That said, there are definitely some missing pieces that keep it from being a memorable entry in the franchise.' GameSpot commended the game's usage of four-player local download play, great minigame designs, and also Island Tour 's single-player mode, but criticized 'a few bad games in the bunch', and the lack of online play. GamesRadar said, ' Island Tour isn't the Mario Party you remember, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Game Revolution praised the 7 new boards and boss minigames however, the repetitive gameplay, character voices and board music were criticized. In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of all four eights, for a total of 32 out of 40. Island Tour received 'mixed' reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. There are 10 playable characters: Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, Wario, Waluigi, Yoshi, Boo, Toad, and Bowser Jr., who is unlocked by beating all 30 floors of Bowser's Tower. The game has 7 boards: Perilous Palace Path, Banzai Bill's Mad Mountain, Star-Crossed Skyway, Rocket Road, Kamek's Carpet Ride, Shy Guy's Shuffle City, and Bowser's Peculiar Peak/Bowser's Bizarre Volcano (which is unlocked by completing every board except for Shy Guy's Shuffle City). Each board has its own rules, such as racing to the finish and using items to enhance the amount of spaces advanced as well as hinder opponents and collecting the most Mini Stars to win.

The minigames can be played any time, even when not on a game board the game also features AR ( augmented reality) and StreetPass.

By rolling the Dice Block or using a card, the player advances on the game board and might trigger an event or minigame. The gameplay is similar to previous installments in the Wii Party and Mario Party series. Mad Ladders/Rung Direction, one of the 81 minigames with four players

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