Step It Up



Step It Up is a minigame competition in the Minigame Modes of Mario Party DS and Mario Party 9. This competition requires four players in DS, but can also be played with just 2 or 3 players in 9. The aim of this challenge is to see who can be the first to win 3, 5 or 7 minigames, depending on the options chosen, and after each minigame played the characters who win the minigame get to climb one step of the staircase in DS or four steps of the staircase in 9. The first player to win 3, 5, or 7 minigames wins the mode. This contest is a reincarnation of a competition that has appeared in previous installments in the series.

In Mario Party DS, the player could choose to play only 4-Player, 1 vs 3 and 2 vs 2 minigames, or a randomized mix of all three. In Mario Party 9, the player can only pick between Free-For-All minigames or 1 vs Rivals minigames. For 1 vs 3 and 2 vs 2 minigames, teams are chosen at random each time when the player chooses the random minigame type setting, unless the player specifically chooses either minigame type, where the teams would be decided at the start of the competition. If players were playing the Mario Party DS version, the minigame would be chosen randomly. However, in Mario Party 9, the player in last place would get to choose between six different minigames randomly chosen from the minigame wheel. In Mario Party 9, before stepping on a numbered stair, the character will do a somersault (or a Spin Jump when playing as Peach or Daisy).

Some minigames in Mario Party 9, such as Logger Heads, 10 to Win, Snow Go and Pizza Me, Mario, have a unique version in this mode: once a player completes the goal, the minigame ends; in other modes, other players are still active even after the goal is completed.

The background of the Mario Party 9 version resembles Tall Trunk Galaxy from Super Mario Galaxy 2. Whittles can also be seen in the background.

In-game description
Mario Party DS: "Be first to reach the top of the steps! Minigame victories get you there!" Mario Party 9: "Be the first player to win a certain number of minigames to become the champion!"