Building comparison
head to head
Mario PartyvsMario Party DS
Neither is harder. They score identically on all four axes, so the difference between them is in kind, not degree.
Mario Party
Variance · Pure Chaos
The original board-game party romp where dice and Chance Time happily overrule whoever played best.
Mario Party DS
Variance · Pure Chaos
The shrunken handheld party where touchscreen minigames feed the usual dice-driven chaos.
Mario Party leans Variance (Pure Chaos); Mario Party DS leans Variance (Pure Chaos).
Mario PartyMario Party DS
Axis by axis
Execution4 vs 4
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Mario Party
Stick-rotating and button minigames test hands briefly.
Mario Party DS
Touch and mic minigames test handheld dexterity.
Reads2 vs 2
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Mario Party
Mild rivalry calls in versus minigames.
Mario Party DS
Hex placement lightly targets rivals.
Variance8 vs 8
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Mario Party
Dice rolls and chance time decide most boards.
Mario Party DS
Dice and hex RNG dominate the tiny boards.
Optimization3 vs 3
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Mario Party
Star routing gives a thin strategic layer.
Mario Party DS
Short boards leave little routing depth.
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.