Mario Party 10
A Wii U party game with vehicle-based board play and new modes.
Mario Party 10 is a 2015 party video game developed by NDcube and published by Nintendo for the Wii U. It is the tenth home console release in the Mario Party series and features gameplay similar to prior entries, with players competing to collect mini-stars across game boards. The game introduces Bowser Party and Amiibo Party modes, and sold 2.27 million copies by September 2022.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- NDcube
- Publisher
- Nintendo
- Producer
- Jumpei Horita
- Toshiaki Suzuki
- Atsushi Ikeda
- Director
- Shuichiro Nishiya
- Designer
- Tatsumitsu Watanabe
- Programmer
- Hideki Sahashi
- Artist
- Keisuke Kasahara
- Composer
- Rei Kondoh, Toshiki Aida
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Mario Party 10 builds on the gameplay of its predecessors, especially Mario Party 9. In the base Mario Party mode, four players travel together in a vehicle across a game board, taking turns as the operator who rolls a die to move. The board contains spaces that trigger actions such as choosing a path when the route splits. Two boss battles appear on each board, requiring the four players to cooperate to defeat them. Five maps are included: Mushroom Park, Haunted Trail, Whimsical Waters, Airship Central, and Chaos Castle. Minigame spaces trigger one of over 70 minigames, which are split into free-for-all, two-versus-two, and three-versus-one types, and include memory, puzzle, and platform gameplay. Some minigames use Wii Remote controls. Bowser is shown imprisoned on the Wii U GamePad; if players roll all six sides of the die during a game, Bowser is freed and adds hindrances and challenges. Each round lasts roughly 30 minutes. The Bowser Party mode pits four players as Team Mario against a fifth player controlling Bowser via the GamePad, with hearts replacing mini-stars and the goal of reaching the board's end without losing all hearts. In Amiibo Party, players use Amiibo figures.
Development
Mario Party 10 was made by NDcube, the same studio behind Mario Party 9, and came out under Nintendo. Shuichiro Nishiya directed the game again, with Jumpei Horita producing. The team brought back the idea of moving all players as a group on the board. They noticed that in older games, people would zone out when it wasn't their turn. With everyone moving together, each player's choices affect the rest, which keeps attention on the game. To speed things up, they cut down on on-screen text. Instead of written instructions, minigames now show a video demo, and the characters use bigger expressions to hint at what's happening. Minigame ideas came from NDcube staff, who took simple one-line notes or sketches and built them out, sometimes combining them. Inspiration came from recent Mario games like New Super Mario Bros. U and Super Mario 3D World. Nishiya also found ideas in his everyday life. To set Mario Party 10 apart from other Wii U party games that used Miis in realistic settings, the developers went for surreal minigame concepts and environments.
Reception
Mario Party 10 received mixed or average reviews, with a Metacritic score of 66 out of 100. OpenCritic reported weak approval, with only 16% of critics recommending the game. Famitsu gave it a total score of 33 out of 40. Critics appreciated the shorter round runtime and high-definition graphics; IGN's Samuel Claiborn noted that split-screen multiplayer was more discernible due to the graphics. Game Informer's Kyle Hilliard commended the graphics and music. Chris Carter of Destructoid praised the variety of minigame controls beyond shaking the Wii Remote, but criticized the lack of Bowser minigames in Bowser Party. The use of the Wii U GamePad received mixed opinions: some found it lackluster in the Mario Party mode, while Claiborn called it one of the best uses of the GamePad, especially in Bowser Party. A common criticism was the continuation of the vehicle mechanic from Mario Party 9, which some found dull and lacking variation. Others preferred the linear gameplay for speeding up movement and adding tactical elements. Ray Carsillo of Electronic Gaming Monthly missed the competitive feel of earlier titles and noted little variation between Mario Party 10 and Mario Party 9.
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