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7. Fruits of Doom – Mario Party 4
Type: Bowser minigame
The Bowser minigames in Mario Party 4 were an interesting twist on the series’ luck games. Instead of just being a luck game with aesthetic changes, Bowser minigames typically had some kind of skill element to them that made them stand out. While they were all fun in their own right, I definitely had the most fun with Fruits of Doom.
In Fruits of Doom, each character is basically enslaved by Bowser and is forced to bring him fruit to eat. Bowser specifies exactly what fruits he wants in his beginning dialog, which scrolls slowly at first but then ends up scrolling so fast that it’s barely readable. This is where the game differs from other luck games in the series, as it gives the player a chance to memorize as many fruits as possible. However, in the event that each player cannot remember which fruit Bowser needs, it transitions back into a complete luck game. The game can become nerve wracking at this juncture, as Bowser often taunts the player by raising the presented fruit to his mouth, but then stopping to look at it again for a second thought before either eating it or throwing it away.
Once one player picks the wrong fruit, that player loses and the game is over. That’s the beauty of Bowser minigames like Fruits of Doom, as there are no winners in the traditional sense. If anything, Bowser is always the winner, and he reaps some hefty rewards by enacting a random, harsh penalty on the losing player.
