When it comes to the best Mario Party minigames, there are fewer divisive subjects out of the Mushroom Kingdom. From the original title for Nintendo 64 arriving back in late 1998, to the latest in the series, Mario Party Superstars, there are countless chaotic experiences for you and a friend to learn to hate each other over.
So, with Mario Party 1 and 2 now on Nintendo Switch Expansion Pack Plus, we thought there’s no better time to decide once and for all on the best Mario Party minigames. Of course, there’s a decent bit of subjectivity here, so don’t get mad like a wound-up Wiggler if your favourite didn’t make the cut.
I’ve always had a soft spot for the 3v1 Mario Party minigames, with Hide and Go BOOM! and Fish and Drips from Mario Party 4 both cementing a place in Mario Party legend with their arrival on the Gamecube title. Sticking with the fourth edition of the minigame series, Booksquirm is another popular one across the board, with a real sense of chaos as players fight to make it through the shaped holes in the pages.
With the subjectivity we mentioned earlier, it’s hard to crown an official all-time best Mario Party minigame, but we can say with some confidence that Face Lift is the most iconic, both here at PT, and across the board. With recreations or alternative versions in nearly every subsequent Mario Party title to date, it’s hard to look much further than the Super Stretch Mario sim that puts your awareness to the test. Also, it’s just good fun to see Mario with his moustache all out of whack.
In terms of least favourite Mario Party minigames, Honeycomb Havoc seems to pop up on plenty of lists, and I personally would rather see any other challenge roll around rather than this one. It involves maths and a bit of logic, something I don’t want to use, especially if I’m in the middle of a Mario Party drinking game – which is much more lethal than a mouthful of honeycomb, I might add.
There you have it, our picks for the best Mario Party minigames of all time. For more of the party man himself, check out our 9/10 Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope review to see why we loved the spacebound sequel so much.