Card Party

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Card Party
Appears in	Mario Party 5
Type	Bonus minigame
Music track	How About a Card? (Start) Card Party! (Playing) Dream Finale (End)
Music sample Start: Playing: End:

Card Party is a game mode found in the Bonus Mode of Mario Party 5. It replicates many elements of the Mario Party series' gameplay, but takes the form of a tabletop card game with a board constructed out of square cards. The game is hosted by Mamar, the host of the Bonus Mode.

Gameplay

Four game board sizes are available, either 7x7, 8x8, 9x9, or 10x10, determining the dimensions of the board by number of cards on the board's edges as well as the number of Star Cards. The board is procedurally generated based on the board size choice. Next, players choose their characters. The turn order is then determined by picking cards numbered 1, 2, 3, and 4. The player that picks 1 is first, and so on. Each player is then given the opportunity to place their starting card adjacent to any Path Card at the edge of the board, determining their respective starting locations. The game then begins.

On each player's turn once the game begins, the player can use an Item Card if they have one by pressing before rolling a standard six-sided die to determine how many spaces they may move. A single card contains up to five spaces. Spaces do nothing when landed on; events are instead triggered by turning over cards, which is done by approaching one of the card's edges. The goal of the game is to have the highest Star score at the end of the game; a player's Star score can be increased by collecting Star Cards, and the game ends when all Star Cards have been turned over.

Playable characters

Player characters in Card Party are represented by game pieces similar to those used in tabletop board games, featuring the character's head on top of a brown-colored base. The following characters are playable (at the expense of Toad, Boo, and Koopa Kid, who are playable in other modes of Mario Party 5):

• Mario
• Luigi
• Princess Peach
• Yoshi
• Wario
• Princess Daisy
• Waluigi

Unlike in other game modes, CPU-controlled players are chosen at random before the game starts, and their difficulty cannot be adjusted.

While appearing to be inanimate game pieces, the player characters in Card Party still emote slightly during the game, bouncing up and down to indicate excitement, for example, and they use the character's normal voice clips.

Cards

Path Cards

Path Cards depict a four-way junction on their backs, and depict a random path of spaces on their front face, which always connects to the card that the player is standing on when they turn over the card. Paths often feature junctions, allowing the player to choose a direction to move in, and the movement direction on paths is not fixed, allowing paths to cross over each other and for players to face each other and travel in opposite directions on the same path. When a Path Card is turned over, a hidden die is sometimes revealed, which is immediately rolled and added to the player's remaining movement for the turn.

After a card other than a Path Card is turned over and its effect is resolved, it is turned back over, revealing a random path in the same manner as a Path Card, though hidden dice cannot be found this way.

Item Cards

Waluigi obtaining a Cursed Mushroom Item Card.

Item Cards depict a red silhouette of a Mushroom on their backs, and grant a card version of the item depicted on their front faces to the player who turns them over. A player can hold up to three Item Cards at a time, and can use one at the start of their turn by pressing , much like in the Party Mode of previous Mario Party series games.

Cursed Mushroom

The user spins a Cursed Mushroom wheel to determine which opponent is cursed when they use this Item Card. The cursed player has their maximum die roll reduced to three the next time they roll. The player emits purple particles while under this effect.

Mushroom

The user rolls an additional die on the turn they use this Item Card, adding the result to their roll. It also negates the effects of the Cursed Mushroom. The player sparkles while under this effect.

Warp Pipe

Using this Item Card turns an unoccupied Path Card or revealed card of the player's choice adjacent to the card the player is standing on into a Warp Pipe card with only one space on it, which acts as a four-way junction, even if adjacent paths do not directly connect to it. It also turns over all Path Cards adjacent to the placed Warp Pipe card. While the Warp Pipe's in-game description claims that it "ensnare(s) everybody", it has no direct or negative effect on other players.

Event Cards

Wario encountering the Red Boo Event Card.

Event Cards depict a green question mark on their back, similar to that found on ? Spaces. When turned over, they trigger unpredictable events that can help or harm the player.

Boo

A Boo appears and steals a random Star Card from a player chosen by roulette, granting it to the triggering player.

Red Boo

A Red Boo appears, steals a random Star Card from the player, and gives it to another random player.

Send away

The player gets sent to a random space on the board and ends their turn.

Send to start

The player is sucked into a black hole, which sends them back to their start card and ends their turn.

Switch places

The player trades places with a random opponent and ends their turn.

Bowser Card

Bowser Cards appear to be Path Cards until they are turned over, and they are randomly placed on the board. When this card is turned over, either Bowser or Koopa Kid appears to cause trouble. Bowser picks one of these events at random:

Bowser Breath

Sends all players back to their start cards.

Item Shuffle

Shuffles the players' Item Cards, similarly to the effect of the Kamek Capsule in Party Mode. This event only occurs if at least one player has an Item Card.

Star Present

Bowser grants a Star card to a random player, but the Star transforms into a Ztar card.

If Koopa Kid appears, he gives the player a Cursed Mushroom (reducing their dice roll) and ends their turn, or calls Bowser to activate one of his events.

Star Cards

Mario obtaining a Double Star card.

Star Cards depict a yellow silhouette of a star on their back. Collecting them is the main object of the game, and the game ends when all Star Cards have been turned over. The number of Star Cards on the board is equal to the board's length. When a player turns over a Star Card, they gain the card, which usually increases their Star score, but can also decrease it, depending on the type of Star Card. When Star Cards are stolen via the Boo and Red Boo Event Cards, the entire Star Card is stolen as a single unit, potentially stealing two Stars at once (for a Double Star card) or benefiting the player whom the card is stolen from and harming the recipient (for a Ztar card).

Star

Adds one Star to the owner's total. The card rarely transforms into a Ztar card when revealed. When it does, the Star shakes and then it explodes, uncovering the Ztar, and the text "Gah ha ha! The Star has become a Ztar star!" is displayed.

Double Star

Adds two Stars to the owner's total.

Ztar

Subtracts one Star from the owner's total. It is possible to have a negative number of Stars. The card rarely transforms into a Star card when revealed. When it does, the Ztar covers the Star, and the text "What a surprise! The Ztar star has become a Star!" is displayed.

Last Card Event

Once per game, if a player in 4th place starts their turn when only one Star Card remains on the board, a random Last Card Event occurs, granting the 4th-place player a bonus. Once the event is done, normal gameplay resumes. If there is more than one player tied for last place when only one Star Card remains, the Last Card Event does not occur until only one player is in last place, and it can fail to occur at all if player placement never allows for it.

Star Chance

The player rolls two green dice with a Star on one of each of their faces; the player is granted a regular Star card for each Star side that lands face-up.

Dice Bonus

The player rolls two dice to determine their move for the rest of the game. If a Mushroom Item Card is used, the player rolls three dice.

Stop Time

The player rolls the die and the number on the die becomes the number of turns that the player has to move, without the other players having the chance to take a turn.

Item Present

The player is granted random Item Cards, up to the limit of three.

End

At the end of the game, the player with the highest Star score wins. If there is a tie, players then have to play a tie-breaker game to determine the winner. Eight cards are placed facing down, and players take turns choosing cards until one player reveals the Star Card. This player is then declared the winner.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	カードパーティ[?] Kādo Pāti	Card Party
Italian	Carte in Festa[?]	Partying Cards
Spanish	La fiesta de las cartas[?]	Card Party

Notes

• On the character selection screen, the positions of Wario and Waluigi's game pieces are both swapped, with the cutout shapes holding them being incorrect and their names appearing underneath one another.
• This mode introduces the Green Space, though it is generically referred to as a "space" or "dot".
• It is possible to have no Ztar cards appear during an entire game, without Ztars becoming Stars.
• If two or more players occupy the same space during the game, the active player temporarily flattens any other players standing on the same space, and the flattened player or players are represented with flags depicting the character's silhouette.