A minigame (sometimes formatted as "mini-game") is a short game which may reward coins, items, or higher scores. However, some main games may require completion of a minigame to access a new area or gain a key. The most common form of minigames is from the Mario Party series.
Super Smash Bros. series minigames
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Wario Land series minigames
Wario Land II
Wario Land 3
Wario Land 4
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars minigames
Mario Party series minigames
The Mario Party series has many types of minigames. Most award ten coins while some award items. In Mario Party, a few minigames can cause a player to lose coins, although this system was changed in later Mario Party games. Since Mario Party 2, players can now practice minigames before trying them out for real.
Minigame types
1-player minigames
Only featured in Mario Party, 1-player minigames are minigames played alone. These minigames are usually accessed by landing on the Minigame Space. If the player fails, they lose 5 coins; but if they win, the player wins 10 coins, unless it is a different kind of minigame, like Whack-a-Plant, where players cannot win or lose.
4-player minigames
4-player minigames are minigames that pit all four players against each other. In Mario Party, the two games Key-pa-Way and Running of the Bulb require the four players to work together and if they succeed, they all get coins. However, this concept has not been used in any other Mario Party game and instead only versus games. This system has remained unchanged since the first Mario Party; however, in Mario Party 9, they are renamed, being called Free-for-All minigames
1 vs. 3 minigames
1 vs. 3 minigames are minigames that challenge a single player against the other three. They typically come in three forms, the three players trying to take down or hinder the single player, the single player trying to take down or hinder the other three players, or both the single and three players trying to achieve a similar goal, with the single player usually getting some form of advantage. In Mario Party 9, they are called 1-vs.-Rivals minigames.
2 vs. 2 minigames
2 vs. 2 minigames are minigames that have the player paired-up with another player. Players often need to work together and cooperate to beat these games. Mario Party 9 is the only Mario Party game (not counting Mario Party Advance) not to feature this category of minigames, but Shell Soccer qualifies as a 2 vs. 2 minigame.
Item minigames
Item minigames are games that a player can play to get an item. They are triggered by landing on an Item Space. If the player gets Baby Bowser, they get nothing. They only appear in Mario Party 2 and Mario Party 3. In Mario Party 2, the minigame played depends on what board is played on. In Mario Party 3, the Item Space may trigger a roulette to decide a minigame to be played. The below table displays information pertaining to which board has which item minigame is played in which board in Mario Party 2.
| Board | Minigame played |
|---|---|
| Pirate Land | Roll Out the Barrels |
| Western Land | Give Me a Brake! |
| Space Land | Hammer Slammer |
| Mystery Land | Mallet-Go-Round |
| Horror Land | Coffin Congestion |
| Bowser Land | Bowser Slots |
Bowser minigames
Bowser minigames are Bowser's own minigames. Bowser minigames are often extremely unfair to the players, as Bowser makes all the rules. Bowser minigames are also similar to 4-player and 1 vs 3 minigames (where the 1 is the player who lands on the Bowser Space), except that they produce a loser instead of a winner. The loser can lose Coins, Stars (if they have one, or more), or Items.
In Mario Party, Bowser Minigames are minigames where players compete against each other in one of four of four player minigames or a one vs three minigame where each player on the losing side must hand over somewhere between 10-50 coins. If there are no losers due to the game not ending in the time limit, then Bowser steals coins from everyone.
In Mario Party 4, Bowser Minigames are minigames where players compete against each other and the one player who messes up loses. The loser loses either half or all of their coins, or all of their items.
In Mario Party 5, and Mario Party 6, and Mario Party 7, there are Bowser minigames where each player must survive attacks from Bowser and/or Koopa Kid (in Mario Party 7) in a given time limit and each player that does not survive loses. Each loser in the minigames loses either half or all of their coins, all of their items (5 and 6) or a star (7)
- Also in Mario Party 7, there are single player Bowser minigames where the one player who lands on the Bowser Space has to do various things to collect a key to escape from a dungeon before a time limit runs out. The penalty for losing is the same as in the Multiplayer Bowser minigames.
In Mario Party 9, Bowser's Minigames are referred to as Reverse Minigames where the player has to lose in order to win Mini Stars.
In Mario Party 10, Bowser Minigames are referred to as Bowser Battles. If someone loses, they lose Hearts. Reverse Minigames from Mario Party 9 also return in this game. If someone loses, they will win twenty Mini Stars.
Donkey Kong minigames
Introduced in Mario Party 5, Donkey Kong minigames are minigames run by Donkey Kong which are often short. They usually have players focus on collecting as many bananas as possible. After the Donkey Kong minigame is finished, players can trade their bananas to Donkey Kong for coins. They can also gain more depending on the DK Roulette.
Duel minigames
First appearing in Mario Party 2, duel minigames are minigames that involve two players playing a minigame against each other. Most usually have high stakes. They are the only type of minigame in any 1-vs-1 game mode. The challenging player can choose to either play for coins or Stars. This is provided that the challenging player himself has enough to wager. From Mario Party 7 onwards, the winner's prize is decided by a roulette wheel.
Mini minigames
Mini minigames are a type of minigame in Mario Party 4. It can be played only by a character that has the effects of a Mini Mushroom. There are two types of Mini minigames, those that involve winning items, like Item-Go-Round and Item Poker, and those that involve winning coins, like the Coin Slots and Tropical Fishing.
Battle minigames
Battle minigames are minigames that take coins from all the players, then gives them back in different amounts based on the results. The amount of coins taken can go from 10 (later 5) to 50 coins per player. Unlike other minigames, the rank order is important – a player can still win some coins for being in second place. Like the 4-player minigames, most minigames are evenly matched between the four players.
In Mario Party 2, Mario Party 3, Mario Party 4, and Mario Party 9, battle minigames are played when a player lands on a Battle Space. From Mario Party 5 until Mario Party 8, battle minigames are not triggered when landing on any particular space (except for landing on a Battle Space in Mario Party 6's Solo Mode), but instead played at the end of a turn, like a normal minigame. Here, players are able to vote on which battle minigame they want to play, out of a list of three battle minigames. The minigame that gets the most votes after each player has voted, is the one played. If there is a tie in the votes between two minigames, the minigame with the least votes is played instead.
The scoring for Battle games up to Mario Party 5:
- 1st: 70% of the total no. coins ; 50% for tie ; 33% for 3-way tie ; 25% if all players win/lose
- 2nd: 30% of the total no. coins ; 15% for tie ; 10% for 3-way tie
If the total number of coins is not a multiple of 10, one random player gets a bonus coin.
In Mario Party 6, the scoring was changed slightly:
- 1st: 70% of the total
- 2nd: 25% of the total
- 3rd: 5% of the total
- 4th: 0% of the total
In Mario Party DS, there are some big changes. Depending on the turn number ranging from 2-30, the players can pay up to 60 coins and the scoring is a bit different from the previous installments. The reward distribution is:
- 1st: 65% of the total
- 2nd: 30% of the total
- 3rd: 5% of the total
- 4th: 0% of the total
In Mario Party 9, players can engage in a battle minigame by landing on the "Battle Minigame" space. Once a player has done so, a Hammer Bro will come and take three Mini Stars per person:
- 4-Player Battle:
- 1st: (50%) 6 Mini Stars
- 2nd: (33.3%) 4 Mini Stars
- 3rd: (16.7%) 2 Mini Stars
- 4th: 0 Mini Stars
3-Player Battle:
- 1st: (66%) 6 Mini Stars
- 2nd: (33%) 3 Mini Stars
- 3rd: 0 Mini Stars
Sometimes landing on the space mentioned above, will cause a Fire Bro to appear. The Fire Bro only makes last place lose ten Mini Stars, while the winners split the ten of the results:
- 4-Player Battle:
- 1st: +5 Mini Stars ; +4 for tie ; +3 for 3-way tie ; +9 if three players tie for last place ; +6 if two players tie for 2nd place or last
- 2nd: +3 Mini Stars ; +2 for tie
- 3rd: +2 Mini Stars
- 4th: -10 Mini Stars ; -5 Mini Stars for tie ; -9 for 3-way tie
- 3-Player Battle:
- 1st: +7 Mini Stars ; +5 for tie ; +10 if two players tie for last
- 2nd: +3 Mini Stars
- 3rd: -10 Mini Stars : -5 for tie
Also, if a player lands on a Bowser Space the players can be forced into battling for half of each player's Mini Stars. However, Bowser keeps any left over Mini Stars.
- 4-Player Battle:
- 1st: (50%)
- 2nd: (30%)
- 3rd: (20%)
- 4th: (0%)
- 3-Player Battle:
- 1st: (75%)
- 2nd: (25%)
- 3rd: (0%)
8-Player minigames
8-Player minigames are minigames only in Mario Party 7. They are played with eight players, in four teams of two. The first player of each team uses 
and 
while the second player of each team uses 
and 
. They are only accessible in 8 Player parties.
Rare minigames
Introduced in Mario Party 3, rare minigames are special minigames that do not appear at all in normal Party Mode. They are sometimes very long and have special options that other minigames do not have.
Bowser Jr. minigames
Featured in Mario Party 9, Bowser Jr. minigames are only played when landing on a Bowser Jr. Space. These minigames involve two players, a captain and a partner competing against Bowser Jr. If the players win, they get 5 Mini Stars each. If they lose, Bowser Jr. steals 5 Mini Stars each. They also appear in Mario Party 10. They can only be activated by selecting them from Bonus Games or landing on an event space on Bowser's Board in amiibo party. Players who win get 10 coins or a Star, and players who lose must pay 10 coins. Unlike Mario Party 9, players who face Bowser Jr. do not receive a partner.
Boss Battles
Also appearing in Mario Party 9, Boss Battles are played when the players reach a Boss Battle Space. Each board features two bosses. In these minigames, players must defeat an enemy by working together (except in Diddy's Banana Blast and DK's Banana Bonus), though each one tries to get more points than the others. These minigames have no time limit and end only when the boss health meter is empty. When half of the health meter is empty, the boss gets more diverse ways to attack.
Mario Party DS also has Boss minigames, though they are one-to-one showdowns. In Mario Party: Island Tour, boss battles can be played in Bowser's Tower and are also one-on-one. Boss Battles return in Mario Party 10.
Mario Party minigame lists
- Mario Party – 50 minigames
- Mario Party 2 – 65 minigames 44 New and 21 Returning
- Mario Party 3 – 71 minigames
- Mario Party 4 – 62 minigames
- Mario Party 5 – 75 minigames
- Mario Party 6 – 82 minigames
- Mario Party 7 – 88 minigames
- Mario Party 8 – 73 minigames
- Mario Party 9 – 82 minigames
- Mario Party 10 – 73 minigames
- Mario Party Advance – 50 minigames
- Mario Party DS – 73 minigames
- Mario Party: Island Tour – 81 minigames
- Mario Party: Star Rush – 53 minigames
- Mario Party: The Top 100 – 100 minigames
Trivia
- Mario Party 7 has the most minigames, at 88 minigames (not counting Mario Party: The Top 100, which is a compilation of a hundred returning minigames)
- Mario Party and Mario Party Advance are tied at last place, at 50 minigames. The second-to-last is Mario Party: Star Rush, with 53 minigames.
- A total of 923 minigames are found in the Mario Party series, including returning minigames in Mario Party 2 and Mario Party: The Top 100.
WarioWare series minigames
WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! minigames
Single Player
Dual-Player
WarioWare: Twisted!
They are accessible from "Games" category of souvenirs.
WarioWare: Smooth Moves
All minigames are unlocked by progressing through the game, with the exception of Pyoro S, which requires unlocking every microgames.
Donkey Kong 64
- See also: Bonus Area
- Jetpac
- Donkey Kong arcade game
Mario Tennis series minigames
The Mario Tennis game series have all had Minigames of some sort, with most being Tennis-Based, although there are some exceptions.
Mario Tennis (Game Boy Color)
- Shooting Stars
- Target Shot
- Banana Bunch
- Boo Blast
- Perfect Shot
- Fruit Factory
- Treasure Box
- Medallion Match
- Two-On-One
Mario Power Tennis
- Artist On the Court
- Balloon Panic
- Chain-Chomp Challenge
- Gooper Blooper Volley
- Mecha-Bowser
- Terror Tennis
- Tic-Tac-Glow
- Coin Collectors
Mario Tennis: Power Tour
Super Mario 64 DS minigames
Super Mario 64 DS features a grand total of 36 minigames (mini-games), which are divided among the game's four playable characters. Two of each character's minigames are unlocked along with the characters themselves, while the remainder are unlocked by catching Rabbits. All of the minigames utilize the DS's touch screen.
Yoshi's Games
Yoshi's minigames are puzzle-based.
- Wanted!
- Loves me...?
- Hide and Boo Seek
- Puzzle Panel
- Boom Box
- Tox Box Shuffle
- Which Wiggler?
- Mix-a-Mug
- Puzzle Panic
Mario's Games
Mario's minigames are action-themed.
- Mario's Slides
- Bounce and Pounce
- Sort or 'Splode
- Trampoline Time
- Shuffle Shell
- Bounce and Trounce
- Connect the Characters
- Shell Smash
- Trampoline Terror
Luigi's Games
Luigi specializes in "table" games, also known as gambling games. This is also the only reason why the Virtual Console PAL re-release of Super Mario 64 DS got a PEGI 12 rating.
- Memory Match
- Pair-a-Gone
- Picture Poker
- Mushroom Roulette
- Mario Slot
- Lucky Stars
- Pair-a-Gone and On
- Memory Master
- Super Mario Slot
Wario's Games
Wario has the most diverse collection of minigames, almost no description applies to all of them.
New Super Mario Bros. minigames
New Super Mario Bros. features minigames in much the same vein as Super Mario 64 DS. Indeed, some of the more popular Super Mario 64 DS minigames are copied exactly for New Super Mario Bros. However, most of the minigames are new, and many are multiplayer, something never seen in Super Mario 64 DS's games.
Vs. Battle
Action
Puzzle
Table
1 on 1
- Vs. Mario's Slides
- Bob-omb Sudden Death
- Jumping Brothers
- Lakitu Launch
- Jumping Sudden Death
- Vs. Trampoline Time
- Bob-omb Trampoline
- Vs. Pair-a-Gone
1 Player
Action
Puzzle
Table
Variety
Super Paper Mario minigames
These minigames are found in the arcade on floor B1. The first three are unlocked from the start, costing 10 Flipside Tokens, while Hammer Whacker can be played once getting a golden card from Flopside. This mini game costs 20 tokens.
Super Mario Galaxy minigames
New Super Mario Bros. Wii minigames
These appear in Toad Houses within each world:
Super Mario Galaxy 2 minigames
These are scattered across the galaxies.
Nintendo Land attractions
Competitive
Team
Solo
Game & Wario minigames
Game & Wario is a game for Wii U that has 16 minigames. These games usually try to showcase the Wii U GamePad's capabilities. All of their titles are based off of how the original Game & Watch's games had one name.
1-player minigames
Multiplayer minigames
Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move minigames
Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move is a Nintendo eShop for Nintendo 3DS that has four minigames. These minigames use the stylus on the bottom screen. ¾ of these minigames launch an object on the play area.
Paper Mario series minigames
Paper Mario: Sticker Star
In Paper Mario: Sticker Star, there is only one minigame located at Stump Glade.
Paper Mario: Color Splash
Minigames are found in various places in the game.
See also
- Gnat Attack
- Microgame
- Bonus Game
- Battle Mode, Mario Kart series equivalent.