Mario Party 8

Mario Party 8
North American box cover For alternate box art, see the game's gallery.
Developer	Hudson CAProduction Nintendo SPD Group No.4
Publisher	Nintendo
Platform(s)	Wii
Release date	Original release: Template:Release Nintendo Selects Release: Template:Release
Language(s)	English (United States) French (France) German Spanish (Spain) Italian Japanese Korean
Genre	Party
Rating(s)	ESRB: - Everyone PEGI: - Three years and older CERO: - All ages ACB: - General USK: - Six years and older GRAC: - All ages
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer
Format	Wii: Optical disc
Input	Wii: Wii Remote
Serial code(s)	Template:Serials

Mario Party 8 is the eighth installment of the Mario Party series on a home console, the first Mario Party game for the Wii, and the thirteenth game overall in the series. It is also the last Mario Party home console game to be developed by Hudson Soft before Nintendo Cube received control of the series. It was first released in North America on May 29, 2007, and finally released in Hong Kong and South Korea on July 12, 2008, over a year later. It became a Nintendo Selects title in Europe on March 22, 2013.

Mario Party 8 is notable for its strong use of the Wii Remote and its motion control capabilities in minigames. Players are required to perform various gestures in lieu of traditional button/joystick controls. Common motions include pointing-and-shooting, shaking, waving, turning, and twisting the Wii Remote. Player-created Miis are featured in this game, often showing up within crowds and even in certain minigames, such as Sugar Rush. They can also serve as the player's character in Extra Mode. By playing regular party games, minigames, and completing the Star Battle Arena mode, players can earn Carnival Cards, which can be spent to unlock figures and game features.

Mario Party 8 features six boards, five of which are available from the start of a new save file. Although one board, DK's Treetop Temple, features the classic formula for obtaining a Star (reaching a changing Star Space and trading 20 coins), the other five boards employ unique conditions for collecting Stars. Replacing the Orbs/capsules from the previous Mario Party titles are Candies, which can be collected and used for a variety of purposes, including using extra Dice Blocks, moving to a different space, and stealing coins from rivals.

Parts of the game, such as board gameplay, are displayed in a 4:3 ratio, fitted with borders on the left and right parts of the screen, while other portions of the game, such as the main menu, are matted to 16:9 widescreen.

Story

Yoshi is declared the winner of the Star Battle Arena, receiving a year's supply of Candy, the title of Superstar, and the Star Rod.

The exuberant ringmaster MC Ballyhoo and his talking hat, Big Top, have invited Mario and the rest of the crew to the Star Carnival. Ballyhoo holds a special event, the Star Battle Arena, in which a contestant must win five successive party duels across the five standard boards. The winner will be crowned the carnival's Superstar and receive a year's supply of Candy.

Once the player has claimed victory in all five duels, Ballyhoo holds an award ceremony to present the year's supply of Candy in addition to a special reward, which is revealed to be the magical Star Rod. Before the player can receive their reward, however, Bowser swoops in and steals the Star Rod before retreating to his own board, Bowser's Warped Orbit. The player and Ballyhoo then follow Bowser to his board for one final duel.

After the player triumphs over Bowser's chosen minion (either Blooper or Hammer Bro), he begrudgingly returns the Star Rod, only to quickly change his mind and challenge the player to a final showdown for the Star Rod. Using the Star Rod's magical powers, the player defeats Bowser, then returns to the carnival with Ballyhoo, where they are declared the Superstar.

Gameplay

The title screen displays the 12 characters available from the start, along with Donkey Kong and Bowser.

Following the format of previous Mario Party titles, Mario Party 8 combines the social, strategic gameplay of traditional board games with quick, action-oriented minigames. To win a party, a player must possess the most Stars at the end of the game. Players can also collect and win coins to trade them for Stars, buy Candy, and trigger special events on the board. Each board has a unique way of obtaining Stars, though most require finding a unique Star Space and trading a certain number of coins for one.

Before each game starts, MC Ballyhoo introduces the board, and each player rolls a Dice Block to determine the order of play. On every turn, each player rolls a Dice Block numbered one to 10 to move along the game board. Prior to rolling, players can use Candy (if they possess any) and study the game board. At the end of each turn, all players participate in a randomly chosen minigame to compete for a coin prize. Typically, the prize is 10 coins, given in whole to every player who wins the minigame. The minigame varieties include four-player free-for-all, 1-vs-3, and 2-vs-2. There is also a small chance that a battle minigame will be played instead of a regular one.

The color of the space each player is on at the end of the turn occasionally determines which kind of minigame arrangement will be used; for instance, if two players are on Red Spaces and the other two players are on Blue Spaces, the minigame arrangement will most likely be 2-vs-2. Once the minigame is finished and the coin prizes have been awarded, the turn is finished. After the last turn, three random Bonus Stars are awarded (if enabled during the game setup). Afterward, the player with the most Stars is declared the Superstar, and wins the game. In the event of a tie in terms of Stars collected, coin amounts are relied upon.

Mario Party 8 features an event similar to the Last Five Turns Event from previous Mario Party titles, known as Chump Charity, which occurs once there are five turns remaining. During this event, Ballyhoo reviews the player rankings and offers the player in last place either a free Duelo Candy or a coin prize. Before regular gameplay resumes, coin bag pickups are placed on every red space and single-coin pickups are placed on every other space. These pickups may only be collected once, by the first player who reaches the space they are on. If two players land on the same space or cross paths, they will only duel if one player is under the effect of Duelo Candy.

If one player encounters an opponent while under the effects of Duelo Candy (Battle Royale/Tag Battle), or lands on a VS Space (Duel Battle/Star Battle Arena), they will duel the opponent in a one-on-one minigame. The winner throws a dart at a spinning wheel to determine what prize they receive from the loser. If the attacker wins, they will be able to take Stars or coins, whereas if the defender wins, they will only be able to take coins.

The Bonus Stars that may be awarded at the end of a party are as follows:

• Minigame Star: Awarded to the player who won the most coins in minigames, not including duel minigames. Typically, this qualifies as the player who won the most minigames.
• Candy Star: Awarded to the player or team who used the most Candy. This Bonus Star is exclusive to this game.
• Green Star: Awarded to the player or team who landed on the most Green Spaces.
• Running Star: Awarded to the player or team who traveled the most spaces. Teleportation mechanics and other means of movement besides a player's dice roll do not count toward this bonus.
• Shopping Star: Awarded to the player or team who spent the most coins in Candy Shops. Simply visiting a Candy Shop without purchasing anything does not count toward this bonus.
• Red Star: Awarded to the player or team who landed on the most Red Spaces. Landing on Bowser Spaces does not count toward this bonus.

Modes

Party Tent

The Party Tent is the main attraction of the Star Carnival in Mario Party 8. It appears in the lower right of the carnival and is the second-biggest tent. In this tent, characters can play on the six boards (DK's Treetop Temple, Goomba's Booty Boardwalk, King Boo's Haunted Hideaway, Shy Guy's Perplex Express, Koopa's Tycoon Town, and Bowser's Warped Orbit) and play as all twelve (fourteen counting unlockable) characters. However, players cannot play as Miis.

The players choose between three game types: Battle Royale, Tag Battle, and Duel Battle. In Battle Royale, everyone is pitted against each other. In Tag Battle, players choose two teams of two and go head-to-head.

In Duel Battle, all boards are smaller than in Battle Royale and offer different objectives (like in Solo Cruise from Mario Party 7). Challenge minigames appear in this mode. If 30 turns have passed and no player has cleared the objective yet, the game ends in a tie. Completing the objective rewards the player with 20 Carnival Cards. Star Battle Arena follows the same rules as Duel Battle.

Star Battle Arena

Star Battle Arena is the solo story mode in Mario Party 8. The player chooses a character and competes against five CPU-controlled characters over five separate duels. The five standard boards are played in order: DK's Treetop Temple, Goomba's Booty Boardwalk, King Boo's Haunted Hideaway, Shy Guy's Perplex Express, and Koopa's Tycoon Town. The sixth, unlockable board, Bowser's Warped Orbit, is played for a final showdown. The general rules of Duel Battle are used for all six duels (players take turns without regular minigames), and each duel has a different victory condition from the Party Tent's Battle Royale and Tag Battle. As the player progresses through the duels, their CPU-controlled opponents become more adept. If a duel runs over after 30 turns, Ballyhoo will end the game and declare a tie (like in Solo Cruise from Mario Party 7). All boards except King Boo's Haunted Hideaway are smaller in this mode.

Playing Duel Battle in the Party Tent will also allow the player to play this mode against another player or CPU.

The reward for defeating Bowser and beating Star Battle Arena mode is 200 Carnival Cards. Additionally, Bowser's Warped Orbit and the Minigame Wagon (in the Fun Bazaar) will be unlocked, as well as either Blooper or Hammer Bro (if it is the player's first time completing Star Battle Arena). Replaying Star Battle Arena with Blooper or Hammer Bro (whichever was unlocked) will unlock the other character.

Winning conditions

Board	Conditions
DK's Treetop Temple	The player must be the first to collect two Stars.
Goomba's Booty Boardwalk	The player must be the first to reach Captain Goomba with at least 50 coins.
King Boo's Haunted Hideaway	The player must be the first to collect two Stars.
Shy Guy's Perplex Express	The player must be the first to give 50 coins to Holly Koopa.
Koopa's Tycoon Town	The player must be the first to collect four Stars.
Bowser's Warped Orbit	The player must steal all of their opponent's Stars. If cleared, Bowser will challenge the player in the "Last" minigame Superstar Showdown.

Minigame Tent

The Minigame Tent

In the Minigame Tent, players can play all of the minigames they have unlocked in the Party Tent or Star Battle Arena. Duel and Challenge minigames can only be unlocked in the Star Battle Arena during solo play, or in the Party Tent when using a Duelo Candy or playing Duel Battle. Completing minigames earns the player cards for the player to spend at the Surprise Wagon. There are a total of five ways to play the minigames, as detailed in the sections below.

Free Play Arcade

Free Play Arcade

“Welcome to Free Play Arcade! You can play any minigame! Any you've previously seen on the party boards, that is! So many minigames! So much fun! Let your minigame mania run wild!”

—MC Ballyhoo, Mario Party 8

Free Play Arcade is a game mode where the players can freely choose any minigame to play. However, minigames will first need to be unlocked by playing in Party Tent or Star Battle Arena, or purchasing them from the Minigame Wagon at the Fun Bazaar. In this mode, Miis often appear as spectators, often replacing species like Goombas and Koopa Troopas.

Crown Showdown

Crown Showdown

“Crack open Crown Showdown yet? Head there to see who's truly the minigame champion!”

—MC Ballyhoo, Mario Party 8

Crown Showdown is a game mode that involves players trying to win the most minigames. At the beginning, the player can choose between 4-Player minigames and Duel minigames. If the player chooses the 4-Player minigames, they can then choose to play between 4-Player minigames, 1-vs.-3 minigames, 2-vs.-2 minigames, or random. The player also can choose how many wins are required to win the showdown from 3, 5, or 7. Each time, the game randomly selects a minigame that the player has already unlocked. Whoever wins the game receives a point, and whoever reaches 3, 5, or 7 points first is the winner.

In-game rules

"In Crown Showdown, you'll race to win a set number of minigames before competitors do it first! What type of minigames? Up to you! Or select Random and leave it to chance!"

Flip-Out Frenzy

Flip-Out Frenzy

Flip-Out Frenzy is a game mode set in a small pond with a 6×6 board containing thirty-two gray squares and four black ones. The objective is that players must compete in minigames and color the entire board. Once a player wins a minigame, they get to pick which squares they want to flip over to match their emblem/color. When a player picks a square, the horizontal and vertical rows of the square next to it get colored as well. If more than one player wins a minigame, or a tie occurs, no one gets to pick. After all the squares are colored, MC Ballyhoo turns two black squares at random into normal squares. Once those ones are colored, the game mode ends, and the player with the most squares of their emblem/color wins.

Players can color over other players' colored squares as well, but cannot flip squares if one of the horizontal or vertical rows has a black square.

In-game rules

"To win Flip-Out Frenzy, you must own the most tiles by game's end. Each time you win a minigame, you'll pick a tile. It and tiles in all four directions will flip to show your mark. There's a late-game shake-up, too!"

Tic-Tac Drop

Tic-Tac Drop

“Found your way to Tic-Tac Drop yet? Go there to face off against a rival in a twisted spin on the classic!”

—MC Ballyhoo, Mario Party 8

Tic-Tac Drop is a game mode similar to tic-tac-toe, except it is played with minigames, and the balls that are put into the board drop into place, rather than staying in the middle or top rows. The game begins with MC Ballyhoo initiating a random duel minigame, after which the contestants compete to win the minigame. The winner of the minigame gets to drop a ball into the board in the location of their choice. Additional minigames will continue to be played until a winner is eventually declared. The first player to form a horizontal, vertical or diagonal row with their respective colored balls wins the game.

In-game rules

"To win Tic-Tac Drop, you must make a line up, down, or diagonally by dropping balls through the board's slots. You'll get one ball for each minigame win. If you reach a stalemate, you can start a fresh game."

Test for the Best

Main article: Test for the Best

In Test for the Best, the player competes for the best score by playing ten minigames. The player has to unlock certain minigames to play this and they must buy in from the Surprise Wagon at the Fun Bazaar before playing it. It is similar to the Minigame Decathlon from previous Mario Party games, except only one player can play at a time.

Extras Zone

“Before us lies a zone of extras! A realm of more! A state of surplus! They're minigames seen only here!”

—MC Ballyhoo, Mario Party 8

The Extras Zone

The select menu in the Extras Zone

The Extras Zone is a tent where players can play one of eight minigames with either Super Mario characters or Miis that they have created on the Wii's Mii Channel or by using the default guest Miis. Initially, only four of eight minigames are available. The other four need to be purchased in the Fun Bazaar in order to unlock them. Up to four players can play in this mode, but only one minigame allows up to four players to play. Another will allow only a single player.

Extras Zone minigames

• Star Carnival Bowling (up to 4 players)
• Trial by Tile (up to 2 players)
• Flagging Rights (up to 2 players)
• Canyon Cruisers (up to 2 players)
• Table Menace (unlockable, up to 2 players)
• Puzzle Pillars (unlockable, up to 2 players)
• Chomping Frenzy (unlockable, single player)
• Moped Mayhem (unlockable, up to 2 players)

Fun Bazaar

Main article: Fun Bazaar

The Fun Bazaar is a place where the player can exchange cards for items, modes, and minigames or check records.

• Records Board: The player can view minigame sets or the best records here. The player can also view the Staff Records after they bought them from the Surprise Wagon.
• Minigame Wagon: Minigames can be bought here using Carnival Cards. The wagon is only accessible after completing the Star Battle Arena.
• Carnival Wagon: The player can view any Carnival Figures they collected and watch them in a Carnival Parade.
• Surprise Wagon: The player can trade Carnival Cards for various items such as Sound Tests, Extra Minigames, Carnival Figurines, and other stuff. Unlike what the instruction booklet says, it's always available.
• Carnival Calliope: The player can listen to music, sounds, and voices by accessing here. Some features must be bought at the Surprise Wagon first before listening to it.

Characters

Playable

The character selection screen showing all 14 main playable characters available

Mario Party 8 features a total of 15 playable characters (14 in the main roster). All 12 playable characters from Mario Party 7 return, alongside the introduction of Blooper, Hammer Bro, and Miis, the lattermost only being usable in the Extras Zone. This marks the first playable appearance of Blooper in the Super Mario franchise, as well as the first (and currently only) playable appearance of Blooper in the Mario Party series.

Mario	Luigi	Peach	Yoshi	Wario	Daisy	Waluigi
Toad	Boo	Toadette	Birdo	Dry Bones	Blooper	Hammer Bro

Blooper and Hammer Bro can be unlocked by defeating each of them in Star Battle Arena. One of the two characters will always be randomly chosen to compete against the player in the duel on Bowser's Warped Orbit. In order to avoid dueling the same unlockable character twice, it is recommended to complete a second Star Battle Arena playthrough using whichever character was unlocked during the first.

Team names

From Mario Party 4 to Mario Party 9, players could fight in a tag-team match, in which two teams of two players are formed. In Mario Party 5 and Mario Party 6, team names are chosen from specific character pairings. This is a returning feature in Mario Party 8, following an absence in Mario Party 7. Below are the possible name combinations in English and in French:

	Mario	Luigi	Peach	Yoshi	Wario	Daisy	Waluigi	Toad	Boo	Toadette	Birdo	Dry Bones	Blooper	Hammer Bro
Mario	N/A	Mario Bros. Les Frères Mario	Power Players Les Amoureux	Fan Favorites Les Vedettes	Big Sarrios Les Némésis	Flower Players Les Jolis Coeurs	'Stache Clashers Les Faux Frères	Fungi Fun Guys Les Inséparables	Soul Bros. Les Connaissances	Marionettes Les Marionnettes	Super Snozzios Les Rocambolesques	BBQ Ribs Les Implacables	'Stache Splashers Les Nageurs	Heavy-Blow Bros. Les Ecraseurs
Luigi	Mario Bros. Les Frères Mario	N/A	Waltzing Brawlers Les Improbables	Green Machine Les Petits Poids	Green 'n' Greedy Les Pseudo Bros.	Tango Tanglers Les Discrets	Lean 'n' Mean Les Inconciliables	Savage Sidekicks Les Imperturbables	Scaredy Pants Les Fantastiques	Cha-Cha Chasers Les Inattendus	Samba Smashers Les Swingueurs	Cry Bones Les Peureux	Blooper Scoopers Les Aquariophiles	Longtime-Foe Bros. Les Vieux Ennemis
Peach	Power Players Les Amoureux	Waltzing Brawlers Les Improbables	N/A	Kind Hearts Les Chérubins	Sugar 'n' Spies Les Extravagants	Damsels in Success Les Starlettes	Sweet 'n' Sour Les Impossibles	Loyal Friends Les Mimis	Boo-for-Teas Les Etincelants	High-Flair Pair Les Déconcertantes	Pink Superpowers Les Deux Roses	Dry Thrones Les Contraires	Royal Flush Les Fonds Royaux	Glamour Hammer Les Marteaux Picoeurs
Yoshi	Fan Favorites Les Vedettes	Green Machine Les Petits Poids	Kind Hearts Les Chérubins	N/A	Poached Eggs Les Waryoshis	Tomboy Trouble Les Pitres	Scrambled Eggs Les Apollons	Good Buddies Les Chouchous	Hovering Fiends Les Diaboliques	Flutter Friends Les Petits Mignons	Egg Explosion Les Oeufs Brouillés	Sky Bones Les Galopeurs	Double Dippers Les Baigneurs	Hungry Hammers Les Affamés
Wario	Big Sarrios Les Némésis	Green 'n' Greedy Les Pseudo Bros.	Sugar 'n' Spies Les Extravagants	Poached Eggs Les Waryoshis	N/A	Mischief-Makers Les Alliés Secrets	Double-Crossers Les Imposteurs	Crazy Allies Les Woads	Double-Dealers Les Stratèges	Double Agents Les Infâmes	Rotten Eggs Les Oeufs Pourris	Dumb Skulls Les Os Moisis	Drenched Stench Les Malodorants	Scammer Hammer Les Vandales
Daisy	Flower Players Les Jolis Coeurs	Tango Tanglers Les Discrets	Damsels in Success Les Starlettes	Tomboy Trouble Les Pitres	Mischief-Makers Les Alliés Secrets	N/A	Double-Facers Les Bizarres	Bloomy Shroomy Les Rigolos	High Spirited Duo Les Timides	Perfumed Shroomy Les Cocasses	Gallopin' Gal-Pals Les Enigmatiques	Daisy Pushers Les Indécis	Bloopsie-Daisy Les Fleurs Mouillées	Barn-Builders Les Bûcheurs
Waluigi	'Stache Clashers Les Faux Frères	Lean 'n' Mean Les Inconciliables	Sweet 'n' Sour Les Impossibles	Scrambled Eggs Les Apollons	Double-Crossers Les Imposteurs	Double-Facers Les Bizarres	N/A	Half-Cranky Duo Les Diablotoads	Total Creeps Les Terreurs	Half-Pranky Duo Les Espions	Double Scammy Les Méconnus	Boneheads Les Sacs d'Os	Bloop 'n' Snoop Les Trouble-fêtes	Stench Henchmen Les Marteleurs
Toad	Fungi Fun Guys Les Inséparables	Savage Sidekicks Les Imperturbables	Loyal Friends Les Mimis	Good Buddies Les Chouchous	Crazy Allies Les Woads	Bloomy Shroomy Les Rigolos	Half-Cranky Duo Les Diablotoads	N/A	Doom 'n' Shroom Les Têtes Rondes	Zoomin' Shrooms Les Champi-mignons	Surprise Attackers Les Inimitables	Short Ribs Les Osselets	Spray Players Les Anémones	Stealth Strikers Les Mini-marteaux
Boo	Soul Bros. Les Connaissances	Scaredy Pants Les Fantastiques	Boo-for-Teas Les Etincelants	Hovering Fiends Les Diaboliques	Double-Dealers Les Stratèges	High Spirited Duo Les Timides	Total Creeps Les Terreurs	Doom 'n' Shroom Les Têtes Rondes	N/A	Boo Duet Les Faux Amis	Unfair Pair Les Incompris	Scary Pair Les Effrayants	Creature Feature Les Blanchisseurs	Bad Vibes Les Mauvais Garçons
Toadette	Marionettes Les Marionnettes	Cha-Cha Chasers Les Inattendus	High-Flair Pair Les Déconcertantes	Flutter Friends Les Petits Mignons	Double Agents Les Infâmes	Perfumed Shroomy Les Cocasses	Half-Pranky Duo Les Espions	Zoomin' Shrooms Les Champi-mignons	Boo Duet Les Faux Amis	N/A	Pink Powerhouse Les Fuchsias	Double Trouble Les Champirex	Bloop-dee-doo Les Blettes	Smash Success Les Eclectiques
Birdo	Super Snozzios Les Rocambolesques	Samba Smashers Les Swingueurs	Pink Superpowers Les Deux Roses	Egg Explosion Les Oeufs Brouillés	Rotten Eggs Les Oeufs Pourris	Gallopin' Gal-Pals Les Enigmatiques	Double Scammy Les Méconnus	Surprise Attackers Les Inimitables	Unfair Pair Les Incompris	Pink Powerhouse Les Fuchsias	N/A	Bone Chokers Les Indéfinissables	What-the-Bloop Les Espèces Rares	Two-Timers Les Indéfendables
Dry Bones	BBQ Ribs Les Implacables	Cry Bones Les Peureux	Dry Thrones Les Contraires	Sky Bones Les Galopeurs	Dumb Skulls Les Os Moisis	Daisy Pushers Les Indécis	Boneheads Les Sacs d'Os	Short Ribs Les Osselets	Scary Pair Les Effrayants	Double Trouble Les Champirex	Bone Chokers Les Indéfinissables	N/A	Two-Toned Duo Les Rancuniers	What-the-Deuce Les Mart'Os
Blooper	'Stache Splashers Les Nageurs	Blooper Scoopers Les Aquariophiles	Royal Flush Les Fonds Royaux	Double Dippers Les Baigneurs	Drenched Stench Les Malodorants	Bloopsie-Daisy Les Fleurs Mouillées	Bloop 'n' Snoop Les Trouble-fêtes	Spray Players Les Anémones	Creature Feature Les Blanchisseurs	Bloop-dee-doo Les Blettes	What-the-Bloop Les Espèces Rares	Two-Toned Duo Les Rancuniers	N/A	Blooper Bros. Les Maillets Mouillés
Hammer Bro	Heavy-Blow Bros. Les Ecraseurs	Longtime-Foe Bros. Les Vieux Ennemis	Glamour Hammer Les Marteaux Picoeurs	Hungry Hammers Les Affamés	Scammer Hammer Les Vandales	Barn-Builders Les Bûcheurs	Stench Henchmen Les Marteleurs	Stealth Strikers Les Mini-marteaux	Bad Vibes Les Mauvais Garçons	Smash Success Les Eclectiques	Two-Timers Les Indéfendables	What-the-Deuce Les Espèces Rares	Blooper Bros. Les Maillets Mouillés	N/A

Boards

The board selection screen

Mario Party 8 contains six unique boards. With the exception of DK's Treetop Temple, which embraces the traditional format, each board features a distinct method of obtaining Stars. In most cases, Stars require coins to be purchased.

Image	Name	Description
		Players move across this board to reach and purchase Stars, which appear in random locations and cost 20 coins each. Whenever a player obtains the Star on the board, another Star appears in a different location. Landing on a DK Space in this board causes DK to throw the player directly towards the star, and landing on a Bowser Space results in Bowser warping the Star to a different location. To win in Star Battle Arena or Duel Battle, the player must collect two stars before their opponents.
		Players move through this linear board to reach the end, where Captain Goomba gives them a Star for free, as a reward for reaching this far. After receiving the Star, the player is transported back to the start via gulls carrying a wooden plank. Dolphin Expresses in the course can take the player closer to Captain Goomba by paying a fee. The fee depends on what place the player is currently in, with first place having to pay the most while and fourth place having to pay the least. Landing on a DK Space will give the player a chance to earn coins, while landing on the Bowser space will give the player a chance to lose coins. To win this board in Star Battle Arena or Duel Battle, since the player's goal is to get one star from Captain Goomba costing 50 coins, the player must have that number of coins and reach him first for the star, before their opponent does.
		Players move through a mansion to try to find King Boo and get a star from him. Out of three rooms in the house, King Boo is in one of them. If the player stumbles in other rooms where King Boo is not hiding in, Red Boos come and toss the player in a hole, thus making the player go back to the start of the mansion. King Boo offers the star for ten coins once the player reaches him. After paying for that, everyone is taken out of the mansion for another shuffle with different rooms in the mansion. If the player lands on a DK space, DK will cover up the hole and offer the player who comes to an empty room a free star; if the player lands on a Bowser space, Bowser will cover up the hole and will steal a star from the player who comes to an empty room. In Star Battle Arena or Duel Battle, the winning condition required is to acquire two stars from King Boo for 10 coins each by finding him two times.
		Players move through a train to get to the conductor of the train, who will offer a Star for 20 coins. The train board is linear, and therefore, there are no branching paths. After being offered for the star, the player travels on top of the train and back to the start (unlike Goomba's Booty Boardwalk, where the player instantly travels back to the start). If someone lands on a DK space, DK will be in charge of the train and offers a free star to anyone who the first player who reaches him. If someone lands on a Bowser Space, Bowser will take over the train and steal a Star from the first player who reaches him. In Star Battle Arena or Duel Battle, in order to win the game, since there is only one star and it is worth 50 coins, the player must obtain that amount and reach Holly Koopa (not the conductor, who will give the player 10 coins instead) for the star before their opponent does.
		In this board, players invest money in hotels in order to earn stars. If a hotel has 20 coins invested into it, it upgrades and makes the number of stars it can offer increase to two. If a hotel has a total of 50 coins invested, it can offer three stars. When a player lands on a Donkey Kong space, Donkey Kong will come and help invest coins. Adversely, when a player lands on a Bowser space, Bowser will take coins away from a selected hotel. In Star Battle Arena or Duel Battle, the player has to get four stars by investing in hotels in order to win.
		There are no stars in this board, and so players are given five stars at the start on Battle Royale (in a team on Tag Battle, they are given ten stars). Players must use the Bullet Candy and Bowser Candy (which are exclusive to this board) to steal stars from opponents. The board is also linear; no branching paths exist (if one does not count the random branching paths in some parts of the board that the player cannot choose to take). In Star Battle Arena or Duel Battle, the player and their opponent start off with three stars. The winning condition is to reduce their opponent's stars to zero stars by eating candy to steal stars from them. This board is unlocked by completing the entire Star Battle.

Spaces

Image	Name	Description
	Blue Space	Players who land on this space get three coins. The space shape varies by board; sometimes, it's a quadrilateral shape and sometimes, it's the classic circular shape. Unlike the preceding games, there is no bonus on the last five turns that can increase the number of coins a blue space gives. Just like the preceding games, they are the most common space to be encountered.
	Red Space	Players who land on this space lose three coins. The space shape varies by board; sometimes, it's a quadrilateral shape and sometimes, it's the classic circular shape. Unlike the preceding games, there is no bonus on the last five turns that can increase the number of coins a red space takes. They are uncommon, but it is usually more common than other spaces on the board. A bonus star can be earned if the player lands on the most red spaces.
	Green Space	If a player lands on this space, this space triggers an event. The event varies by board and location, and it sometimes helps or hinders a player. They are the third most common space on the board. Landing on a Green Space also contributes to earning the bonus star, the Green Star, at the end of the match.
	DK Space	If a player lands on this space, Donkey Kong will appear and will cause a positive effect. The actions he does varies by board. Donkey Kong spaces will always be available at the start of every party, but after the event has occurred, it will turn into a Bowser Space.
	Bowser Space	If a player lands on this space, Bowser will show up and cause a negative effect. In some instances, however, when the player does not have any stars or coins, Bowser gives the player 10 coins instead. Bowser spaces only appear if another player previously landed on a DK space. This is also noteworthy that Bowser only does one event and will not make the players play a Bowser Minigame, unlike the previous Mario Party games. After the event has occurred, it will turn into a Donkey Kong space.
	Lucky Space	If a player lands on this space, the player will be taken to a lucky area. In this area, the spaces are all blue spaces, and each Blue Space has three coins. Each lucky area contains either a free star or a way to more easily access a star (e.g. the lucky area in King Boo's Haunted Hideaway contains a direct warp to King Boo, but the player must still purchase the star). The only exception is the lucky area in Bowser's Warped Orbit, which instead contains three Candy Spaces that always give out Bullet Candy or Bowser Candy. The lucky area varies by board. Uniquely, sparkling particles rise up from the space.
	Vs. Space	Only appearing in Star Battle Arena or Duel Battle, the space starts a Duel Minigame between both players. Just like Duel Minigames from the previous Mario Party games, the loser of the minigame gives coins to the winner.
	Challenge Space	Only appearing in Star Battle Arena or Duel Battle, the space starts a Challenge Minigame. If the player wins the minigame, they can throw a dart at a wheel to earn 5, 10, or 20 coins. Otherwise, they receive nothing. This is the only way a player can obtain the Challenge Minigames.

Candy

Main article: Candy (Mario Party 8)

Much like Orbs/Capsules, there are single-use power-up items in Mario Party 8, referred to as Candy. Players can purchase Candy from a Candy Shop for coins or collect it freely from random Candy spaces on the board. Each board provides a different, partial subset of the 14 candy types (in the Candy Shops and on the board itself). Candy may only be used before a player's dice roll. It cannot be placed on the board, unlike in previous Mario Party titles. Players can hold a maximum of three Candy items.

Red Candies

These Candy items involve changes related to the Dice Block.

Image	Name	Description
	Twice Candy	When used, the Twice Candy adds a dice block to the player's roll. The only advantage it has over the Thrice Candy is that it is cheaper and more common. Adding a second dice block to the roll can help the player reach the star closer or other techniques used to help the player. It is very much like the Mushroom Orb and other similar items from the previous games or the Double Dice Set from Mario Party DS. Also, if the player rolls the same number on both Dice Blocks, they get 10 coins (or 30 coins for two "7's").
	Thrice Candy	When used, the Thrice Candy adds a second and a third dice block to the player's roll. Even though the player can travel farther if rolled correctly than a player who used the Twice Candy, the candy is a tad more expensive and rarer than the Twice Candy. It does have similar benefits to the Twice Candy, though. It can be compared to the Super 'Shroom Orbs from the previous games or the Triple Dice Set from Mario Party DS. If the player rolls the same number on all three Dice Blocks, they get 30 coins (or 100 coins for three "7's").
	Slowgo Candy	When used, the Slowgo Candy slows down the dice block roll, very much like the Sluggish 'Shroom Orb, but it limits the dice block roll to 1-5 instead of 1-10 (similarly to the Cursed Mushroom and Halfway Dice Block). The Slowgo Candy can be used for landing on specific spaces that the player wants to land on. It costs slightly more than a Twice Candy, but less than a Thrice Candy.

Green Candies

These Candy items transform the player for a very brief time, allowing them to perform a specific action using the dart wheel.

Image	Name	Description
	Springo Candy	If the player uses it, they will transform into a spring-version of the character. The player can warp to another player's space via the dart wheel and move after they made it to their destination. If used in a Tag Battle, the player can only warp to one of the opposed team players instead, and can't warp to their team player.
	Cashzap Candy	If the player uses it, they will transform into an electric version of the character. The player can destroy half the coins an opponent has, chosen by the dart wheel. If used in Team Battles, the player will just zap a random member of the other team's coins. Note that this just removes half of the player's coins and the player who used the candy will not earn any coins.
	Vampire Candy	If the player uses it, they will transform into a vampire version of the character. They can take coins from other players chosen by the Dart Wheel. Unlike the Cashzap Candy, the player will actually take coins from the other players. The number of coins taken ranges from 1, 5, and 10 (5, 10, and 20 in Star Battle Arena or Duel Battle). After the player takes the coins from their opponent, the coins that they stole from their opponents get deposited into their bank.

Yellow Candies

These Candy items cause players to transform for the duration of their dice roll. Once the player's turn has finished, they will transform back.

Image	Name	Description
	Bitsize Candy	If the player uses it, they will transform into an 8-bit version of the character. Upon moving, the player will collect 3 coins from hitting a Coin Block every time they take a space. Since the player moves 1-10 spaces, they can earn up to 30 coins and a minimum of 3 per roll. This rare candy cannot be found in shops; it can only be found by moving through Candy Areas.
	Bloway Candy	If the player uses it, they will transform into a tornado version of the character. The player can warp any opponent they pass back to the start of the board. It can be useful for boards such as Goomba's Booty Boardwalk.
	Weeglee Candy	If the player uses it, they will transform into three tiny clones of themselves and steal any candy an opponent has by just moving past an opponent. If the opponent happens to have no candy, nothing will happen. Like Bitsize Candy, it can only be found by moving through Candy Areas.
	Bowlo Candy	If the player uses it, they will transform into a ball version of the character. The player can steal ten coins (20 coins in Duel Battle) from any player they pass. Note that any player in a Bowlo form will pass by shops, but not stars, unlike items from previous games that can make the player pass by stars as well as shops.

Blue Candies

These candies are offense-oriented. Much like Yellow Candies, they cause the player to transform until the end of their die roll.

Image	Name	Description
	Thwomp Candy	If the player uses it, they will transform into a stone version of the character's head. The player can make any player they run into lose half of their coins. Note that this does not steal half of the player's coins; it just makes them lose half of the coins they owned. This candy also makes the player pass by shops, like the Bowlo Candy.
	Bullet Candy	If the player uses it, they will transform into a Bullet Bill version of the character. The player can roll three dice blocks, but it can only steal one star from another player if they pass a player while in that form. The candy is only hidden in the board Bowser's Warped Orbit, where it is mandatory to steal someone's stars to win.
	Bowser Candy	If the player uses it, they will transform into a Bowser version of the character. The player can only roll two dice blocks, unlike the Bullet Candy, but it can steal two stars from another player if they pass a player while in that form. The candy is only hidden in the board Bowser's Warped Orbit, where it is mandatory to steal someone's stars to win.
	Duelo Candy	If the player uses it, they will transform into a fiery version of the character. The player can roll two dice blocks and if they pass an opponent, they will start a duel minigame with that opponent. The loser of the minigame gives coins or stars to the winner. Duelo Candies are also rewards from MC Ballyhoo in Chump Charity. After the player completed the minigame, they will land on the same space as the other player, instead of continuing their dice moves.

Appearances

Board	Twice Candy	Thrice Candy	Slowgo Candy	Springo Candy	Cashzap Candy	Vampire Candy	Bitsize Candy	Bloway Candy	Weeglee Candy	Bowlo Candy	Thwomp Candy	Bullet Candy	Bowser Candy	Duelo Candy
DK's Treetop Temple
Goomba's Booty Boardwalk
King Boo's Haunted Hideaway
Shy Guy's Perplex Express
Koopa's Tycoon Town
Bowser's Warped Orbit														1

¹ - Only obtainable via Chump Charity

Minigames

At the Chomp Wash, one of the minigames in Mario Party 8

Main article: List of Mario Party 8 minigames

Mario Party 8 has a total of seventy-three minigames, most of which make use of the Wii Remote and its motion control capabilities, though some also require the controller to be held in a more traditional way. Unlike other Mario Party games, all minigames, rather than a randomized select few, are displayed in a single, large roulette corresponding to what type of minigame they are.

Quotes

Main article: List of Mario Party 8 quotes

• "Mario Party 8!" – Mario Party 8 cast
• "Welcome to the Star Carnival!!" – MC Ballyhoo
• "Calling all winners! Calling all losers! We've got a shake up coming!" – Big Top
• "Get ready for a reversal, ya crooks! Let's do the crime warp again! Bwahaha!" – Bowser

Differences from other Mario Party games

• This is the only installment in the Mario Party series:
  • without either Koopa Kid or Bowser Jr. in it.
  • to show all minigames from a selected category on the roulette wheel, instead of only three to six.
  • in which the design of the spaces varies from board to board to fit their surrounding aesthetics better.
  • to have the minigame win/loss/tie themes on an infinite loop.
  • to use different framerates for different parts of the game: menus and most minigames run at the regular 60fps/50fps, while the boards and final results run at 30fps/25fps.
• This is the first Mario Party game that does not have the minigames rules hosted by the host of the board/game, instead put as a separate section in the minigame rules screen. From Mario Party to Mario Party 7, the minigames were all hosted by the hosts of the board and/or the game.
• This is the first Mario Party game that has certain minigames that fit into more than one category.
• This is the first Mario Party game to not count out star and coin totals before the final results announcement.
• In Party Mode, players retain their player colors based on what player they were prior to the turn order decision, regardless of turn order number.
• This is one of two Mario Party games where the players' stats while playing in a board are not shown in the four corners of the screen; in this game, it is shown in a column in the top right corner instead. Similarly, Super Mario Party shows the players' stats in a row in the top right corner.

Staff

Main article: List of Mario Party 8 staff

The game was directed by Shuichiro Nishiya, who previously worked on Mario Party 6 and Mario Party 7 in the same role. Steven Grimm voiced the announcer and Steven Weyte voiced MC Ballyhoo. Satoru Iwata and Hidetoshi Endo, president of Hudson Soft at the time, are credited as executive producers.

Reception

As with most Mario Party games, reviews have been mixed. Common criticisms for Mario Party 8 included the lack of Wi-Fi, limited graphics, and absence of widescreen for the main game. Matt Casamassina of IGN referred to the single-player mode as "torture" and commented on the visuals as "graphics don't even impress as a GCN title".

Andy Myers of Nintendo Power gave the game a 7.5/10. He praises the inclusion of motion controls and how the minigames which use it each has a different approach. However, he states that the visual presentation is the weakest aspect of the game. He explains that the front-end interface is confusing, the lack of a true widescreen mode is disappointing, and the graphics leave much to be desired even though they have been slightly improved from Mario Party 7. Despite these criticisms, he thinks the game takes its place alongside other party games like Wii Sports and WarioWare: Smooth Moves.

Reviews
Release	Reviewer, Publication	Score	Comment
Wii	Ryan Davis, GameStop	6.5/10	Mario Party had been the only persistent minigame franchise for years, and Hudson got a little too comfortable because of it. The fact that there are more interesting minigame collections out there now, like Rayman Raving Rabbids, puts that laziness in stark relief and makes it more difficult to tolerate. If you've got the patience to dig past the skill-free board game portions of Mario Party 8, there are some genuinely inventive minigames to be played. The point, though, is that you shouldn't have to dig at all.
Wii	Gerald Villoria, Gamespy	3/5	While unimpressive from a technical standpoint, and uninspired from a mini-games standpoint, the core Mario Party formula remains intact. As with any multiplayer oriented game, having a good time is always possible as long as you surround yourself with good friends. So yes, this eighth installment of the series may be worth your while if you like throwing Wii parties and have exhausted all of the Wii's better such games already. Otherwise, you're not missing much.
Wii	Mathew Kumar, Eurogamer	4/10	Mario Party 8 is a "would have, should have, could have" kind of game. With such an depressingly long list of wasted possibilities, and so many other mini-game collections available for Nintendo Wii (The excellent Rayman Raving Rabbids, for one) It would be wrong of me to say you should pick this up. Fun could be had here, but even with the most forgiving group of friends, it's going to be short-lived.
Aggregators
Compiler		Platform / Score
Metacritic		62
GameRankings		62.98%

Sales

After its North American release on May 29, 2007, the game sold 314,000 units in the United States in three days, making it the best-selling home console game in the country that month. In Japan, Mario Party 8 has sold 1,239,716 copies as of the end of Q2 2008, according to Famitsu. Mario Party 8 has sold 8.85 million copies worldwide, making it the 12th best-selling game on the Wii and the third best-selling game in the Mario Party series (behind Mario Party DS and Super Mario Party).

Controversy

"Spastic" in the North American version of Mario Party 8

The launch of Mario Party 8 in the United Kingdom had several difficulties. Originally scheduled for release on June 22, 2007, Nintendo announced on June 19, 2007 that the UK version of the game had been delayed to July 13 of that year due to a production issue.

Furthermore, upon the release on July 13, 2007, the game was immediately recalled. Nintendo gave a reason for the withdrawal in a press release:

"[Mario Party 8] was launched in the UK today. Unfortunately we have discovered that a small number of games contain the wrong version of the disk due to an assembly error. We have therefore decided to recall all copies of the game from UK retailers so that this mistake can be corrected. We will re-launch Mario Party 8 in the UK as soon as possible and will announce a new launch date shortly. We very much regret any inconvenience caused."

The European/British retailer GAME confirmed that the game was withdrawn from shelves because some copies included an offensive line as part of a magic spell used by Magikoopa in the board Shy Guy's Perplex Express:

"Magikoopa magic! Turn the train spastic! Make this ticket tragic!"

Because "spastic" has a highly negative connotation in the United Kingdom, the game was declared banned and immediately recalled. Mario Party 8 was eventually re-released on August 3, 2007, with the offensive statement altered; European copies use the word "erratic" instead and American copies use a completely different statement: "Let me use my magic to make this all a little more interesting!"

Although it is unknown if Mario Party 8 is the direct catalyst, several first-party Nintendo games released after it have had at least a few English localization differences between the American and British releases instead of using the American English text for all regions. A similar offense in Super Paper Mario with the word "shag" was preemptively altered for the European release.

Pre-release and unused content

Hammer de Pokari

Main article: List of Mario Party 8 pre-release and unused content

Three minigames go unused in the game's files. They do not have an English name nor a gameplay demonstration on the explanation screen. One of them is titled "Hammer de Pokari", a 4-Player minigame. It takes place on a sandcastle which does not appear elsewhere in the game. The objective is to swing a hammer at opponents by swinging the Wii Remote sideways. A coin counter is present, but it is not affected by the characters' actions. The minigame ends when one player is hit five times. The player who hit the most wins.

Regional differences

• The American and European versions use different fonts for text; the font used for the main text in the European version is the same as the font used from Mario Party 4 to Mario Party 7.
• In the English version, when starting a minigame, the announcer shouts "Go!" with the word "START" appearing onscreen. Additionally, when tying a minigame, "Tie" appears on the screen with the announcer calling that. In the Japanese version, "Start!" is shouted instead at the start of a minigame, and when a minigame is tied, "DRAW" appears onscreen with the announcer calling that.
• In the European version of the game, when one player wins a minigame, the text "Win" appears instead of "Wins".
• In the European version of the game, there is no "×" displayed before the star and coin count in the player panels, even when a player has fewer than 10 stars or 100 coins.

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Mario Party 8.

• 

  Mario

• 

  Blooper

• 

  Hammer Bro

• 

  Donkey Kong

• 

  Bowser

• 

  MC Ballyhoo and Big Top

Media

For a complete list of media for this subject, see List of Mario Party 8 media. For this subject's sound test, see Mario Party 8 sound test.

Welcome to Mario Party

File infoMedia:MP8 Welcome to Mario Party.oga 0:27

Haunted Hideaway

File infoMedia:MP8 Haunted Hideaway.oga 0:30

Do It, DK!

File infoMedia:MP8 Do It, DK!.oga 0:30

How to Play

File infoMedia:MP8 How to Play.oga 0:30

Feelin' Cyber

File infoMedia:MP8 Feelin' Cyber.oga 0:30

Fun Bazaar

File infoMedia:MP8 Fun Bazaar.oga 0:30

Wii Banner

File infoMedia:Mario Party 8 Banner.mp3 0:05

Help:Media • Having trouble playing?

References to other games

Nossie in DK's Treetop Temple

• Super Mario Bros.: Sprites of Mario and Bowser appear in Bowser's Warped Orbit and sprites of Mario appear at the Star Battle Arena, printed on the toybox of Mosh-Pit Playroom and on the wrapper of Bitsize Candy.
• Super Mario Sunshine: Piantas appear in Goomba's Booty Boardwalk, with their voice clips being recycled from this game.
• Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: The dinosaur Nossie from Dino Dino Jungle appears in DK's Treetop Temple. When a player lands on a Bowser Space in Shy Guy's Perplex Express, the Bowser face on the front of the train resembles the face on the front of the Koopa King, Bowser's signature kart.
• Mario Power Tennis: Boo's voice clips are recycled from this game.
• Super Mario Strikers: Hammer Bro's voice clips are recycled from this game.
• GameCube Mario Parties: Many animations from these games are reused.

References in later games

• Mario Party DS: The playable characters' profile models and some voice clips are reused in this game.
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl: MC Ballyhoo and Big Top appear as a trophy and sticker. Artwork of a Chain Chomp and Dice Block from Mario Party 8 appear in this game as stickers.
• Mario Kart Wii: One of Yoshi's voice clips is reused. Daisy's artwork for Mario Party 8 is also reused, but with her kart added to it.
• Mario Party 9: Some of the characters' voice clips are reused.
• Super Mario Run: Princess Peach and Bowser's artwork are reused.
• Mario Party: The Top 100: Three minigames return in this game. A cover version of the minigame completion theme plays when completing any of the three Mario Party 8 minigames. MC Ballyhoo and Big Top make a cameo in the Characters section of the Series Guide.
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: MC Ballyhoo and Big Top appear as a spirit. Luigi and Daisy's fighter spirits use their Mario Party 8 artwork.
• Mario Kart Tour: Dry Bones and Hammer Bro's artwork are reused in this game, and some of the latter's voice clips are reused in this game.
• Mario Party Superstars: Two minigames and rearrangements of their respective music return.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	マリオパーティ８[?] Mario Pāti 8	Mario Party 8
Chinese (traditional)	瑪利歐派對８ Mǎlìōu pàiduì bā	Mario Party 8
French	Mario Party 8[?]	-
German	Mario Party 8[?]	-
Italian	Mario Party 8[?]	-
Korean	마리오 파티 8[?] Mario Pati 8	Mario Party 8
Spanish	Mario Party 8[?]	-

External links

• Official Japanese website
• Official American English website
• Official British English website