Party in the Clouds with Mario

Mario Party: Island Tour has launched in South Africa for Nintendo 3DS consoles. The game can be played with up to three players using the Nintendo 3DS system’s Download Play Feature.

Join Mario and friends for a party in the clouds in Mario Party: Island Tour, launching in South Africa for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. One copy of the game can be enjoyed with up to three other players, using the Nintendo 3DS system’s Download Play feature.

This latest installment of the madcap virtual board game has broader appeal than before, with seven new game boards, 80 addictive minigames and a variety of modes for family and friends to enjoy.

Players can choose from a range of Nintendo characters, such as Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Peach and Toad, and party across 7 themed game boards, each with different goals and play styles. For instance, they can play chicken with Banzai Bills on Banzai Bill’s Mad Mountain and try their luck to see whether risky moves get them to the finish first, or collect boosters to tune up their rocket and race to the finish on Rocket Road. Each game board has its own range of special cards or dice that could turn the tide of the game and are won through minigames.

In Mario Party: Island Tour the players can choose whether more skill or luck will be required when they pick a game boards, and determine the difficulty level of the minigames.

Alternatively, they can jump straight into minigames in a dedicated mode, competing with friends or playing solo across 80 minigames. New minigames integrate the features of the Nintendo 3DS system in fun new ways, such as the microphone in Soundalike Star Show, where players try to impersonate favourite Nintendo characters, while in Ready, Aim, Fuzzy! they use motion controls to target a bow and arrow and try to take out as many Fuzzies as possible.

There are also brand new AR minigames that use the AR Card that is bundled with every Nintendo 3DS system, to conjure an augmented reality where a special range of minigames can be played. For instance, there’s a tower that needs to be physically moved around 360¬∞ to see all the obstacles so it can be climbed.

Many features can also be enjoyed solo, from playing against computer controlled characters across many of the game boards to the new single player Bowser’s Tower mode, which challenges players to reach the top as they try their hands at minigames of ever-increasing difficulty: succeed to advance up one floor, else it’s game over.

There are battles unique to this mode, such as a fight against a stack of Goombas, with plenty more colourful challenges on the way to the top. In addition, StreetPass is employed in a mode where players can meet Mii characters of other Mario Party: Island Tour players. They can then battle their favourite Nintendo character in random minigames to earn Mario Party Points, which can be use to purchase unlockables at the in-game shop.

Mario Party: Island Tour is available both as a digital download from the Nintendo eShop, and in a packaged version at retail for R499.

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