Play Mario Party (j) Online

Mario Party for the Nintendo 64 came out in 1998, developed by Hudson Soft and published by Nintendo. It was one of those games that defined the N64's library of local multiplayer experiences, sitting right alongside the usual platformers and racers. You gathered three other people, each holding a controller, and the living room became your competitive arena.

You control one of several Mario characters, moving around a digital board game one roll of the dice at a time. The main goal is to collect more stars than your opponents; these stars are purchased from a character who moves to a new space after each purchase. Between turns, everyone plays a short minigame to earn coins, which are needed for stars and to pay penalties. The game's pacing is deliberately chaotic, with chance spaces and item boxes constantly shifting the lead. It feels like a mix of calculated risk and pure, unpredictable fun with friends.