Let’s be real for a second. Mentioning Mario Party Island Tour usually gets a collective "meh" from the die-hard Nintendo community. Released back in 2013 for the 3DS, it landed right in that awkward middle child phase of the franchise. It didn’t have the classic "collect stars on a loop" gameplay of the N64 era, nor did it fully commit to the weird "everyone in a car" mechanic that made Mario Party 9 so divisive. It just kind of... existed.
But looking back on it now, especially in an era where handheld gaming has evolved into the Switch, there is something weirdly refreshing about this specific title. It was a handheld experiment. It tried things. Some of those things failed miserably, sure, but others were actually pretty clever.
The Gimmick That Actually Worked
One thing people consistently get wrong about Mario Party Island Tour is the board design. Critics at the time complained that the boards were too linear. They aren't wrong; you’re basically racing to the finish line on most of them. But that was the point. Unlike the console versions meant for three-hour sessions on a couch, Island Tour was designed for the bus ride or the doctor’s office waiting room.
Take "Perilous Palace Path." It’s basically a straight shot. But the inclusion of the "Banzai Bill" mechanic—where a single unlucky roll sends you flying back several spaces—added a layer of genuine tension that the more complex boards lacked. It was high-stakes gambling with digital dice. Honestly, it felt more like a cutthroat board game than a leisurely stroll through a Mushroom Kingdom theme park.
The game also leveraged the 3DS hardware in ways that felt like a fever dream. We’re talking about blowing into the microphone to move hot air balloons and tilting the entire console to steer a bobsled. It was gimmicky, absolutely. But it gave the game a tactile personality that modern, more polished entries sometimes lack.
Why the Board Variety Matters More Than You Think
Most Mario Party games give you five or six boards that all function roughly the same way. You buy stars for 20 coins. You move in a circle. In Mario Party Island Tour, Nintendo decided to throw the rulebook out the window. Every board has a different victory condition.
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In "Rocket Road," you aren't even looking for stars. You’re collecting fuel boosters to blast your way to the end of a linear track. It feels more like a simplified racing game than a traditional board game. Then you have "Kamek’s Tantalizing Tower," where the goal is to land exactly on certain spaces to progress. It’s frustrating. It’s chaotic. It’s exactly what the series is supposed to be.
- Banzai Bill's Mad Mountain: A race against a giant bullet. High risk.
- Star-Crossed Skyway: This one actually feels like classic Mario Party, where you collect Mini Stars.
- Rocket Road: Pure speed and multipliers.
The game also features "Shy Guy’s Shuffle City," which is arguably the most underrated board in the entire franchise. It’s a "card-based" board where you have to trade cards with opponents to move. It introduces a level of psychological warfare that you usually only see in games like Among Us or Poker. You’re trying to foist bad cards onto your friends while keeping the high-movement cards for yourself. It’s mean-spirited in the best possible way.
The 80-Minigame Elephant in the Room
Mini-games are the lifeblood of this series. If they suck, the game sucks. Period.
Fortunately, the 80 mini-games in Island Tour are surprisingly solid. Because it was a handheld title, the developers at NDcube (who took over from Hudson Soft) leaned heavily into "short and snappy." You have "Choicest Voice," which is literally just a competition to see who can make the best impression of a character into the microphone. It’s ridiculous. It’s embarrassing to play in public. But it’s memorable.
Then you have "Goomba Tower Tally," a pure logic game where you count Goombas. Simple? Yes. But in the heat of a multiplayer match, it's surprisingly easy to lose count when your friend is shouting fake numbers at you. This is where the 3DS "Download Play" feature became a godsend. You only needed one copy of the game for four people to play. In terms of value-for-money, this was peak Nintendo. You could hold an entire party in a school cafeteria with one cartridge.
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The Single-Player Struggle
We have to talk about Bowser’s Tower. This was the primary single-player mode. You climb 30 floors, playing a mini-game on each one, and occasionally fighting a boss. It’s fine. That’s the most glowing praise I can give it. It’s a grind. Compared to the robust single-player campaigns in games like Mario Party DS, it felt a bit hollow.
However, the boss battles—like the fight against Chain Chomp or the showdown with Bowser himself—utilized the 3DS dual screens effectively. They felt like "mini-adventures" rather than just another mini-game. It gave solo players something to do, even if the real heart of the game remained in the multiplayer mayhem.
AR Cards and the Tech That Time Forgot
Remember AR cards? Those little paper slips that came with the 3DS? Mario Party Island Tour was one of the few games that actually tried to make them fun. There were specific AR mini-games where characters would "appear" on your coffee table.
It was a tech demo masquerading as a game mode. By today's standards, the tracking is jittery and the novelty wears off in about four minutes. But it represents a specific era of Nintendo's history—the "try everything and see what sticks" era. It was ambitious, even if the technology couldn't quite keep up with the vision.
The Harsh Reality of the Luck Factor
If you hate RNG (Random Number Generation), you will hate this game. More than any other entry, Island Tour is heavily weighted toward luck. Since many boards are literal races, one bad roll can end your chances of winning entirely. There isn't as much room for the strategic "item hoarding" that you see in Mario Party Superstars.
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Is that a bad thing? It depends on who you ask. If you're looking for a competitive e-sport, you’re in the wrong place. But if you want a game where a seven-year-old has a legitimate chance of beating a twenty-year-old veteran because of a lucky Banzai Bill roll, then this is your game. It’s the great equalizer. It’s pure, distilled chaos.
Why You Should Care in 2026
The 3DS eShop is gone. Physical copies are becoming more of a collector's item. But for those who still have their hardware, Mario Party Island Tour offers a unique flavor of the franchise that hasn't been replicated since. It’s fast. It’s weird. It’s incredibly portable.
While the Switch versions are technically superior in almost every way, they are also "safer." They play it close to the chest, sticking to the classic formulas. Island Tour was a weird experiment that didn't care about tradition. It was experimental. It was bold. It was occasionally annoying. But it was never boring.
Getting the Most Out of Your Copy
If you’re dusting off your 3DS to give this another shot, keep a few things in mind. First, don't play the "Perilous Palace Path" first; it's the most basic board and might give you a bad impression. Start with "Shy Guy’s Shuffle City" or "Star-Crossed Skyway" to see the real depth.
Second, utilize the "StreetPass" features if you live in an area where people still carry 3DS systems (it’s rare, but it happens at conventions!). You can challenge the data of other players to mini-game battles. It’s a small touch that makes the game feel like a living part of your daily commute.
Actionable Steps for the Modern Player:
- Check for Physical Copies: Since the digital shop is closed, look for used copies at local retro game stores. They are usually significantly cheaper than the "mainline" console titles.
- Download Play is Key: Don't buy four copies. Just one. As long as your friends have a 3DS or 2DS, they can join your lobby for free.
- Embrace the Tilt: Ensure your 3DS gyroscope is calibrated. Several of the best mini-games rely entirely on motion controls, and a drift will ruin the experience.
- Play Short Bursts: This game shines in 15-minute intervals. Trying to marathon it like a console game will lead to burnout because of the high-luck mechanics.
Ultimately, Mario Party Island Tour isn't the best game in the series. It’s not even in the top five. But it is a fascinating piece of Nintendo history that tried to redefine what a "party" looks like when you're holding it in the palm of your hand. It’s a chaotic, flawed, and surprisingly charming race to the finish.