Best Mario Party 6 Boards

Alright guys, this is a perfect map in literally every single possible way. It's not just my favourite Mario Party 6 map, but also my favourite Mario Party board of all time! You guys know how much I love experimentation in a game series, especially in Mario Party. It's why I'm not a fan of the earliest titles, and adore the newer games. Well, Clockwork Castle is the KING of experimentation in Mario Party! It manages to make a star hunt so unique and fresh that it's easily the most bizarre Mario Party experience ever! At daytime, Donkey Kong will be the star and after every turn he will move a number of spaces depending on a dice roll. So you must get to him or he must get to you. But at nighttime, DK is replaced by Bowser, and the board is flipped, literally. This is the only map to really make great use of the day/night cycle in this game, almost as if the entire gimmick was born from this very board. While this board concept does sound hectic and luck-based in theory, it works surprisingly well in execution, because there are also pipes that let you travel to different parts of the map quicker, but some are active at some points and some aren't. It's easily one of the most unique concepts ever! And to top of all off, the music is even more perfect, if that makes sense! The melody is iconic, epic, hectic and beautiful in one go! I especially love the night version of this song as it's even more epic, as if the original wasn't badass enough! Overall, this easily tops my list.

Although I don't really seem to like this map as much as some other people, I can't deny it's pretty lit, and S-tier as well! Then again Mario Party 6 has the best board selection in the entire series. What makes this map so great is that money actually matters a lot! Usually in every other map you have a stock of coins you can't even use because the star is far away, but the layout of this map makes it much more valuable. Why? Well instead of a star space spawning on different parts of the map, instead there is a set star space and once you arrive at it, you can buy as many stars as you want. I love this Star Splurge mechanic, because not only does it make it all more strategic, but it's also super satisfying once you do get to buy 5 stars at once! What's even better is the price change gimmick. At daytime, stars always cost 20 coins, but at nighttime it can either be 5, 10, 30 or 40. So it's basically a risk vs. reward board. Speaking of which, that's this entire board. You've got numerous gambling events, where you can risk stars/coins but get double the amount if you succeed. It also works because it's all optional! Overall, this map is amazing!

Linear boards in Classic Mario Party is usually a recipe for disaster. They're usually just boring and monotonous, especially in boards like Pagoda Peak or Goomba's Booty Boardwalk. However, some have actually been pretty good, like Mario's Rainbow Castle or Castaway Bay. Personally, I like this one the most, because even if it's linear, there's still strategy and alternate routes to pick from. You must reach the end and if DK is waiting there, you can get a star, but if it's Bowser, it's the opposite. They switch place after a player has arrived there. So you really need to strategize in choosing the long or short routes, depending on who's waiting at the docks. It makes it one of the most interesting maps in the whole Mario Party saga, not just in terms of linear maps. The music is pretty good too, although I don't care too much for it.

I get pretty annoyed with the constant hate on experimentation with the Mario Party franchise. One type of board in the Mario Party franchise which constantly gets irrational hate are the star-stealing boards. In these boards, you must bribe Chain Chomps in these little pens in order to make them roll dice as well, so that you can ride on them. And if they pass another player, you get one of their stars. That's at least the Mario Party 6 and 7 variant. In 8, you use candy to steal stars. Anyways, I love this concept because it's a nice change of pace from the usual star hunt. While Snowflake Lake isn't my favourite Star-stealing board, it's still nearly as great as my favourite (Bowser's Warped Orbit in 8). What makes this one so good has got to be the visuals and music, which are both absolutely gorgeous! It's one of two winter-themed boards in Mario Party and I'm glad this is one of them, seeing as it's such a joy to play! The layout is also pretty good for a star-stealer. Overall, I think it's really great!

Of course, you can't have a classic Mario Party game without the standard Star Hunt board, and luckily, this game does them the best, especially compared to other entries like 5 or 7. Towering Treetop is one of the far better starting boards, with its interesting board design around a tree, and overall good music and visuals. The day/night change is small compared to other boards, in that some paths open up and close during night, but it's not a game-breaker. Overall, there's not much else to say other than it's great!

This is the other star hunting board in the game, and honestly I don't like it as much as Towering Treetop compared to other people. This is mostly because giant trees are far more interesting and nice to me than exploring a grey engine room. Not to mention that the giant cog wheel changing directions during night is a lot more frustrating than some new paths in Towering Treetop. But I still think it's great, especially since compared to other star hunting boards, this one's at least pretty interesting. But out of the six party mode boards in Mario Party 6, it's definitely my least favourite.

Yes that's right, I'm adding the solo boards to this list as well. Now these are interesting because Mario Party 6 has a very different type of solo mode compared to the other games in the series. The biggest difference is that it's not a story mode-type of solo mode. Instead, the player must traverse a linear path with minigame spaces, and to complete the board, you must land exactly on the End Space or you lose everything. I can tell this mode primarily exists as a way to quicker unlock minigames and grind stars for the star bank, which I like! However, these boards are definitely not as good as the party mode boards. As for the best solo mode board, it's got to be Astro Avenue. Mostly because of the great song that accompanies it, which gives a sense of determination. Plus it looks pretty nice.

The first and shortest Solo mode board, and I mean it's pretty basic. Ironically, it's also the most interesting of the three layout-wise, as it's not just straight lines, which is pretty nice. I like the western setting too a lot, and while the music isn't as great as in Astro Avenue, I dig it.

Mario Party 6 could've been the only game in the series without a single bad board, but I guess the finale Solo board Infernal Tower just had to ruin it..., this one is just so freakin' bland and uninspired, and I'm happy the main Party mode got a much more interesting final board (Clockwork Castle) than the basic lava world. Here you're just climbing up to the top, but the main problem is that not only is the music bland, but if you accidentally land on an Event Space, you go back to the start. Not just that, but the game is purposely made so that you always land on them unless you use Sluggish Shroom, which is absolute crap. I despise this board...