Mario Mechs

Mario Mechs
Appears in	Mario Party 5
Type	1-vs.-3 minigame
Time limit	60 seconds
Music track	Serious Competition
Music sample

Mario Mechs is a 1-vs.-3 minigame from Mario Party 5.

Introduction

The solo player, riding on a machine, falls into a dark arena onto a small circle. The landing triggers the arena to light up tile by tile. Then, the team players are shown, and the minigame begins.

Gameplay

The solo player controls a large robot that resembles a blue elephant, and the team controls scooters that resemble green dragons (complete with eyes, wings, legs, and spiked tails). Each player has a health bar that can be depleted by being shot. The solo player's vehicle's parts get removed while taking damage, with first the ear plates, then the bottom rear plates, then the front rear plates, and then finally the top plate. The solo player's goal is to eliminate the team, while the team tries to defeat the solo player. The team players have arrows that point in the direction of the solo player, allowing them to keep an eye on them, while the solo player has a radar that shows the spots and directions of the team members to try to avoid being flanked. The team players can also dash in their scooters to avoid the solo player's shots. The solo player also has a shock beam that hits any players in its radius. If neither side defeats the other within 60 seconds, the minigame ends in a draw.

The solo player tries to win by avoiding being flanked and hit from behind, using the radar to help spot incoming opponents while relying on small shockwaves and using walls and cover to deter them from getting close. While the shockwave move can be charged, it does not do much damage. The solo player can remove large chunks of health from opponents and push them far back through a charged blast if teammates try hitting the solo player head on, and because normal shots also deal significant damage, they can deal finishing blows on opponents as needed. If positioned correctly, the charged blast can potentially one-hit KO an opponent on full health.

Teammates win by overwhelming the solo player by surrounding them and striking the solo player at multiple angles while using the charged dash to avoid hits. Due to the charged beam dealing massive damage and regular beams also dealing significant damage, teammates avoid being directly in front of the solo player. They can also use the temporary cover to prevent getting hit. Since teammates cannot strafe, they must hit the solo player directly ahead and need to turn and retreat if the solo player is about to shoot them. Teammates are more capable of stalling out the timer due to to their better mobility, so they can force a draw rather than a loss if they cannot afford to take the solo player straight on due to very low health.

Computer-controlled opponents of all difficulties tend to be easy to take out, when part of a team, due to their predictable patterns of turning in a circle and moving head-on to the solo player to make a few shots before turning and heading away, making them easy targets to fully charged beams, and they almost never use their dash. Likewise, the solo computer controller player never strafes and can be outmaneuvered by human players (although they automatically trigger their shockwave if players get close). They can also be slow to react, if at all, so a well-positioned human player from the team can land multiple shots on them from behind and deal massive damage before the computer player notices. Solo computer-controller players are typically more competent than the computer-controlled team, however, with solo computer players generally more likely to win vs the computer-controlled team, even if the solo computer is on lower levels.

• 

  Parched Ruins

• 

  Dark City

• 

  Star Hole

Ending

The ending to Mario Mechs

Winners do their winning poses as losers do their losing poses, while the arena shuts down, leaving it as it began. If the minigame ends in a draw, all players do their losing poses.

Controls

Solo (1 player)

• – Move
• – Fire beam
• – Fire shock beam
• / – Strafe

Group (3 players)

• – Move
• – Fire beam
• Hold – Dash

In-game text

• Rules – "Fight in a battle-arena setting using vehicles to fire back and forth. Whoever is first to destroy the opposition wins."
• Advice 1 – "The single player can use and to strafe."
• Advice 2 – "The single player can also hold and release or to fire a more powerful blast."

Names in other languages

Mario Mechs

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	マシーンバトル[?] Mashīn Batoru	Machine Battle
French	Bataille Laser[?]	Laser Battle
German	Laserfeuer[?]	Laser Fire
Italian	Raggi di luce[?]	Rays of light
Spanish	Batalla naval[?]	Naval Warfare

Parched Ruins

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	カラカラいせき[?] Karakara Iseki	Dry Dry Ruins	Shared with Dry Dry Ruins from Mario Kart Wii
French	Ruines Arides[?]	Arid Ruins
German	Geisterburg[?]	Ghost Castle
Italian	Rovinelandia[?]	Ruins Land
Spanish	Ruinas áridas[?]	Arid Ruins

Dark City

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	まっくらシティ[?] Makkura Shiti	Pitch-Dark City
French	Cité Sinistre[?]	Sinister City
German	Dunkelstadt[?]	Dark City
Italian	Tenebrolandia[?]	Terror Land
Spanish	Urbania[?]	–	From urbano ("urban") and the location suffix -ia

Star Hole

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	スターホール[?] Sutā Hōru	Star Hole
French	Hall d'Etoiles[?]	Hall of Stars
German	Sternenhalle[?]	Hall of Stars
Italian	Spaziolandia[?]	Space Land
Spanish	Cráter estelar[?]	Stellar crater