Line #81 Main/MinigameGame


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4
5	[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/WarioWare https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/warioware_gold_300_microgames.png]]]]
6	[[caption-width-right:350:And they're all ''[[QuirkyWork weird]]''.]]
7
8	The opposite of UnexpectedGameplayChange. The game consists of a series of puzzles, challenges and games with very different requirements for defeating them. Sometimes it has a [[BoardGames Board Game]] theme and CompetitiveMultiplayer, at which point it may overlap with PartyGame.
9
10	When the minigames overrun another type of game, that is GameplayRoulette.
11
12	Quite a few TV {{Game Show}}s are also like this, making this trope [[OlderThanTheNES older than video games themselves]].
13	----
14	!!Examples:
15	[[foldercontrol]]
16	[[index]]
17	[[folder:Video Games]]
18	* ''VideoGame/OneTwoSwitch''
19	* ''VideoGame/The3DAdventuresOfSailorMoon''
20	* ''VideoGame/TheSeventhGuest'' and ''The 11th Hour'' feature puzzles scattered across the house, solving each unlocks more rooms and a piece of the story.
21	* ''VideoGame/NineteenEightyX''
22	** VideoGame/{{Clandestiny}} works the same way.
23	* ''VideoGame/Action52''.
24	* ''VideoGame/AdventureFunPak''
25	* ''VideoGame/AmazingIsland'' crosses this with a {{Mons}} game, by allowing you to use as your players monsters you've created.
26	* ''VideoGame/{{Anticipation}}'' for NES
27	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'s Absolutely Fun Day!'' for the Game Boy Color. You have to win 16 minigames (and there are only 10, so you'll have to play some multiple times) to... unlock five more minigames. The minigames themselves include kart racing, sorting candy and books, delivering newspapers, cooking pancakes, and such.
28	* ''VideoGame/BarbieSuperModel''
29	* ''VideoGame/BigFunInFurbyland''
30	* ''VideoGame/BombermanLand''
31	* ''VideoGame/{{Bonkers\|Sega}}'' for the Sega Genesis consists of four mini-games with many levels, which Bonkers has to complete in order to capture one of Toontown's four most wanted criminals.
32	* ''{{VideoGame/Cars}}'' for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS.
33	* ''VideoGame/CartLife''
34	* ''Creator/{{Cinemaware}}'' favored this with their "interactive movies." Each game was built around a story (to the extent that the pause feature was often called an "intermission"), and each aspect of gameplay was a separate minigame.
35	** ''VideoGame/DefenderOfTheCrown'' had a strategic map, battles, and action games for raids, jousting and sieges (where the player controlled a catapult).
36	** ''VideoGame/TheKingOfChicago'' had a VisualNovel quality to its storyline, interspersed with large-scale shootouts, bombings, one-on-one gunfights, and a map-and-ledger area where you managed your gang. Oh, and a random craps minigame.
37	** ''VideoGame/{{SDI}}'' put you in the cockpit of the United States' SDI system, in charge of both piloting a space fighter (both to shoot down Soviet craft and repair your satellites) and the satellites' laser systems (to shoot down each wave of Soviet missiles), as well as managing the repairs on everything. And you have to constantly switch between these tasks in the middle of a war. Finally, [[spoiler: in the endgame, you have to fly over to the Russian station to rescue your CapuletCounterpart through a shooting sequence.]]
38	* ''VideoGame/ClubhouseGames'' is a collection of board games, card games, skill games and more.
39	* ''VideoGame/CookServeDelicious''
40	* ''VideoGame/CookingMama''
41	* The ''VideoGame/{{Coraline}}'' video game is a rare blend of an ActionAdventure game involving a ''lot'' of minigames.
42	* ''VideoGame/CrashBandicootPurpleRiptosRampage'', one of the VideoGame/CrashBandicoot / Franchise/SpyroTheDragon crossover games for the UsefulNotes/GameboyAdvance.
43	** ''VideoGame/SpyroOrangeTheCortexConspiracy'', the other crossover game.
44	* ''VideoGame/DangerousHighSchoolGirlsInTrouble''
45	* ''VideoGame/DevolverBootleg'' is a collection of [[VideoGameDemake demakes]] by Creator/DevolverDigital based on their other titles.
46	* ''[[VideoGame/DrBrain The Castle of Dr. Brain]]'', an {{Edutainment}} game created by Creator/{{Sierra}} in the early 90's which featured a long sequence of puzzles, each meant to test a different mental skill. It featured, among many others, a MagicSquarePuzzle, a jigsaw puzzle, a maze, and so on. The original game was followed by several sequels.
47	* ''VideoGame/FeelTheMagic: XY/XX'' and ''The Rub Rabbits!'', basically Sega's answer to ''[=WarioWare=]''.
48	* The ''Lolo'' series. Ostensibly just brain teaser games, they tend to vary widely among logic puzzles, problems with unobvious solutions, and even a little arcade action.
49	* ''VideoGame/FinalLegacy'', which attaches multiple minigames to a main metagame.
50	* ''VideoGame/FuzionFrenzy''
51	* ''VideoGame/GanbareNeoPokeKun'' for the Neo Geo Pocket Color features a virtual pet who creates minigames.
52	* ''VideoGame/GeekwadSeries'': Both ''Wacky Funsters: A Geekwad's Guide To Gaming'' and ''The Geekwad: Games Of The Galaxy'' mostly consist of playing five minigames.
53	* ''VideoGame/GoVacation'' is a collection of sports and other activities contained within a large island hub.
54	* The flash game series ''VideoGame/HoshiSaga''.
55	* [[/index]]Several mid-1980s games by Tim Huntington combined different arcade games. Each individual minigame would have made an OK standalone game [[TechnologyMarchesOn back then]].
56	** In ''Despatch Rider'' you drive your bike through a maze-like city. At the destination you either catch parcels thrown out of windows, or throw parcels through addressees' doors.
57	** In ''Fire Chief'' you alternatively drive a car with a flasher through the crowded highway or rescue important objects from a burning building. Also featured a semi-comprehensible cutscene.[[index]]
58	* ''VideoGame/IncredibleCrisis'' for the [=PS1=].
59	* Creator/CliffJohnson's {{puzzle game}}s (''VideoGame/TheFoolsErrand'', ''VideoGame/AtTheCarnival'', ''VideoGame/ThreeInThree'') fall into this genre.
60	* There is also this semi-obscure PC game of ''Film/{{Jumanji}}'' which was a group of themed "levels" selected individually based on the movie, with no end other than dying and typing in your high score (like Donkey Kong without the kill screen). There actually was one level that could be beaten.
61	* In ''VideoGame/KittyPowersMatchmaker'', the date portion involves completing a number of random small tasks ranging from calculating a bill, completing a simple match 3 game, to remembering one of the date's interests. This is also present in ''Kitty Powers' Love Life'', where responding to a villager's Partner Panic alert involves minigames such as finding the correct pipe to fix the boiler and spraying the bugs infesting their partner's newly bought fruit.
62	* ''VideoGame/{{Kuukiyomi}}'' is a series of minigame games where the player is thrust into a series of "situations" and has to figure out what to do, like a slower-paced version of ''Warioware''.
63	* ''VideoGame/LandfallArchives''
64	* ''VideoGame/LaterAlligator'': Each of the gators provides a puzzle, usually in three rounds, you need to solve to progress with the questioning.
65	* ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarryMagnaCumLaude'', which takes the rough premise of the old ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarry'' games (loser tries to get laid) and swaps out the PointAndClickGame elements in favor of minigames for conversation, dancing, playing quarters, streaking, and other WackyFratboyHijinx.
66	* ''VideoGame/LooneyTunesDuckAmuck''
67	* Given a unique twist in ''VideoGame/MarioAdventure'': World 7, "Desert Dares", where each level is just one screen, with a catch, you either have to make a tricky jump, collect all the coins in time, or survive for a certain amount of time.
68	* ''VideoGame/MarioParty''. Like so many other things that Mario has done, it's also the TropeCodifier. Games with their own pages:
69	** ''VideoGame/MarioParty1''
70	** ''VideoGame/MarioParty2''
71	** ''VideoGame/MarioParty3''
72	** ''VideoGame/MarioParty4''
73	** ''VideoGame/MarioParty5''
74	** ''VideoGame/MarioParty6''
75	** ''VideoGame/MarioPartyAdvance''
76	** ''VideoGame/MarioParty7''
77	** ''VideoGame/MarioParty8''
78	** ''VideoGame/MarioPartyDS''
79	** ''VideoGame/MarioParty9''
80	** ''VideoGame/MarioPartyIslandTour''
81	** ''VideoGame/MarioParty10''
82	** ''VideoGame/MarioPartyStarRush''
83	** ''VideoGame/MarioPartyTheTop100''
84	** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioParty''
85	** ''VideoGame/MarioPartySuperstars''
86	* Creator/MicroProse was doing this often during the late 80's and early 90's.
87	** ''VideoGame/SidMeiersPirates'': The main premise is, of course, a real-time naval simulator with RPGElements that govern your abilities in various areas. [[PreExistingEncounters Engaging another vessel]] [[FightWoosh takes you to]] a smaller-scale real-time combat map where you duel the enemy ship. Cargo (pirated or otherwise) can be sold in local ports, where you can also engage in {{Adventure Game}}-style dialogue at the local tavern. Dancing and swordfighting are both {{Rhythm Game}}s, land combat is TurnBasedStrategy, prison escapes are {{Stealth Based Mission}}s... The list goes on.
88	** In ''VideoGame/CovertAction'', the theme is espionage, and you need to play minigames for decrypting messages, placing wiretaps, breaking into terrorist cells, and tailing suspects in your car. Then there's ''VideoGame/SwordOfTheSamurai'', with three completely different kinds of real-time combat (one-on-one swordfight, group melee inside or outside, and army-on-army battles). Unfortunately, neither game was as successful as ''Pirates!''.
89	* ''VideoGame/MiniMixMayhem'' for [[MobilePhoneGame mobile devices.]]
90	* ''VideoGame/MinnaNoTennis'', a GBA game based on ''Manga/ThePrinceOfTennis''.
91	* ''VideoGame/MizuiroBlood''
92	* ''VideoGame/MuppetAdventureChaosAtTheCarnival''
93	* ''[[VideoGame/MySims MySims Party]]''
94	* ''VideoGame/NESRemix'' does this with several NES games.
95	* ''VideoGame/NightOfTheLivingRobot'' consists of four minigames in noticeably different styles, each representing one of Felix's nightmares.
96	* ''VideoGame/NintendoLabo'''s Variety Kit offers a set of minigames to play with the included Toy-Con patterns.
97	* ''VideoGame/NintendoLand'' might count depending on one's definition of minigame. The game's main 12 games have roughly the level of depth of NES titles, but it's still a collection of games that are simple by the standards of 2012.
98	* ''VideoGame/NitorIncTouhouMicrogames'', a ''Franchise/TouhouProject''-themed FanGame based on ''[=WarioWare=]''.
99	* ''VideoGame/{{Norrland}}''
100	* ''[[VideoGame/PacManFever2002 Pac-Man Fever]]''
101	* ''VideoGame/PacManParty''
102	* ''VideoGame/PeterPanic''
103	* [[/index]]''TabletopGame/{{Pictionary}}'' for the NES, due to the original's [[SlidingScaleOfObjectiveVsSubjectiveGames subjective nature]].[[index]]
104	* ''VideoGame/Planet404''
105	* ''VideoGame/PlaystationMoveHeroes''
106	* ''VideoGame/PointBlank1994''.
107	** [[/index]]''Tenkomori Shooting'' is a {{spinoff}} of ''Point Blank'', as a VerticalScrollingShooter rather than a LightGunGame.[[index]]
108	* ''VideoGame/PortaBoyPlus'' is a DisguisedHorrorStory that combines this with SurvivalHorror, with the minigames rewarding the funds that you need to survive the horrors.
109	* ''VideoGame/ProfessorLayton'' consists of dozens and dozens of individual brainteasers tied together with a mystery story.
110	* ''VideoGame/PuzzlePirates'' does this in a massive-multiplayer environment. Some of the puzzles are somewhat similar, with slightly different rules, but some are quite different from the rest (like the Alchemy puzzle and Battle Navigation). New mini-games are introduced periodically for actions that used to be automatic.
111	* ''VideoGame/RavingRabbids''
112	* ''VideoGame/RetroGameChallenge'' is similar to this, but the games themselves are full length games. So it's more like a... Game Game?
113	* All of the games in the ''VideoGame/RhythmHeaven'' series.
114	* ''VideoGame/RugratsRoyalRansom'': Justified as the game takes place in a playground-like machine built by Stu.
115	* ''VideoGame/SabrinaTheAnimatedSeriesMagicalAdventure''
116	* ''VideoGame/SalamanderCountyPublicTelevision''
117	* ''VideoGame/ShmupsSkillTest'', as part of the premise of testing your ShootEmUp abilities.
118	* ''VideoGame/SonicShuffle''.
119	** ''VideoGame/SonicAndTheSecretRings'' uses a board game format for its multiplayer game.
120	* ''VideoGame/SpongeBobSquarePantsLightsCameraPants'' ([=PS2=], Xbox and Gamecube versions) has the players compete in minigames to star in [[ShowWithinAShow a movie]]. Each area/scene has three varied minigames to play in.
121	* ''VideoGame/SpongeBobSquigglePants''
122	* ''VideoGame/{{Spookware}}'': A cute and horror-themed take on the genre in an episodic adventure format.
123	* ''VideoGame/StayTooned'' is a point-and-click game densely populated by minigames with the point-and-click aspects greatly downplayed. Minigames range from a single-screen PlatformGame to a TestYourStrengthGame to a trivia quiz to a full-on parody of Franchise/MortalKombat. Some minigames are required to proceed, some provide rewards if cleared or certain milestones achieved, and most are just for you to have fun playing and beat the challenge scores provided. Due to the [[ItRunsOnNonsensoleum unpredictable nature]] of the game, minigames can turn up almost anywhere.
124	* ''VideoGame/{{Thrillville}}'' has a variety of minigames players can partake in based on what they include in their theme parks, from arcade games to FPS segments where they take on robot adversaries.
125	* ''VideoGame/TimeCruise'' can be seen as this, as [[DigitalPinballTables the main pinball game]] is seen by some players as a mechanism to activate the various minigames.
126	* [[Creator/MidwayGames Bally/Midway]] made games that are basically four games that must be played over and over to complete a level:
127	** ''{{VideoGame/TRON}}''
128	** ''VideoGame/Journey1983'' arcade game based on the rock band Music/{{Journey\|Band}}.
129	* ''VideoGame/UniversalStudiosThemeParkAdventure''
130	* ''VideoGame/WarioWare''. Many of the games lasting precisely five seconds. They're so small that they're considered ''micro''games. Games with individual pages:
131	** ''VideoGame/WarioWareIncMegaMicrogames''
132	** ''VideoGame/WarioWareIncMegaPartyGames''
133	** ''VideoGame/WarioWareTwisted''
134	** ''VideoGame/WarioWareTouched''
135	** ''VideoGame/WarioWareSmoothMoves''
136	** ''VideoGame/WarioWareSnapped''
137	** ''VideoGame/WarioWareDIY'' (also includes ''D.I.Y. Showcase'')
138	** ''VideoGame/GameAndWario''
139	** ''VideoGame/WarioWareGold''
140	** ''VideoGame/WarioWareGetItTogether''
141	* ''VideoGame/WiiSports'', ''VideoGame/WiiPlay'', ''VideoGame/WiiPlayMotion'', and ''VideoGame/WiiSportsResort''. ''VideoGame/WiiParty'' also has very heavy elements of this trope, especially Board Game Island.
142	* ''[[VideoGame/ThoseGames YEAH! YOU WANT "THOSE GAMES," RIGHT? SO HERE YOU GO! NOW, LET'S SEE YOU CLEAR THEM!]]'', which is a collection of puzzles based on [[NeverTrustATrailer false advertisements for mobile phone games]].
143	* [[/index]]''Lazy Jones'' for the C64.
144	* ''Help Wanted''
145	* ''VideoGame/BishiBashi''
146	* ''The 3 Stooges''
147	* ''Ken Uston's Puzzle Panic'' for the Commodore 64.
148	* The ''Puzzle & Action'' series (''Tant-R'', ''Ichidant-R'', ''Sand-R'').
149	* ''Franchise/{{Goosebumps}} [=HorrorLand=]''
150	* ''Pigs In Space'', an Platform/{{Atari 2600}} game based on a segment from ''Series/TheMuppetShow'', was three minigames in one, based on ''VideoGame/SpaceInvaders'', ''VideoGame/{{Frogger}}'', and ''VideoGame/{{Vanguard}}''.
151	* An old DOS game named ''Fun House'' had the player performing three random challenges before eventually running through a maze.
152	[[/folder]]
153
154	[[folder:Game Shows]]
155	[[index]]
156	* ''Series/AmericanGladiators''
157	* ''Series/BeatTheClock'' (1950)
158	* ''Series/TheCrystalMaze''
159	* ''Series/TheCube''
160	* ''[[Series/{{Dont}} Don't]]''
161	* ''Series/DoubleDare1986'' becomes this when a team chooses to take a Physical Challenge instead of answering a question.
162	* ''Series/EllensGameOfGames''
163	* ''Series/ElGranJuegoDeLaOca''
164	* ''Series/FamilyChallenge''
165	* ''Series/FamilyGameNight''
166	* ''Series/HighRollers'': The 1987 revival, which involved a series of mini-games where prizes were determined by the roll of a die. These games would be played only by provisionally earning the right to play the game (through clearing the column where it was placed with a good roll) and then later winning the game. Typical games assigned numbers to various prizes or outcomes, with prizes awarded depending on the outcome. Examples:
167	** An "'''Around the World'''" game saw five different destinations announced and assigned a number from 1 to 5, and the contestant won that trip by rolling that number; rolling a 6 won all the trips (hence, a "trip around the world") and a cash bonus.
168	** "'''Wink's Garage Sale'''," which contained usually four prizes of $500-2,000, a grand prize of more than $3,000, and a smaller prize of up to $100.
169	** "'''Dice Derby'''," which saw two horses - "Odd" and "Even" - compete in a race, with a particular horse advancing one space depending on the number rolled. Depending on which horse finished first, one awarded a cash prize (usually, $1,000) and the other a grand prize of a trip, a fur coat or a car.
170	* ''Series/HollywoodGameNight'', where two teams of celebrities lead by a non-famous contestant play several games to see which team can make it to the BonusRound.
171	* ''Series/LetsMakeADeal'' (1963)
172	* ''Series/MinuteToWinIt''
173	* ''Series/NickelodeonGuts''
174	* ''Series/OneThousandHeartbeats''
175	* ''Series/ThePriceIsRight'': The 1972 revival, initially titled ''The New Price is Right'' and still airing to this day, retooled the format to focus more on having contestants play "pricing games" to win prizes, after earning their way on-stage by competitively guessing the price of an item without going over. The original version of the format, circa 1956, placed a larger focus on the bidding aspect.
176	* ''Series/RichardOsmansHouseOfGames''
177	* ''Series/SchlagDenRaab''
178	* ''Series/TimeMachine'' (1985)
179	* ''Tokyo Friend Park II''
180	[[/folder]]
181	[[/index]]

Context Main / MinigameGame