Mario Party: Island Tour is a party video game similar to previous installments in the Mario Party series, wherein two to four players compete in a virtual board game.[2][3] Players roll dice or use cards to advance on a game board,[4][5] with the space each player lands on potentially triggering an event or minigame. The game features a total of 81 minigames,[6][7] all of which are brand-new four-player free-for-alls.[8][9] A few minigames require the use of augmented reality cards, StreetPass, or the Nintendo 3DS's built-in microphone, gyroscope, or touch screen controls.[2][3][9]
In addition to being played throughout parties, minigames can be played in three separate game modes. One of the game modes, Time Attack, tasks the player with completing the same set of 10 minigames as quickly as possible, while another mode, Hot-Air Hijinks, features players competing to win three, five, or seven minigames before their rivals.[9] There is also a free play mode, in which the player can freely select which minigames to play.[2][9]
Mario Party: Island Tour offers seven game boards, most of which are hosted by Toad.[2] Each board is rated based on skill, luck, and number of minigames.[9][10] Additionally, an expected play time is shown for each board.[2][10] One of the game boards can be unlocked by completing five of the other boards, while another can only be played with three or four human players.[2][9] The boards have unique gimmicks and different rulesets,[11] forgoing the series's traditional win condition, which revolves around Star and coin totals.[3][12] For instance, on one of the boards, Banzai Bill's Mad Mountain, players climb a mountain and hide in caves to avoid a Banzai Bill, which is launched whenever its icon is rolled, reducing the progress of anyone in its path.[10][11][13] Another board, Bowser's Peculiar Peak, features players attempting to finish in last place rather than first.[14] On the Kamek's Carpet Ride board, players use cards instead of dice to progress.[11] On most of the boards, players race to the finish,[15][16] collecting and using items to increase their chances of winning by enhancing the number of spaces moved or hindering opponents.[10] Although the Mini Star system introduced in Mario Party 9 returns, it is exclusive to one game board, and characters once again move independently around the boards, as in traditional Mario Party titles.[2]
