Mario Party 3

Mario Party 3 for Nintendo 64 is a party game developed by Hudson Soft and published by Nintendo. It is the third entry in the Mario Party series, arriving first in Japan in December 2000 and in North America during 2001. Built around a virtual board game, it brings Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Wario and Donkey Kong together for a contest of coins, Stars and minigames. The Nintendo 64 release also introduced Daisy and Waluigi as playable characters, making it Waluigi’s first appearance in the series.

The central Party Mode supports one to four players, with computer-controlled characters available to fill vacant places. Before a match, players choose a board and a turn length, then take turns hitting a Dice Block and moving around its paths. The aim is to finish with the most Stars. Coins earned along the way pay for Stars when a player reaches the Millennium Star, while the Star’s location changes after each purchase. Board spaces can award or remove coins, trigger events, open shops, activate battles, or create the chance for a sudden exchange of coins or Stars.

At the end of most turns, the colors of the spaces occupied by the players decide the type of minigame: four-player contests, one-against-three contests, or two-on-two team events. Mario Party 3 contains 70 minigames, and each one has its own simple control scheme, generally using the Nintendo 64 controller’s Control Stick and face buttons. Players can review the rules and practice before competing. Winning minigames normally adds coins, so the fast challenges directly influence the longer contest across the board.

Items add another layer to the board-game competition. A player can hold up to three and use one before rolling, with options that can alter movement, unlock shortcuts or interfere with rivals. The game’s boards each give their own theme and routes, including icy Chilly Waters, the underwater Deep Bloober Sea, forested Woody Woods, Spiny Desert and Waluigi Island. The familiar mix of branching paths, character encounters and board-specific events means that a strong minigame performance is valuable, but it is only one part of a full match.

Mario Party 3 also adds a dedicated Duel Mode for two players. Instead of the standard four-player race for Stars, each competitor hires partners such as Toad, Boo, Thwomp, Goomba, Koopa Troopa, Snifit, Bob-omb or Piranha Plant. Partners attack and defend in an effort to reduce the opposing player’s health, and their coin salaries must be paid as the match continues. Duel boards use their own rules and emphasize one-on-one decisions rather than the usual end-of-turn minigame routine.

For solo play, Story Mode frames the contest around the Millennium Star, which asks the Mushroom Kingdom characters to prove who deserves the title of Superstar. A single player challenges computer opponents on the boards to earn Star Stamps, then faces the Millennium Star after collecting the required stamps. With its four-player Party Mode, separate two-player Duel Mode and single-player campaign, Mario Party 3 closes the Nintendo 64 trilogy with a range of ways to play the series’ board-and-minigame formula.