Mario Party Superstars: 10 Minigames That Should Make A Comeback, According To Reddit
Over its more than 10 games, Mario Party has tons of minigames. Superstars had many of them, but Redditors have other fan favorites they want to see.
Mario Party has had a rocky road. It never received the best reviews in its heyday, but it took a nosedive during the early 2010s. But finally, it seems the series is returning to form with the Switch's excellent Mario Party Superstars, which brought the series back to basics with critical acclaim. This nostalgia-grab was better received than the 3DS' The Top 100, which tried bringing back only minigames.
Speaking of minigames, they're a beloved part of the Mario Party series. While the boards and items provide a lot of structure, the minigames are funky tests that can be really fun and addicting. But not all the fan-favorite minigames returned in Superstars, which fans have been discussing. Reddit has players voicing what minigames they want to return if the game ever gets more content added.
When asked which minigame types should return, Redditor Chill0wl said "Game Guy minigames for me!" Game Guy was a Shy Guy who appeared in Mario Party 3. Despite some fans' dislike of luck-based minigames, all of Game Guy's hosted games were luck-based. There were four minigames in total: Game Guy's Magic Boxes, Lucky 7, Sweet Surprise, and Roulette.
As the names might have made it sound, these minigames were all gambling games where players could bet all their coins on a chance to win big in games that were rarely interactable. It was satisfying when players won, but often it would leave them destitute. These games are unlikely to return due to the PEGI ratings board's guidelines about gambling.
Despite there being a lot of Mario Party 1 minigames in Superstars, not every fan-favorite made it in. Redditor stotaku420 says, "Minigames: all I want added is Platform Peril and Abandon Ship." Both of the minigames they mention featured in commercials for the first two games way back when, and Platform Peril itself is emblematic of Mario altogether as a platformer.
Platform Peril is a series of platforms floating in the sky. It bears a resemblance to the Super Mario 64 world, Rainbow Ride. Four players are tasked with jumping across the platforms, making their way to the finish line while picking up coins. This autoscrolling minigame was really tough to win, but also super fun.
Redditor flofloredditz says Fun Run is among "my most wanted minigames." Given that they also expressed a fondness for Mario Party 8's minigames, this one from 7 must be good. It's simpler than a lot of other minigames, but it's brilliant in its simplicity and a 3D platforming race up a winding tower full of obstacles.
All four players are tasked with getting to the top of a long tower. But obstacles such as spiny shells appear on the winding path and can be jumped over. But some obstacles are more manic than that, with trapdoor and punching gloves. This all adds up for a frantic and frenetic minigame full of chaos.
Redditor Raisincake wonders, "Why no handheld representation in Superstars?" It's a valid question as, despite the high number of excellent minigames in Mario Party Superstars, there are none from the two great handheld entries. Mario Party DS is often ranked among the best in the series by hardcore fans. And among its minigames, the most popular is Camera Shy.
The corn maze location the game takes place in is unique from the get-go. The goal of this minigame is to capture a photo of every other combatant as players navigate the maze. Taking photos will activate the flash, revealing a player's location. This makes it a tense and strategic game where players can not afford to miss a shot.
Redditor Jealous_Campaign3648 has opinions about some of the minigames chosen for Superstars. According to them, "Picking Flash Forward instead of Slaparazzi was a HUGE MISS." Both of these minigames are really similar, as both centered around getting in focus in a photograph. The biggest difference is that Flash Forward is from 10 and Slaparazzi is from Super Mario Party.
In truth, because of their unique concept, both minigames are quite fun. But fans, in general, prefer Slaparazzi because of its larger playfield. Flash Forward only has a single podium to fight over, which makes it more difficult. Slaprazzi is much tenser because of its multiple rounds and large playfield.
Redditor Flofloredditz appears once again, asking if the minigame "Track & Yield" from Mario Party 7 should appear in Superstars. Their answer is it's "a no-brainer for them to bring this back." Unfortunately, despite its appearance in The Top 100, it did not appear in Superstars, and that's a shame, as it's a fun game involving conveyor belts.
In this minigame, players must jump over hurdles on a conveyor belt without falling into the pit behind them. There are normal hurdles and electrified ones that stun players to touch it. And as the game continues, the conveyor increases in speed. This makes it a mad dash for players trying desperately trying not to fall, trying to be the last man standing.
A thread came up asking players what Mario Party 6 minigames should be added to Superstars. Without missing a beat, Redditor Nin10doFanYT responded, "Lift Leapers should have been in Day 1." This minigame from Mario Party 6 is another race to the goal. But the side-scrolling Mario platformer is more difficult than it looks.
The elevators the minigame is named for make it trickier than usual platformers. But there are also plenty of obstacles, like zigzagging platformers and spikes. The goal is to reach the end of the course first, and as the course is the same each time, it can be memorized for speedrunning and records.
When asked if they could add any one minigame to Mario Party Superstars, one Redditor had an unconventional answer. They admit, "It's a 3DS minigame from Star Rush but it's such a good design." Alongside DS, Star Rush is the other handheld Mario Party that is looked on fondly. This race minigame is much different than any other on this list.
Every player is holding a plate with five acorns on it. But players and the strange alternate Super Mario Goomba type Goombat can knock acorns off the plate. The winner is not who reaches the end first, but who has the most acorns when they get there. Strategically knocking acorns off plates creates a layer of strategy to this otherwise standard race.
An entire thread is devoted to this minigame regarding minigames passed over for Superstars. Reddit user BudgieBorb certainly has something to say. "Bruh, this was my favorite minigame out of all Mario party's," they say. As the name suggests, King of the Thrill is a game made from the animated TV series, King of the Hill, where players must punch and kick each other off the platforms.
There's an uncharacteristic brutality to this game from Mario Party 8. But this is also the rare 2v2 minigame on this list. Players are on teams and pitted against each other in a pseudo-bracket. Fighting off in these kind of games really sets this minigame apart.
Redditor Desperate_Safety-496 is furious. They ask, "Why does the Mario party for the switch NOT have Hotel Goomba from MP5?!" Even The Top 100 featured this minigame as unique in its puzzle approach. It's very similar to various coffee table toy puzzles in that players must push around elements to escape a room.
In this case, the elements are Goombas. Each room is decorated with a variety of furniture and Goomba guests staying in the hotel. Players must satisfyingly punch the Goombas out of the way in order to make their way up the hotel's three floors. But while the first floor is easy, the second and third offer more complex puzzles that the player may accidentally trap themselves in during gameplay. This minigame is a great fusion of stategy and frantic energy, which is what makes fans love it so much.