As with most Mario Party games, an emphasis is placed on the game's multiplayer aspect. A new element to the series is the use of the Download Play functionality of the Nintendo DS to allow four people to play wirelessly using only one game card. Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Princess Daisy, Toad, Wario, and Waluigiare the playable characters.[5]
The party mode game is played by using a ten-sided "dice block" and moving the player accordingly. There are many things such as "mole shops", "happening", "blue", "red" and "Bowser Time" spaces that can help or hinder game progress. There are several themed game environments. Mole Shops offer special dice, like the option to role up to 3 at once.[citation needed] Players take turns moving around the board, collecting coins and exchanging coins for stars. When five turns remain, an event called the Final 5 Frenzy helps the player in last place. At the end of the party, the player with the most stars wins; in case of a tie, the number of coins will be used to break the tie, so that the player with more coins wins.
Mario Party DS features a total of 74 minigames, most of which utilize the unique features of the DS. While several mini-games use the buttons and control pad, others use the stylus and 4 mini-games use the microphone. For example, "Soccer Survival" involves trying to dodge soccer balls being kicked by a Goomba. "Camera Shy" involves characters taking photos of other characters and "Short Fuse" involves blowing on a fuse of a bomb in hopes to be the last player to survive. Others include "Globe Gunners", a game in which the players run around on a globe, shooting projectiles at each other, and boss minigames, in which the player battles villains from the Mario series, such as Bowser and Dry Bones. Minigame types include 4-player free-for-alls, teams of 2, 1 against 3, "battle" (in which players compete for a communal jackpot), and "boss" (in which the player fights 1 of 5 bosses).[citation needed]
In "Puzzle Mode", the player plays puzzle games from previous installments of the Mario Party series: "Mario's Puzzle Party" from Mario Party 3, "Bob-omb Breakers" from Mario Party 4, "Piece Out" from Mario Party 5, "Block Star" from Mario Party 6, and "Stick and Spin" from Mario Party 7. There is also "Triangle Twisters", a new game in which the player twist triangles to create a given shape. This game is unlocked after completing story mode.
