Bowser's Pinball Machine
- This article is about the Party Board from Mario Party DS. For the minigame in Mario Super Sluggers, see Bowser Pinball.
| Bowser's Pinball Machine | |
|---|---|
 Map from Mario Party DS | |
| Appears in | Mario Party DS |
| Availability | Unlocked by completing Story Mode |
- “You're smaller than a ball on the field in a pinball table in Bowser's Castle!”
- —Board Description, Mario Party DS
Bowser's Pinball Machine is a board that appears in Mario Party DS. It is the final board to go through in Story Mode. When the player successfully finishes Bowser's challenge in Story Mode, the board is unlocked and can be chosen in Party Mode. Despite being a Bowser- and pinball-themed board, no Bowser Spaces or pinballs appear on the board, though the space still appears on the board results screen. It shares the former trait with Bowser's Enchanted Inferno! from Mario Party 7.
There are Green Spaces with varying effects throughout the board. Some take the player to the Bowser Zone or the Star Zone, the latter of which allows the player to acquire 1–3 Stars at random. Landing on the Green Spaces near the flippers knocks the player all the way to the top of the board; the player hits a bumper and then gets ten coins. Landing on the Green Space near the roulette lets the player bet coins on where they think the spinner will land. There are three areas: ×2 is the largest, ×3 is the second smallest, and ×5 is the smallest. If the spinner lands on the area the player bets on, the player wins the number of coins they bet on multiplied by the number on that area. As casino gambling is illegal in South Korea, the Korean version changes the roulette event to a Whack-a-Mole game. The player earns coins if they hit Bowser or Bowser Jr. while the reward is decreased if they hit a Bob-omb.[1] Landing on the Green Spaces near the cannon launches the player in the direction of their choice. At the Bowser Zone, there are five Green Spaces. If the player stops at one of them, Bowser spits out a Zero Flame, and the player loses all their coins and Stars (but not their items). One can be hit by the Zero Flame only if one lands on one of the three Green Spaces by the plunger. Although the plunger will most likely fire the player into the Bowser Zone, there is a one out of ten chance that they will hit a bumper that bumps them into the Star Zone. All of the Green Spaces in the Bowser Zone activate the Zero Flame. If the player has a Double Dice Set, Triple Dice Set, Warp Dice Block, or Star Pipe, they can easily escape the Bowser Zone and avoid the flame.
The location of the Star is always randomized. Players can buy a Star for 20 coins (five if the Final 5 Frenzy shows Stars for five coins). Once a Star is purchased, a different one appears.
The board has a jackpot event towards the beginning of the board. Two icons match up on the screen, and the player must match a third icon to win the prize. In the Korean version, the jackpot event changes slightly. The player gets coins if the UFO icon hits the central spinner. More coins are awarded the sooner the player reacts.[1]
In Story Mode, this is the last board played. The heroes arrive in Bowser's Castle and realize they are still small. Bowser, along with Bowser Jr., picks them up and throws them in his Pinball Machine. If the player has the most stars and coins in ten turns, Bowser tries to shrink them again with the Minimizer. However, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong come at the last moment, although only coming for the free food in his party, and break the Minimizer, which makes everyone grow back to their normal size. Bowser then tells them that he has another weapon, the Megamorph Belt. The Superstar faces Bowser in the minigame Bowser's Block Party, and if they win, the player clears Story Mode, obtains the final Sky Crystal, and unlocks Triangle Twisters.
Spaces[edit]
There are 52 spaces in total.
| Image | Name | Count | Note(s)
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
Blue Space | 25 | - |
|
Red Space | 5 | - |
|
Green Space | 16 | - |
 
|
Friend Space/Duel Space | 6 | - |
Profiles and statistics[edit]
| Figurine | Image | Description | How to unlock
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowser Zone |  |
The plunger sends its victims to this awfully awful place, where Bowser's Zero Flame will scorch away your coins and Stars. What a wretched fate! | Place first on Bowser's Pinball Machine after earning the Bowser Rival badge |
Gallery[edit]
The top screen map
Daisy in the Bowser Zone
Toad getting a Star in the Star Zone
Wario about to be hit by the Zero Flame
The board's title card
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | クッパのピンボール[?] Kuppa no Pinbōru |
Bowser's Pinball | |
| French | Flipper de Bowser[?] | Bowser's Pinball | |
| German | Bowsers Flippertisch[?] | Bowser's Pinball Table | |
| Italian | Il Flipper di Bowser[?] | Bowser's Pinball | |
| Korean | 쿠파의 핀볼[?] Kupa-ui Pinbol |
Bowser's Pinball | |
| Spanish | El pinball de Bowser[?] | Bowser's Pinball |
Trivia[edit]
- If a player gets into the Bowser Zone due to a Space Swap Hex, the usual message "Oh no! You're in the Bowser Zone!" will not pop up.
References[edit]
- ^ a b ilo the second (July 27, 2021). Mario Party DS USA vs Korea. YouTube (English). Retrieved December 23, 2022.
