With my birthday coming up in two days, I was carted off to what I thought was just a cookout with family. Little did I know there was also some birthday celebrating in store…and I departed the party with Mario Party DS in tow.
So how am I liking my pre-birthday swag so far?
Story wise, here’s the deal: One night, these mystical items called Star Crystals fall from the sky. Naturally, Mario and co. all fight over them. At the same time, the gang gets a mysterious invite from Bowser: apparently he’s feeling a little guilty over all the pranks he’s pulled over the years, and wants to throw a party with Mario and co. to say “I’m sorry.”
Of course, the party is a ruse for yet another prank, one that leaves Mario and co. pint sized, and all the Star Crystals gone. Can they win back the Star Crystals, defeat Bowser (again), and turn back to normal?
Graphic wise, everything is clean, sharp-looking, and beautifully designed; so much so you’ll forget you’re playing a handheld. From the tiny spaces to Bowser, all are nicely detailed, and may fool you into thinking you’re on a big console.
Sound-wise, it’s the same happy cartoony music you would expect from a Mario Party game. I also like the character voices this go-round. Peach, my favorite to use, doesn’t get an annoying voice like she does in most every other gen.
Gameplay-wise, we have everything you love about a Mario Party done right on a handheld. By comparison, Mario Party Advance didn’t have that much to do, and some events were so hard, I did not want to do them again. Mario Party DS, however, takes the traditional Mario Party formula and transports it onto a handheld. You’ll be bashing buttons, and possibly stylus swinging and mic blowing all in your quest to become a Super Star. Each of the Mini Games are easy to learn, and the unpredictability adds an added challenge.
For example, I was struggling to pull ahead on my first run of the first board (me as Peach vs. Mario/Waluigi/Yoshi), and I lost a Mini Game with 1 second left on the clock. The next turn was the last five turns, and one notable addition is that your opponents can now get stars on top of coins, and Waluigi managed to get one free star on top of the usual one to pull away. (I lost that game, BTW)
Overall, this is how Mario Party should’ve been done on a handheld–you will be playing for a long time trying to unlock everything, or just trying to survive as a mini character in a mega world.
SB’s score: 9.5/10
