30 seconds.

Shy Guy Showdown: A/B/X/Y/L/R to shoot

In the Western area, both players stand face to face, ready to start a duel like in the movies. The Shy Guy will determine the button needed to shoot. The player to press said button first will shoot an ink ball to the opponent, disarming him/her and winning the duel. If a player fails to press the indicated button, like pressing any button when the Shy Guy shows an M sign (yep, he can raise false signs), will result in the pistol exploding and thus the elimination of that player.

Button Mashers: Any button shown

Both players stand side by side in the Western area. The minigame starts, and a block falls from the sky. You must repeatedly press that button so your character isn’t crushed. After a few seconds, a second block will fall, meaning you now must repeatedly and simultaneously press two buttons. The cycle goes on and on until the last block, the sixth, has fallen. At any point in the game, the player who stops pressing the buttons will get crushed and eliminated.

Get a Rope: Control stick to select rope, A to choose

Yet another luck-based minigame. In the Western area, three ropes are deployed. Each player has 5 seconds to choose one of them, meaning one will be left out. After the choices have been made, the remaining rope is pulled back off-screen, while both players pull down the rope. The result is totally random, and can either be a heavy weight that crushes the player (worst result), a little confetti (average result) or a lot of confetti (best result). The player that gets the best of said results will be the winner.

Pump ’n’ Jump: A repeatedly to build pressure

Two platforms are deployed in the Western area, one player standing in each. The goal is to build up as much pressure as you can to jump the highest possible distance. Mash the A button tirelessly for 10 seconds, and see the results unfolding thanks to a Lakitu holding a camera that follows the players into the sky. The player who jumps less distance simply falls off, while the other player deploys a parachute as he/she is declared the winner.

Personal record: 431 meters

NOTE: Yet again, PAL distances. It should be the same distance in yards for NTSC.

Head Waiter: A to decrease the counter by 1, B to decrease the counter by 2

Both players stand face to face in the Western area, one of them holding a bomb in the shape of Bowser’s head. Its eyes have a counter that starts at nine, and will make the bomb explode when they reach zero. The first player has 5 seconds to do the first move, before passing the bomb onto the other player, and the cycle repeats itself until someone decreases the counter to zero, at which time the bomb explodes, eliminating the player and crashing it into the game screen. The trick of the game is that the timer will show ? when the timer hits five or below, making it impossible to know how much the other player has decreased the timer.

Blown Away: Control stick to move, A to fire the bazooka

In the Sky area, both players stand in a big cloud armed with an air bazooka. The goal is to use the bazooka to fire air blasts at the opponent to knock him/her down of the cloud. The blasts can be charged if the player holds the A button, although you will move a lot slower if you charge them too much. Since the bazooka shoots air, it’s almost impossible to see the blasts, so try to guess the direction the opponent is firing to avoid them. Also, if two blasts collide in mid-air, they will create a large explosion.

Merry Poppings: A+B to shoot the blowgun

Players float suspended by balloons in the Sky area. The goal is to pop all of the opponent’s balloons before he/she does it to you. There are a total of 30 balloons to pop, so be sure to mash the buttons quickly. The loser will fall down through the clouds.

Pound Peril: Control stick to move, A to jump, A-A to Ground Pound

Twelve switches encircle the players in the Lab area. One of them is the key to victory, while the other eleven hide various hazards. You have 60 seconds to find the correct one. The hazards include: liquid ink spills, zappers, springs or 10 lb weights. The correct switch will shine a light upon the player and throw a little confetti. Pay attention to all switches your opponent presses to keep an eye on which can be the potential correct one.

Piece Out: Control stick to move cursor, A to pick up/drop the piece, L to rotate to the left, R to rotate to the right

A puzzle is getting ready in the Lab area. Each player has a zone which they must fill with the blocks being carried by the central conveyor belt. Once your zone is filled up, the blocks will disappear, and you will be rewarded points based on the size of the area covered by the same colored blocks. Four colors are available: red, blue, green and yellow. If you grab an unwanted block, you can get rid of it by dropping it on the trash bin below your zone. The timer in this minigame is variable: the standard 1 minute found in Party and Story modes and two more durations added to the standard one in Minigame mode, which are 3 and 5 minutes. When the timer runs out, the player with the highest score wins.

Personal records

1 minute: 20400

3 minutes: 50021

5 minutes: 87205

Bound of Music: Control stick to move, A to jump

Both players stand in a big floating cloud in the Sky area. Above their heads, 20 jump blocks are scattered, although they are invisible. You will have to jump around to find them. Amongst those blocks, normal brick blocks are also encountered, with the difference that brick blocks don’t award points. After 15 seconds, the player who has hit more jump blocks, which will be displayed as a tower being erected under the player’s feet, will be declared the winner. At random times, the blocks will shine, hinting their position, so take these chances to locate the remaining blocks.

Wind Wavers: L/R alternate to wave the fan

A cold day seems to unfold, seeing the background color of the Sky area. Both players each standing in a Flying Nimbus, or sort of, must escape from the Tweester by waving the fan at it. As time progresses, the Tweester’s sucking power will increase, so try to start by pushing the buttons at a low speed and raise it gradually as time progresses. The player who can’t keep up the pace and gets sucked by Tweester loses the game.

Sky Survivor: Control stick to move

In the Sky area, the players are riding Shell-shaped machines with wings on the sides. Yep, yet another race, this time through the sky. Throughout the course, you will find a lot of obstacles, spiked red balls reminiscent of a mine, which you must avoid at all costs. Your health will be displayed as a full heart, that depletes after five hits, when the machine starts spewing smoke and falling down. The player that depletes his/her health is eliminated.

Bowser

Rain of Fire: Control stick to move

Bowser uses his fiery breath to ignite the fuse of a cannon. Said cannon shoots a firework up to the sky, which then explodes, with its burning bits falling down onto the players’ area. There will be two waves of falling debris, so stay awake. Use the shadows the debris creates to guess where will it fall and avoid being touched by it. After falling, it will still stay there for a few moments, so be careful. Any player burnt by the debris is branded as loser.

Cage-in Cookin’: Any button that appears on the cage

Bowser has caged all players. To escape, you must press about ten buttons. Pressing the wrong button invalidates any action for a little while, so take your time before risking a wrong move. After pressing all buttons, the player is set free. After some time, 10-15 seconds I guess, Bowser will burn up any still-caged player with his breath, eliminating them.

Scaldin’ Cauldron: A/B/X to choose a cauldron

Bowser is pursuing the players, who end up in a locked room with three cauldrons. The players have 5 seconds to choose a cauldron to hide in, but if any player doesn’t choose one during that time, they will automatically and randomly placed inside one of the cauldrons. Bowser then smashes the door, and once again uses his breath to burn two of the cauldrons at random. Be careful, he might fake the breath and then turn to another cauldron instead! Any player who avoids being burnt will win. The game itself advices it’s better to spread out, so try to follow this rule whenever you can.

DK

Banana Punch: Control stick to move, B to punch

Players have 10 seconds to punch as many barrels as possible. Inside said barrels there are bananas the players must collect, one banana awards one point while a cluster awards five points.

Da Vine Climb: A (hold) to climb the vine, B (hold) to descend the vine, L to move left, R to move right

Again, 10 seconds to collect as many bananas as possible, with a single banana scoring one point and a cluster scoring five. Simply climb up the vines to collect bananas, but be careful with the spiders, as touching them will stun you momentarily, and with only 10 seconds on the timer, you can’t afford to lose a mere second.

Mass A-Peel: Control stick to move

Once again, 10 seconds to collect as many bananas as you can, a single banana scores one point and a cluster scores five. This time, you simply have to collect them, only having to be careful about banana peels all over the place, and remember you cannot jump over them.

Story

Frightmare

The final minigame played in Story mode, battling against Bowser himself. As in the prequel, this minigame is probably anything but mini.

First, the player lands in the center tile of an area surrounded by spikes. Bowser communicates through a screen, shaped similarly to him. The player then faces a variety of hazards. First, a little army of Mechakoopas will appear. They must be avoided for 60 seconds, or you can destroy them all to quicken this phase. You can destroy them by stomping on them or grabbing them and throwing them away, in this last method you can get rid of more than one at a time. They can breathe fire, which you can detect when they turn red. Being touched by the flames or the heated up robots will make you lose one heart. You have ten for the full minigame, but try to save them for later stages.

After this, Bowser sends three rings of fire. These rings will roam around the area, and they must be avoided for 30 seconds. Tired of failures, Bowser punches the screen and lands on the center tile of the area, which cracks due to his weight. Bowser will chase you around the area, sometimes charging at you, sometimes breathing fire. At a given time, Bowser will jump high in the air, trying to stomp you, but if you manage to avoid it, the tile he lands on will crack. To get to the next phase, you need to crack a tile three times, at which time you and Bowser will plummet to the final area.

Bowser then prepares for the final assault, and drinks a beverage to increase his size to gigantic proportions. However, the floor collapses, and Bowser gets stuck with only his arms and head out. Still, the assault begins. Bowser will charge a couple of dark red energy orbs with his right hand, sometimes even three, and throw them to the player. These orbs leave behind a dark core. After throwing these orbs, Bowser uses his fire breath. If this breath hits the cores, they turn into glowing white spheres. After breathing fire for a while, Bowser charges an electrical purple orb with his left hand and throws it right before him. When it hits the ground, it emits a shockwave that eliminates the cores/spheres in the area. After this, the cycle starts again, until Bowser runs out of his five hearts. To land a hit on him, you must grab the glowing white spheres, avoid the shockwave and then get close to Bowser and throw the sphere into his face. Five hits weaken Bowser enough to let him be absorbed by the dark hole in the background.

Bonus mode

Beach Volleyball: Control stick to move, A to hit/dive, B to jump, B-A to spike

A reissue of the minigame Beach Volley Folley appearing in Mario Party 4. You can either play a tournament against six other teams or play a game to a determined amount of points. This version also includes two more volleyballs besides the normal one: a dice block volleyball, which can award a variety of points from 1 to 6 depending in which number it displays when the point is over, and a bomb ball, which has a counter that decreases by one with each hit, meaning the tenth hit will result in the ball exploding and the team that hit it will lose the point.

Ice Hockey: Control stick to move, A to pass/steal the puck, B to strong shot/body check, X to weak shot

As simple as the title implies, a 2-2 minigame that consists of an ice hockey match with a variable duration of 1, 3 or 5 minutes. Choose the teams, adjust the difficulty and the duration of the match, and the game can begin. Each team is given a goalie, which is a Shy Guy and very useless. The goalie being given to you means that both players are tasked with scoring goals. The match starts with a little face-off, and will do this every time a goal is scored, much like in real life. When the time runs out, the team with most goals wins.

Card Party

Once again, we can remove the word mini. Here you will play similarly like in Party mode, only that the characters are now game pieces, the board is made up of cards and not spaces and the game ends when all stars have been collected. The rules are for the most part similar to the boards in Party mode.

First, you must choose the size of the board, from 7X7 to 10X10, the bigger the board, the more the game will last. Then, you choose your character, while the CPU chooses theirs. Now, the four players take turns in choosing one out of four facedown cards. Once all have been chosen, they are flipped over, and reveal the order of play. Finally, each player selects where to start on the board, and the game can begin. Each player rolls a dice to determine how many spaces they move. Throughout the board, you will come across a variety of cards.

First go Path cards. Their backing is that of a five dot cross. Their only function is to reveal the path you can follow. Use this path to get to the Star cards. Sometimes, a hidden dice can be found, which you can roll immediately after.

Next go Item cards. Their backing is reminiscent of a red mushroom. They hide various items you can add to your inventory, which can be used during your turn before rolling the dice. Once the item has been collected, the card transforms into a path you can continue on. Three items are available: a mushroom, which gives you an extra dice to roll, a cursed mushroom, which spins a roulette to determine the player who will get its effects (maximum dice roll limited to three), and a warp pipe, which will place itself on a card and turn it into a four-way junction while also revealing all other adjacent path cards.

Star cards are the most important. Their backing is, obviously, a five pointed star. When flipping it, you can come up with four chances: a Star card, worth one star, a Double Star, worth two stars, a Ztar card, worth -1 star, and a Double Ztar, worth -2 stars. Note that is possible to have a negative number of stars if you’re unlucky enough. After the prize is received, a path card is revealed so you can move on.

Finally, we have Event cards. Their backing is that of a question mark, much like the happening spaces in Party mode. After the event is triggered, the card transforms into a path. There are four events that can happen, either to your advantage or disadvantage: you can switch places with another player chosen at random from a roulette, you can be sent back to your starting position, you can summon Boo to steal a Star card (of any kind, so Ztar is included) for you from a random player, or you can summon a Red Boo that will do the opposite, steal a Star card (remember, any kind) from you to give it to another player.

One last thing to note is the Last Card event. Similarly to the Party mode, in which the player going last triggered a special event for the last five turns, here the player going last also gets a chance to try and turn things around. When only one Star card remains, before the player going last can start his/her turn, the host will trigger an event at random. This event can be: rolling two dices with a star on one of their faces so the player can get up to two stars for free, one more dice for the player to roll, a special dice the result of which will determine how many turns will be the other players unable to move, and an item present to fill that player’s inventory with random items.

After all Star cards have been flipped, the game is over. The player who has the highest number of stars will be declared the winner.