Mario Party 5

Mario Party 5
For alternate box art, see the game's gallery.
Developer	Hudson Soft CAProduction
Publisher	Nintendo
Platform(s)	Nintendo GameCube
Release date	Original release: November 11, 2003 November 28, 2003[?] December 5, 2003[?] December 5, 2003[?] 2003 Player's Choice: October 22, 2004[?]
Language(s)	English (United States) French (France) German Spanish (Spain) Italian Japanese
Genre	Party
Rating(s)	ESRB: - Everyone PEGI: - Three years and older CERO: - All ages ACB: - Eight years and older USK: - All ages
Mode(s)	1–4 players
Format	Nintendo GameCube: Optical disc
Input	Nintendo GameCube: Nintendo GameCube Controller
Serial code(s)	DOL-GP5E-USA

Mario Party 5 is the fifth main installment in the Mario Party series. Like its namesake, it is a party game for the Nintendo GameCube that up to four players can participate in, succeeding the Nintendo GameCube's first Mario Party installment, Mario Party 4. It was first released in November 11, 2003 in North American territories, approximately one year after Mario Party 4 was released. As in the other Mario Party installments, players interact with one another in virtual boards, playing as various Super Mario characters. Players then can participate in various mini-games at the end of every turn in the board, each with their own set of rules and settings. The most notable change in this game is that the item system that was first introduced in Mario Party 2 was replaced with the new capsule system, where players can not only use them for their own advantage, but also set up traps for other players to fall into; Mario Party 6 and Mario Party 7 would later return the capsule system (now called Orbs) and add new mechanics to the capsules. Mario Party 5 also introduces new modes such as Super Duel Mode, where players can battle each other on battle machines and Bonus Mode, where players can play special mini-games, similar to Mario Party 4's Extra Mode. The game is also significant for being the second in the series to introduce 3D game boards. Previous titles, all except for Mario Party 4, use pre-rendered backgrounds, which are static and limited in their presentation. As a result, all subsequent Mario Party titles, with the exception of Mario Party Advance on the Game Boy Advance, have employed 3D backgrounds allowing for much more dynamic fields of play. Mario Party 5 requires 5 blocks on the Memory Card to save the game, and up to three game files can be saved.

Mario Party 5 features the Star Spirits from Paper Mario, here named the Star Guards, as the main hosts of the game, where one of them guides the player through each of the game's various modes. The game features a dream-theme, where the game takes place in the Dream Depot and each of the boards' names have "Dream" suffixes. In the game's Story Mode, geared towards single players, a playable character has to face Bowser and the Koopa Kids (known as Mini Bowser in the PAL version), who invade the Dream Depot, and need to challenge them in every stage.

Mario Party 5 became part of the Nintendo Player's Choice label in October 22, 2004, and won the Console Children's Game of the Year award at the 2004 Interactive Achievement Awards.

Story

From the Mario Party 5 instruction booklet:

In the night sky, past the moon and beyond the stars, there's a dream world known as Dream Depot, where everyone's dreams come together. This is the real land of dreams... In this land, there are Star Guards who protect the dreams of all.

One dreamy night, the Star Guards thought of something.

"Many dreams arrive here at Dream Depot every day," they said, "so... why don't we offer those with the power of dreaming a chance to visit?"

In the end, they decided to invite Mario and his closest friends because, when it comes to dreamers, nobody dreams bigger than they do!

So the Star Guards prepared for their guests' arrival by creating many fun-filled games for them to play. And that is how the story of Mario and his friends both old and new began!

In Story Mode, Bowser and Koopa Kid are planning to ruin everyone's dreams, and players must stop Bowser from taking over said dreams. If players clear the six boards, they must face the Koopa Kids in Bowser Nightmare, and if they beat that board, they fight Bowser in Frightmare.

Gameplay

The game's title screen.

Gameplay of Koopa Kid traveling in the Future Dream board

The gameplay in Mario Party 5 is the same as in other installments. Players move around the board by rolling a dice block numbered one through ten. The game begins by deciding the order of play with dice blocks. Players who roll the highest numbers get to start their turn sooner. Then players are given ten coins to start. The object of the game is to collect as many stars as possible. Each star is worth 20 coins. Stars appear in random, set locations, which get shuffled every time a player acquires a star. Players can earn coins to purchase these stars by either landing on spaces or winning mini-games. The spaces players land on can either be beneficial or harmful: for example, plus spaces award players three coins, minus spaces deduct three coins, and ? spaces cause an event to happen, which is dependent on the board being played. Players also have the option to receive items called capsules at capsule machines, which replace the Item Shops of the previous entries of the Mario Party series. Players can toss capsules onto spaces or use capsules on themselves for a price. Plus or minus spaces that have an icon on them are under the influence of a capsule and their effects are dependent on the capsule effect it has.

After everyone moves, a mini-game starts; the type of mini-game is determined by the color of the panel, which is dependent on the space the player has landed on. If everyone has the same color, then a 4-Player mini-game begins. If players have an equal number of colored panels, a 2-vs.-2 mini-game is played. If all players except one have landed on the same space, a 1-vs.-3 mini-game commences. Sometimes, a battle mini-game can take place and everyone pays coins to put at stake to compete, with winning players receiving more coins than lower-placed players. After a mini-game, players earn 10 coins if they win, with Bonus mini-games having the potential of players receiving even more coins. Other mini-games such as Duel, Bowser, and DK mini-games require a specific space-landing or item usage for the mini-games to be played; these do not happen at the end of a turn as normal mini-games. After normal mini-games are played, the game saves and the next turn begins, repeating the process until the end of the game.

When there is only five turns left, the Last Five Turns Event starts. Here, Bowser announces the current standings and asks the player in last place to spin the wheel to add a new rule for the remainder of the game. Also, when two players land on the same space, a Duel mini-game begins.

After the final turn, Eldstar announces the results starting with the current star count and the final coin count. Then, players receive three Bonus Stars based on their performance before announcing the winner of the game, which is the player with the most stars overall (with coins or dice blocks serving as the tiebreaker).

Game modes

Klevar introducing players to the main menu of the game

All six of the game's modes are hosted by a member of the Star Guards, barring Klevar who guides players through the selection and description of the modes and hosts some ? Space events located in the boards of the game.

Party Mode

Eldstar introducing players to Party Mode

The main mode of any Mario Party game, including Mario Party 5, this game mode is hosted by Eldstar. Up to four players can enjoy the mode as they partake against each other in the game's boards to collect the most Stars. Four players always participate in the game. If there are not enough human players, the remaining players are controlled by CPU. Characters are then chosen out of the roster of ten playable characters; CPU players can have their difficulty adjusted as their characters are chosen. In a Team Match, players can choose which character can be on what team. The main rules of the game are played in this mode; however, players can adjust various settings to change up some aspects of the game before they play the mode.

• Rules: Players can play in Battle Royal, where four players all compete in a free-for-all, or Team Match, where two teams of two play against each other.
• Number of Turns: This controls how many turns the game lasts. Players can set from 10 to 50 turns, with increments of 5 turns in between.
• Mini-Games: Forgoing the custom mini-game set from Mario Party 4, mini-games are grouped into specific categories, which are All, Easy, Action, Skill, and Goofy mini-games.
• Bonus Awards: If turned on, hidden blocks containing coins in them become available in the board map. Also, Bonus Stars are awarded at the end of the game if the setting is turned on. They are the following:
  • Mini-Game Star: Awarded to players who have received the most coins from mini-games. Starting with this game, Battle mini-games count towards the Mini-Game Star.
  • Coin Star: Awarded to players who have accumulated the most coins in the game.
  • Happening Star: Awarded to players who have landed on the most ? spaces.
• Handicap: This lets players adjust the number of stars they start out with, giving them an advantage. Up to nine stars can be given initially.

After a board is chosen, the game then starts. Players can access the pause menu by pressing in the middle of the game, where they can see the number of turns they have left and also access more features that can be toggled. These are the features as of follows:

• Controller: Players can adjust the control settings for each character. Players can turn CPU players into human places, vice-versa, or adjust their difficulty.
• Mini-Game Explanation Screen: Players can either view or skip the mini-game explanation screen.
• CPU Mini-Game: Players can either view or skip mini-games involving only CPU characters.
• Mini-Game Pack: Players can adjust which type of mini-games can be played, from All, Easy, Action, Skill, or Goofy mini-games.
• Rumble Settings: Players can toggle the Nintendo GameCube controller Rumble Feature on or off.
• Message Speed: Players can change the speed messages display, from Fast, Normal, or Slow.
• Save: Players can choose to not save game data, save game data at the end of the current turn, or save the game data at the end of every turn.
• Quit: This quits the game and returns to the main menu. Players can leave off where they have last saved.

Story Mode

Misstar in Story Mode

Story Mode is a single player mode hosted by Misstar. In this mode, the player participates on seven, smaller, modified boards facing the three colored Koopa Kids. The difficulty is dependent on what the player has set before playing on the boards, and players can adjust which mini-game set is used before play. The main objective is to eliminate all three of the Koopa Kids before they eliminate the player or 15 turns pass; in order to eliminate a Koopa Kid, the player must make them lose all of their coins, either by dueling them or using capsules to make them lose coins. If a player loses all of their Coins, they lose the game. In this game mode, mini-games are not played at the end of every turn. Unlike Party Mode, players can duel Koopa Kids by simply passing them rather than either landing on a Duel Space, using a Duel Orb, or landing on the same space as them. There are no coins put at stake; rather, a set number of coins are lost depending on which character wins and which character passes who. If players pass or land with a Koopa Kid, players losing have 5 coins deducted while winning against a Koopa Kid costs him 15 coins. When the Koopa Kid passes or lands on the players, they duel the players; losing costs the Koopa Kids 5 coins while winning costs players 10 coins. All the Koopa Kids move at the same time, quickening game play. Once all the Koopa Kids have lost all their coins, the player wins the board. If 15 turns pass but there are still Koopa Kids left, the match is declared a draw and the player must start over.

A new space introduced is the VS Space, exclusive to Story Mode. Landing on it triggers mini-games dependent on the number of Koopa Kids on the playing field; if there are three Koopa Kids, a 1-vs.-3 game is played. Two causes a 2-vs.-2 mini-game to be played, where the player is partnered with a CPU Toad. Only one Koopa Kid on the board causes a Duel mini-game to be played. An error is present in the instruction booklet of the game: the instruction booklet lists a 2-vs.-1 mini-game that can be played upon landing on this space when no 2-vs.-1 mini-games can be played in Mario Party 5. In addition to the exclusive VS Space, DK Spaces and Bowser Spaces have their rules changed. If a Koopa Kid lands on a DK Space, half of his coins are taken away. Players who land on a DK Space have 10 coins rewarded. The flipside occurs for Bowser Spaces: Bowser takes half a player's coins away upon landing on the space while a Koopa Kid receives 5 coins.

After the player beats four of the six default boards, the player then battles the Koopa Kids in the unlockable board, Bowser Nightmare. After the players beat the Koopa Kids in that board, the player faces Bowser in Frightmare. Upon winning the mini-game, players beat Story Mode, unlock Frightmare to play in Mini-Game Mode, and unlock the Bowser Nightmare board to play on in Party Mode. If the player beats Story Mode on the Hard difficulty, the Intense difficulty is unlocked for both CPUs and Story Mode.

Mini-Game Mode

Muskular introducing Mini-Game Mode

Mini-Game Circuit

Mini-Game Mode is hosted by Muskular, where up to four players can play the mini-games of Mario Party 5 that they have unlocked. Mini-games are unlocked by simply playing them in Party Mode or Solo Mode at the end of every turn. Mini-Game Mode offers six ways to play the mini-games.

• Free Play: Players can play any mini-game they have unlocked. Players need to have unlocked at least one mini-game to access this mode.
• Mini-Game Battle: Players play a random assortment of 4-Player, 1-vs.-3, or 2-vs.-2 mini-games, where they advance when they win a mini-game. The size of the game can be set at 3, 5, or 7 wins to overall win the game. Players need to play at least one 4-Player, 1-vs.-3, and 2-vs.-2 mini-game to play.
• Mini-Game Circuit: Players drive around a race-track in cars, where the goal of the game is to be the first player to reach the finish line. Players play mini-games, and whoever wins the mini-game uses the dice block to move forward. Capsules can be awarded to players who win the mini-game, and those who lose the mini-game do not receive the capsule's effects. Three areas are present in the game: the Normal Area, the Battle Area and the Bowser Area. The Normal Area has no effect when landed on, the Battle Area commences a Duel mini-game where losers are moved back depending on the roll of the dice block (if the player who landed on the area loses, everyone stays where they are), and the Bowser Area causes players to play a Bowser mini-game, where the losing players are moved back a number of spaces decided by Bowser. Players need to play a 4-Player, 1-vs.-3, 2-vs.-2, Bowser, and a duel mini-game to play this game. If there is a tie at the end of the game, the winner is decided by a dice block roll.
• Mini-Game Decathlon: Players earn points in ten set mini-games dependent on their performance on those mini-games. Decathlon records can then be seen in the Options Mode of this game. The following mini-games need to be unlocked to play Mini-Game Decathlon: Ground Pound Down, Chomp Romp, Flower Shower, Leaf Leap, Night Light Fright, Dinger Derby, Hydrostars, Will Flower, Later Skater, and Triple Jump.
• Mini-Game Wars: Players need to capture 19 hexagonal tiles on a board by winning 4-player mini-games and battle mini-games. Players can claim a tile when it is flashing and can capture an opponent's tiles by surrounding said tile. Whoever has the most tiles wins the game. At least one 4-player mini-game needs to be unlocked to play this game.
• Mini-Game Tournament: Players play duel mini-games in a tournament-like setting; players advance the bracket when they win a mini-game. Losing players can compete in a losers bracket for 3rd and 4th place slots. At least one duel mini-game needs to be unlocked to play this mode.

Super Duel Mode

Main article: Super Duel Mode

Skolar at his desk introducing players in Super Duel Mode

Super Duel Mode is a mode hosted by Skolar where players buy and assemble machines using points earned by playing mini-games. The machines come with a body, tire, engine, and weapon, and are used to pit against opponent machines in a battle arena. Players can either battle, capture flags, or shoot Robo-Rabbits in order to win. Players can either play in tournaments or against each other. Up to two players can participate in this mode, though save data can be handled by a third player.

Bonus Mode

Mamar introducing players to Bonus Mode

In Bonus Mode, hosted by Mamar, players can play one of three bonus games that are not available in any other mode: Beach Volleyball, Ice Hockey, and Card Party. All of the three bonus games come with their own set of rules: Card Party is a four-player battle royale where players need to find Star Cards to win the game, while Beach Volleyball and Ice Hockey are 2-vs.-2 bonus games that play as their sports' namesakes.

Options Mode

Kalmar introducing the players to the Options Mode

Options Mode is hosted by Kalmar where players can change settings or view records. The following are actions players can perform:

• View Mini-Game Packs: Players can view which category called packs each mini-game is under. The following packs are All, Easy, Action, Skill, and Goofy mini-games.
• Set Rumble: Players can toggle the Nintendo GameCube Rumble Feature on or off.
• Set Music: Players can switch between Stereo, Mono, and Surround sound. In addition to those settings, players can listen to background music and character voices.
• View Records: Players can view mini-game high scores, board map records for Party and Solo Modes such as the number of times the board map is played, the number of stars collected, and the times characters have won each board, the Mini-Game Decathlon records, and Super Duel Mode records.

Playable characters

The ten playable characters alongside Eldstar.

Mario Party 5 features 10 playable characters. All playable characters from Mario Party 4 return, except Donkey Kong, who is now the host of DK Spaces; while three new characters are introduced: Toad, Boo, and Koopa Kid; making this the first game to introduce a member of Bowser's Minions as a playable character in boards. However, the new characters are not playable in Story Mode (similar to Princess Daisy and Waluigi in Mario Party 3), as Koopa Kid is the player's opponent, and Toad is the player's partner if there are two Koopa Kids remaining. Despite Donkey Kong's role as an NPC, he is an unlockable character in the game's Super Duel Mode. He can be unlocked by defeating him in a tournament on Hard difficulty.

• 

  Mario

• 

  Luigi

• 

  Princess Peach

• 

  Yoshi

• 

  Wario

• 

  Princess Daisy

• 

  Waluigi

• 

  Toad (new)

• 

  Boo (new)

• 

  Koopa Kid (new)

Tag teams

Mario Party 5 brings the ability for players to team up from Mario Party 4 back and extends the concept. In this game, players now share coins and their Player Panel on the screen. Unique team names are also given out to all combinations. Here is a table containing this game's possible team names, all of which are carried over into Mario Party 6.

	Mario	Luigi	Princess Peach	Princess Daisy	Yoshi	Wario	Waluigi	Toad	Boo	Koopa Kid
Mario		Mario Bros. マリオブラザーズ Les Frères Mario	Cutest Couple ベストカップルズ Les Amoureux	Nice Couple ナイスカップルズ Les Jolis Coeurs	Famous Combo めいコンビーズ Les Vedettes	Alter Egos しゅくめいライバルズ Les Némésis	Pseudo Bros. にせブラザーズ Les Faux Frères	Best Buds いつでもいっしょーズ Les Inséparables	Old Acquaintances つきあいながいーズ Les Connaissances	Uneasy Allies ミニライバルズ Les Chamailleurs
Luigi	Mario Bros. マリオブラザーズ Les Frères Mario		Green Escort ほのぼのカップルズ Les Improbables	Steady Sweeties じみーズ Les Discrets	Green Bros. グリーングリーズ Les Verts	Unloving Bros. かるいライバルズ Les Pseudo Bros.	Unlikely Bros. うんめいライバルズ Les Inconciliables	Good Pals じみキノコーズ Les Imperturbables	Scare Pair マンションホラーズ Les Fantastiques	Friendly Enemies いがいとなかよしーズ Les Inattendus
Princess Peach	Cutest Couple ベストカップルズ Les Amoureux	Green Escort ほのぼのカップルズ Les Improbables		Lordly Ladies スーパーアイドルズ Les Starlettes	Regal Friends ラブリーエンジェルズ Les Chérubins	Royal Pain おどろきカップルズ Les Extravagants	Anti-Couple びっくりカップルズ Les Impossibles	Royal Family ひめとけらいーズ Les Mimis	Royally Spooky びはくーズ Les Etincelants	Trouble Brewing びじょとやじゅうズ Les Déconcertants
Princess Daisy	Nice Couple ナイスカップルズ Les Jolis Coeurs	Steady Sweeties じみーズ Les Discrets	Lordly Ladies スーパーアイドルズ Les Starlettes		Royal Ride ファニーエンジェルズ Les Pitres	Mismatched Pair かくれカップルズ Les Alliés Secrets	Awkward Date イージーズ Les Bizarres	Royal Pals ファニーキノコーズ Les Rigolos	Haunted Flower はずかしがりやーズ Les Timides	Grudging Allies せってんなしーズ Les Cocasses
Yoshi	Famous Combo めいコンビーズ Les Vedettes	Green Bros. グリーングリーズ Les Verts	Regal Friends ラブリーエンジェルズ Les Chérubins	Royal Ride ファニーエンジェルズ Les Pitres		Food Fanatics ワルヨッシーズ Les Waryoshis	Unhappy Dino おもながーズ Les Appolons	Cute Buddies あいしょうピッタリズ Les Chouchous	Scary Dino ラッキーゴースツ Les Diaboliques	Dino Cousins ミニモンスターズ Les P'tits Monstres
Wario	Alter Egos しゅくめいライバルズ Les Némésis	Unloving Bros. かるいライバルズ Les Pseudo Bros.	Royal Pain おどろきカップルズ Les Extravagants	Mismatched Pair かくれカップルズ Les Alliés Secrets	Food Fanatics ワルヨッシーズ Les Waryoshis		Wicked Bros. わるーズ Les Imposteurs	Mushroom Stinkers ワルキノコーズ Les Woads	Spooky Spoilsports イジワルなかまーズ Les Stratèges	Bad Baddies ワルいなかまーズ Les Infâmes
Waluigi	Pseudo Bros. にせブラザーズ Les Faux Frères	Unlikely Bros. うんめいライバルズ Les Inconciliables	Anti-Couple びっくりカップルズ Les Impossibles	Awkward Date イージーズ Les Bizarres	Unhappy Dino おもながーズ Les Appolons	Wicked Bros. わるーズ Les Imposteurs		Tall 'n' Small ワルイキノコーズ Les Diablotoads	Scary Screechers イタズラなかまーズ Les Terreurs	Cheap Chaps ワルいともだちズ Les Menaces
Toad	Best Buds いつでもいっしょーズ Les Inséparables	Good Pals じみキノコーズ Les Imperturbables	Royal Family ひめとけらいーズ Les Mimis	Royal Pals ファニーキノコーズ Les Rigolos	Cute Buddies あいしょうピッタリズ Les Chouchous	Mushroom Stinkers ワルキノコーズ Les Woads	Tall 'n' Small ワルイキノコーズ Les Diablotoads		Scaredy Toad キノコホラーズ Les Têtes Rondes	Little Guys せいかくあわないズ Les Contraires
Boo	Old Acquaintances つきあいながいーズ Les Connaissances	Scare Pair マンションホラーズ Les Fantastiques	Royally Spooky びはくーズ Les Etincelants	Haunted Flower はずかしがりやーズ Les Timides	Scary Dino ラッキーゴースツ Les Diaboliques	Spooky Spoilsports イジワルなかまーズ Les Stratèges	Scary Screechers イタズラなかまーズ Les Terreurs	Scaredy Toad キノコホラーズ Les Têtes Rondes		Pure Evil いたずらなかまーズ Les Faux Amis
Koopa Kid	Uneasy Allies ミニライバルズ Les Chamailleurs	Friendly Enemies いがいとなかよしーズ Les Inattendus	Trouble Brewing びじょとやじゅうズ Les Déconcertants	Grudging Allies せってんなしーズ Les Cocasses	Dino Cousins ミニモンスターズ Les P'tits Monstres	Bad Baddies ワルいなかまーズ Les Infâmes	Cheap Chaps ワルいともだちズ Les Menaces	Little Guys せいかくあわないズ Les Contraires	Pure Evil いたずらなかまーズ Les Faux Amis

Boards

Board		Description
		Created from the dreams of toys, Toy Dream is built on a light-blue, checkered platform among the clouds, where it is built out of toys, including a toy train, toy ship, presents, a robot, toy soldiers and other such objects. A toy train can be taken, which players can ride to get from the bottom part of the board to the top part and vice versa. If any other players are on the toy train, then they are also taken to either the upper train station of the board or lower train station that the player in the train is to appear at. Players riding may also use to jump and collect coins that come out of the toy train's funnel.
		Created from the dreams of rainbows, Rainbow Dream is suspended above the clouds with a backdrop of a pink, starry sky. Rainbow Dream comprises five independently floating clouds, one for each type of weather: cloudy, rainy, sunny, and snowy, and one that serves as the start space. The main way of getting around the board is by getting to the "rainbow spaces". Whenever players get to one of them, Klevar asks them if they want to cross the rainbow bridge for 5 coins. If paid, a rainbow appears for them to go to the next area.
		Created from dreams of adventure, the board is reminiscent of an abandoned, cavern mine and a seaside cliff with waterfalls, where players can search for treasure in some of the ? spaces it provides. A pirate ship can be accessed on the bottom of the board. Thwomp gives players a lift to a higher part of the board for 10 coins. For the same price, Whomp lets players use the ladder it is blocking.
		Created from dreams of the ocean, the main goal of this board is for the players to reach the Star by going across the coral reef. The board is divided into two sections connected by bridges. Noteworthy features are the sunken ship, the whale, and the tiny shops set up by Cheep Cheeps.
		Created from dreams of the future, the board is reminiscent of a space station in Outer Space. The goal for this board is for the players to get to the star by moving across the space station. Divided into three platforms, the only way to travel about the station is by teleportation devices, rocket ships, or shortcuts.
		Created from the dreams of desserts, the board is placed on top of a giant picnic mat where players have to cross all kinds of cakes and candy to get to the stars.
	(unlockable)	This board is created from Bowser's dreams. When players land on ? spaces, Bowser appears and causes events that may hinder them. Players unlock this board when they beat Story Mode.

Spaces

Normal spaces

These spaces are normal spaces that players land on, triggering their own effects.

Image	Space	Description
	Plus space	If players land on this space, they receive three coins. On the last five turns, the coins received may triple for a total of gaining 9 coins.
	Minus space	If players land on this space, they lose three coins. On the last five turns, the coins lost may triple for a total of losing 9 coins.
	? space	If players land on this space, they trigger an event. The event varies within the board. The event may help or hinder one or more players.
	Bowser space	There is initially one Bowser space that replaces one red space on the board. If players land on this space, Bowser appears. He can cause events that hinder either the player that landed on his space or everyone. Sometimes, Donkey Kong might appear and punch Bowser, which causes him to steal coins from the player who landed on his space. Bowser can turn another red space into a Bowser space if a player receives a Bowser Capsule, and one of the options in the Last 5 Turns event can cause all red spaces to turn into Bowser spaces.
	DK space	Only one DK space appears on each board, replacing a blue space. Landing on it causes DK to appear and triggers one of three events where either the player who landed on his space or all players have a chance to win coins or even a star.
	Star space	When a player passes by this space, they can pay 20 coins to Eldstar to receive a star.

Capsule spaces

These are regular spaces (either blue or red spaces) that are under the influence of a capsule. The icon of the space indicates what type of effect players are to expect, but the actual effect is unknown until players land on them. Players can override these spaces by tossing another capsule on top of them.

Image	Space	Description
	Mushroom Space	This space bestows a Mushroom to the player if landed on. It can be a Mushroom, Super Mushroom, or a Cursed Mushroom.
	Move Event	This space deals with mobility around the board. The capsule effect could trigger a Warp Pipe, Klepto, Bubble, or a Wiggler.
	Coin Event	This space deals with the player's coins. The capsule effect could trigger a Hammer Bro., Coin Block, Spiny, Paratroopa, Bullet Bill, Goomba or a Piranha Plant.
	Bob-omb	This space is created when a Bob-omb Capsule is thrown to a space. A countdown initiates whenever a player passes this space. At the third counter, a Bob-omb appears on the player's hands and explodes, causing the player to lose 20 coins.
	Bank Space	This space is created when a Koopa Bank Capsule is thrown to a space. Every time a player passes this space, the player pays 5 coins to store in the bank. If a player lands on this space, the player is rewarded with all coins in the bank.
	Capsule Event	This space deals with the player's capsules. The capsule effect could trigger a Kamek, Mr. Blizzard, Magikoopa, Ukiki, or a Lakitu.
	Tweester	This space is created when a Tweester Capsule is thrown to a space. Landing on it causes a Tweester to spawn, who then moves the Star Space location to another area on the board.
	Duel Space	This space is created when a Duel Capsule is thrown to a space. Landing on it causes a Duel minigame to occur.
	Chain Chomp	This space is created when a Chain Chomp Capsule is thrown on a space. If a player lands on it, a Chain Chomp appears and lets the player steal a star or coins from a chosen player.
	Chance Space	This space is created when a Chance Capsule is thrown to a space. Landing on it causes the Chance Roulette to occur.

Other spaces

These are spaces not found in Party Mode.

Image	Space	Description
	VS Space	Appearing only in Story Mode, this space triggers a minigame depending on how many Koopa Kids remain.
	Green Space	Debuting in Card Party only, landing on it does nothing.

Capsules

Mario Party 5 does away with the traditional item system of the previous three games, and instead introduces items called capsules, which can be obtained for free by passing capsule machines. Capsules can be thrown on the board up to ten spaces in front of them, and the player that lands on the capsule space receives its effects. Alternatively, players can pay a fee to use the capsule on themselves; the fee varies by capsule. Below is a list of all twenty-eight capsules found in Mario Party 5 and a description describing their effects.

Move Event

Item		Description	Cost
	Mushroom Capsule	When a player is affected by this capsule, the player is able to roll two dice blocks. If the numbers match (e.g., two threes), the player gets 10 coins (30 coins for two "7's").	5 Coins
	Super Mushroom Capsule	When a player is affected by this capsule, the player is able to roll three dice blocks. If the numbers match (e.g., three nines), and the player gets 30 coins (50 coins for three "7's").	10 Coins
	Cursed Mushroom Capsule	When a player is affected by this capsule, the affected player is only be able to roll numbers one to five on the dice block.	5 Coins
	Warp Pipe Capsule	When a player is affected by this capsule, they swap places with another player which is determined by a roulette.	10 Coins
	Klepto Capsule	When a player is affected by this capsule, the affected player is taken to another player's space, chosen by a roulette.	10 Coins
	Bubble Capsule	When a player is affected by this capsule, the affected player is forced to move ten spaces forward. During this, the player loses all of their capsules and can not choose which direction to take at a junction.	10 Coins
	Wiggler Capsule	When a player is affected by this capsule, they are taken directly to the star space, but they still have to purchase it for 20 coins.	20 Coins

Coin Event

Item		Description	Cost
	Hammer Bro Capsule	When a player initiates this capsule, the player loses ten coins.	5 Coins
	Coin Block Capsule	When a player initiates this capsule, the player receives ten coins from a Coin Block.	5 Coins
	Spiny Capsule	When a player initiates this capsule, the player steals ten coins from another player chosen at random.	5 Coins
	Paratroopa Capsule	Whenever a player initiates this capsule, the player rolls a dice block to determine how many coins their opponents lose.	10 Coins
	Bullet Bill Capsule	When a player is affected by this capsule, the affected player is able to steal thirty coins from any opponent the player passes on their next roll. They can not choose which direction to take at a junction, however.	10 Coins
	Goomba Capsule	When a player initiates this capsule, the player swaps coins with another player, chosen by a roulette.	5 Coins
	Piranha Plant Capsule	Whenever a player initiates this capsule, the player loses half of their coins (this also includes any remainder).	5 Coins
	Bob-omb Capsule	When a player is affected by this capsule, they lose twenty coins. For this capsule's effect to be initiated, the space it is tossed onto must be passed or landed on three times.	Free
	Koopa Bank Capsule	When a player throws this capsule at a space, that space becomes a Bank Space. If the player uses it on themselves, they acquire all previously deposited coins in the bank.	10 Coins

Capsule Event

Item		Description	Cost
	Kamek Capsule	When a player initiates this capsule, all players' capsules are shuffled around by Kamek.	10 Coins
	Mr. Blizzard Capsule	Whenever a player initiates this capsule, the player loses all of their capsules.	5 Coins
	Magikoopa Capsule	Whenever a player initiates this capsule, the player swaps their capsules with another player's capsules. The player chosen is determined by a roulette.	10 Coins
	Ukiki Capsule	Whenever a player initiates this capsule, the player chooses another player that should lose all of their capsules, which are tossed onto random spaces.	10 Coins
	Lakitu Capsule	When a player initiates this capsule, the player can steal a capsule from another player of their choosing.	10 Coins

Special Event

Item		Description	Cost
	Tweester Capsule	Whenever a player initiates this capsule, the star space is moved to another location.	15 Coins
	Duel Capsule	When tossed on a space, a Duel Space appears. If used on a player, that player initiates a duel against another player.	10 Coins
	Chain Chomp Capsule	Whenever a player initiates the effects of this capsule, the affected player is able to steal stars or coins from a selected player for a fee. The fee depends on the service.	15 Coins
	Bone Capsule	When a player is attacked by a Chain Chomp, this capsule activates automatically and protect them from it. This capsule cannot be used on a player or thrown onto a space; it can only be discarded.	N/A
	Bowser Capsule	Whenever a player receives this capsule, Bowser appears and throw it onto a randomly chosen minus space, turning it into a Bowser space.	N/A
	Chance Capsule	When tossed on a space, a Chance Time Space appears. If used on a player, Chance Time occurs.	20 Coins
	Miracle Capsule	Unlike most other capsules, this capsule can neither be used directly on a player, nor be tossed on a space (although it can be discarded). When a player carries three Miracle Capsules, the three capsules are activated automatically, giving all the Stars the player in first place has to the player in last place.	N/A

Minigames

Main article: List of Mario Party 5 minigames

Coney Island, one of the many minigames in Mario Party 5.

Mario Party 5 has a total of seventy-seven minigames, including some of the extra minigames found in Bonus Mode, having in total nine classifications of the minigames. Due to Donkey Kong becoming his own space, this game introduces DK minigames to the series, where players can collect bananas in those minigames to exchange for coins. Duel minigames also return from Mario Party 3, where dueling is absent in Mario Party 4. Minigame titles are often word plays, alliterations, and assonance, localized differently in other regions.

Staff

Main article: List of Mario Party 5 staff

Mario Party 5 is developed by Hudson Soft, the primary developer of the Mario Party series until Mario Party 9. CAProduction, who also has a history of developing for Mario Party games, is involved in co-developing this alongside Hudson. The game is directed by Kenji Kikuchi, who also directed the previous four Mario Party titles. Shuichiro Nishiya, who is a planning advisory for this game, would go on to be the director of much of the later Mario Party installments, starting with Mario Party 6.

The music in Mario Party 5 was composed by Aya Tanaka. It is different from the other games in that the music sounds sophisticated and (despite being synthesized as in most Mario Party games) has the illusion of being played by a professional symphony orchestra. This may be caused by the use of sounds that sound like true instruments, especially the harpsichord. However, this game's sequels, Mario Party 6 and Mario Party 7, have progressed to an orchestrated musical score.

Reception

Mario Party 5 received mostly mixed to positive reviews from critics. Game Informer's Andrew Reiner cited the example of coin redistribution in the game, which meant that "you could win every mini-game and collect the most coins and still end up in last place", when giving a second option of the game. GameSpot's Ryan Davis processed to note "If you bought Mario Party 4 last year, Mario Party 5 is hard to recommend.", noting a lack of change to the series formula. The game's graphics received a mediocre response, with GameSpot commenting that the presentation is "starting to seem a bit antiquated" when noting that the character models did not seem to have been updated from Mario Party 4. Generally, critics cited having a fun experience in Mario Party 5, although the minigames received a more enthusiastic reaction than the actual board game, with GameSpy commenting that "the sheer volume can keep you compelled. If only you didn't have to deal with all that BS in-between" when referring to gameplay of the actual board game.

Reviews
Release	Reviewer, Publication	Score	Comment
Nintendo GameCube	Peer Schneider, IGN	7.9/10	"Mario Party is an interesting game in that it is able to appeal to two very distinct audiences. It really is the perfect drinking game for college dorms (heck, it even has some advanced stat tracking options that show you in graph-form when player #3 started to suck) and at the same time a great game for kids to enjoy with their siblings. Judging from other efforts in this genre, until Hudson fixes the wait time problem, Mario Party 5 is likely as good as mini-game party games get."
Nintendo GameCube	Ryan Davis, GameSpot	6.9/10	"The beauty of the Mario Party games has always been their accessibility, and the latest installment maintains that. Though the new single-player story mode and bonus games add a little more longevity to the game, the fundamental experience is still largely the same as that offered in previous Mario Party games. If you bought Mario Party 4 last year, Mario Party 5 is hard to recommend. But if you've stayed away from the Mario Party franchise thus far, and you're looking for a casual multiplayer experience, Mario Party 5 may very well be the ticket."
Nintendo GameCube	Jon "Kid" Gibson, Gamespy	3/5	"I've been partying with Mario since the annual series began five years ago. Hell, I still host occasional gatherings at my bachelor pad for friends that also feel the mini-game urge. So I write this statement with love: Mario, get with it -- get hipper, get slicker, and get as good as you outta be. Right now, you're phoning it in."
Aggregators
Compiler		Platform / Score
Metacritic		69
GameRankings		70.66%

Sales

Mario Party 5 is the 12th best-selling game for the Nintendo GameCube, selling approximately 2.08 million units: 807,331 copies in North America, 697,472 copies in Japan, and about 400,000 copies elsewhere, as of December 31, 2009.

Quotes

Main article: List of Mario Party 5 quotes

• "YEEARGH! Happy times, indeed! It's the Bowser Mini-Game!" -Bowser
• "The player with the highest number wins. Good luck!" -Eldstar
• "Welcome to Dream Depot!" -Klevar
• "I'm here to help (character's name)!" -Toad
• "In this Card Party, you turn cards over as you move across the board." -Mamar

Regional differences

• Like in Mario Party 4, Koopa Kid was renamed to Mini Bowser in the European version.
• The winning and tie text animations are different in the European version; in the American and Japanese versions, the letters that said "Draw" disappeared jumping one by one, while in the European version, they just get flattened one by one.

Pre-release and unused content

A pre-release title screen.

A pre-release character select screen.

The pre-release title screen is different from the final version. Unlike the final version, it features various playable characters running around the screen. However, it does strike a resemblance with the file select screen in the final version.

The character select screen is also significantly different from the final version.

There is also data for two unused capsules, the DK Capsule and the VS Capsule.

Additionally, there is a debug menu hidden in the game's data that can be accessed through Action Replay codes. This debug menu is visually identical to the Mario Party 4 debug menu, aside from the minigame names being changed.

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Mario Party 5.

• 

  Mario

• 

  Boo

• 

  Red Koopa Kid, Blue Koopa Kid, and Green Koopa Kid

• 

  Bowser

• 

  Eldstar

Media

For a complete list of media for this subject, see List of Mario Party 5 media. For this subject's sound test, see Mario Party 5 sound test.

Dream Party - The theme that plays on the title screen.

File infoMedia:MP5 Dream Party.oga 0:25

Lots of Toys - The music that plays in Toy Dream.

File infoMedia:Mario Party 5 Soundtrack Lots Of Toys.oga 0:30

Doubtful Chance - The music that plays during Chance Time after activating a Chance Capsule, and during the mini-games Lucky Lineup and Vicious Vending.

File infoMedia:MP5 Doubtful Chance.oga 0:30

Koopa Kid Offspring / Mini Bowser Offspring - The music that plays at the start of a board game in Story Mode.

File infoMedia:MP5 Koopa Kid Offspring.oga 0:30

In Great Fear - The music that plays in the mini-games Big Top Drop, Bus Buffer, Rumble Ready, and Squared Away.

File infoMedia:MP5 In Great Fear.oga 0:30

DK Chance! - The music that plays in the Donkey Kong mini-games Banana Punch, Da Vine Climb, and Mass A-peel.

File infoMedia:MP5 DK Chance.oga 0:30

We're the Champs - The music that plays when the player's opponent is being introduced before the final battle of a Super Duel Mode tournament.

File infoMedia:MP5 We're the Champs.oga 0:30

Help:Media • Having trouble playing?

References to other games

• Super Mario Bros.: There are six arrangements of the Ground Theme: "Piranha Swing", "Piranha Ballad", and "Piranha Metal", three differently styled covers of the theme that are featured in Pop-Star Piranhas; "Doubtful Chance", the theme for Chance Roulette and the minigames Lucky Lineup and Vicious Vending; "Card Party", the music that plays in its namesake game; and "Everybody's Dream", the theme for the game's credits that has an arrangement of Ground Theme incorporated in it. Additionally, "In Calm Water," the theme for Submarathon, is a rendition of the Underwater Theme.
• Super Mario Bros. 3: In Panic Pinball, the design for the Fire Flowers on the slot wheels are based on the onesMedia:Fire Flower Spade Panel SMB3 sprite.png from the Spade Panel minigame. The way to defeat Bowser in the third round of Frightmare by tricking him into jumping on the same spot of the weakened floor three times is borrowed from this game.
• Super Mario All-Stars: The background in Panic Pinball, particularly the fortresses and hills, appear to be based on that of this game's version of Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels.
• Super Mario 64: Coin Cache takes place in front of Peach's Castle, which looks very similar to how it did in this game. Plastic Dorries appear in the minigame Tug-o-Dorrie.
• Paper Mario: The Star Spirits return in this game.
• Mario Party 3: Most of the playable characters' voice clips reused from Mario Party 4 are again reused from this game.
• Luigi's Mansion: Professor E. Gadd is mentioned as having created several vehicle parts in Super Duel Mode.
• Super Mario Sunshine: Mecha-Bowser makes a cameo in Toy Dream.
• Mario Party 4: A whistle resembling the Chomp Call is featured in the minigame Chomp Romp. Beach Volley Folley returns in this game, though it is simply named "Beach Volleyball" and now includes the option to use special gimmick balls. Also, most of the voice clips and all of the animations are reused, as well as the announcer.

References in later games

• Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix: The Toy Dream song is rearranged in the song "Cabin Fever".
• Mario Party 6 / Mario Party 7: Several sound effects were reused.
• Mario Party 8: The design of Princess Peach's Castle in Coin Cache from this game (but smaller) is reused in Crank to Rank but slightly better modeled.
• Mario Party DS: The song "Think It Out" from this game has an intro that sounds similar to that of "Serious Competition". The character celebration and lose portraits are reused, along with the Mario Party 8 portraits.
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl: Eldstar, Misstar, and Muskular appear as stickers.
• Mario Party: The Top 100: Seventeen minigames return in this game, and come complete with a cover version of their original minigame completion theme. The Star Spirits make a cameo in the Characters section of the Series Guide.
• Mario Party Superstars: Ten minigames and rearrangements of their respective music return.
• Super Mario Party Jamboree: Leaf Leap and Defuse or Lose return as minigames.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	マリオパーティ５[?] Mario Pāti 5	Mario Party 5
Chinese (traditional)	瑪利歐派對5 Mǎlì'ōu Pàiduì 5	Mario Party 5

Trivia

• The capsule depicting a Toady is incorrectly labeled as "Magikoopa Capsule". Later Mario Party games correctly labeled it as "Toady Orb".
• This is the last Mario Party game in non-Japanese versions (except the Dutch, Portuguese, and Russian versions of Mario Party: Island Tour) to feature a female announcer until Super Mario Party.
• Nintendo of America promoted Mario Party 5 with an ad campaign parodying the actual presidential campaigns of the United States, where Mario and his friends "campaigned" against Bowser and his minions, coinciding with the forthcoming Democratic and Republican primaries for the 2004 United States presidential election. Inconsistent with his appearance in the game itself and its artworks, Bowser appeared to use his design from the Nintendo 64 era in material related to this campaign. Similarly, the campaign also used one of Mario's artworks from Mario Kart 64 in addition to his actual GameCube-era artworks. Additionally, Wario and Waluigi were depicted as running on opposing tickets despite typically being allies in Super Mario media, with Wario being a part of "Mario's coin collecting cabinet of credibility" and Waluigi being part of "Bowser's corrupt cabinet of chaos."
• In the PAL version:
  • A file can only be played in the language that the game was set to when the file was created.
  • The "STADIUM" sign in Mini-Game Decathlon is affected by the language settings.

External links

• Official Mario Party 5 Japanese website
• Official Mario Party 5 Nintendo UK website