Growing Up

Growing Up is a Free-for-All minigame featured in Mario Party 9. The name is a pun on the phrase "going up", used when riding in an elevator or similar transport, as well as the phrase "growing up," a term used when a person begins to mold their adult mindset as they get older.

Introduction
The competitors are standing underneath their Brick Blocks. The flying block displaying the buttons to press descends from above, showing a "?".

Gameplay
Players make their vines grow by pressing the button that appears on the Flying Question Block with a fast reaction time.

The fastest player to hit the button gets more of a height increase than the other players. If a player presses the wrong button, or does not press any button, their vine will not grow that round. With each round that passes, the players are given less time to react, as the button rotation on the block is faster each time.

The player with the tallest vine after 8 rounds wins.

Ending
Each player climbs to the top of their vine. The camera then zooms to the winner, who waves.

In-game text

 * Rules – "Press the buttons that appear on-screen to grow your vine. The faster you press the buttons, the higher your vine grows. The highest vine wins!"
 * Controls – "Hold the Wii Remote sideways. Depending on the button that appears on-screen, press, , , , or to make your vine grow."

Trivia
The music that is heard when the characters climb through the vines is similar to the endless staircase theme from Super Mario 64.