Editing Mario Party (section)

== Gameplay ==
Over the course of the ''Mario Party'' series, gameplay has changed to suit the technology of the hardware. There are several [[game mode]]s available in each of the games, each of which provides its own rules and challenges.

=== Party Mode ===
[[File:Peach's Birthday Cake.png|thumb|[[Luigi]] navigating the "Peach's Birthday Cake" [[game board]] in the original ''[[Mario Party (video game)|Mario Party]]'' game]]

Every game in the main series has a standard Party Mode in which up to four players play through a board, trying to collect as many stars as possible. In every turn, each player rolls a [[Dice|die]] (Dice Block) and progresses on the board, which usually has branching paths. Coins are primarily earned by performing well in a [[minigame]] played at the end of each turn. On most boards, players earn stars by reaching a star space and purchasing a star for 20 coins (traditionally). The star space appears randomly on one of several pre-determined locations and moves every time a star is purchased, usually occupying a blue space. On some boards, the star location is fixed.<ref name="IGN MP">{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/1999/02/12/mario-party |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180616224134/http://www.ign.com/articles/1999/02/12/mario-party |title=Mario Party |last=Schneider |first=Peer |website=[[IGN]] |date=February 11, 1999 |access-date=June 16, 2018 |archive-date=June 16, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Every ''Mario Party'' game contains at least 50 to 112 minigames with a few different types. Four-player games are a free-for-all in which players compete individually. In 2-vs-2 and 1-vs-3 minigames, players compete as two groups, cooperating to win, even though they are still competing individually in the main game. Some minigames in ''Mario Party'' are 4-player co-op, even though it doesn't say it. In most situations, winners earn ten coins each.<ref name="IGN MP" />

Battle minigames first appeared in ''[[Mario Party 2]]''. These games are like the four-player games, but instead of winners earning ten coins each, each player contributes a randomly selected number of coins (or all coins if the player falls short of the pot amount). The winner of the minigame receives approximately 70% of the pot, the second-place winner receives the other 30%, and a random player occasionally gets coins left over from rounding.

Duel minigames debuted in ''Mario Party 2'', and were omitted in ''[[Mario Party 4]]'' (although the story minigames are all duels) but return again in ''[[Mario Party 5]]''. Duel games pit two players against each other. In Party Mode, one player initiates the duel, wagering coins or even a star against another player.<ref name="GameSpot MP2">{{cite web |url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mario-party-2-review/1900-2544742 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617030213/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mario-party-2-review/1900-2544742 |title=Mario Party 2 Review |last=Fielder |first=Joe |website=[[GameSpot]] |date=January 26, 2000 |access-date=June 17, 2018 |archive-date=June 17, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> The winner of the duel receives all coins or stars wagered.<ref name="IGN MP2">{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/01/25/mario-party-2-2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617030250/http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/01/25/mario-party-2-2 |title=Mario Party 2 |website=[[IGN]] |date=January 24, 2000 |access-date=June 17, 2018 |archive-date=June 17, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> Starting with ''[[Mario Party 7]]'', the player no longer chooses the wager in a duel, rather, the duel takes place and the prize to the winner, if any, is randomly determined.

[[Bowser]] minigames are introduced in ''Mario Party 4'' in which players try to avoid being burned by Bowser's [[Fire-breathing monster|fire breath]] if they lose. When this happens, players must give up coins, stars, or [[Item (gaming)|items]]. In ''Mario Party 7'', a single-player version of the games was introduced and only one person can play.<ref name="GameSpot MP7">{{cite web |url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mario-party-7-review/1900-6139696 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617064836/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mario-party-7-review/1900-6139696 |title=Mario Party 7 Review |author=[[Ryan Davis (video game journalist)]] |website=[[GameSpot]] |date=November 11, 2005 |access-date=June 17, 2018 |archive-date=June 17, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Nintendo World Report MP7">{{cite web |url=http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/4455/mario-party-7-gamecube |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617064827/http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/4455/mario-party-7-gamecube |title=Mario Party 7 Review |last=Daugherty |first=Josh |website=Nintendo World Report |date=November 28, 2005 |access-date=June 17, 2018 |archive-date=June 17, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

''[[Mario Party 9]]'' introduced a new set of [[Bowser Jr.]]-related minigames. In these minigames, Bowser Jr. challenges two players to compete in a minigame to battle him. If they successfully defeat him, both players will receive five Mini Stars. If not, then Bowser Jr. will take five from each player.

''Mario Party 9'' also introduced a car mechanic.<ref name="IGN MP9">{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/03/10/mario-party-9-review |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617081258/http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/03/10/mario-party-9-review |title=Mario Party 9 Review |last=Claiborn |first=Samuel |website=[[IGN]] |date=March 9, 2012 |access-date=June 17, 2018 |archive-date=June 17, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="GameSpot MP9">{{cite web |url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mario-party-9-review/1900-6365698 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617081301/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mario-party-9-review/1900-6365698 |title=Mario Party 9 Review |last=Raze |first=Ashton |website=[[GameSpot]] |date=March 13, 2012 |access-date=June 17, 2018 |archive-date=June 17, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Destructoid MP9">{{cite web |url=https://www.destructoid.com/review-mario-party-9-224500.phtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617081306/https://www.destructoid.com/review-mario-party-9-224500.phtml |title=Review: Mario Party 9 |last=Holmes |first=Jonathan |website=[[Destructoid]] |access-date=June 17, 2018 |archive-date=June 17, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> In ''Mario Party 9'' and ''[[Mario Party 10]]'', every player navigates the board in a car rather than move independently of one another. ''Mario Party 9'' has a lesser focus on strategy, and its minigames do not impact the board game in ways that the previous ''Mario Party'' games did. Critics heavily censured the car mechanic;<ref name="TechRadar car">{{cite web |url=https://www.techradar.com/news/super-mario-party-release-date-news-characters-maps-and-features |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180616221508/https://www.techradar.com/news/super-mario-party-release-date-news-characters-maps-and-features |title=Super Mario Party release date, news, characters, maps and features |last=Pino |first=Nick |website=[[TechRadar]] |date=June 16, 2018 |access-date=June 16, 2018 |archive-date=June 16, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="GameTrailers MP9">{{cite web |url=http://www.gametrailers.com/gamereview.php?id=15005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315234949/http://www.gametrailers.com/gamereview.php?id=15005 |title=Mario Party 9 |website=[[GameTrailers]] |date=March 11, 2012 |access-date=June 16, 2018 |archive-date=March 15, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> ''[[Destructoid]]'' noted, "An over-reliance on random chance over strategy can quickly derail the experience when things go awry at the worst possible time&nbsp;..."<ref name="Destructoid car">{{cite web |url=https://www.destructoid.com/mario-party-star-rush-will-not-continue-the-bad-car-mechanic-from-recent-iterations-368797.phtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180616021646/https://www.destructoid.com/mario-party-star-rush-will-not-continue-the-bad-car-mechanic-from-recent-iterations-368797.phtml |title=Mario Party Star Rush will not continue the bad 'car' mechanic from recent iterations |last=Carter |first=Chris |website=[[Destructoid]] |date=June 15, 2016 |access-date=June 16, 2018 |archive-date=June 16, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> The car mechanic was kept in ''Mario Party 10'', although ''[[Super Mario Party]]'' finally lets players move individually on the board again.

''[[Super Mario Party Jamboree]]'' introduced a new feature called “Jamboree Buddy”, where players can earn that character from winning a Showdown Minigame. Each character has a different ability like buying Stars and items at half price. In addition, players can earn double the benefits or penalties with the Jamboree Buddy for up to three turns. ''Super Mario Party Jamboree'' features the most minigames in ''Mario Party'' history with 112.<ref>{{cite web |last1=O'Reilly |first1=PJ |last2=Lane |first2=Gavin |title=Super Mario Party Jamboree: All Minigames List |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/guides/super-mario-party-jamboree-all-minigames-list |website=Nintendo Life |access-date=7 December 2024 |date=24 October 2024}}</ref>

In most ''Mario Party'' games, at the end of a board game, bonus stars can be awarded to players. Three specific stars are awarded in the first six games. All later games have six possible bonus stars, but up to three of those stars are awarded per game. These stars add to the player's overall total. If there’s a tie in coins and stars, then a Dice Block tiebreaker will determine the game's final ranking.

=== Minigame modes ===
In addition to Party Mode, every ''Mario Party'' has a minigame mode in which minigames are played without the board game. Minigame modes vary from game to game, but later games have many different variations. In one such example from ''Mario Party 5'', each player tries to fill a board with as many spaces as possible in their colour by winning minigames in Mini-Game Wars. In ''[[Mario Party 6]]'' and onward, there is one game in Minigame mode intended for single player.