4 Of the Best Boards Throughout the Mario Party Series and Why – It’s like a Casino at home?

With an average of twenty-four million gamers across the country, and a revenue of $290 million as of 2021, South Africa has established itself at the top of Africa’s video game market. One of the most significant contributors to this growth is the pandemic that swept the world in 2019, yet we can’t overlook all the other reasons why more and more people turn to the gaming industry.

With its immersive storylines, jaw-dropping graphics, and unique social opportunities, gaming has become one of the most popular pastimes for curing boredom worldwide. And let’s not forget the cute, unmissable characters that have integrated themselves into gamers’ lives, from modern trailblazers like Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher franchise to well-loved retro classics like Princess Peach from The Super Mario Bros. franchise.

Speaking of the latter, her romantic interest Mario is considered the most famous gaming character in history, with Mario Party Superstars being one of the most recent games starring him. While the minigames are what steal the show in the Mario Party franchise, the boards are what deserve the most attention, which is why we’ve outlined some of the best (and why!) below:

Faire Square

If you grew up with older or younger siblings and had the misfortune of playing Mario Party with them, you’ll probably remember using the classic ‘fair and square’ line to signify that you’d won the game without cheating. The game would often end long before a winner was determined from pure frustration or rage, especially if you were playing the Faire Square board in Mario Party 6 (2004).

For those who have suffered controller-related injuries at the hands of their sibling as the result of this board, you might be staring at your screen with a puzzled face – but hear us out! It is stylised after a spooky, Halloweenish town, with a Whomp blocking the middle of the board, which will only move if a character has ten-star coins to trade for passage.

Believe it or not, this is only one of the most infuriating things about this board, with the most being guessing which chimney will produce a giant plant during the day. However, this changes at night and players must not give up star coins but their coveted stars, with the winner being the player who manages to get all the stars.

Despite sounding like the most infuriating game board in the franchise (and believe us, it can be!) Faire Square is one of the best game boards across the Mario Party franchise because players never know what is coming next as it combines both randomness and chance, much like another beloved Mario Party board Goomba’s Greedy Gala.

Goomba’s Greedy Gala

Suppose you want to avoid ghosts with razor-sharp teeth targeting your coveted stars in the Horror Land gameboard. In that case, you might have more luck (pun intended!) over at Goomba’s Greedy Gala which first appeared on our Nintendo GameCube screens in Mario Party 4 (2002).

Like the Faire Square board, which features a little later in Mario Party 6 (2004), the Goomba’s Greedy Gala game board revolved around chance and luck, which is fitting as it was styled to look as casino-like as possible.

With Goomba himself acting as the host, what makes this board deserving of a spot on this list is the fact that one second it will have you and your friends laughing at each other’s misfortunes before complaining about your own the next (just like modern-day slot games!).

However, the gimmick at the centre of the board, the roulette wheel, deserves special praise. Unlike other Mario Party game boards where you progress depending on the dice roll, the roulette wheel determines which quadrant of the board your character will go into.

Due to this, you could end up on the other side of the board to the star multiple times. Ouch! We’re sure you understand what we meant about the yelling part now. As well as the appearance of the roulette wheel, Goomba’s Greedy Gala also contained other gambling elements like dice/slot games and other casino-related paraphernalia.

This board is so successful because the game of chance has a say in the outcome, much like real-life casino play, but it doesn’t determine who wins outright. You can play this board in the recently released Mario Party Superstars, or if you’d like Goomba himself and enjoy the pastime of gambling, you could consider playing some real casino games like the ones from Jackpot Casino.

From slot games, dice games, and card games like those in Goomba’s Greedy Gala to advice about online gambling safety and much more. Consider visiting their website to browse their entire gaming catalogue, read helpful how-to guides, or contact a team member directly for any specific inquiries and see how their games rival Goomba’s today.

Horror Land

If you’re more of a strategic player, you might find that Horror Land in Mario Party 2 (2002) ranks high on your list of the best game boards across the franchise. With its dark, Addams Family vibes and cute toothy ghouls chasing you everywhere, Horror Land has Mario, Luigi, Peach, and their other friends traipsing around a cemetery late at night.

What makes this game worthy of a spot on this list is King Boo himself; providing that you don’t mind making enemies out of your friends, family, or whoever else you’re playing with, you can give King Boo one-hundred and fifty-star coins to steal a star from each player. Ouch, it looks like you won’t be making the Christmas card list…

This board allows you to be sneaky, but you can also practise your strategy skills depending on whether the game board has switched to day or night. Since not all features on the board during the day are available at night, you can use this to your advantage (and other players’ misfortune!) should you know the game board well.

Space Land

And last but not least, we have Space Land, which first appeared in Mario Party 2 (2002) and is characterised by its out-of-this-world, Pinball-like style. Much like some of the other boards on this list, it also contains elements of luck and chance due to the counter in the middle of the board, which, if stepped on by a player, initiates a countdown which fires a Bowser cannon straight across the board and forces any hit player to give up all their coins.

As well as dodging the Bowser Cannon, players must be mindful of the ‘Happening Space’ on this game board, which will require your character to run from some speeding cards that can cause delays in your progress should another player have activated the Snifit Patrol.

Despite being unpredictable at best, this game board deserves a place on this list because of the random nature that most Mario fans love about the Mario Party franchise. Luckily, if you agree with us, you can play this game board in the new Mario Party Superstars game, which has received glowing reviews from South African fans which they hope will set the standard for instalments to come with more focus on the minigames, new enemies, fairer dice rolls, and much more.