Mario Party 10
By Chad Sapieha,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Fun party game with mild violence promotes socialization.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this game.
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Mario Party 10
Community Reviews
Based on 3 parent reviews
Report this review
terrible
Report this review
What’s It About?
MARIO PARTY 10 follows the well-worn path tread by its many predecessors, providing a variety of virtual board games for families and friends to play together in the same room. There are three main modes: Amiibo Party, Bowser Party, and Mario Party. Amiibo Party is played on a simple square board and makes use of Nintendo's collectible amiibo toy figures, which players can tap on the Gamepad to roll dice on their turn. Bowser Party puts one player in the role of Mario's shelled nemesis, chasing after the other four who must try to stay ahead of the giant turtle as they race to the board's finish line. Mario Party puts all four players in a vehicle and has them take turns rolling dice to move it around the board with an aim to collect mini-stars. All modes have special squares and events that can have a significant impact on player standings, plus dozens of simple mini-games that determine who earns coins, mini-stars, or, in the case of Bowser Party, who loses hearts. Some games are skill-based, but chance plays a big role, too, so younger and less skilled players can generally compete with older and more experienced players on an even level.
Is It Any Good?
Anyone familiar with previous Mario Party games will be instantly at home with Mario Party 10. The boards -- standard Mario locales including airships, castles, underwater seascapes, and rolling hills -- feature familiar events such as bricks that can be bashed to reveal treasures and Whomp barriers that need to be beaten down before players can keep moving. Many of the mini-games are recognizable, too, including activities that see players dodging hammers, racing along tracks, and vying to be the last character standing above a pit of lava with a shifting floor. This apparent lack of innovation may turn off players who feel they've already had their fill of Mario Party in previous games.
But Bowser Party may be enough to keep them playing. This lopsided mode fosters a sense of camaraderie among the four players being chased by Bowser. They're all in it together and will be rooting each other on -- all the more so because Bowser is a big cheater. The player in control of Mario's dreaded enemy can do things such as roll again if he or she isn't satisfied with the first roll and try to trick players about to make choices (which chest to open, which path to take) into choosing badly by drawing distractions on the screen. Both sides are fun to play and likely will see rivals and teammates laughing out loud and shouting in disbelief. It's a relatively small change to a well-established formula, but it could be just enough to convince even people who thought themselves finished with Mario Party games to give this new one a go.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about collections. What about collecting is fun to you? How do you determine whether something is worth collecting?
Talk about socially interacting with friends. Have you tried playing Mario Party 10 with friends? Do you think it can help you get to know other kids and become friends with them?
Game Details
- Platform: Nintendo Wii U
- Subjects: Hobbies: board games
- Skills: Communication: conveying messages effectively, friendship building, listening, speaking, Collaboration: cooperation, meeting challenges together, teamwork
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Not available online
- Publisher: Nintendo
- Release date: March 18, 2015
- Genre: Party
- Topics: Friendship
- ESRB rating: E for Mild Cartoon Violence
- Last updated: August 25, 2016
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Play
Our Editors Recommend
Safer Social Media and Messaging Apps for Kids
Multiplayer Apps
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate