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This article is about the current version of the project. For the original 2012 incarnation, see here.

Mario Party: To The Max is a video game in the Mario Party series, developed by Niobium Moon Studios and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube 2. Much like its two predecessors, Super Mario Party and Mario Party Superstars, it retains the standard gameplay of the older games in the series, with the GameCube games in particular (Mario Party 4-7) being a major influence. However, To The Max also opts not to rely exclusively on nostalgia, and introduces some brand-new features for additional layers of strategy. A prime example is Cards, which are gathered as you move across the board and can be used to move a specific amount of spaces, skip a player's turn for the current round, reverse the player order, or even completely redo your previous turn.

Gameplay[]

As always (well... almost always) Mario Party: To The Max is focused around navigating a large board of interconnected spaces in search of valuable items, including the series' famed Stars, to gain the upper hand over the competition.

Each player's goal is to make it to the end of the match with the highest amount of Stars, which can be purchased at a random space for 20 coins on the first five boards, with later boards introducing gimmicks to change things up a bit. Stars may also be won in certain minigames or events depending on the circumstances. At the end of the match, Bonus Stars will also be awarded to players who have accomplished certain feats during their turns.

Happening Star
Event
CoinStarNX
Coin
MinigameStarNX
Minigame
RedStarNX
Red
BlueStarNX
Blue
RunningStarNX
Running
CardStarNX
Card
TargetStarNX
Orb
  • The Event Star is awarded to the player who triggered the most events via Event Spaces.
  • The Coin Star is given to the player with the highest amount of coins at any point during the match.
  • The Minigame Star is awarded to whoever won the most minigames.
  • The Red Star goes to whoever landed on the most Red Spaces.
  • The Blue Star goes to whoever landed on the most Blue Spaces.
  • The Running Star is given to the player who moved the most spaces altogether.
  • The Card Star goes to the player who used the most cards throughout the match.
  • The Orb Star is awarded to whoever used the most Orbs.

Coins are the game's primary form of currency, which can be earned or lost in several situations in each match, including (but not limited to) Blue or Red Spaces, minigames, and events triggered by Event Spaces or Orbs. Coins are important for gathering Stars, as mentioned earlier, but they can also be used at Orb Shops to purchase an Orb.

Each game consists of a set number of turns, determined when a match is set up. At the beginning of the match, turn order is decided randomly via Dice Block, with the player with the highest number making the first move. Each player is given ten coins to start off with to allow them to purchase Orbs early on.

During a player's turn, they can roll a Dice Block, pull a Card from their deck, or use any Orbs they might have in their inventory. Orbs can be bought from Orb Shops scattered around the board, and then used on the player or placed on the board in the next turn. Players also have the option to view the board map or use the camera to investigate the area more closely.

Cards can be picked up at Card Spaces spread out around the map. Passing a Card Space will not interrupt the character's movement, unlike similar situations in past games; the character will simply move forward as usual as the card is placed into their deck.

  • The common Number Cards can be chosen from your deck to determine a specific amount of spaces to travel if you do not wish to leave it up to luck with a Dice Block.
  • Rewind Cards, when used, will reverse the player order. In this case, the player who rolled the lowest number on the Dice Block just before the match began will now be moving first until another Rewind Card is used.
  • Skip Cards are exactly what it says on the tin; the next player will not be able to move for the current turn.
  • Horostar Cards will grant the player the ability to redo their previous turn altogether, with any items they have used returning to their inventory.

Power Moons, a new collectible to the series, can be gathered across the board as a possible bonus for certain events and minigames. Moons can be used to grant the player invulnerability to all traps set by opposing players for their current turn -- this also includes spaces they land on at the end of a turn, unlike the similar Magic Wand item from Mario Party 7. Alternatively, they can be saved up and exchanged at a Moon Shop for Coins, Cards, Orbs, or even a Star.

Once all players have taken their turns for the round, a minigame session will begin, and the minigame will be randomly chosen from a roulette. Ten coins are awarded to the winner at the end of each minigame. Right before the roulette is shown, each player's panels are displayed; the space they stopped on during their turn gives their panel a certain color, which in turn determines what side they take in the round minigame. This will help decide whether the minigame is a Free for All, 1 vs. Rest, or Team minigame.

  • A blue or red panel assigns the player to a specific side.
  • A green panel will randomly assign them to the red or blue team.
  • A purple panel will grant them the ability to choose their color team to decide what type of minigame will best benefit them.
  • A grey panel, only shown when a player's turn has been skipped, will boot them from the minigame.

A major addition to this game is the Game Plan, a menu that can be accessed any time a player is not included in a minigame, either in the case of their turn being skipped or a Solo or Duel Minigame being triggered. In the Game Plan menu, the player can take some time to investigate the board for any nearby events or traps and look over any Cards and Orbs they have before deciding their move for the next turn. During this time, they will also be able to trade Coins or Power Moons for more items to use and bet on which player(s) will win the current minigame, gaining some Coins back if their bet turns out to be correct.

Story[]

TBA

Modes[]

Just like past Mario Party games, there are a wide variety of extra Modes that add more meat to the game. Many modes from past installments have returned in some form, and appear alongside a few new ones.

Party Mode
The main mode where players individiually trek around the board and collect Stars and Coins, aiming to have the most at the end of the game. At the end of each round, a minigame is played to give extra coins.
Story Mode
Where the Story of the game takes place. Some boards and characters can only be unlocked by playing through the story, although there may be other ways to unlock them by playing a lot of Party Mode. Plays like Party Mode but with at least 2 CPUs.
Minigame Mode
Players can take on all of the minigames that have been played through Party or Story mode. In addition to choosing the games, players can also take part in special matches where minigames are randomly selected and played.

Tower Mode
One player uses a controller with a screen to keep other players away from their tower. Plays similarly to Party Mode with spaces on the map.

Super Duel Mode
Each player pilots a special Mech made of parts you can purchase from the Flying Toad House. Some parts can also be unlocked by scanning amiibo.
Bonus Mode
Hosted by Thwomp, Whomp, and Ztar. The player is able to access special features, like Story Mode cutscenes, the credits, options, and extra games. Most of the content here has to be unlocked before it can be accessed.
Flying Toad House
Toadsworth acts as the host for his Flying Toad House, where you can spend coins and Stars on additional content.
Battle Mode
Based on the Toad Scramble mode from Mario Party: Star Rush, Battle Mode has players assemble Allies and compete against each other and a Boss for Stars.

Tower Mode[]

Tower Mode is a new mode that serves as a successor to the Bowser Mode from Mario Party 10, combining elements from tower defense and Mario Party 9-10. This mode can be played by up to five players, with the fifth player using the GameCube 2 mobile app or a controller with its own screen - such as a Game Pad controller or a sync'd Game Boy Hub or Nintendo 3DS.

Four players are designated as the Rebels, who form a team and move together in a special car, and their goal is to reach the end of the board and take down the Overlord's tower. The Overlord (the player with the extra screen) must keep the other players from reaching their tower; to do so, they must place down Hex traps that hinder the Rebels' progress. Each Hex costs a certain amount of Coins that are earned from minigames each round.

Every turn starts with a minigame, which can be either a free-for-all, a team game, or a 1 vs. Rest game. The Rebels are given number Cards to use based on how well they perform in each minigame, while the Overlord earns more Coins they can use to buy Hexes.

Flying Toad House[]

Toadsworth's Flying Toad House, returning from Super Mario Realms, serves as the game shop. After saving your progress in any mode, all Coins, Stars, and Moons the human players have collected so far are transferred to the Star Bank, and can be used to purchase trophies, sound/music packs, extra minigames, and even additional characters.

Minigames[]

Just as in past games, minigames occur often through the game, where players compete against one another or try to clear a specified task. By winning these games, the player is given a bonus, which varies depending on the minigame. Some minigames occur at the end of each round after all of the players have moved, while others only happen when landing on certain spaces. New to the game are Finale minigames, which occur after the last turn ends and reward the winning player with an extra Star, allowing for great comebacks or mightier wins.

The type of minigame played at the end of the round is decided by the color of each player's panel, whether it be blue, red, green, or purple. If everyone has a blue or red panel, a 4-Player minigame is initiated and chosen via the roulette. If there are two blue panels and two red panels, the players are organized into matching teams in a 2v2 minigame. If one player's panel is one color and all the others are the opposite, a 1v3 minigame is played. Any players with green panels have their colors randomly decided between blue and red before the game is selected, while players with purple panels must choose whether to play the game on the blue or red team.

If a player's turn is skipped for the current round, their panel turns grey and they cannot participate in the minigame. In this case, a situation where the three remaining panels are all red/blue will trigger a 3-Player game, while a 2-to-1 ratio initiates a 1v2 game. Duel minigames can also occur if two players are skipped in one round.

In eight-player matches, minigame selection works a bit differently. Usually, the eight players will be split into two groups, with each group of four playing the chosen minigame separately from each other. However, if the panel colors line up right, a larger minigame with all eight players will begin. These minigames are often expanded versions of the more traditional 4-Player, 1v3, and 2v2 minigames. If all eight portraits are red or blue, an 8-Player minigame will begin. If one portrait is blue and all others are red, or vice versa, it is 1v7. If half are blue and half are red, it is 4v4.

In the case where two players' turns are skipped in an eight-player match, the minigame may wind up being 6-Player, 1v5, or 3v3.

The types of minigames are described below:

Free-for-All Games where all players currently involved compete against each other for 10 coins. 3-Player, 4-Player, 6-Player, and 8-Player minigames fall under this category.
Team Minigames Games where two groups of players battle for 10 coins. 2v2, 3v3, and 4v4 minigames fall under this category.
1 vs. Rest Minigames Games where one player battles a larger group for 10 coins. 1v2, 1v3, 1v5, and 1v7 minigames fall under this category.
Battle Minigames Everyone puts money into a pot; the winner gets 70% of the total, and the player in second place gets 30%. These minigames are triggered by landing on a Battle Space, and give the player who landed on it a purple panel.
Coin Minigames In some minigames, the goal of each player/team is to rack up as many coins as possible. There is no "winner" in the traditional sense, as everyone will be able to keep the coins they have gathered.
Duel Minigames Two players square off for a bet amount. Triggered when two out of four players are skipped in a round, or when a player lands on a Duel Space, which gives them a purple panel.
Fawful Minigames All players try to survive Fawful and his minions; the player in last place will receive a penalty for the next turn, decided by Fawful before the minigame begins.
Tumble Minigames Players attempt to gather as many Tumble Tokens as they can, with each Token awarding them one, two, or three coins depending on which number the roulette lands on before the minigame starts. Tumble Minigames may involve the player who landed on the space, or everyone participating in the current turn.
Finale Minigames At the end of a match, all players compete for a final Star in a notably more difficult Finale Minigame.

Orbs[]

Orbs (a.k.a. Capsules) return from Mario Party 5-7, and serve a variety of different functions when they are used by a character. In order to get Orbs, they must pass by an Orb Shop and exchange coins for Orbs, or visit an Orb Machine and get a random Orb for free. At the beginning of every turn, characters have a choice of either using an Orb on themselves or placing one on any Blue or Red space.

Every Orb also has a color; blue, red, or green. Blue Orbs help the player who uses them, Red Orbs are used to hinder opponents, and Green Orbs are focused around other Orbs or trigger miscellaneous events. The list of all Orbs is below:

Orb Rarity Effect
Mushroom Common Use two Dice Blocks or cards, and move the sum of their values. If you roll two of the same number with the Dice, you'll earn 20 coins.
Golden Mushroom Uncommon Use three Dice Blocks or cards, and move the sum of their values. If you roll three of the same number with the Dice, you'll earn 30 coins.
Slo-Mo Mushroom Uncommon When rolling a Dice Block, the numbers will slow down, allowing you to more easily get the number you want.
Mega Mushroom Uncommon Makes you larger and allows you to roll two Dice Blocks or use two cards. As you move along, you will stomp on anyone in your path, taking 10 coins from them.
Mini Mushroom Uncommon Makes you smaller and allows you to pass through shortcuts and enter Mini segments on some boards.
Flutter Call Rare Instantly move to the Star Space.
Coin Collector Badge Common Collect 3 Coins for every space you move.
Bob-Omb Bag Uncommon Any opponent passing a space with this Orb loses 10 coins.
Poison Mushroom Uncommon Whoever ends up with the Poison Mushroom will only be able to roll numbers 1-5 on a Dice Block, and cannot use a card higher than 5.
Tweester Cookie Uncommon Any players you pass by during your move have to return to start.
Swooper Lamp Uncommon Steal a random amount of coins from every opponent.
Bullet Bill Rare Move triple the number you roll/draw and steal 20 coins from each opponent you pass.
Chain Chomp Chain Uncommon Steal an Orb from someone.
Klepto Summon Common Move to a random opponent's space.
Snifit Surprise Uncommon Snifit brings 3 random Orbs.
Galoomba Swap Uncommon A Galoomba has the player swap coins with someone else, determined by a roulette.

Roster[]

Twenty-seven (27) characters, all from past games, are avaliable by default when the game is first booted. By going through Story Mode, however, the player can unlock fifteen (15) additional characters. Eight more characters can be purchased from Toadsworth's Flying Toad House, for a total of fifty (50) characters in the base roster.

Boards[]

Summary Events
DK's Jungle Adventure

450px-DK'sJungleAdventure

The very first board of the very first Mario Party game, DK's Jungle Adventure had players gather up Stars to open a mystical chest in the ancient ruins. This board's task is relatively simple, just find the Star placed randomly on the board and pay 20 coins to get it.

  • The four junctions on the board are guarded by Whomps. You must pay them 10 coins to move down the path they are blocking, and they will continue to block that path for other players. Refusing to pay will cause the Whomp to block the other path after they move past it.
  • Encountering a Coin Stone will require the player to pay 20 coins to move past it. Once the fee is paid, the stone will hide and you can decide which path to take. If you do not pay, nothing happens.
    • If you go down Midbus's path, behind a Coin Stone, he will force you to buy a useless gold statue of Fawful for 10 coins.
  • Landing on nine out of eleven Event Spaces on the board will cause a boulder to roll from the northeast, then left, and then down, passing Midbus's path. Players in its path will run away and end up at the start.
  • The other two Event Spaces are in front of two Shy Guy Statues, pulled from Shy Guy's Jungle Jam (Mario Party 4) by Fawful as part of his timewarp plan. Players can make a fun wish or a sad wish to the statue, and there is a chance of it disliking the wish, causing a flood to split the board in half for up to three turns.
  • The Treasure Tree, also pulled from Jungle Jam, is an Orb minigame featuring a tree holding three Orbs. It will sway left to right repeatedly, and the player must jump in time to grab the Orb they want.
Horror Land


This forest is haunted by lonely spirits and mischievous poltergeists, and its constant shift between night and day turned out suitable for Fawful's plans in the long run. Can you make it out of Horror Land... alive?

  • When you visit the Big Blue Boo at the northeast, you can pay him to steal an Orb or Star from an opponent of your choice. Paying 15 coins will have him steal an Orb, while paying 30 will have him take away a Star.
  • Whomps block junctions again, and will move aside for a fee of 10 coins.
  • Arriving at Mr. I's warp spot will prompt him to ask if you would like to warp to the other side of the board. Doing so will cost 10 coins during the day and five coins at night.
  • The board will shift between night and day every two turns, but landing on an Event Space will also trigger this shift.
  • At nighttime, arriving at a dance floor and paying 20 coins to dance with the Boos, Peepas, and Mr. I's will change the time to day.
  • The Mystery Mansion at the northwest serves a different purpose depending on the time.
    • During the day, you will be greeted by Kammy Koopa, who will light her Darkness Lamp at a cost of 10 coins, changing the time to night.
    • At night, the mansion will serve as a Mini segment for anyone who is tiny as they pass by. This segment is quite similar to King Boo's Haunted Hideaway from MP8, and is split into small rooms where you can only see a few spaces in front of you. There are three sanctums in the mansion, two of which are pitfalls causing you to wake up back in front of the mansion. One sanctum has King Boo inside, and he will give you a free Star and guide you back outside. Either way, the rooms in the mansion will be rearranged.
  • This board's Orb Minigame is Coffin Congestion. Before the game starts, the Orbs will warp between coffins until they stop; then, you will need to Ground Pound the coffin with the Orb you want. If you get Baby Bowser or run out of time, you lose.
Waluigi's Island

WaluigisIsland MP3

Luigi used to own this island, but it has since been overrun by Waluigi and his Piranha Plant employees, who have transformed it into a sneaky dominion of industry. One thing's for sure -- things on Waluigi's Island will get confusing... and dangerous.

  • The first island players visit is filled with dynamite. The Event Spaces on this island will activate a timer that starts from 5 and goes down every time a player lands on an Event Space there. If it reaches zero (0), the dynamite will explode, causing anyone caught in the explosion to lose all of their coins.
  • Action Time is the main feature of the board, represented by a gear in the center of the board with arrows surrounding it. Players use this gear to move between islands, and it is necessary to escape the dynamite island. The four arrows (up, right, down, left) will flash clockwise at a random speed, and you must jump on the gear to determine the direction you will go.
  • The northwest island has several spaces in the middle. This island has only one type of space each turn (excluding the Orb Shop entrance), and this space will change after each minigame.
    • There are two Event Spaces next to drawbridges leading to the space island. Upon landing on one of them, one drawbridge will open and the other will close, changing how players get on and off said island.
  • Petey Piranha waits for players at the northeast, and meeting up with him will initiate the board's Orb Minigame, Bomb Battle. This game is based on his boss minigame from Mario Party 10, and you must toss Bob-ombs at him to deplete his health and get him to spit out the Orb. To reach him, players must take one of two paths, one of which is a trap and will launch them back to start.
  • The red pipes around the board take you near the start, where you'll launch out of a green pipe.
Goomba's Greedy Gala

GoombasGreedyGala MP4

A gambling Goomba used some open space to build a fascinating casino so he could have some good times with his friends. But now, Goomba's Greedy Gala has fallen victim to Fawful's time shifting. At night, it's all fun and games, but when the sun rises...?

  • A roulette wheel at the center determines which portion of the board you'll move into. When you arrive here, a Paragoomba will spin the wheel and toss a marble towards it; the direction on which the marble lands is the direction you will go. Paying coins will give you a better chance of getting where you want to go depending on how much you pay. If the marble lands on a Star icon, you earn 20 coins and get to choose your path.
  • Landing on one of the Event Spaces at the top of the board will allow you to ride a poker chip across a craps table to reach the other side of the board. A Galoomba will slam into you, and you'll need to control your movement to pick up coins on the way to the opposite end.
  • The board's Orb Minigame, Spike Shuffle, features three Spiked Goombas. They will show the Orbs they have, then place their spiky shell helmets over them and shuffle them around as in a shell game. Players will then choose a shell and earn the Orb found under it.
  • A coin game on the board involves a slot machine, and can only be accessed via Gate in Mini form. Players need to Ground Pound to stop each slot, and the coin amounts shown in a row adds up to the total they earn. If no slots match, only one coin is awarded.
  • This board introduces the Lucky Space. If you land on this space, a Mouser will pull up in a limousine and drive you to a hidden nightclub, where you'll meet Casinoomba, the original owner of the board, and he will grant you a free Star.
  • If Fawful changes the time to day, two Bandits and the Cop Bros. (Bad Cop Bro. and Fat Cop Bro.) will show up on the board. You have the option to gamble with the Bandits and risk being "fined" (losing a Star and taken back to start) by the Cop Bros., or help the Bros. catch the Bandits and earn 50 coins as a reward.
Future Dream

FutureDream MP5

Created with dreams of the future, this board has a classic sci-fi vibe that comes with its own futuristic features. After all, you can't breathe in space in real life... In any case, Future Dream is one small game for man and one giant party for mankind, or so they say.

  • Teleporters guide you between the three space stations on the board, with two Orb Machines on the middle and left stations, and a high-tech Orb Shop on the right station.
  • The three Event Spaces on the middle platform lead to rockets that can be used to reach the other platforms.
  • Landing on the Event Space in front of the rocket merry-go-round on the left station will initiate a game where the player must alter the levitation of their rocket to pick up coins dropped by the UFOs.
  • The two Event Spaces on a robot's arms on the right station will activate the board's Orb Minigame, Galactic Generator. A Gearmo will ask the player to run along the battery wheel in front of the Amp-shaped generator to build up cosmic energy, shown by a gauge next to the Amp face. Running faster by pressing the A Button repeatedly will make the gauge go higher, increasing their chances of earning a rare Orb.
  • The Event Spaces next to the Space Taxis will give you the option to ride one to the opposite platform for a fee of 10 coins. The floating platforms nearby can be used as small shortcuts to the taxis.
  • A Lucky Space can be found in front of the right station's rocket pad. Upon landing here, Captain Toad will greet you and guide you to a floating island similar to Good Egg Galaxy, where Polari will grant you a free Star.
  • The game's first Unlucky Space, next to the left station's broken teleporter, is found on this board. If you land on this space, the teleporter will suck you inside and trap you in a surreal world of shapes and colors, with a path of Red Spaces leading to Midbus, who will promptly give you a Ztar (take away one Star).
  • A Mini event on the center platform can be accessed through a Gate near the board's starting point. Here, you can play a game similar to Space Invaders and Galaga where each enemy will grant you a coin upon defeat.

Online Features[]

TBA

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