Mario Party 9 - Guide and Walkthrough - Wii - By super_luigi16 (2024)

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
1. Summary of Changed Content
2. Version History
3. Party Mode
1. Overview
2. Special Dice Blocks
4. Minigame Mode
1. Step it Up
2. Garden Battle
3. Choice Challenge
4. High Rollers
5. Time Attack
5. Museum Mode
1. Constellations
2. Stages
3. Vehicles
4. Records
5. Sound Test
6. Boards
1. Toad Road
2. Bob-omb Factory
3. Boo's Horror Castle
4. Blooper Beach
5. Magma Mines
6. Bowser Station
7. DK's Jungle Ruins
7. Minigames
1. Buddy Bounce
2. Logger Heads
3. Pinball Fall
4. Launch Break
5. Goomba Village
6. Speeding Bullets
7. Pianta Pool
8. Chain Event
9. Skyjinks
10. Skipping Classes
11. Mecha Choice
12. Jigsaw Jumble
13. Growing Up
14. Upward Mobility
15. Ring Leader
16. Smash Compactor
17. Peak Precision
18. 10 To Win
19. Tuber Tug
20. Card Smarts
21. Toad and Go Seek
22. Polar Extreme
23. Goomba Bowling
24. Tumble Temple
25. Twist Ending
26. Manor of Escape
27. Player Conveyor
28. Ballistic Beach
29. Bumper Bubbles
30. Flinger Painting
31. Bomb Barge
32. Don't Look
33. Snow Go
34. Piranha Patch
35. Plunder Ground
36. Pier Pressure
37. Billistics
38. Pit or Platter
39. Thwomper Room
40. Urn It
41. Goomba Spotting
42. Magma Mayhem
43. Pizza Me, Mario
44. Fungi Frenzy
45. Mecha March
46. Bowser Pop
47. Double Pounder
48. Zoom Room
49. Cage Match
50. Crossfire Caverns
51. Bumper Sparks
52. Sand Trap
53. Pair of Aces
54. Pedal to the Paddle
55. Ruins Rumble
56. Hazard Hold
57. Line in the Sand
58. Block and Roll
59. Tackle Takedown
60. Weird Wheels
61. Spike-n-Span
62. Hole Hogs
63. Pix Fix
64. Mob Sleds
65. Sock it to Lakitu
66. Whomp Stomp
67. Deck Dry Bones
68. Cheep Cheep Shot
69. Spike Strike
70. Bowser Jr. Breakdown
71. Diddy's Banana Blast
72. Wiggler Bounce
73. Bombard King Bob-omb
74. King Boo's Puzzle Attack
75. Blooper Barrage
76. Chain Chomp Romp
77. Bowser's Block Battle
78. DK's Banana Bonus
8. FAQ
9. Contributing
1. Contact Info
10. Legal Info
11. Contributors, Sources, and Special Thanks's

Mario Party isn't what it used to be, and whether you hate the changes, or love the nuances, there is no denying it--the game has changed. It's no longer the Mario Party 3, or the Mario Party 5, or even the Mario Party 8. No, this is Mario Party 9, and there have been a lot of changes to the gameplay. If you are lost and feeling confused about how to tackle some of the minigames, or even the boards altogether, this guide intends to put you back on the right track (pun intended). You may even be trying to drive your friends or family crazy by winning more and more with the help of this guide (pun times two). If you want to skip right to a specific minigame, or feel the need to brush up on a specific board, use the Table of Contents to the right, and it'll send you right where you need to be.

This guide will cover everything from individual boards to general strategies, and individual minigames to general mechanics. If you feel something is not addressed in this FAQ (or, worse yet, wrong), please feel free to contact me about it and inform me of my miscarriage of videogaming justice. You will get full credit in the Contributors, Sources, and Special Thanks's section (see the TOC), and will probably get mentioned in the guide itself (if it is a large enough contribution...no, typos don't count). More information about contributing can be found in none other than the Contributing section.

Mario Party 9 sports a stunning reversal of the mechanics that governed the Mario Party franchise for nearly a dozen games. These changes are far deeper than any surface-level content changes; no, these are fundamental changes that alter the way the game is played. If you've played any of the earlier games, you can practically erase any strategies, methods, or general information you had about playing for Mario Party 9.

Firstly, the most noticeable removal is the removal of coins and stars. No longer do you save up coins to buy the more valuable stars; you only use mini-stars, and this is the currency for everything. The most direct way to earn mini-stars is by moving along the board, though minigames and events will supplement your mini-star total.

Secondly, the entire idea of moving around the board, trying to outplay your opponents has been removed--everything is linear. While this does simplify the game, it does make it complex in one aspect considering what you do will affect everyone else in the vehicle. Yes, the vehicle. All players move together in these vehicles until you reach the end of the board where the final boss battle is. Yup, those are new, too. Boss battles have been introduced as something like super-minigames. They give more mini-star payout, are more complex than normal minigames, and generally last longer than normal minigames.

Finally, there are all of those surface-level changes, as well. The new 16 character roster has removed some characters and introduced some new ones. Also, there are all new minigames (though some of them are similar to older minigames). All of the boards are also brand new (as they always are), and are linear as mentioned earlier. Furthermore, you now earn "Party Points" to unlock new content in the "Museum" which is the new hub for unlockables. There is also a solo mode, though it is practically party mode by yourself. To top it all off, there is a small little "Extras" section for other, miscellaneous content.

Version 1.00

March 26th, 2012

• Basic formatting worked out
• Party Mode section added-NEW
• Includes an overview of the mode
• Specific strategies for the dice blocks
• Minigame Mode section added-NEW
• Includes strategies and descriptions of all of the minigame sub-modes.
• Museum Mode section added-NEW
• Includes most unlockable content
• Boards section added-NEW
• Includes details on each of the Captain Events and other unique stuff for each board
• Minigames section added-NEW
• Includes a comprehensive list of ALL minigames
• Gives a description, controls, and strategies for each minigame

NEXT MAJOR UPDATE: The next update will include a walkthrough for solo mode (along with some other strategies for beating CPU's). It'll also include a section for the extra's mode. The guide will be practically complete at that point, unless new information crops up.

The classic Party mode returns to Mario Party 9, though many of the mechanics have changed from previous Mario Party's. In this section, I'll give you a general overview of the game itself, and what happens from turn to turn. I'll also detail the special dice blocks, and when to use each of them. This is just a general overview of the mode itself; for more complete walkthroughs of each board, see that section (Boards), and for a comprehensive list of all minigames, see the Minigames section.

In party mode, you are going to start off the game by having everyone roll dice (numbered 1-6) to determine the playing order. Whoever rolls the highest number will go first, and from there the next highest number will go second, and so on. In this game, you'll be traveling together in a large car (or other vehicle), moving along a linear path. This path is dependent on the game board, though it is relatively similar from board to board. Specific strategies and differences will be discussed in each board's section. Anyways, on your turn, you will be the captain. You get to roll the die (or choose a special die to roll--that will be discussed in the next few sections) to move. Once you roll the die, you can land on a wide variety of spaces:

• Green Space - Nothing happens, and your turn ends.
• Blue Space - You earn a random special die, and end your turn.
• Green Space w/ Exclamation Point (!) - A spin square! You get to choose a random event to happen that can hurt your opponents or help you. The following events can occur:
• Receive a 1-10 die!
• Receive a Slow Dice Block!
• Rivals can't use their special dice!
• Hit the Dice Block again!
• Rivals can't use normal Dice Blocks!
• Steal 5 (or 3) mini-stars from a rival!
• Item Shuffle!
• Steal a Dice Block from a rival!
• Green Space w/ Question Mark (?) - An event square! Something random happens that may be good or bad. However, the occurrence is dependent on the space itself, and they vary from board to board. Event spaces will be discussed in each board when they come up.
• Green Space with Two Forward Arrows - A dash space! You get to roll the dice again. Note that whatever space you land on WILL still trigger its event (or non-event). These are usually good squares; the only instance where you won't want to land on these squares is if there are many bad squares in front of you.
• Green Space with Two Reverse Arrows - A reverse space! You get to roll the dice and move backwards. These squares can be good or bad depending on what's behind you. If there are Ztars or Bowser spaces behind you, then avoid these squares; however, if it's clear behind you, then these squares should be fine.
• Green Space with Circular Arrows - A shuffle space! The order of play is shuffled. Note that the captain who landed on the square may still be the captain after the shuffle. These squares are luck of the draw, so if you don't want to take the risk of hitting something bad (or letting your opponents get something good!), then avoid them.
• Blue Space with a Yellow Musical Note - A lucky space! If you land on this space, you either get to go in a toad house, or earn mini-stars through one way or another. A common method for the latter is to have you take a blue pipe underground, and roll a dice to land on a Mini-Star Space (see below). The occurrence of these pipes to Toad Houses is about one-to-one, so for every space that sends you to a pipe (or other good event), there's another space that sends you to a Toad House.
• Toad Houses - These are nice little houses where you can pick up some mini-stars, special dice, or both. Basically, there are four cards placed in front of you with one being a no-item card, one being a card that rewards you three mini-stars, another card that gives a 1-2-3 die, and another card that gives you a 4-5-6 die (or a Slow Dice and 0-1 if you're behind). You get to choose two cards, so you'll get something regardless (though it's obviously better to get two good cards!).
• Red Space with a Black Musical Note - An unlucky space! This space will force you to lose mini stars by landing on Mini-Ztar Spaces. Luckily (irony), they aren't that common on most boards.
• A Black Space with a Red Bowser Design - A bowser space! Avoid these at all costs because, more often than not, you'll lose tons of mini-stars. Something random will happen to you, though here's a list of the possible occurrences:
• Give 5 Mini-Stars to the Person in Last
• If you are in last, you receive 5 mini-stars instead.
• Give 10 Mini-Stars to the Person in Last
• If you are in last, you receive 10 mini-stars instead.
• Bowser Revolution
• This distributes all the mini-stars evenly throughout all of the players.
• Lose Half of Your Mini-Stars
• If you are in last, you get your mini-stars doubled instead.
• Battle for Half of Your Mini-Stars
• Each player loses half of their mini-stars and a minigame is played to redistribute them. First place earns the most, while second earns the second most, and so on.
• Reverse Battle
• Your objective is to get last in a minigame. If you do get last, you receive ten mini-stars.
• Everyone Loses Special Dice Blocks
• Get 10000 Mini-Stars
• Bowser either (a) doesn't give you anything, or (b) gives you ten mini-stars instead.
• White Star Space with a Number in the Middle - A mini-star space! You earn the number of mini-stars expressed on the space itself.
• Purple Star Space with a Number in the Middle - A mini-ztar space! You lose the number of mini-stars expressed on the space itself.
• Yellow "Versus" Space - A free-for-all minigame space! If you land on this square, a minigame begins, and you will earn mini-stars proportional to your success in the minigame.
• Yellow Space with Purple Hammers - A battle minigame space! Mini-stars will be collected from all players, and you'll play for the stars collected. The amount of mini-stars you receive is directly proportional to your success in the minigame.
• Yellow Space with "1 vs. 2/3" - A 1 vs. rival space! You'll play a minigame against your other rivals, and mini-stars will be awarded based off of your success in the minigame.
• Yellow Space with a Bowser Jr. Emblem - A Bowser Jr. space! Here, you'll be paired with another player (who will be your ally) for a minigame against Bowser Jr. If you win, the two allies will receive mini-stars; however, if you lose, the two allies will lose mini-stars. It's obviously better to be more cooperative in this minigame.
• Green Space with a Yellow Slashed-Circle - A captain event space! If you pass this space, you'll be forced to participate in a board specific aspect of the game. This space will be discussed in each individual board's section, so if you want more information on these events, head there.
• Red Space with a Yellow Slashed-Circle - A boss battle space! If you end up reaching this space, you'll be forced to face a boss in a minigame. There are two of these every board, and more will be discussed about them for each board, and in the minigame section.

You can also pass along many mini-s/ztars in your path. They are located between spaces, so you must roll a specific number to reach them. They usually come in groups of three, five, or ten. You may also come across other events during your turn, though those will be discussed more thoroughly for each individual board.

Once you do what the space tells you to do, you'll end your turn, and it'll be the next captain's turn. This process will continue until you guys reach the final boss battle space. After that, bonus stars will be awarded (if you have that option on), and the game will end. Usually games last about sixty minutes, though that is highly variable depending on your movement from turn-to-turn (obviously if you are rolling all 6's, it'll take much less time).

If you play all of the stages (excluding DK's Jungle Ruins) at least once, you can unlock a new stage.

UNLOCKABLE: Bowser Station

You'll earn these dice blocks through a variety of means, though the most common method is simply by landing on a plain blue space. You may also earn them at Toad Houses and spin spaces, but blue spaces will be much more common. These are usually pivotal in determining whether you'll avoid that bowser space, or make it to those ten mini-stars, so collecting and using your special dice blocks is crucial to this game. In this section, I'll go through each of the individual dice blocks detailing the effects and strategies when using them. By the way, the "Value" I give each dice block is dependent on a course like Toad Road or Bob-omb Factory--not Boo's Horror Castle or Magma Mine. For the latter two, 4-5-6 dice blocks are more valuable than 0-1 dice blocks.

Description: A golden dice block with blue numbers.

Value: *****

Effects Upon Use: When you use this dice block, the dice numbers will tick very slowly. This makes it very easy to choose the number you want to roll, so it's basically giving you a free pass to roll whatever you want (given you can press the "A" button with reasonable accuracy).

Strategies

• Don't use this dice lightly; it is very powerful, and should be reserved for powerful plays.
• Landing on a Good Square-If there's a square where you'd like more than anything to land on it, then use your dice to land on that specific square. Usually these squares should reward at least five mini-stars for it to be worth your dice block.
• Landing Right in FRONT of a Bad Square(s)-If you want to screw the dude after you over, then make this kind of move. Basically, landing in front of a collection of mini-ztars, or in front of a minifield of bowser spaces can be deadly. However, if you do choose to utilize this tactic, make sure your opponent can't easily avoid the bad squares with a dice block of their own.
• Staying Safe-If the area in front of you is littered with cumbersome bowser spaces, it would probably be wise to use the slow dice block so as to avoid the danger. It is especially necessary to use this dice block if you have upwards of forty to fifty mini-stars; losing half of those can be deadly.
• Making it to Mini-Stars/Boss Spaces/etc.-Usually these types of rolls are best reserved for the 4-5-6 dice block, though if you don't have one of those, or want to make absolutely sure that you make it there, then you should use this dice block. It is also a good idea to simply guarantee that you make it to the final boss space, if you can do so.
• However, don't use this dice block if the net yield is three mini-stars or less. Also, don't use this dice block if you just want to waste it; there are plenty of other dice blocks that are far worthier for wasting.
• NEVER, EVER DISCARD THIS DICE BLOCK.

Description: A purple dice block with only 4's, 5's, and 6's on it.

Value: **

Effect Upon Use: When you use this dice, you'll roll a dice block with only 4's, 5's, and 6's on it. It is equally likely you'll roll any of those numbers, and it is impossible to roll a 1, 2, or 3.

Strategies

• This is one of the lower tier dice, if you will. It is very common, and does not help much unless you really need to move far (like on Boo's Mansion).
• Getting Past the Danger-This is probably the more defensive use of the dice (if there is such a thing as "defense" in Mario Party). If the area in front of you is full of bad squares, then you should probably use this dice to get out of there.
• Making it to Mini-Stars/Boss Spaces/etc.-This is the main use of the 4-5-6 dice block; it guarantees you to move at least four squares, so you can definitely make it to those mini-stars that are three squares away. You can also attempt to make it to that boss space four spaces away; basically, use this dice if you want to reach a certain square.
• It usually isn't a good idea to use a 4-5-6 dice if you absolutely need to go six. It may be a one-out-of-three shot, but this is Mario Party--nothing EVER goes according to plan.
• It also usually isn't a good idea to use this dice block if you need to land on a specific square that is four, five, or six spaces away. Use the same rationale as above.
• This dice block is the second worst of the five; discard it if you get anything else that is more valuable.

Description: A green dice block with only 1's, 2's, and 3's on it.

Value: *

Effect Upon Use: When you use this dice block, your dice will only have the numbers 1, 2, and 3. You have an equal chance of rolling any three of these numbers, though it is impossible to roll a 4, 5, or 6.

Strategies

• This is the worst dice block; it doesn't allow you to move very far, and it is outclassed by both the slow dice block and the 0-1 dice block.
• Stopping Before the Bad Squares-If there are a lot of bowser spaces or mini-ztar spaces that are four to six spaces out, then forcing yourself to roll a 1, 2, or 3 would be enough so that you actually move a bit, but also land you in front of the bad spaces. This may also force your opponent to (a) land on a bad square, or (b) use a more valuable dice block.
• There really isn't much use to a 1-2-3 dice block beyond this, so you should be inclined to discard them if you have the chance. Of course, any dice block is better than no dice block, but practically any other dice block is better than this dice block.

Description: A blue dice block with only 0's and 1's on it.

Value: **

Effect Upon Use: When you use the 0-1 dice block, you can only roll a 0 or 1. There is an equal chance of rolling either number, and it is impossible to roll a 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6. This is the only dice block that allows you to move 0 spaces (stay put basically).

Strategies

• This is the better alternative to the 1-2-3 dice block, since it accomplishes the 1-2-3 dice block's function in a much better fashion. Since you can only roll a 0 or 1, you are definitely not going to reach any bad spaces that may be only two spaces away. However, there is still only a 50% chance of rolling a zero, so don't assume you'll roll one.
• Not Moving-Again, this is what's unique about this dice block. If you roll a 0, you land on the square you were already on, and have that same event occur to you. This can be worthwhile if the space the person before you landed on is a relatively good square (like a lucky space, or a mini-star space). This can also be good if you need to roll a 0 to avoid triggering some sort of bad event (such as a bomb explosion).
• This dice block is usually pretty good, though it has a limited function due to its ability to only roll two numbers. If you're towards the beginning of a board, I'd swap this dice block for a dice block that allows you to move further. However, if you're nearing the end of the board, you should keep this dice block just in case (those pesky bowser spaces can get annoying).

Description: A decahedral, gold-plated dice numbered one through ten.

Value: ***

Effect Upon Use: This dice block allows you to roll any number between one and ten. You have an equal chance of rolling any of these numbers, so don't expect to roll a ten.

Strategies

• This is a very good dice block if there are crossroads in the area ahead of you. Since you can go either direction, you aren't restricted to a bad space. You also get to choose the path that is best for you.
• Getting Away-Since there are so many higher numbers now, there is only a 30% chance that you'll roll a three or lower. This means that you should use this dice block if you need to roll large distances. However, don't expect to roll a nine or ten (and don't plan your strategy around rolling a nine or ten); you have an equal chance of rolling a one or two.
• Never discard this dice block, unless you feel you don't want to take the risk.

The other large button on the title screen is the green "Minigames" one. However, this section will not cover individual minigames; for those, follow this link: Minigames. You can also use the TOC to navigate to a specific minigame. Anyways, this section is about the various modes in minigame mode: Free Play, Step It Up, Garden Battle, Choice Challenge, High Rollers, Time Attack, and Boss Rush (coming soon!). Each sub-mode will get its own sub-section, except for Free Play, since that is just randomly playing minigames. There is no strategy, and Free Play is all for fun. However, the other modes at least have a little bit of strategy, and specialization, so that will be covered in detail below. By the way, you earn 10 party points for each of the modes below, and one party point per minigame in Free Play mode.

Players: 2-4 players

Duration: 10-45 minutes (depending on wins, players, and opponents)

Overview: In this mode, the first player to earn a set number of minigames will win. You can choose the necessary amount of wins to, well, win--three, five, or seven. This means that there is no real over-arching strategy to this mode...just try and win the minigames to win overall. The biggest thing you get to choose is the minigame for each round; a random person will stop the minigame wheel to determine the minigame everyone gets to play. If you're good at timing your stops, you can essentially choose the minigame you want out of the six, since it stops as soon as you press the "A" button. You can try and choose a minigame that you are good at, so that you can possibly progress further. By the way, it is very unlikely that you'll get to choose the minigame if you are in first. Generally, the person in last will choose.

Players: 2-4 players

Duration: 30 minutes

Overview: This mode has a tad bit more strategy than Step it Up. In this mode, you'll be attempting to fill up your garden by planting sprout blocks. These blocks vary in shapes and may or may not fit your garden. These blocks also vary in general size from huge to very small. Each round, Toad will roll a big cart with four different sprout blocks. I don't know how he pushes that huge cart, but I wouldn't underestimate Toad. Anyways, everyone will play a minigame to determine which order each player gets to choose the sprout formation they want. Whoever gets first gets to choose their sprout block first; whoever gets second gets to choose their sprout block second, and so on.

Strategy: Your general strategy, besides winning the minigames themselves, should be to choose the blocks that best help you until one person only has a few open spots left. At that point, you'll need to start choosing the blocks that your opponent would like, or needs. For example, if your opponent desperately needs a two-by-two square, you should choose it. That way, your opponent can't fill up that section. Of course, this is a tad bit cutthroat, but that is more dependant on the circ*mstances of your gameplay.

Players: 2-4 players

Duration: 20 minutes

Overview: This mode is very much luck with the only real strategy occurring at the beginning of the match when you make the major decision that defines the rest of the game. At the start, Toad will lay out five minigames, and everyone may choose three of them that they want to participate in. You only get to play in these three minigames, and you will not play in the other two. However, before you choose your minigames that you want to play, Toad will deem one of the minigames a "Chance Minigame." This minigame will be worth more points later on.

After everyone makes their decision, Toad will go through the minigames in random order. Whoever chose the minigame that Toad presents will play for points: first place gets 100 points, second place gets 50 points, third place gets 30 points, and last place gets 10 points. However, if only one person chose the minigame, that one person automatically receives the 100 points. If no one chose the minigame, no one earns points. The chance minigame is worth more only in the sense that first place earns 150 points--no one receives any extra points.

Strategy: In terms of strategy, you don't just want to go out there and choose the games you're good at. You may want to pick the game that you know everyone else hates, and you also probably want to pick the chance minigame. However, if the chance minigame is a game that you know you're going to get last at (or it is a luck minigame), skip it and choose something else you're good at. After this, there really is no strategy, so just play well, and you should win. If you win all three of your minigames, you're guaranteed to win, period.

Players: 2-4 players

Duration: 30 minutes

Overview: This game is possibly the mode that requires the most strategy, backstabbing, and cutthroat-ness. The most conniving (and skilled) player will be the one who is most likely to win. Anyways, in this mode, there is a large five-by-five board with the corners cut out so that there are 21 spaces instead of 25. Also, each space will have a numerical value that will constantly decrease until Toad says otherwise. However, the central tile is a "POW" block, but I'll get into that later. So the round will start with the Minigame Wheel where one of the players (generally the player who got last in the last minigame) gets to select a minigame. You can try and time the wheel so that it selects your favorite minigame, or one that you have a good chance of winning. Regardless, once you play the minigame, each player will end up in a certain place (ties will be broken by dice blocks). In a four player mode, the guy who got first will move four spaces on the board, the guy in second will move three, the dude who got second will move two spaces, and the person in last will move one measly space. This is where the actual point of the game comes into play; each space is worth points--anywhere from thirty to zero. At first, all of the spaces are worth thirty, though, later on, the spaces will decrease in value. Each time a space is passed over, it will lose ten points of its value. Once a space reaches zero, Toad will fix its value back to thirty at the very end of the round. The first one to 500 points wins this mode.

However, there are also a few twists: notably, the POW block and move items. The POW block in the center will not be activated for the first turn, but, after the first turn, if someone crosses it, it will decrease the value of EVERY square by ten points. Also, move items are distributed by Toad after a few turns to the player(s) in last place. These move items allow the players to dash from one side of the board to another by pressing the "A" button. They will pick up all of the points in their path, and will knock anyone in their path off the board. Those knocked off the board will not be placed back on 'til the next turn, and they'll be guaranteed to set the POW block off. Furthermore, the move item is integrated into your turn, so you can move one space, then dash, then move another space if you were only to move two spaces in the beginning. Move items are very powerful tools to be used with great strategy in this game.

Strategy

This mode is very much about strategy; you'll want to earn the most points on your turn, and prevent your opponents from earning a lot of points. This may be by ending your turn on a POW (thus devaluing all squares), or by cornering off one of your opponents in a section of bad spaces. If you have a move item, you can very well use it to push someone else (who hasn't gone yet) off. If they have already gone, they'll just get placed back on the course for their next turn. Anyways, you'll also want to use your move items on long rows or columns with a good amount of points. Also, the POW block should be used to regenerate the board with thirty point spaces when points are starting to wear thin. By the way, if one of your opponents is getting close to 500, try and screw them over however you can. This may be by knocking them off with a move item, or taking all the points around them, but do ANYTHING so that they don't reach 500. Of course, this is all on top of doing well in the minigames themselves.

Players: 1 player

Duration: 15 minutes

Overview: In this solo mode, you'll be attempting to complete each of these minigames as fast as possible: Snow Go, Jigsaw Jumble, Peak Precision, Speeding Bullets, Chain Event, Ballistic Beach, Upward Mobility, Pizza Me, Mario, Flinger Painter, and Pit or Platter. However, each of these minigames will be modified so that (a) you have an objective to meet, and (b) it has been extended if it was short (such as Snow Go). You can choose the order in which you complete each of the minigames, though it shouldn't matter much. Also, there are bonus objectives for each minigame. For each of these bonus objectives that you complete, you'll shave three seconds off of your total time at the end. This may not seem like a lot, but it makes a difference when trying to beat the Staff Best (approx. 3:58). This is one of those modes where practice makes perfect, and no amount of strategy will help.

In the museum, you can buy various unlockables with your party points. These include everything from boards themselves to vehicles, and star constellations to extra settings. You can also check your records in this section, watch the staff credits, and perform a sound test. Each of the six menu options will receive their own sub-section with the exception of the last section--the staff credits.

There are many ways to earn party points, though the easiest is playing party mode, since you'll be gaining tons of party points with your friends/family. I recommend DK's Jungle Ruins; it's very easy to get 400+ Party Points because bananas are so numerous there. However, solo mode is a good alternative if you have lots of alone time with this game. You can also earn a good amount of party points just playing minigames, though that can get rather monotonous.

In the "Stars" section you can buy and view constellations. There are fifty constellations that you can buy; each of them is fifty party points, and they each get placed in your observatory. While viewing the constellations, you can also buy and use fireworks for one party point apiece. They aren't that big or glamorous, and you don't get anything for shooting an insane amount of fireworks. Now, here's a big, honkin' table of all of what I believe to be all of the constellations (there's a column for marking whether you have it or not, if you want to print that out):

The "Stages" section is simply a lumped-together section where everything that didn't fit into the vehicles or constellations areas went. In this section, I'll put the name of the unlockable, what it actually is, and how much it costs. These are the big-ticket items, so save up your Party Points!

In this section, you can buy vehicles for each of the stages. You cannot use vehicles that you bought for one stage in another stage, as they are stage-specific. You can change your vehicle by pressing on the "Change Vehicle" button, and selecting the vehicle you want for each stage. The vehicle that is currently chosen will have a Toad sitting in it. Here's a comprehensive list of all vehicles available to buy, and the defaults as well.

In this part of the museum, you can browse records that have been set in your Mario Party 9 game; it won't give you who set the record, or any other details, just the record itself. Here is a list of minigame records that it will display:

• Snow Go
• Jigsaw Jumble
• Peak Precision
• Speeding Bullets
• Pit or Platter
• Tuber Tug
• Goomba Bowling (Extras)

The Time Attack records display some of the fastest times for Time Attack Mode. These also show the character, so there is at least the distinction of what character procured the record. Oh yeah, the staff best is an astonishing 3:58.43, which is actually quite impressive. The top 10 scores are displayed, so you can show your progression towards your hard-earned record. For more information on Time Attack, follow this link: Time Attack.

Finally, the last records section will show the top totals of mini-stars collected in solo mode. The top 10 scores are also shown in this section, and you can also check out your star rankings earned. These star rankings are determined for 0, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, and 550 mini-stars.

This part of the museum holds your music selection. At first, you only have two musical clips, though more can be obtained by buying them in this section. Here is a table of which musical clips can be obtained:

You can listen to these musical scores anytime after you've bought them in the "Listen" section.

In this section, I'll give a general walkthrough for each of the boards. Most of these walkthroughs will be written in the perspective of a player (who is usually captain for every turn, so that may or may not apply to you) who is playing Party Mode. Differences in Solo Mode will be discussed in the Solo Mode section (coming soon!). Anyways, so I'll give you an overview of the board in the beginning along with some good screenshots, as well. After that, there'll be a whole bunch of small sections that will tell you about every single little part of every board, and how to deal with each part. If you are having trouble with any particular board, use the TOC to skip to it. By the way, boss battles and the "Almost There'' checkpoints will be in bolded headers as there are more individual events rather than actual sections.

Toad Road Overview. The starting area is in the bottom-right, while the Bowser gate is in the top-left. The path zigs up and down for much of the board.

The quaint little village that is Toad Road is the truly the beginner's path. There really are no twists, and everything is relatively straightforward. There are a few path splits, and a few actual differences, but nothing is dodgy. There are also very few spaces that actually do anything until the very end. Generally, about 60 mini-stars will win this board (bonus mini-stars included).

These spaces are relatively mundane; they're practically all green spaces, and there are only two patches of three mini-stars and one patch of three mini-ztars. You're not going to have any dice blocks, so the whole point of this section is just to roll the die and pray. By the way, it seems to be extremely likely that one of you will land on one of the two Free-for-All minigame spaces for some reason. I haven't had a game yet where someone hasn't landed on one of them.

The first path split approximately 15 spaces in will allow the captain to choose between the more direct, precarious path, and the loopier, more beneficial path. If you are going to land right in front of the mini-ztars, you should take the more direct path. However, if you are going to land on a good space, or you'd make it to the mini-ztars take the other path.

These spaces start to get more interesting. Firstly, you'll have a nice big patch of 5 mini-stars followed by a group of blue, lucky, and minigame spaces. One of these Lucky spaces will send you to a Toad House, so take note of that. Later on, there'll be a spin space and another lucky space that sends you to a vine. You'll definitely want to land on the Lucky space because the vine can be very beneficial.

THE FIRST BOSS BATTLE

This boss battle is about 40 spaces in, and is a little after the vine section. Try and be the captain when you reach this space. By the way, Sock it to Lakitu will always be an option for this boss battle.

Immediately after the first fortress there is a bridge that has been "removed" by Bowser's minions. When you make it to this bridge, the captain and his/her opponents will have to pool together their dice to make it across. If the four of them can all total up to 16 (12 in a 3 player party mode), then you can make it over the bridge, and to the better side of life where all of the mini-star spaces are. However, if you guys can't make it to 16, you'll fall through the gap, and land on a bunch of mini-ztar spaces. It's probably best to make it across for everyone, though you don't have much control over it. By the way, the captain gets a 1-10 dice block for their roll, so it will be easier to roll the 16 needed.

Immediately after the bridge, you'll either be in a mini-ztar zone, or a mini-star zone. If you're in the former, try and get out of there as quickly as possible; if you're in the latter, try and reap the rewards of your luck. The space immediately after the paths merge is a Bowser space, so avoid that at all costs! There is also a patch of 5 mini-stars in this next section along with tons of blue, lucky, and minigame spaces. One of the lucky spaces even sends you to a Toad House, so try and head there if you need dice blocks.

The Captain Event is a little after the mini-star and mini-ztar paths converge. For this captain event, the vehicle will be whisked away to the center to by a cannon to race towards a center space of ten mini-stars. However, everyone only gets to roll once, and the captain decides the order through the dice is rolled. There are two plots of three mini-stars, and a collection of dash spaces throughout the ascendance. However, if the quartet can't make it to the center, no one gets the mini-stars, and you are warped back to the cannon.

The captain should usually choose the person who is in the lead (or closest behind them if they are first) to go first. It is unlikely that they'll make it to the center. After that, it depends on how close you are. Until the captain is within four or five spaces, they should let others roll their dice. However, it is possible for an opponent to make a charge by hitting all the dash spaces in succession, though this is exceedingly difficult. Basically, use your best judgment for determining who should go next.

ALMOST THERE!!!

You're almost there about 5 spaces after the Captain Event. The almost there awards the player in last a slow dice block. It also gives the player in last to be frugal and only suffer through a small number of Bowser spaces rather than five or six of them.

The second path split is a space after the "Almost There" checkpoint, and is much larger than the first path split. It is exactly circular, and both paths are relatively the same; high risk and high reward. There are a few patches of mini-ztars and some big groups of mini-stars at the end.

When choosing the path you want to take, think about who is going next. If you are going to land right before a group of mini-ztars, make sure the guy after you takes the hit. If you are going to land right in front of some good spaces, take the other path. Be smart about your choice. Also, you'll want to use a slow dice block to make it to the center if you can (via the event space on the mushroom).

THE FINAL BOSS BATTLE

This boss battle is a little after the paths merge, and directly after the collection of ten mini-stars. One of the selections will always be Wiggler Bounce.

The first section of Bob-omb Factory. The conveyor belts will move when you land on any of the event spaces, and the path snakes around through the conveyor belts 'til you reach the boss battle. This section is covered in Spaces 1-30.

The second section of Bob-omb Factory. This section is fairly straightforward, though you will most likely have a bomb with you for most of this part of the board. For more information about this section, follow this link: Spaces 31-55.

Bob-omb Factory is split into three sections, all of which are relatively different from the others. The first section (visible in the first image) is relatively difficult to get through, and you could technically spend forever in this section riding the conveyor belts. The second section has a major path split, though another twist is also thrown in--you inherit a bomb. This bomb has a countdown that counts down for every space that is moved. The bomb starts at ten, so generally the third or fourth person is likely to be the person who causes the bomb to explode. Upon the bomb's explosion, the captain will lose half of their mini-stars, and play will continue. The final section (which is not visible in either pics) is rather small and straightforward. You also "earn" a bomb in this section, as well. Finally, the Captain Event (right before the last section) can be fairly rewarding if the captain knows what they're doing. About 40 or 50 mini-stars will win this board, though it depends on who receives the bombs' wrath.

The first section will wind through multiple bends and have tons of mini-stars in this area. There are also all sorts of spaces like blue, green, minigame, dash, and event spaces. The event spaces are the most interesting as they rotate the conveyor belts (refer to the first image). However, there are only event spaces for every other conveyor belt, though, if you ride one, you have a good shot at earning some mini-stars. The general idea is to get the most mini-stars and land on the best event spaces by using your dice blocks. 1-10 dice blocks can be powerful, as can slow dice blocks and 4-5-6 dice blocks. By the way, there are also a patch of mini-ztars towards the end of this area.

FIRST BOSS BATTLE

After the first 30 or so spaces, you'll face the mini-boss for Bob-omb Factory. Try to be the captain when you reach this section. One of the options will always be Whomp Stomp, though I would recommend against picking it.

The majority of the next 25 spaces will be a major path split. However, before you even get to choose a path, you get an, er, additional passenger--a bomb! As I explained earlier, these bombs will count down 'til they go off and cause the captain to lose half of their mini-stars. Anyways, so this section is a tad more dangerous as there are many more deposits of mini-ztars than in the previous section. The top section is far more forgiving in that it has multiple mini-star collections, lucky spaces, minigame spaces, and dice block spaces. The bottom section is terrible in that there are many bomb deposits, mini-ztar collections, and unlucky spaces. However, it is possible to switch between the two paths by landing on the event spaces. The conveyor belt at the beginning will determine which path you take; the direction the conveyor belt will take you switches after every turn, so try and time it so that you go on the upper path. After this long section, you'll come upon the captain event, which can be very beneficial. There is also a huge collection of ten mini-stars right before the captain event, so try and get those!

This captain event places all of the players on their own little platforms that they can move along. These platforms are very direct, and everyone will move the amount of spaces that the captain moves. There are multiple collections of mini-stars on each of the conveyor belts, though these can move one to the left if someone lands on an event space. Once everyone makes it through this section, the captain event is over.

While this captain event is largely luck, there is an easy way to gain mini-stars. Basically, I recommend placing yourself (the captain) on the second platform, and the people in third and fourth on the first and third platforms. The person in second should go on the platform all the way to the right, as it is unlikely that they'll get many mini-stars.

ALMOST THERE!!!

You'll be greeted by Green Toad, who will give the player in last place a slow dice block. Bowser will also place a fair amount of Bowser spaces at the very end of the track, so try and avoid these. As always, you can press that you don't want a lot of presents to limit the damage.

On top of there being those Bowser spaces, you'll have to deal with a bomb that you get four spaces into this final section. There are all sorts of spaces in this section: shuffle spaces, Bowser spaces, green spaces, blue spaces, and minigame spaces to name a few. There are also two collections of ten mini-stars; one is about halfway through, and the other is about three-quarters of the way through this section. Try to be the captain when you pass by these!

FINAL BOSS BATTLE

The final boss battle is located only a few spaces beyond the last set of mini-stars, so try and be the captain when you reach this space. Note that Bombard King Bob-omb will always be a choice.

An outside view of Boo's Horror Castle. A good portion of the board is inside the actual castle, though the first boss battle is visible to the left of the image, and the captain event and final boss battle are both above the mansion. The top of the castle acts as holding box until you can finally get to the final boss battle (discussed later).

This board is where the courses really start getting interesting. Not only is the board itself very long and confusing, but the mechanics integrated into each section is rather...spooky, to say the least. In Boo's Horror Castle, there are, well, Boos everywhere. They come out of paintings that the vehicle passes by, and they start to chase the vehicle until (a) the vehicle enters a lit room (there are multiple), (b) the vehicle is caught, or (c) the vehicle exits that section. In the event that the vehicle is caught, the captain will be forced to lose half of their mini-stars. The Boos move three spaces every turn, so they are relatively easy to escape if you have dice blocks. The Captain Event for Boo's Horror Castle is the worst of all of the Captain Event's; there is a high likelihood that you'll lose mini-stars rather than gain them. Finally, the ending has a big twist that is likely to force at least one person to lose half of their mini-stars. The amount of mini-stars necessary to win is highly variable due to the Boos, though about 40 should suffice.