Modder Turns Mario Party Into a Platformer

The original Mario Party holds a special place in the hearts of many gamers. With its unforgettable minigames and cruel twists of fate, the N64 title kicked off a franchise that has undoubtedly ruined some friendships, and definitely resulted in blisters. One thing the game is not known for, however, is its platforming. Modder MrComit is determined to change that with his release of Mario Party 64. The mod reimagines the multiplayer classic as a single-player platformer, turning the game's eight boards into stages, complete with stars to collect. It's a wild mash-up, but it weirdly seems to fit perfectly!

Released in 1999, the original Mario Party had eight boards to play in total: Bowser's Magma Mountain, DK's Jungle Adventure, Eternal Star, Luigi's Engine Room, Mario's Rainbow Castle, Peach's Birthday Cake, Yoshi's Tropical Island, and Wario's Battle Canyon. With the exception of Magma Mountain and Eternal Star, each board was themed after one of the game's playable characters. Mario Party 64's recreation of each of these worlds looks about as faithful as possible, given the change in theme and direction!

Despite the change in genre, Mario Party 64 still has minigames to play, and some of them even look similar to the ones that appeared in the original game. It's a neat touch, and it helps the mod stay close to its roots. The mod has 70 stars to collect in total, and players won't even have to steal any from friends to get them!

Mods like this one by MrComit are really impressive, as they show the kind of dedication the gaming community has to their passions. While some might question the point of projects such as these, they give budding developers an opportunity to show the gaming community what they can do. Sometimes it pays off, too. Christian Whitehead got his start creating fan games of Sonic the Hedgehog, before getting drafted by Sega to develop Sonic Mania. The game released to rave reviews, and is now regarded as one of the best Sonic releases since the Sega Genesis.

It's impossible to say whether or not MrComit's release will catch the attention of Nintendo in the same positive way, but his creation is impressive, regardless!

Are you interested in trying Mario Party 64? What do you think of the mod? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!