Mario Party 7

Template:Infobox Mario Party 7 is the seventh home console installment in the Mario Party series, the fourth and final installment for the Nintendo GameCube system. It was released in North America and Japan, as well as Europe and Australia in late 2005 and early 2006, respectively. In this game, Mario and the gang, using the MSS Sea Star, go vacationing to locations based on landmarks in Earth. However, Bowser is not invited on the cruise and decides to cause trouble for Mario and his friends.

The game has a very unique feature to allow up to eight players to join the party, with two players each sharing a controller.

Story

From the Mario Party 7 Instruction booklet:

TOADSWORTH: Oh, I say! Hello there! It's me, Toadsworth! Yes, yes, let me tell you about what happened recently. You see, Mario and his friends are always busy fighting evil and saving the world and so forth, so I offered him a chance to come on a cruise around the world! Oh ho! Splendid! But in doing so, I apparently made that rogue Bowser somewhat angry. Let me tell you what he said...

BOWSER: "This makes me MAAAAD!! GRRRAAAA!! They're going on a vacation... AND NOT TAKING ME! They want a fun vacation? I'll give them a fun vacation! And by that, I mean NO FUN AT ALL! I'll find those chumps and wreck their good times! Bwa ha ha ha!"

TOADSWORTH: Great Kippers! That King Koopa has never been that angry! Who knows what he'll do? But chin up, old bean! We won't let him ruin our good times, right? Right!

The playable characters about to embark on their cruise.

Toadsworth has invited Mario and all his friends to go on a luxury cruise around the world. However, Toadsworth invited everyone except for one person, Bowser. Furious at being omitted, the Koopa King vows revenge. When the cruise ship MSS Sea Star arrives at its first destination, the passengers discover that Bowser has turned their vacation paradise into a stress-filled madhouse.

The goal is to gather stars, but each board requires one to do that in a different way. For instance, people must buy a star at Pagoda Peak, if they have enough coins. In Neon Heights, one must pay coins to open a treasure box. One might find a star — or something far less desirable. Also, in Bowser's Enchanted Inferno, players may be on their way to getting a star, but end up not getting it and losing half of their coins. In Solo Cruise, some boards do not involve purchasing stars, but stealing them.

Gameplay

Basic Rules

Mario Party 7 features game boards on which players and CPU characters move around on spaces similar to a board game. Players roll dice with numbers from one to ten to advance on the board. At the beginning of the game, the turn order is determined by a Dice Block roll. Each player starts off with ten coins, and the number of coins is affected by the spaces that the player lands on after their turn. For example, landing on a Blue Space will give a player three coins, while landing on a Red Space will take three coins away. The boards feature a variety of spaces that have different effects, and players can collect items known as Orbs or buy them at shops. The items can be used to have different effects.

The main objective of any Mario Party game is to gain Stars that are located at a special location in the level. In Mario Party 7, each board offers its unique way to obtain stars. For example, on Grand Canal, the Star will appear on a random location on the board, and the first player to get to the Star can buy it with 20 coins. Then, the location of the Star is randomized again. In Pagoda Peak, the star is always at the peak of the mountain, and its price varies from 10 to 40 coins. After a Star is bought, the price increases until it hits 40, and after that it resets to ten.

After each player has completed his or her turn, a mini-game is played. The type of the mini-game is determined by the colors of the spaces that the players ended their turn on. When all colors match, a four-player free-for-all mini-game is played, otherwise there is a 1vs3 or a 2vs2 mini-game. In Mario Party 7, mini-games might involve clearing action courses, solving puzzles faster than the other players, or fighting against each other. Several mini-games use the Nintendo GameCube Microphone that is shipped with the game and plugs into Memory Card Slot B. Players can play microphone minigames without the device by adjusting the game settings.

A new addition to the game is Bowser Time. After each turn, a special gauge will appear on the screen to tell the player when that time comes. When the gauge is all filled up, then it's Bowser Time. During this special event, Bowser will come to the board and cause trouble in various ways. This special event happens every five turns.

At the end of every game, Toadsworth announces the game's current Star count and final coin count. After that, there will be Bonus Stars for the players who did the best during the match and then, the final tally is announced and the person with the most Stars overall, wins the match.

One change has been made to Tag Battle in Mario Party 7. Unlike previous installments, where both players in a team moved separately, in this game, both players in a team move at the same time by hitting two dice blocks from 1-5. Also, both players may be able to participate in certain board events by landing on a Green Space.

Options

Each party in the Party Cruise mode or Special Cruise mode can be played with different options.

• Rounds: The number of rounds that the game takes to be finished can be set between 10 and 50 rounds in 5 round intervals.
• Mini-games: By default, all available mini-games are played. Players can restrict the mini-games to only being Family games, Action games, Technical games, or Bizarre games.
• Bonus Stars: Optionally, there are three Bonus Stars awarded at the end of the game. The three Bonus Stars are randomly awarded for three of the following achievements:
  • Mini-Game Star: Most coins earned in mini-games.
  • Action Star: Most Green Spaces landed on.
  • Orb Star: Most Orbs used.
  • Shopping Star: Most coins used to buy Orbs.
  • Red Star: Most Red Spaces landed on.
  • Running Star: Most spaces walked over in total.
• Team Settings: The game offers 4 player free-for-all, 2vs2 team play and 2vs2vs2vs2 team play (in 8 player mode). When playing as a team, players in a team share their turns and each roll a half die (it has numbers from 1 to 5), and they share all items, coins, and stars.

Playable Characters

The character select screen showing all characters available.

• 

  Mario

• 

  Luigi

• 

  Princess Peach

• 

  Yoshi

• 

  Wario

• 

  Princess Daisy

• 

  Waluigi

• 

  Toad

• 

  Boo

• 

  Toadette

• 

  Birdo (unlockable)

• 

  Dry Bones (unlockable)

* NOTE: Birdo and Dry Bones are added to the roster when the player purchases them for 1,000 Mileage Points each at the Duty-Free Shop.

Default Partners

• Mario and Luigi
• Peach and Daisy
• Wario and Waluigi
• Toad and Toadette
• Yoshi and Birdo
• Boo and Dry Bones

NOTE: Each pair of partners have their own special orbs, much like the character items in Mario Kart Double Dash!!. Before Birdo and Dry Bones are unlocked, Yoshi and Boo are considered default partners, but they share different orbs.

Team Names

• Team Dolphin
• Team Seagull
• Team Tuna
• Team Mollusk

Boards

	Board Name	Description
	Grand Canal	Grand Canal is an Italian-themed board. Here, singing Shy Guys appear and are in charge of the Orb Shops and attractions. Landing on the Green Space near the start makes the player do a coin game, where the Shy Guys throw coins and Spiny eggs at them. Landing on the Green Spaces near the gondola house makes a Singing Shy Guy come out asking if they wanted a ride. Accepting this takes the player to the gondola house on the other side of the board, collecting coins (and avoiding Spinies) on the way. The Green Space on what looks like the leaning tower of Pisa causes the tower to lean over, dropping players in the water, where Cheep-Cheep squirts them back to start. And the Green Space in front of the juggling Blooper activates a guessing game, where Blooper juggles four chests that contain either a Star, ten coins, or a Dark Star (which took away a Star if picked).
	Pagoda Peak	Pagoda Peak is a Chinese-themed board. An old Koopa, named Koopa Master, lives at the top of the mountain. He will sell a character who reaches the peak of the mountain a Star for the amount of coins shown above his house (10, 20, 30 or 40). Each time someone buys a Star from him, the price of each additional Star will go up by ten coins (to a maximum of forty coins; after that, it restarts). Landing on the Green Space near the start lets Toadsworth ask if the player wants to use one of his bottle rockets. The player chooses which one to ride on. Then, upon being tied, the chosen rocket flies to a higher part of the board or a lower part of the board. Landing on a Green Spaces next to one of the Gongs of Fate makes Master Koopa appear and let the player bash the gong to change the price of the current Star. He then gives them coins. The Green Space next to Kung Fu Falls makes Master Koopa appear again to let the player try and grab coins that appear from the falls. If a player gets all the coins that comes, Master Koopa gives a Star. The Green Space next to the Burning Rock makes players try and fan out the flames with a large fan. They can get coins, or even a Star, depending on how fast they put the flames out. Finally, landing on the Green Space on the Chinese dragon's tongue takes players in its mouth to spit-shoot them out in blue flames, sending them back to start. There is a building about halfway through the board that consists of three consecutive Duel Spaces.
	Pyramid Park	Pyramid Park is an Egyptian-themed board. There are three Chain Chomps on the right side of the board that let players ride on it for a price of ten coins for one Dice Block (or 20 for two), and a big Red Chomp on the left side located at the top that lets players use three Dice Blocks for ten coins. A Whomp is also here blocking the path to the Bowser Sphinx and charges ten coins to have players pass. Landing on the Green Space in front of the oasis lets players swim in it while Desert Goombas threw out coins. However, alligators are in there too, and any player that get bitten lose coins, and has to retrieve them again. Stepping on the Green Space in front of the Bowser Sphinx awoke it, then accuses the player of trying to steal its treasure. It then puts a "curse" on the player, which really divides all the players' coins evenly (like a Bowser Revolution from previous installments). The two Green Spaces above the quicksand on either side of the board cause all players on the spaces above the quicksand to sink in. The players are then spat out on the other side of the board. The Green Space in front of the jars make Monty Mole come out, asking the player if they want to hit a few cobras. Accepting engages a coin game, where the player hits cobras by using the Control Stick to change direction, and the button to attack. The player gets a coin for every cobra, but if they hit Monty, the game ends.
	Neon Heights	Neon Heights is an American-themed board. On this board there are three Treasure Chests, which appear in random spots. If a player reaches a chest, Koopa Kid offers to open it for 10 coins. One chest contains a Star, another 20 coins, and the other one contains a Bob-omb, which blasts the player back to Start. Once the Star has been purchased, three new chests appear. This board may have been under secret control of Bowser, because he and Koopa Kid claim that the chests and Stars belong to him. Additionally there is a toll gate, where Koopa Kid stops players to ask them to pay 10 coins to take the path he is blocking. At the top of the board is the rocket ship. When players land on the Green Space in front of it, a Shy Guy comes asking if they want to "shoot for the stars". Accepting lets the player pump fuel into the rocket until time is called. Then, the player enters the ship, and starts to travel upward into the starry sky, collecting coins along the way, and possibly even a Star if they make it to the top. Landing on the Green Space in the middle of the board. Here, a Shy Guy lets players play a matching game, where they have to match as many panels as they could before they miss to get coins. Matching all the panels makes Shy Guy award the player with a Star, but if they picked the Bowser panel, Shy Guy reluctantly took 10 coins away from them. The Green Space near the Mario statue makes an UFO come and scramble the locations of the chests.
	Windmillville	Windmillville is a Dutch-themed board. The goal of this board is to buy as many windmills as possible, for each one contained a number of Stars. The red windmills are worth one Star, the green windmills located at both corners of the stage have two, and the big yellow windmill located in the center of the board has three. Players have to deposit coins to own a windmill and its Stars, but opponents can buy them off by depositing more coins than the previous owner. The stage is full of interchangeable paths that shift every time a character passes through paths of special tulips. A character can also choose to ride a floating flower for ten coins. This will transport the character to a random stump on the board.
	Bowser's Enchanted Inferno!	In Solo Mode, players have to beat their opponent by getting a Star the old-fashioned way, then race back to start. Bowser then appears to take the player to his castle to play the mini-game Bowser's Lovely Lift!. Winning that wins the game, and unlocks Bowser's board to be played in Party Mode. Players that land on the Green Space next to the pedestals over the lava have to play the "Happy Hopscotch Grounds" game, where a player has to jump over three sets of two pedestals. For each set, one of the pedestals sinks in the lava if stepped on, making players lose 10 coins. If the player makes it across safely, they win a Star. On the left island, landing on the Green Space next to the roller coaster lets players ride on it and collect coins as it goes down to the lower part of the island. The Green Space on the bottom of that island makes Klepto appear, taking the Star to another location. The Green Space in front of the Mecha Bowser flamethrower causes it to fry everyone nearby for 10 coins. The ? Spaces on the left and right sides of the top island make players fight Koopa Kid in a sumo match. Pushing him off the platform award players 20 coins, but they lose 10 if Koopa Kid shoves them off first. Every island has a Green Space next to a cannon, where if landed on, Koopa Kid appears and threw the player in. They are then blasted to another island on the board.

Spaces

	Space	Description
	Blue Space	When players lands on this space, they receive three coins. On the last four turns event, the coins players receive get multiplied by three if the losing player stops the roulette wheel on this event.
	Red Space	When players land on this space, they lose three coins. On the last four turns event, the coins player lose get multiplied by three if the losing player stops the roulette wheel on this event.
	Green Space	When the player lands on this space, an event happens. The event varies on location and board. The event may help or hinder the player or everyone.
	Bowser Space	When the player lands on this space, Bowser appears and starts a Bowser minigame that can usually hinder the player who lands on this space or everyone.
	Donkey Kong Space	When the player lands on this space, Donkey Kong appears and starts a minigame where everyone can collect bananas for coins. The events may help the player or everyone.
	Duel Space	When the player lands on this space, the player chooses who to duel with. After the opponent has chosen, a Duel minigame starts and the winner randomly chooses the prize. It is possible to win nothing as a result.
	Mic Space	Toadsworth will appear and start a Mic-Mini Game. If the player does not have a GameCube Mic connected, they will have to play with the controllers.
	Koopa Kid Space	Whenever someone lands on a Koopa Kid Space, Koopa Kid will appear and do one of the following: Give the player a Cursed Mushroom. Redistribute everyone's coins evenly, like a Bowser Revolution. Make the player swap coins with someone via the roulette wheel. Use the Bowser Pipe to have the player switch positions with one other player. Make everyone switch places with one another in a spring-like fashion. Shuffle everyone's Orbs like Kamek did in Mario Party 5. Shuffled Character Orbs change to match the receiver.

There is also a Coin Block Area that are only in Solo mode.

Orbs

There are five types of orbs in the game.

Self Orbs

Self Orbs have a green shell and are used on the player.

	Orb	Description
File:Mushroom Orb.JPG	Mushroom Orb	Move using 2 Dice Blocks!
	Super 'Shroom Orb	Move using 3 Dice Blocks!
File:Metal Mushroom Orb.JPG	Metal Mushroom Orb	Encase yourself in metal and move without being harmed by rivals' roadblocks.
File:Sluggish 'Shroom Orb.JPG	Slow 'Shroom Orb	The Slow 'Shroom Orb slows the dice roll, making it easier to get the desired number on the dice block.
File:Flutter Orb.JPG	Flutter Orb	The player summons Flutter and takes the player to the Star Space. The player still has to pay 20 coins to buy a Star. (Grand Canal and Bowser's Enchanted Inferno! only.)
File:Cannon Orb.JPG	Cannon Orb	Only found in Pagoda Peak. The Cannon Orb launches the somewhere random, usually upward. Once used the player continues their turn like normal.
File:Lakitu Orb.JPG	Lakitu Orb	Lakitu Orb, which could only be found on the board Neon Heights. Players could only use it on themselves, summoning Lakitu to steal a Treasure Chest from Koopa Kid. However, like the players, Lakitu doesn't know if it contains a Star, coins, or a Bob-omb. He picks completely randomly.
File:Snack Orb2.JPG	Snack Orb	Snack Orb is only found in Pyramid Park. The effect was for players to use on themselves, and it protected them for three turns, or if a Chain Chomp attacked.

Thrown Orbs

Thrown Orbs are thrown on a space. Happenings are executed only if the player lands on it. The thrown orbs' shell color is yellow. These orbs have an effect on a player who lands on the space. If the owner lands on the space, they will receive five coins. During the last five turn events, they may receive 15 coins if the coin's ×3 roulette was chosen. The orb will also stay on the board as long as no one replaces the orb.

	Orb	Description
File:Mr. Blizzard Orb2.JPG	Mr. Blizzard Orb	When an opposing player lands on this space, Mr. Blizzard will appear and crush the player. They will lose all of their orbs. Nothing happens if the player has no orbs.
File:Hammer Bro. Orb.JPG	Hammer Bro Orb	Take 10 coins from any opponent who lands on it.
File:Kamek Orb.JPG	Kamek Orb	Opponents that landed on a space containing the orb summoned Kamek, who used his magic to give control three of the Character Spaces they placed on the board to the owner of space opponents landed on.
File:Spear Guy Orb.JPG	Spear Guy Orb	Any foe who lands on it must give coins to the opponent that tossed the Spear Guy Orb on to the space, equal to a Dice Block roll: 5, 15, 20 or 30.
File:Bandit Orb.JPG	Bandit Orb	Only found in Windmillville. Opponents that land on a space containing the orb make Bandit appear at one of the windmills with some of their coins saved in there. Bandit would steal their coins from that windmill and give them to the owner of the space.
File:Toady Orb.JPG	Toady Orb	Opponents that land on spaces that containing the orb makes a Toady appear and randomly takes one of the player's orbs, using it immediately under the owner of the Toady Orb's name. Nothing will happen if the player has no orbs.
File:Piranha Plant Orb2.JPG	Piranha Plant Orb	When an opposing player lands on this space, a Piranha Plant gobbles up the player. The player will then lose half of their coins. The owner will receive those coins.
File:Pink Boo Orb.JPG	Pink Boo Orb	If an opposing player lands on a space containing the orb, a Pink Boo will appear. It will then relieve the victim of a Star or several coins and give it to whoever planted the trap.

Roadblock Orbs

Roadblock Orbs are red orbs that are thrown. They are triggered when an opposing player passes it and disappear once triggered.

	Orb	Description
File:Zap Orb2.JPG	Zap Orb	Any foe who passes it loses 3 coins for every space he moves past it.
File:Thwomp Orb2.JPG	Thwomp Orb	When an opposing player passes this space, a Thwomp will appear and crush the player, stopping them on that space they just passed.
File:Spiny Orb2.JPG	Spiny Orb	Opponents who pass it lose ten coins to Spiny Shells (similar to Mario Party 6 but the owner of the roadblock doesn't get the lost coins).
File:Tweester Orb.JPG	Tweester Orb	When an opposing player passes this space, a Tweester will appear and takes the player somewhere else on the board.
File:Warp Pipe Orb2.JPG	Warp Pipe Orb	Opponents who pass this space enter a Warp Pipe, and are sent back to the space they were at when their turn started.
File:BobombOrb.PNG	Bob-omb Orb	It is only found in Pagoda Peak. Opponents that passed this space made a Bob-omb blow up on them, sending them down to a lower part of the board.

Character Orbs

Character Orbs are orbs that only can be used by a specific pair. Their shells are blue.

	Orb	Exclusively Used By	Description
File:Fireball Orb.JPG	Fireball Orb	Mario & Luigi	When used, the user of the orb will be surrounded by fireballs and any opponent that comes in its way would have fireballs throw at them, stealing 10 Coins from them. The effect of this orb lasts for three turns.
File:Flower Orb.JPG	Flower Orb	Peach & Daisy	When used, the player receives three Coins for each space they pass on their roll of the Dice Block, and bypasses any roadblock traps for that turn.
File:Egg Orb.JPG	Egg Orb	Yoshi & Birdo	The Egg Orb is an orb that can only be used by Yoshi and Birdo. Its effect is that when the player takes their turn, they remove any Character Spaces that they cross. When their turn is done, the spaces are turned into orbs that Yoshi and Birdo can use. The Egg Orb is also practical in the elimination of Koopa Kid Spaces.
File:Vaccum Orb.JPG	Vacuum Orb	Wario & Waluigi	When used, a vacuum machine will appear and sucks coins (amount determined by the roulette wheel) from the other opponents.
N/A	Magic Orb	Boo & Dry Bones	It doubles the number rolled on the Dice Block and turns the character invisible, allowing it to bypass all roadblock traps on the board. The orb's effect lasts for two turns. It shows a wand inside the orb.
	Triple 'Shroom Orb	Toad & Toadette	When used, allows the player to roll twice like a normal Mushroom Orb, but the effect lasts for three turns.

Other Orbs

Other Orbs are orbs that are automatically thrown when somebody receives it. They're colored violet.

	Orb	Description
File:Koopa Kid Orb.JPG	Koopa Kid Orb / Mini-Bowser Orb	The Koopa Kid Orb is a special Orb. When a player gets it, a Koopa Kid appears and uses it instantly to create a new Koopa Kid Space. There were two ways of getting a Koopa Kid Orb: from the Orb Space, or from Bowser's Shop after he replaces an Orb Shop.

Minigames

Main article: List of Mario Party 7 minigames

Minigame Cruise

The Minigame Cruise

There are six ways to play minigame cruise:

• Free Play Sub - Players are able to play any unlocked minigame they choose. They may also obtain 2 rare minigames by purchasing them in the Duty-Free Shop, only be played in the Free Play Sub.
• Volcano Peril - As the name suggests, this mode takes place in a volcano. After picking the number of victories (3, 5, 7) and the type of minigames (4-Player, 2 vs. 2, 1 vs. 3), the four characters race from some bolts. After each game, the character(s) who won rise one level. There is no penalty for losing. The first character (or team) to beat the required amount of games wins. They escape(s) from the volcano (by a convenient stairwell) while the others get trapped in the skeleton of a dinosaur of some sort. In the sky, a Shy Guy on an airplane flies back and forth, spewing stars made out of smoke from the back.
• Waterfall Battle - The player must beat everyone in a duel minigame. Players that lost a minigame have a chance for a comeback victory. The game is won when there are no other players left to battle.
• Pearl Hunt - Four characters are placed in a capsule underwater while seashells are placed around them. After beating a mini-game, whoever won can select a shell. If it's a pearl with the winner's face on it, that player collects it. However, if it's not the winner's face, the shell will close shut. The player can find mushrooms to choose additional shells in a turn or whirlpools that shuffles the order of the shells. The first one to collect three pearls that have their image on it will appear in a giant shell, while the others are chased around by a shark.
• Decathlon Castle - Play ten extreme mini-games to earn the most points.
• King of the River (unlockable) - Solo mini-game cruise. The lone player basically plays mini-games with a limited supply of lives. Each time the player loses a mini-game, one life is lost; if all lives are lost, it's game over. Koopa Kid will show up between 6-10 Minigames, 16-20 Minigames, and 26-30 Minigames with a Multiplayer Bowser minigame. Every five mini-games that the player plays, that player can save their progress. It's also possible to recover any lives that the player has lost, but can't hold more than three lives in their possession. As the player plays through this game mode, they can advance to higher difficulty levels. For each difficulty level cleared, the player will receive a souvenir, which will be placed in the Duty-Free Shop. Winning King of the River on all the skill levels effectively wins the game. The prize received is a star statue and when it is accessed in the Duty Free Shop, where the surprise is the end credits.

Staff

Main article: List of Mario Party 7 staff

Pre-release and unused content

Main article: List of Mario Party 7 pre-release and unused content

Reception

The game received mixed to positive reviews. GameSpot gave it a 6.5/10, saying that the game was a huge improvement. 1UP put an A+ rating for Originality. IGN gave it a 7/10. GameSpot praised the controls, challenging Bowser minigames and more usage of the mic, and mentioned that Mario Party 7 is an actual party because of the use of 8-player modes and that the game really gets the whole family to join in the fun.

Trivia

• Some of the songs in this game are remixes of songs in Mario Party 6. For example, the song that plays on the main menu is a remix of the Castaway Bay theme, the song that plays when the player land on a Mic space is a remix of the Speak Up theme, the song that plays in King of the River is a remix of the song that plays in Endurance Alley, the song that plays when the player lose King of the River is a remix of the song that plays when the player lose Endurance Alley, the song that plays in Take Me Ohm, Pogo-a-Go-Go, and Bob-ombic Plague is a remix of the song that plays in Granite Getaway, Surge and Destroy, and Burnstile, and the song that plays in Track & Yield and La Bomba is a remix of the song that plays in Conveyor Bolt, Ray of Fright, and Verbal Assault. The music when winning a minigame is also a more upbeat version of Mario Party 6's winning theme, and the minigame instructions theme has parts of Mario Party 6's renedition in it.
• Like its sequel and Super Paper Mario, Mario Party 7 contains text that is considered inappropriate in the United Kingdom. When the Star moves in Grand Canal, Toadsworth calls it a "bugger". Despite this, the game was not recalled or edited and it did not receive a PEGI 12+ rating, unlike other games (such as Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars) that contain this word.
• This is the first Mario Party game to use the more modern appearance of some enemies, such as Mr. Blizzards and Thwomps, from Super Mario 64 DS onwards.
• This is the final appearance of Koopa Kid.
• This is the first time where an 8 player mode in a Nintendo game was used. The only other time this would be used would be in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

External Links

• Official Japanese Mario Party 7 website.