Mario Party is at its best when both the boards and minigames are fun and engaging. Although you need both to create a complete experience, the minigames seem to take a lot of the spotlight. There have been hundreds of these end-of-the-round bouts to compete in since the series’ beginnings. Some of these bite-size games are definitely better than others, though. Here are the ten best minigames in Mario Party history.
The best Mario Party minigames ever
Bowser’s Big Blast
Bowser’s Big Blast is all luck and no skill, but that is what makes it one of the most intense and nerve-wracking minigames in Mario Party history. All four players take turns choosing a switch to activate, with one of them always being the one to cause the big Bowser balloon to explode and eliminate you from the game. The tension that rises from waiting for confirmation if you chose the right or wrong switch is not found in many other video games.
Crazy Cutters
Crazy Cutters has all four combatants tracing the outline of a Mario enemy type. Whoever stays on the line best wins by freeing the trapped creature inside. We love the simplicity of this minigame and how there is a small level of skill to it. It’s an enjoyable game that does not take too long to get through but isn’t too short that you forget about it.
Dungeon Duos
Dungeon Duos is a 2v2 game with both teams working their way through various obstacles. Your advancement will require you to work with your teammate, having them operate a switch, and then you taking over to transport each other over. We love the teamwork aspect of this match. The competition here makes it an easy choice for this list.
Face Lift
Face Lift is a lovely nod to Super Mario 64’s start screen. The game starts with a character’s face that gets stretched into a unique contortion. All players then have a time limit to copy that face contortion. Whoever gets closest wins. Besides the reference, we love the uniqueness of this minigame. Even the most dedicated players will have trouble getting the exact face form for the win. It demands all of your attention and a steady hand.
Monty’s Revenge
Monty’s Revenge is a fun reversal of Whack-a-Mole. A group of Monty Moles will run around the area looking to bop players with their hammers, stunning them for a few seconds. Players must choose a hole to pop their head out of and remain unhit for as long as possible. This game has a line of strategy that requires you to pick your moment to show your head when all the Montys are distracted and your opponents are being pursued.
Mushroom Mix Up
Mushroom Mix Up has all four combatants on shifting platforms. When Toad holds up a colored flag, all platforms except that one will be lowered into the water. All characters need to get to that platform before the others are dropped. While there is room on each platform for each player, fighting for that spot requires you to sometimes bounce off of others, putting you in danger of flying out of bounds.
Slaparazzi
Slaparazzi is a minigame where all four players fight to be the center of attention. You are situated in an arena with paparazzi running up for your picture. Before the picture is taken, you need to hit others out of the way and position yourself in the center to get the most points. This minigame can feel like an all-out brawl and requires you to have the state of mind to choose when to strike your opponents.
Sneak ‘n’ Snore
Sneak ‘n’ Snore has all four players in barrels who need to move forward to unlock the door behind them before making their way to that escape. However, there is a sleeping Chain Chomp that will randomly wake up and grab any players who do not stop and hide in their barrel in time. This minigame can be pretty tense at times, forcing you to be patient. However, if you are too careful, you are allowing your opponents to get ahead of you.
Snowball Summit
Snowball Summit has all four players on a mountaintop rolling up big snowballs to use to knock each other off. This is one of the minigames in Mario Party’s history that really require you to think ahead as you play. There are a lot of things to strategize yourself around. For starters, picking when to begin building your snowball will leave you open for an attack. Also, the larger your snowball gets, the slower you will move, but the farther you will send enemies you hit with it. There’s a definite game of cat and mouse at play here that makes this unique from other minigames.
Trace Race
Trace Race has all players holding a crayon that must follow a line to the end. While the game’s name is “Race,” you want to ensure you are as close to the line as possible along the track. Whoever had the highest percentage at the end wins. This is a fun take on a racing game that is simple to understand and just challenging enough to be fun every time you play it.
