Party games are great. They give lots of fun not only for yourself but also for the whole family/friends visiting. They’re really easy to play and can give lots of hilarity and shenanigans. Super Mario Party is one of these games, but they have some characters that need to be unlocked first. Today, we’ll go over these individuals as well as how to unlock these characters in Mario Party. But first, what is Mario Party?
What Is Mario Party?
The Mario Party series is a set of party video games that have characters from the Mario franchise. Usually, up to four local players, or 1 player and an additional 3 CPUs compete in a party board game. The board game has a series of minigames that players can compete on to gain points. Overall, the Mario Party series is well known for its party elements and very unpredictable multiplayer games. After all, even the player who’s in last place can win the game if they score well.
The game series is currently under the umbrella of NDcube. They’re the ones making the games themselves while Nintendo publishes them. Back in the day, Hudson Soft was the developer of Mario Party until some complications, AKA several key designers leaving and creating NDcube, stopped development. Reception-wise, Mario Party gets generally favorable accolades, though it’s starting to become pretty mixed due to the repetitiveness of the genre. Still, being able to sell 39.6 million copies of the franchise does tend to paint a different picture.
However, we’re here not to talk about the Mario Party series, but on one game in particular: Super Mario Party. Let’s talk about that, shall we?
What Is Super Mario Party?
Super Mario Party is the latest mainline entry of the Mario Party series created by NDcube. The game was published by Nintendo for the Switch on October 5, 2018. The game already sold more than 18 million copies worldwide as of June 30 this year, making it a top seller on the Nintendo Switch platform. Super Mario Party was stated to be a complete refresh of the Mario Party franchise and aims to bring back and refresh gameplay elements from previous entries. Oh, and they also plan on adding new game modes as well.
The release of Super Mario Party marks a return to the OG turn-based Mario Party gameplay players know and love. Something that was remarkably absent ever since the 9th Mario Party main game. Players need to use 1 Joy-Con controller to play. Since this game’s on the Nintendo Switch, only 2 players can play on a single Nintendo Switch. You need more Switches to add more players to the Party, up to a maximum of 4.
Super Mario Party’s standard game mode is the titular “Mario Party”, where 4 players take turns navigating a game board. During a player’s turn, a die is rolled to see how many times a player will move on the game board. Items and minigames are scattered throughout the spaces that players need to go to and each has a unique function. Blue and Red spaces, for example, give and take 3 coins respectively, and there are minigames and hazards as well. All in all, a cool game mode tailor-made for fun.
There are also other game modes that players can play, or even unlock. However, we’ll talk about those when we get to them in the article.
Super Mario Party Game Modes
Before we discuss how to unlock characters in Super Mario Party, let us discuss the numerous game modes you can enjoy alone or with friends.
There are still a few game modes on Super Mario Party other than the standard game mode. Specifically, there are several secondary multiplayer game modes. We’ll go over them one by one.
The first one is “Partner Party”, where two teams of two work together to get the most amount of stars. However, the partner players can move in any direction and go on their path. Partner Party has several unique items exclusive to the game mode in addition to redesigned board layouts.
Next is “River Survival”, a 4-player co-op mode where they have to navigate a series of white water rapids. They need to work together to navigate the rapids safely and beat the time limit at the same time. Cooperation and teamwork are key here.
“Sound Stage” is next, where players go through a series of motion-controlled rhythm games with 3 difficulty settings. The highest score wins. Simple and direct to the point.
Next is “Toad’s Rec Room”. In this game mode, players take multiple Switch consoles and sync them to create a multi-monitor environment. This game mode has several minigames featured, like the Shell Shocked minigame from way back in the Nintendo 64.
Then we have “Challenge Road”, a single-player campaign where you participate in all minigames available on Super Mario Party. These include those found on River Survival and Sound Stage. All minigames have unique challenges.
Last but not least is the “Online Mariothon,” though this one is the base game with online players. However, you can only play 10 out of the 80 minigames chosen at random. Not worth it, but if no one’s in the house, it’ll do in a jiffy.
Super Mario Party Characters List
Now That we’ve discussed everything about Mario party and Super Mario Party. let us now talk about the playable characters before knowing how to unlock more in Super Mario Party.
Mario
The titular main character of the Mario Franchise. Mario has a dice block of 1, 3, 3, 3, 5, and 6. Pretty balanced, all told, and the fact that 3 of the 6 faces are 3’s makes Mario a good starting character.
Luigi
The next character on the list is Luigi, Mario’s younger brother, overall clumsy, and afraid of ghosts. His dice block has 1, 1, 1, 5, 6, and 7 for the numbers, making him a high-risk/high-reward character. However, having 3 1’s on the dice block might not be so bad. After all, if you’re 1 space away from a particularly useful space on the board, having 3 1’s is a big advantage.
Princess Peach
The next character on this list is Princess Peach, the princess who’s always getting herself kidnapped by Bowser. She has a dice block of 0, 2, 4, 4, 4, and 6 for the numbers. A decent spread of rolls, but that 0 might sneak up on you when you least expect it. Still, 4 out of 6 high rolling numbers is a great thing to have. No 1’s though, which might be a bad thing depending on the situation.
Rosalina
Rosalina is the guardian of space and a recurring character in Mario’s spin-off games. Don’t let her soft appearance fool you though, her guardian of space title isn’t for show. In Super Mario Party, her dice block is a bit unique, as it only has 4 movement numbers: 2, 3, 4, 8. The 8 is a really big thing as you can quite literally zoom through the map with ease. However, what makes Rosalina’s dice block unique is the fact that she has 2 +2 coin faces on your dice. Having 2 out of 6 chances (If you roll it on the dice) of getting an additional +2 coins on your roll is incredibly powerful in Super Mario Party. Making Rosalina a great character to use.
Boo
The next character on this list is Boo, who’s… Yeah, he’s a bit of a high-risk, high-reward character. His dice block is 5, 5, 7, 7. However, he has 2 -2 coin faces on his dice, making him, and 2 other characters on this list, the opposite of Peach. The sheer horror of losing coins on your roll is going to haunt you. So make sure you get those 5’s and 7’s, eh?
Bowser
Bowser, on the other hand, has a higher risk, higher reward ratio on his dice block. In the main villain’s case, he has 1, 8, 9, and 10. 3 of the 4 numbers are incredible high rollers. However, his cons are also very apparent. He has 2 -3 coin faces, which can be a very dangerous thing to have. Yeah, rolling 8’s, 9’s, and 10’s would be clutch, but running a 2/6 chance to roll a -3 coin? Yeah. Only pick Bowser if you want to live dangerously.
Goomba
Goomba is another strong character on this list with a dice block of 3, 4, 5, 6, and 2 +2 Coins. Overall, another Rosalina, and a good overall character. Nothing much to say for him.
Daisy
Princess Daisy of Sarasaland on the other hand is a bit of a weird one. Her dice block gives the player 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4. A weird spread, but you still have decent rolls no matter what. Overall, a good character to use as she doesn’t have any bad rolls like Bowser or Boo.
Bowser Jr.
Bowser Jr. is, you guessed it, Bowser’s son. His dice block isn’t as punishing as his dad’s though, with a spread of 1, 1, 1, 4, 4, 9. A 3/6 chance of getting snake eyes while the rest are decent to nutty. The same thing with Luigi though, you might want to get those 1’s in some situations.
Koopa
Next is our favorite annoying turtle, Koopa. In his case, the dice block that Koopa has is small, middling, and 1 high roll. Specifically, his dice block has 1, 1, 2, 3, 3, 10. You have a 1 in 6 chance of getting that 10, and it’s a sweet feeling when you do so. However, the rest of the rolls are pretty middling, all the way to low rolls. But, like in Luigi’s case, you might want to have a low roll every once in a while.
Waluigi
Waluigi is next, and he is another unique case. Luigi’s archrival has a 1, 3, 5, 5, 7 dice block with a single -2 coins added in. He’s overall a good character to go for, but that single -2 coins might screw you over a win if you’re particularly unlucky.
Wario
Next, we have Mario’s rival, Wario, whose dice block is pretty bad. He has 4 6’s and 2 -2 Coins for his dice block. Some would say that the 4 6’s are great, but the lack of low rolls can screw you over in certain scenarios. If you’re unlucky, you’ll get the -2 coins. Still, Wario’s antics add a layer of hilarity to any game.
Shy Guy
The next character on this list is Shy Guy, one of Yoshi’s more common enemies. They’re also really adorable, but we digress. Shy Guy has a dice spread of 0, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4. All 4’s, with a single 0. All in all, you’re pretty much guaranteed to have decent rolls, unless you’re unlucky and get that 0. Nothing much to be said there.
Yoshi
Next is Yoshi, who’s Mario’s friend. Yoshi the Yoshi has a pretty similar dice block to Mario with some exceptions: 0, 1, 3, 3, 5, 7. His highest roll is 1 point higher than Mario’s, but he also has a single 0. Overall, another good character. Just don’t roll that 0.
Hammer Bro
Next, we have Hammer Bro, Bowser’s specialist koopas who are using hammers as a weapon. Their dice block is divided into really good rolls and really bad rolls: 1, 1, 5, 5, 5, with +3 Coins added in the mix. If you get the 1’s, sad. If you get the 5’s great. However, if you get the +3 coins, awesome. All in all, high risk, high reward.
Monty Mole
Last but not least in the standard characters is Monty Mole, whose dice block is great due to not having any 1s in it. Specifically, he has 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and a +1 Coin on his dice block. Great if you’re next to a block you don’t want to roll towards.
Super Mario Party Unlockable Characters
Next on the agenda are the unlockable characters in Super Mario Party. We have 4 of them on this list and we’ll go over how to unlock them when we get to them. We’ll also add some background, in addition to their dice blocks.
We’ll start with Dry Bones, Diddy Kong, Pom Pom, and finally, Donkey Kong. Here is how to unlock these characters in Super Mario Party.
Dry Bones
Dice Block: 1, 1, 1, 6, 6, 6
First off we have Dry Bones, which are skeleton Koopas. In other Mario games, they’re really hard to defeat due to their ability to regenerate. That’s not necessary on Super Mario Party though, so we’ll bin that for later.
Anyhow, Dry Bones is the simplest, and simultaneously the hardest character to unlock in Super Mario Party. Why? Because Dry Bones appears in the Party Plaza at random after every game. This means you can get Dry Bones immediately after your first Mario Party game, or not get him at all even after 100 games or more. Still, the 50/50 chance of getting a low or high roll is a pretty decent one. So make sure to check the Party Plaza every day if you didn’t do the unlock requirements for the other 3 characters on this list.
Diddy Kong
Dice Block: 0, 0, 0, 7, 7, 7
Next on this list is Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong’s nephew. He’s another 50/50 character with a high-risk/high-reward mechanic. The monkey kid has punishing 3 0’s on his dice block but also rewarding 3 7’s. If you’re really lucky, you can blaze through the board. If you’re unlucky, you might stay in place for several turns straight. There’s no middle ground with Diddy Kong.
You get Diddy Kong by completing World 2 of Challenge Road. There, Diddy Kong will challenge you to a minigame. If you win, you can find Diddy Kong on the Party Plaza.
Pom Pom
Dice Block: 0, 3, 3, 3, 3, 8
Next is Pom Pom, the female version of a special Koopa by the name of Boom Boom. Pom Pom is very excitable and fun to play with, with a similar Dice Block to Princess Peach. A 0 is the lowest roll, 4 middling rolls, and a high roll. Overall, really fun character, but that 0 can screw you over if you get it at a really bad moment.
You unlock Pom Pom after you clear Challenge Road’s World 5. Once that’s done, the same procedure as the other characters: Go to the Party Plaza and meet her there.
Donkey Kong
Dice Block: +5 coins, 0, 0, 0, 10, 10
Last but not least on the unlockable character list is Donkey Kong. The titular character from the Donkey Kong games, and a frequently recurring character in the Mario series. This character is a go big or go home type of fella.
His dice spread is three 0’s, 2 10’s, and a single +5 coin. You have a 2/6 chance of being able to move long distances on the board, a 3/6 chance of not moving at all, and the remaining 1/6 chance gives you extra coins. Like his nephew, Donkey Kong has no middle ground, and you’ll either win big or lose big when it comes to him.
Donkey Kong can be unlocked by clearing 3 different routes in Survival Mode. Once this is done, go to the Party Plaza to meet and recruit him.
Truly worth knowing how to unlock characters in Super Mario Party.
Other Super Mario Party Unlockables
Aside from knowing how to unlock characters in Super Mario Party, there are also other unlockables for players to find. However, they’re not as game-changing as the 4 unlockable characters. We’ll go over these and how to unlock them below:
Unlockable Game Modes
Super Mario Party doesn’t have every single game mode unlocked at the start. Specifically, the other game modes we already talked about before. We’ll go over their unlock requirements here:
Challenge Road – You must unlock every single minigame in Super Mario Party. All 80 of them. You’ll have to complete the game’s 4 game modes to do so.
Toad’s Rec Room – The simplest to unlock as you only need to finish 1 match of Mario Party.
Unlockable Gold Oar
The Gold Oar is a bit of a weird one as its main use is in the River Survival mode. You get this randomly after playing through River Survival mode several times, then talk to Birdo on the Party Plaza. She’ll ask if you want a Gold Oar. Answer yes and she’ll give it to you.
Unlockable Game Board
There’s a 4th Mario Party game board in the game that can be unlocked by finishing the 3 main boards on the standard Mario Party mode. The board name is called Kamek’s Tantalizing Tower.
Final Word on How to Unlock Characters in Super Mario Party
So there you have it, you now know how to unlock characters in Super Mario Party. Unlocking these hidden characters allow you and your friends to enjoy the game with more variety. For more gaming guides, keep yourself glued to Robots.net.
