You think Mario Party is the ultimate friendship-ender? Honestly, you haven't seen anything until you've played Fortune Street Wii game. It’s a deceptively cute board game where Mario and Dragon Quest characters basically engage in aggressive insider trading and hostile real estate takeovers. It’s brutal.
Most people see the bright colors and the "E for Everyone" rating and assume it’s just another casual Nintendo spin-off. It isn't. This is a hardcore economic simulator disguised as a party game. Developed by Armor Project and published by Nintendo back in 2011, it’s actually part of a long-running series in Japan known as Itadaki Street, created by Yuji Horii—the legendary mind behind Dragon Quest. For some reason, it took twenty years for us to get a localized version in the West, and frankly, the gaming world wasn't prepared for the level of salt this game generates.
The premise is simple enough on paper. You roll dice, move around a board, buy shops, and try to reach a certain net worth before racing back to the Bank. But once you turn on the "Standard Rules" (the only way to play, let’s be real), the game introduces the stock market. That is where the bloodbath begins.
The Brutal Reality of the Fortune Street Wii Game Economy
In the Fortune Street Wii game, money isn't just what’s in your pocket. It’s your potential. The board is divided into distinct districts, and when you buy multiple shops in one district, the value of those shops skyrockets. It feels like Monopoly, sure, but Monopoly is a game of luck. Fortune Street is a game of math and manipulation.
The stock market is the real differentiator here. You can buy "stocks" in any district on the board. You don't even have to own property there. If an opponent is doing well and building up a massive shopping empire in a specific area, you can just... buy 99 shares of their district. Now, every time they invest money to grow their own shops, your net worth goes up along with theirs. You are essentially a parasite on their success. It’s glorious.
Why Stocks Change Everything
Let's look at a scenario that happens in almost every high-level game. You’ve got Mario sitting on a ton of gold, and he’s just bought out the "Slimy Slide" district. He starts investing "capital" into his shops to level them up. In any other game, you’d be worried. In the Fortune Street Wii game, you’re smiling because you bought 200 shares in that district three turns ago. Mario is working for you now.
But wait. There’s a mechanic called "selling off." If you suddenly sell all your stocks in Mario’s district, the stock price crashes. You can literally bankrupt an opponent by tanking the local economy right before they need to pay a big bill. It’s cold-blooded. It’s the kind of thing that makes people stop talking to each other for a week.
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A Weird Crossover That Actually Works
The roster is a bizarre fever dream. You have Bowser and Princess Peach standing next to the Slime and Yangus from Dragon Quest VIII. Seeing a Pink Slime buy up a high-end department store while Wario goes bankrupt is a specific kind of joy.
The Wii version was the first time Nintendo fans really got a taste of this. Before this, Itadaki Street stayed mostly on Famicom, PlayStation, and mobile phones in Japan. Bringing in Mario was a genius move to make the complex systems approachable. The game features 26 characters, each with their own AI personality.
- Bowser is aggressive and buys everything.
- Princess Peach is a stock market wizard who will ruin your life.
- Slime is surprisingly competent but mostly just happy to be there.
Each board is themed after a location from the two franchises. You might be playing on the Starship Mario one round and the Alltrades Abbey the next. The music shifts between classic Koji Kondo tunes and Koichi Sugiyama’s orchestral Dragon Quest masterpieces. It shouldn't work, but it does.
The Strategy Most People Miss
If you're playing the Fortune Street Wii game like Monopoly, you’re going to lose. Badly. The biggest mistake beginners make is holding onto too much cash. Cash is useless. It’s a stagnant asset. You want your money tied up in shops and stocks where it can grow.
Another thing? The "Easy Rules" mode. Avoid it. It removes the stock market and turns the game into a bland version of Monopoly. If you want the real experience—the one that makes you feel like a corporate raider—you have to play with stocks.
The Art of the Forced Sale
One of the most nuanced mechanics is the "buyout." If you land on an opponent's shop, you can pay five times the shop's value to force them to sell it to you. It’s incredibly expensive, but if it completes a district for you, it’s often worth it. Completing a district allows you to raise the prices of all your shops in that area, and more importantly, it lets you pump more capital into them.
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Think about it. You’re effectively creating a monopoly by force. The other player gets a huge injection of cash, but they lose their long-term earning potential. It’s a trade-off that requires actual brainpower to calculate. Is the 2,000 gold you’re giving them going to let them buy enough stocks to outpace your growth? Maybe. This is why the game takes three hours to finish. It’s an endurance test.
Why We Don't See Games Like This Anymore
The Fortune Street Wii game is a relic of a time when Nintendo was willing to experiment with mid-budget, high-complexity crossovers. These days, party games are trending toward shorter, "snackable" experiences. A game of Fortune Street is a commitment. You need a dedicated afternoon, a group of friends who don't take things personally, and maybe some snacks.
There hasn't been a new Western release since the Wii version. We missed out on the Dragon Quest vs. Final Fantasy version that hit the PS4 and Vita in Japan (called Itadaki Street Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary). It’s a shame because the Wii version proved there is an appetite for this. It sold reasonably well and developed a massive cult following.
The online play was okay for its time, but let’s be honest: the Wii’s Friend Code system was a nightmare. Playing this game today usually involves a Wii U (it’s backwards compatible) or "other" means of emulation to get a crisp 1080p image.
How to Win Your Next Match
If you're dusting off the Wii to play this weekend, keep these tips in mind. They’ll save your skin.
First, always buy 10 shares of a district before you invest in your own shops there. This ensures that you benefit from the "stock growth" that your own investment creates. It’s essentially a rebate on your own spending.
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Second, don't be afraid to sell stocks to buy a shop. Beginners often get "stock-locked," where they have no cash to buy property because they put everything into the market. Property is the foundation; stocks are the multiplier. You need the foundation first.
Third, watch the "Target Amount." The game ends when someone hits the target and gets back to the bank. If someone is getting close, look for ways to crash the stocks in their most valuable district. If you can drop their net worth by even 500 gold, it might give you the two turns you need to overtake them.
Final Thoughts on a Hidden Gem
The Fortune Street Wii game is one of the most underrated titles on the system. It’s a game of sharp elbows and sharper math. While it looks like a kids' game, it’s actually a lesson in capitalism that will leave you exhausted and exhilarated. If you can find a copy—and they aren't getting cheaper—grab it. Just maybe don't play it with someone you're planning to marry next week.
To get the most out of your next session, focus on these actionable steps:
- Unlock the boards: Spend your initial "Stamp" points in the single-player tour mode to unlock maps like the "Mount Magmageddon" or "Observatory." Some of the later boards have crazy layouts that completely change how districts overlap.
- Master the "10-Share" Rule: Never, ever invest capital into a shop unless you own at least 10 shares in that district. The jump in stock price is where the real wealth is generated, not the rent.
- Check the AI Difficulty: If you're playing solo, set the AI to "S" rank. The lower-level AI players make nonsensical moves that don't help you learn the actual meta-game of stock manipulation.
- Diversify your portfolio: Don't just buy stocks in your own areas. If an opponent has a "three-shop" district, buy in early. You’ll piggyback off their growth and make it harder for them to buy you out later.
The Wii era was full of "waggle" games and shovelware, but Fortune Street stands out as a deep, rewarding, and incredibly mean-spirited masterpiece. It’s time it got the respect it deserves.