Mario Party 7
| Mario Party 7 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 North American box art For alternate box art, see the related gallery. | |||||||||||
| Developers | Hudson Soft CAProduction Nintendo SPD Group No.4 | ||||||||||
| Publisher | Nintendo | ||||||||||
| Platform | Nintendo GameCube | ||||||||||
| Release dates |  November 7, 2005[1] November 10, 2005[2] January 27, 2006[3] June 8, 2006[4] | ||||||||||
| Languages | English Japanese French (Europe) German Italian Spanish (Europe) | ||||||||||
| Genre | Party | ||||||||||
| Ratings |
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| Mode | 1-8 players | ||||||||||
| Format |
 Optical disc | ||||||||||
| Input | |||||||||||
| Serial codes | DOL-GP7J-JPN DOL-GP7E-USA DOL-GP7P-EUR | ||||||||||
- Everyone
- All ages
- Three years and older
- All ages
- Parental guidance
Mario Party 7 is the twelfth installment of the overall Mario Party series and the seventh for a home console. It was released in NTSC regions in late 2005 and in PAL regions in 2006, making it the last Mario Party game released on the Nintendo GameCube and the last Super Mario game for the Nintendo GameCube in Europe and Australia (in Japan and North America, it was Super Mario Strikers instead).
Up to four players can enjoy the most of the game's modes, in addition to a unique mode allowing for the participation of up to eight players. Players are required to share their controllers, and thus, controls are simplified in such modes. Mario Party 7 was bundled with the microphone, similarly to Mario Party 6, and made greater use of it than the previous game.
Story[edit]
From the Mario Party 7 instruction booklet:
TOADSWORTH: Oh, I say! Hello there! It's me, Toadsworth! Yes, yes, let me tell you about what happened recently. You see, Mario and his friends are always busy fighting evil and saving the world and so forth, so I offered him a chance to come on a cruise around the world! Oh ho! Splendid! But in doing so, I apparently made that rogue Bowser somewhat angry. Let me tell you what he said...
BOWSER: "This makes me MAAAAD!! GRRRAAAA!! They're going on a vacation... AND NOT TAKING ME! They want a fun vacation? I'll give them a fun vacation! And by that, I mean NO FUN AT ALL! I'll find those chumps and wreck their good times! Bwa ha ha ha!"
TOADSWORTH: Great Kippers! That King Koopa has never been that angry! Who knows what he'll do? But chin up, old bean! We won't let him ruin our good times, right? Right!
Mario is taking his morning walk before suddenly encountering Toadsworth, who invites Mario and all his friends to ride the MSS Sea Star to various locations based on Earth. Bowser is uninvited, which enrages him, so he proceeds to interfere with the boards.
After becoming the Superstar across the boards, the player enters Bowser's Castle for their final showdown against Bowser, whom the player defeats with the Koopa Kid by the power of the Stars. The duo land on a tiny island with a tree, as shown during the epilogue, and are dazed until noticing the player, who waves at Bowser and Koopa Kid from the MSS Sea Star, to which Bowser vows to not forget the events that had occurred.
Gameplay[edit]
Following the format of the previous titles, Mario Party 7 is laid out as an interactive board game, where players roll Dice Blocks to advance anywhere from 1 to 10 spaces on the board, followed by a minigame. At the very start, players have the choice to learn about the board, its objective, and features.[5] Each player has to hit a Dice Block to determine the turn order,[6] with higher numbers going first, and all receive ten coins afterward. They generally earn three coins more upon landing on a Blue Space at the end of their turn,[7] whilst Red Spaces do the opposite. Returning from Mario Party 6 are Orbs, which are mostly obtained from Orb Spaces or buying them at Orb Huts.
The type of the minigame played at the end of a turn depends on which spaces are landed on by every player. When all players land on the same type of space, a 4-Player minigame is initiated, otherwise there is a 1-Vs-3 (when one player lands on one type of space and all the other three players on another type) or a 2-Vs-2 minigame (when two players land on one type of space and the other two player on another type). Several 4-Player and 1-Vs-3 minigames use the Nintendo GameCube Microphone, which plugs into Memory Card Slot B, though there is a setting that allows players to turn off the Mic option and instead use the GameCube controller to select options, or turn off Mic minigames completely. Players who win a minigame typically earn 10 coins, but not minigames of the Battle, Duel, DK, and Bowser categories. There also Bonus minigames, which are mixed in with the normal minigame categories and are marked by a yellow name. Battle minigames occur randomly and put players' coins put at stake and reward depending on how well they have done. Duel minigames are triggered by Duel Spaces, where the winner can win a prize determined by roulette, not by necessarily putting coins and Stars at stake as in Mario Party 5 and Mario Party 6. DK and Bowser minigames occur when players land on their respective spaces, and, unlike Mario Party 5 and Mario Party 6, there are two types of DK and Bowser minigames: Single-player and Multiplayer minigames. Once the minigame concludes at the end of a turn, the game saves, if the player has inserted a Memory Card with at least six blocks available.
The game uniquely features Bowser Time, a gauge shaped like the Bowser emblem that appears onscreen and fills every turn. The gauge fills every five turns, then an event occurs where Bowser causes some form of trouble, depending on the board.
Players compete to earn the most Stars, and coins to a lesser extent, like the previous games. A difference is that stars are obtained differently between each board, not consistently between all of them. The current Star count and final coin count are announced by Toadsworth, who gives three Bonus Stars to certain players each based on certain criteria. The player with the most Stars is usually the winner, though if tied, this is decided by coins, or by Dice Block if that is also tied.[8][9]
One change has been made to Tag Battle in Mario Party 7. Unlike other installments, where both players in a team move separately, both players in a team move at the same time by hitting two Dice Blocks from 1-5. Also, both players may be able to participate in certain board events by landing on a Green Space. Players alternate between the leader every turn, where initially, the first leader is determined by the controller order. Leaders make the decisions such as using Orbs, visiting Orb Shops, or making choices in board events. If a human-controlled player is partnered with a CPU player, the human-controlled player is always the leader.
The Last Four Turns Event is self explanatory. The event starts with Bowser giving Koopa Kid the current standings and allowing the player or team in last to stop a roulette. The resulting effect is usually negative, such as all Red Spaces becoming Bowser Spaces. Bowser Time does not occur during the Last Four Turns Event.
Game modes[edit]
Toadsworth is the host, guiding the player through the different modes. The main menu selection screen features six selectable game modes, each having their own description.
Party Cruise[edit]
The standard mode, where players compete to earn the most stars. The following settings can be adjusted before starting:
- Turns: The number of turns, ranging between 10 to 50, at multiples of five only.
- Rules: There is Battle Royale, where four players compete in a free-for-all; Tag Battle, where four players split into two teams; and 4-Team Battle where eight players divide into four teams. Teams always share Orbs, Stars, and coins.
- Bonus Stars: Whether Bonus Stars are awarded at the end or not, determined by one of these random achievements: Minigame Star for most minigames won; Action Star for most Green Spaces landed on; Orb Star for most Orbs used; Shopping Star for whoever spent on the most Orbs; Red Star for whoever landed on the most Red Spaces; and Running Star for whoever moved the most.
- Minigame Sets: All unlocked minigames are available, though some more restrictive categories are available: Easy games, Action games, Skill games, or Weird games.
After confirming the settings and choosing the number of players, players can choose their character. CPU players can fill up to three slots for any missing players, as one human player must always be present. The CPU player difficulty can be adjusted from Weak, Normal, Hard, or the unlockable Brutal. Lastly, the Handicap feature allows the selected players to begin with up to nine Stars.
The pause menu is activated with 
. It shows how many turns remain, how full the Bowser Time gauge is, and toggle between additional settings:
- Player Control: Deciding which player characters are controlled by a human and which by a CPU, as well as changing the CPU difficulty.
- Minigame Instructions: The option to turn minigame instructions on or off.
- CPU Minigames: The option of whether to skip minigames and board events with CPU players only.
- Minigame Sets: Toggles between the following minigame sets: All, Easy, Action, Skill, or Weird.
- Rumble Feature: Turns the rumble feature on or off.
- Message Speed: Displays messages at either slow, normal, or fast.
- Mic: Players can either turn the mic on to play Mic minigames, use
to bring up a menu with selectable commands (for players who do not have a Mic but would still like to play the Mic minigames), or disable Mic minigames altogether. - Quit: Returns the player to the mode selection screen, but not without the option to leave off where the game was last saved.
Solo Cruise[edit]
Solo Cruise is intended for single-player though still allows for two players. It is based on Party Cruise but with differences. All games pit players against one another, though playing against the CPU player is required to progress through this mode. When first starting, the player is required to register a character and name as their data, but they can also create their own pregame and victory messages. Afterward, the player can choose a board, but with a simplified layout and different objectives. Some of the spaces give a different number of coins. There is no Bowser Time event. If none of the players have fulfilled the objective within thirty turns, it is a tie. Bowser does not scatter three Koopa Kid Orbs across the board. Every board needs to be cleared against the CPU player, followed by Bowser's Lovely Lift!, in order to unlock the board Bowser's Enchanted Inferno!. Once the board is unlocked, the player is titled the Solo Cruise champion and can input their name and comment on the ranking board.
Deluxe Cruise[edit]
Deluxe Cruise is designed especially for eight players, using four Nintendo GameCube Controllers, each having one player control 
and 
and the other the and 
. Players can then choose the number of human or CPU players, up to eight different characters, and one of the two game modes.
- 8-Player Free Play: There are twelve 8-player minigames, all playable from the start, unlike other minigames.
- 8-Player Ice Battle: Each player tries to reach the central island by winning minigames to form ice blocks, and whoever finishes their path wins. There are three different rules:
- 8-Player Battle Royale: The six survival minigames (Gimme a Brake, Grin and Bar It, Hammer Spammer, Shock Absorbers, Bob-ombic Plague, and Bumper to Bumper) are played, and each player competes against each other in an eight-player free-for-all.
- 8-Player Team Battles: The six team minigames (Rope a Dope, Duct & Cover, Unhappy Trails, Synch-row-nicity, Spin Off, and Real Smoothie) are played, and players split into four teams and attempt to win the set amount of minigames.
- 8-Player Combined Battles: All twelve 8-player minigames are played, and players split into four teams and attempt to win the set amount of minigames.
Minigame Cruise[edit]
Up to four players can replay any minigames that have been unlocked in either Party Cruise or Solo Cruise.
| Mode | Information | Unlock requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Free Play Sub | Players can replay any unlocked minigame of their choice, including two exclusive unlockable Rare minigames that can be bought at the Duty-Free Shop. | N/A |
| Volcano Peril | The player first chooses a requirement of either 3, 5, or 7 minigame wins, then they choose to play either 4-Player, 2-Vs.-2, or 1-Vs.-3 minigames. After a player wins a minigame, they rise on their bolt by one level. Anyone who wins first escapes from the volcano as the others are trapped inside the skeleton of a dinosaur. | At least one 4-Player, 1-Vs.-3, and 2-Vs.-2 minigame |
| Waterfall Battle | The goal is to defeat every other player in three consecutive Duel minigames. If a player defeats one or two opponents but loses to another, the players who lost before are back in the game. | At least one Duel minigame |
| Pearl Hunt | Four player characters are inside of a capsule. After a minigame, the winner can choose a seashell, which may contain a pearl picturing the player character's face. Whirlpools may sometimes shuffle the shells around. There is also a Bob-omb that briefly opens surrounding shells, as well as Mushrooms or Super Mushrooms to choose more shells in a turn. Whoever collects three pearls with their likeness wins, while the others are seen escaping from a shark. | At least one 4-Player minigame |
| Decathlon Castle | Players play from ten standard minigames for points (up to 1,000), depending on their performance, or alternatively from five randomly selected minigames. Top scores are only saved in the Duty-Free Shop when playing the standard ten minigames. | The minigames Track & Yield, Fun Run, Snow Ride, Target Tag, Pokey Pummel, Take Me Ohm, Kart Wheeled, Helipopper, Monty's Revenge, and Air Farce |
| King of the River | A mode exclusive to single-player. The player chooses a set of minigames. Players can save their progress for every five minigames. Koopa Kid has a multiplayer Bowser minigame between 6-10 minigames, 16-20 minigames, and 26-30 minigames. The player is measured by up to three lives and loses one if they lose at a minigame, though it is possible to recover lives. While progressing, the player can play through higher difficulty levels and obtain a souvenir for the Duty-Free Shop with each minigame they clear. The prize for completing hard difficulty is a star statue, placed in the Duty-Free Shop. | Buy at Duty-Free Shop, and have certain minigames unlocked, including three multiplayer Bowser minigames |
Duty-Free Shop[edit]
- Main article: Duty-Free Shop
The Duty-Free Shop is where the player can view their records and purchase unlockables, such as souvenirs, using Cruise Mileage Points, which are earned either from Party Cruise or by playing minigames in Minigame Cruise. Purchasing souvenirs relocates them to the Souvenir Stand, where players can view them, as well as say "Surprise" from the Mic to trigger an effect. The Travel Diary is where the Records are stored, including Party Cruise, Minigame, Decathlon Castle, and Staff. Cruise Sounds is essentially a sound test, allowing the player to listen to sound effects and background music in the game. There is also the Minigame Packages that shows which minigame belongs to each set.
Control Room[edit]
The Control Room is where the player can adjust various settings:
- Rumble Feature: Turns the Controller Rumble Feature on or off.
- Sound Settings: Changes the sound to either stereo, mono, or surround.
- Mic Settings: Toggles the microphone on, off, or relegated to a menu accessed by pressing . Turning on the mode causes Mic minigames to appear in Party Cruise and activates the Mic Spaces.
- Mic Test: Tests the functionality of the microphone
Playable characters[edit]
There are twelve playable characters, two of them being newcomers: Birdo and Dry Bones, each unlocked by paying 1,000 Cruise Mileage Points on them at the Duty-Free Shop. Koopa Kid is the only playable character from Mario Party 6 to not reprise this role, becoming non-playable instead.
Default partners[edit]
Each pair of partners have their own special Orbs. If two non-default characters are on the same team, they can both receive their special Orbs, which can be obtained and used only by the designated players. For example, if Mario and Peach are on the same team, Peach can share her special Flower Orb with Mario, but only she can obtain it and use it.
- Mario and Luigi
- Peach and Daisy
- Wario and Waluigi
- Toad and Toadette
- Yoshi and Birdo
- Boo and Dry Bones
Team names[edit]
Special team names do not return for this installment from Mario Party 5 and Mario Party 6. They are represented by marine animals by team order:
- Team Dolphin (Japanese: イルカチーム): The first team in Tag Battle and 4-Team Battle.
- Team Seagull (Japanese: カモメチーム): The second team in Tag Battle and 4-Team Battle.
- Team Tuna (Japanese: おさかなチーム): The third team in 4-Team Battle.
- Team Mollusk (Japanese: かいがらチーム): The fourth team in 4-Team Battle.
Boards[edit]
This section needs Mario Party improvement. Specifically:
- "Star acquisiton" should be reworked into a "Description" section that explains the actual board gimmicks, while working the info on how to obtain a star on the boards into those descriptions.
| Board | Star acquisition | |
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Spaces[edit]
| Image | Name | Effect |
|---|---|---|
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Blue Space | Gives three coins when landed on (five in Solo Cruise), or possibly triple the amount during the last four turns. |
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Red Space | Functions the exact opposite of the Blue Space by taking coins away, or possibly triple the amount during the last four turns. |
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Green Space | Triggers an event, depending on the location and board. The event could be either beneficial or detrimental to the player who landed there, or affect everyone on the board. |
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Mic Space | Toadsworth hosts a Mic minigame, but only if the Mic mode is on, and the player can bet coins and win double the amount back. |
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Duel Space | The player who lands on the space selects an opponent to compete in a Duel minigame, then the winner spins the roulette wheel to determine what they'll take from the loser: coins or Stars. If a red "X" is shown, the losing player does not give anything to the winner. |
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Donkey Kong Space | Landing on the space causes Donkey Kong to appear and begin either a Single-Player DK minigame, where the player can earn a coin or Star prize by winning against Donkey Kong in the minigame, or a Multiplayer DK minigame, where every character collects bananas for coins. |
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Koopa Kid Space | Koopa Kid appears and triggers an event such as a Bowser Revolution or Bowser Shuffle. |
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Bowser Space | Bowser begins either a Single Player Bowser minigame, where the player has to finish a minigame before time runs out, or a Multiplayer Bowser minigame, where players (or at least one on each side during Team Battle) try to cross a finish line to win. If a player loses a minigame, this costs them coins or a Star. In the occurrence where a player lands on the space without any coins, Bowser only gives them ten coins without starting a minigame. |
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Character Space | It replaces a Blue or a Red Space if a player throws either a Thrown or a Roadblock Orb onto the space, so Character Spaces do not have a consistent effect. A player who lands on their own Thrown Orb space earns five coins (ten in Solo Cruise), or possibly triple the amount during the last four turns, while Roadblock Orbs do not give any coins. |
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Coin Block Area | A Space exclusive to Solo Cruise that can give five, ten, or twenty coins, and does not count toward the dice roll. |
Orbs[edit]
- Main article: Orb
Orbs can be obtained by either buying them through Orb Shops, passing through Orb Spaces, or winning them through Green Spaces. Orbs either help a player's progress or hinder opponents. There are five types of Orbs, each having a distinct category based on their mechanics. Thrown and Roadblock Orbs can be set up as traps. Orbs can be set only in Blue, Red, Character (not Roadblock), or Koopa Kid Spaces.
Self Orbs[edit]
Self Orbs have a green shell and are used on the player.
| Image | Orb | Availability | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
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Mushroom Orb | All boards | "Move with two Dice Blocks." |
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Super 'Shroom Orb | All boards except Windmillville | "Move with three Dice Blocks." |
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Slow 'Shroom Orb | All boards except Pagoda Peak and Pyramid Park | "The Dice Block will move slowly." |
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Metal Mushroom Orb | Pagoda Peak, Windmillville, and Bowser's Enchanted Inferno! | "Encase yourself in metal and move without being harmed by rivals' traps." |
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Flutter Orb | Grand Canal and Bowser's Enchanted Inferno! | "Flutter will appear and fly you straight to where the Star is!" |
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Cannon Orb | Pagoda Peak | "It'll send you flying to the upper part of the board." |
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Lakitu Orb | Neon Heights | "Lakitu will bring you a treasure chest!" |
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Snack Orb | Pyramid Park | "Prevents a Chain-Chomp from stealing you once. Lasts for three turns." |
Thrown Orbs[edit]
Thrown Orbs are traps that can be throw on a space. If an opponent lands on the space, various effects occur. The Thrown Orbs' shell color is yellow. These orbs have an effect on a player who lands on the space. If the owner lands on the space, they will receive five coins. During the Last Four Turns Event, they may receive 15 coins if the ×3 coins is chosen on the roulette. The orb stays on the board as long as no one places another orb on the same space or the Star space does not overlap it.
| Image | Orb | Availability | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
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Hammer Bro Orb | All boards except Pyramid Park and Bowser's Enchanted Inferno! | "Take 10 coins from any opponent who lands on it." |
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Piranha Plant Orb | All boards except Pagoda Peak and Windmillville | "Any opponent who lands on it must give you half of their coins." |
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Spear Guy Orb | All boards except Grand Canal and Neon Heights | "Any opponent who lands on it must give you coins equal to a Dice Block roll." |
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Kamek Orb | Pagoda Peak, Pyramid Park, and Windmillville | "If an opponent lands on it, you can take over up to three of his or her character spaces." |
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Toady Orb | Pyramid Park and Neon Heights | "Take an orb from an opponent who lands on it." |
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Mr. Blizzard Orb | Grand Canal and Bowser's Enchanted Inferno! | "If an opponent lands on it, he or she will lose every Orb." |
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Bandit Orb | Windmillville | "Whoever lands on it will lose coins from a windmill." |
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Pink Boo Orb | All boards except Pagoda Peak and Windmillville | "A foe who lands here will lose a Star. If the foe doesn't have any stars when they land here, they lose 20 coins." |
Roadblock Orbs[edit]
Roadblock Orbs are orbs with red shells and can be thrown on spaces. They are triggered when an opponent passes them and disappear once triggered. Another orb cannot be used on a space currently occupied by a roadblock.
| Image | Orb | Availability | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
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Spiny Orb | All boards except Pagoda Peak and Neon Heights | "Any opponent who passes it will lose 10 coins." |
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Zap Orb | Pagoda Peak, Neon Heights, and Windmillville | "Any foe who passes it loses three coins for every space he moves past it." |
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Tweester Orb | Grand Canal, Pyramid Park, and Bowser's Enchanted Inferno! | "Any opponent who passes it will be blown to another space." |
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Thwomp Orb | Pyramid Park, Neon Heights, and Windmillville | "Any opponent who passes it will get Thwomped and must stop moving." |
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Warp Pipe Orb | Pagoda Peak and Neon Heights | "Any opponent who passes it will be warped to the space where they started their movement." |
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Bob-omb Orb | Pagoda Peak | "Any opponent caught in the explosion will get thrown for a loop!" |
Character Orbs[edit]
Character Orbs can only be used and obtained by a specific pair of characters. Their shells are blue and always cost 15 coins at the shop. They are available on all boards.
| Image | Orb | Usable by | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
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Fireball Orb | Mario and Luigi | "Hit an opponent in front of you to steal his or her coins." |
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Flower Orb | Peach and Daisy | "Spaces ahead of you will change to flower spaces, letting you ignore traps. You get 3 coins for every space you move." |
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Egg Orb | Yoshi and Birdo | "Eat character spaces and symbols in your path and turn them into eggs. Eggs will become orbs after moving." |
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Vacuum Orb | Wario and Waluigi | "Spin the wheel and take away whatever number you end up with from your opponents." |
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Magic Orb | Boo and Dry Bones | "Use powerful magic to turn invisible and double your Dice Block rolls for 2 turns." |
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Triple 'Shroom Orb | Toad and Toadette | "Use the power of 3 mushrooms to double your Dice Blocks for 3 turns." |
Other Orbs[edit]
Other Orbs are orbs that are automatically thrown when somebody receives them. They are colored violet and cannot be found in Orb Shops, nor can they be won in Green Spaces.
| Image | Orb | Availability | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
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Koopa Kid Orb | All boards | "If you get this, Koopa Kid will show up and make a Koopa Kid space. How annoying!" |
