Mario Party 4/4-Player Mini-Games

There are sixteen 4-player Mini-Games in Mario Party 4, many of which focus around rapidly pressing a button. Only one of the sixteen is a coin-collecting bonus game, where everyone can earn coins.

Avalanche!

 * Rules: Don't get swallowed by the avalanche behind you! Ski down the mountain and avoid the obstacles too!
 * Controls:
 * Turn
 * Use poles for speed
 * Advice: If you don't use your poles, you'll slow down. Watch out for the walls and boulders as you speed down the hill.

The winner of this game is the person who reaches the end of the course first, even if other players are still alive. You'll want to tap just about nonstop during the Mini-Game. The boulders and jumps are always in the same positions. The first jump is on the characters' left, the first rock is on their right, the next rock is in the middle, and the final rock is on their right. This gives Player 1 a slight advantage, as they start in a position where there are very few obstacles. Make sure that you don't stay too close to the wall, as it will slow you down as well.

Bob-omb Breakers

 * Rules: Connect three like shapes to make them disappear. Remember, you can also play in other people's areas. First one to 100 points wins.
 * Controls:
 * Move Blocks
 * Rotate Clockwise
 * Rotate Counterclockwise
 * Flip Over
 * Advice: Bob-ombs explode when surrounded by blocks. You get more points for combos. Make sure to play in your opponents' areas!

As the advice states, the easiest way to earn points is to make combos, where one set of three causes other blocks to fall into the right places. When you've got something in the position you want, you can press down on the control stick to make it fall faster. You earn one point for every shape in a group, and this amount is multiplied by 2, 4, 8, etc. depending on how long a chain has been going. If you see an opponent setting up a combo, you can steal it by moving into their territory, if you're fast enough. Bob-ombs are also a good source of points. They're worth 1 point multiplied by the number of blocks surrounding them. This means that a Bob-omb in the bottom row would only be worth 5 points, while a Bob-omb in a higher row would be worth 8 points. A player whose entire area is filled will be unable to play until some blocks are cleared.

Booksquirm

 * Rules: Avoid getting flattened by the pages! Find a hole in the falling page and position yourself so you fit through to the next page!
 * Controls: : Move
 * Advice: Look for shadows in the falling page to find the passage to the next page.

Whenever possible, try and position yourself under a hole in the middle so that you can reach both sides easily. Be careful of your opponents since higher-level computers will frequently try to push you out of the safe zone. Watch out for the moon shapes because only two people can fit under them easily. If you see that your character is starting to get squashed and is near a safe zone, you can actually survive the attack by adjusting your position quickly. As it gets faster and faster, it comes down more and more to luck as to which character has a shorter distance to a safe zone. Though the game starts with three holes per page, there will only be two holes by the tenth page, and just one hole starting at the sixteenth. When in doubt, watch the shadows.

Domination

 * Rules: Press the switch repeatedly to set up your Whomp dominoes.
 * Controls: : Tap the Switch
 * Advice: ''Press as fast as you can for 10 seconds.

This game is very simple; simply mash the A button for ten seconds. Compared to Slime Time, the computers are much better at this game, with Expert computers frequently getting scores above 100. There is an award in the Present Room for getting a record of more than 100 taps.

Long Claw of the Law

 * Rules: Catch the character shown in the wanted poster three times to win.
 * Controls:
 * Rotate Right
 * Rotate Left
 * Move Up and Down
 * Catch Character
 * Advice: The wanted character is hidden behind a door. When you can't find him, either wait for a door to open or look at another door.

Move quickly, but don't skip any doors. There will be Bob-ombs, Boos, Chain Chomps, Goombas, Shy Guys and Thwomps, but only one type will be wanted. While waiting for a door to open, quickly scroll back and forth between two screens until you identify the character. At the edges of your screen, you can see how many doors are currently open on the next screen. Be careful not to mix up Chain Chomps and Bob-ombs, as they are both the same color. Efficiency is everything in this game, so move forward in a methodical manner, except when you cycle between two screens. Don't backtrack unless you're sure you've missed something. There will be exactly three of the wanted character, so you can't afford to miss anyone.

Manta Rings

 * Rules: Dive through the rings while swimming in the ocean. Each ring is worth one point. If any enemies hit you, you'll lose points.
 * Controls:
 * Move
 * Press repeatedly to go forward
 * Advice: The gold Manta rings are worth three points, so try to grab as many gold ones as you can!

The best strategy in this game is to go after chains of rings. Frequently, there will be several rings more or less in front of each other, worth 3 or 4 points. Stay at the back, dodging enemies until a chain of rings and/or a gold ring appears. When there aren't any chains, simply go after the rings that the other players ignored. If a second player stays at the back of the screen with you, swim slightly ahead of them so that you can get to the rings before them.

Mario Medley

 * Rules: Breaststroke, Backstroke, and Crawl. You must do a 25-meter lap of each different stroke to win this race.
 * Controls:
 * + (Simultaneously): Breaststroke
 * + (Alternately): Backstroke
 * + (Alternately): Crawl
 * Advice: If you swim too hard, you'll get tired, so watch your heart meter carefully!

This game is more than just a button-masher because of the heart meter. If it depletes entirely, you will greatly slow down, almost to a complete stop. When you first start off, swim fast enough to deplete about a third of the heart. From there, maintain a steady pace until the last half of the Crawl. Swim as quickly as you can, slowing down only if the heart is in danger of emptying. There is an award in the Present Room for getting a record time of under 1'00".

Mario Speedwagons

 * Rules: Time to race on the speedway! Step on the gas when the light turns green!
 * Controls:
 * Accelerate
 * Change Gears (When your meter starts blinking, it's time to shift gears.)
 * Advice: You can hit the gas a little before the green light for a good start. If you overdo it, you will spin out and ruin your start.

Winning this game is all about starting at the right time. You'll want to start holding about halfway between the second yellow light and the green light. Simply press whenever your controller rumbles. If you get a good start, you should be able to win. There is an award in the Present Room for getting a record time of under 10.00". A perfect time is widely accepted to be 9.15".

Mr. Blizzard's Brigade

 * Rules: Run on this frozen pond while avoiding the snowballs thrown by the Blizzards.
 * Controls: : Move
 * Advice: Move right before the Blizzards throw their snowballs. They'll stop moving just before they throw.

The Blizzards will look toward a character before they fire their snowballs. For the first 15 seconds or so, don't move unless a Blizzard targets you. After that point, you'll want to keep moving around the rim of the arena, but stay away from other characters. As characters get frozen, they serve as obstacles that you have to move around, but they can also serve as shields. Whenever you see a giant snowball or "snow boulder", you'll want to watch its shadow and stay as far away from it as you can. As the match goes on, the snowballs will come more and more frequently. Whenever possible, try and direct the attacks onto the other player by pushing them.

Paratrooper Plunge

 * Rules: This is a coin-collecting bonus game! If you run into enemies four times, you're out.
 * Controls: : Move
 * Advice: Move around while you're falling to get the most coins and avoid all the enemies.

The reasons to avoid the enemies are two-fold: not only can they cause you to be eliminated, but they stun you and prevent you from collecting coins. When possible, bump opponents into Paratroopas or Shy Guys, especially those opponents that have almost been eliminated. If you're quick, it's possible to get two coin bags (worth five coins each) at each of the coin bag clusters. Overall, prioritize evasion before you go after the coins. Even if you don't get the most coins, every single one helps.

Photo Finish

 * Rules: Please finish this photo puzzle. You can only drop a piece in its proper place, so you'll know when you've found the correct spot.
 * Controls:
 * :: Rotate a Piece
 * Move a Piece
 * Drop a Piece
 * Advice: Focus on the picture, so that you remember which way the pieces face.

The key to this game is to keep trying pieces in different spots. There's no penalty for guessing wrong, so don't hesitate. As you play this game more, it will get much easier because there are only three different puzzles. One is a winter scene with Penguins and a frozen pond, one is an indoor scene that seems to be a Toad's birthday party, and one is an outdoor scene, where a Shy Guy drives along a windy road. When placing pieces, look not only at the picture on them, but also the pattern of indentations and bumps on the edge. A piece with two straight sides is a corner piece, for example. By watching for these, you can figure out the locations of puzzle pieces more quickly.

Slime Time

 * Rules: Escape from the Slime! Be the first person to reach the middle platform to win!
 * Controls: : Press quickly to escape
 * Advice: If you don't go fast enough, you'll be pulled back into the Big Slime, so don't give up until you're done.

This is probably the easiest of the button-mashing Mini-Games speed-wise and length-wise. Focus on going just fast enough so that you won't get pulled back; the computer players almost always get pulled back at least once. Keep in mind that as you get closer to the finish, your character will move more slowly, and you will need to tap more quickly to avoid getting pulled back. Frequently, this Mini-Game ends in under 10 seconds.

Stamp Out!

 * Rules: Try to stamp as much of your color as possible. If everyone stamps less than 5% of the field, it's a tie!
 * Controls:
 * Change Direction
 * Jump
 * Advice: Holding longer allows you to jump farther. Experiment to find a pattern that works for you.

The best method in this game is to simply stamp in locations as far away from the other players as you can. One of the most dangerous spots to stamp in is the middle because it's where all of the players begin. As far as stamping, you'll want to go the minimum distance possible while avoiding places where you have already left your color. If you see a player that's in the lead, try and cover up some of their color to give yourself a better chance. As you stamp, turn slightly so that it's harder for player's to cover up entire sections of your color. Generally, getting a score of greater than 20% will make you the winner.

Take a Breather

 * Rules: Take a deep breath and see who can stay underwater the longest.
 * Controls: : Press Alternately to Inhale
 * Advice: Inhale lots of air by pressing alternately until the time is up. Keep pressing  until then!

This is another simple button-mashing Mini-Game. It's also very short, with a time limit of only five seconds. Make sure you press the buttons hard enough so that they register, because these buttons can be finicky with registering a press, especially on older controllers. Some people find that they get better scores if they go at only a moderate speed, but very evenly. Experiment to figure out what works for you. There is an award in the Present Room for getting a record time of greater than 7.00".

Three Throw

 * Rules: Try to make the most shots into the moving baskets.
 * Controls:
 * Jump
 * Shoot
 * Advice: The middle baskets are worth two points, the bottom worth one. Shoot after the high point of a jump to make it in the middle row.

The best way to score a lot of points is to aim for the middle row, as it is twice as valuable as the other rows. In order to successfully make a basket in the middle row, jump and press just before your character lands on the ground. After the middle row fills up, aim for the top row by shooting the ball at the apex of a jump. As far as when to shoot, do it when the middle row of baskets is completely unaligned with the top row of baskets. Remember that you should always jump before you take a shot.

Toad's Quick Draw

 * Rules: When Toad raises the flag, you have to find the balloon that's the same color and shoot it.
 * Controls:
 * Move Crosshairs
 * Fire
 * Advice: Keep your cursor between the balloons so you can get to any of them as soon as Toad raises the flag.

One of the most important things to remember is that there is no penalty for shooting the wrong balloons. My advice is to keep your cursor on a balloon as they rise and immediately shoot it when Toad raises a flag. There's a chance you'll get lucky, but if it's the wrong balloon, just find the correct color and continue. You can also attempt "rapid-fire", where you continuously tap and simply move your cursor around the screen. This works especially well if you're playing with humans, as it is somewhat disconcerting. However, there is a small lag between shots, and it's quite possible that you could pass over the correct balloon without getting a hit on it.