"The big party's tonight... and it's going to be totally fabulous!"
Party Mania is a VHS Game for girls centered around getting things done around the house and getting ready for a big party.
Here's what's going on plot-wise. Two boys named Max and Luke have told you, the player, about a party being thrown by the Keller twins, which the whole class is invited to. However, your mother has some chores for you to do around the house, and you can't go to the party unless all your chores are done and you're ready to go by 6:00 PM. Failure means you don't get to go the party and you're stuck at home having dinner with your Aunt Franny and your neighbors, the Schlumper family.
Along the way, you could be helped by friends, or hindered by your family. You also have homework and piano practice to contend with. Remember, you have to have all your chores done and be ready by 6:00 PM, or no party.
Totally fabulous tropes!
- Abhorrent Admirer: The Schlumper brothers.note Aside from being dorky, Wayne and Oscar so want to hang out with you that they will actively sabotage your efforts to go to the party by sticking you with additional Chore Cards.Wayne Schlumper: Just to make sure you don't go to that stupid party, you've gotta take two Chore Cards, right now!Oscar Schlumper: Better make that three, OK?Wayne: We told the Keller twins we couldn't come to their party, 'cause we wanted to be with you!Oscar: We both think you're pretty special.Wayne and Oscar together: Talk to you later, bye!
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Little Billy. His attempts to "help" you with your chores only create an additional mess. Net result, in the kid's own words:Little Billy: Uh-oh, maybe you should take another Chore Card!
- Anti-Frustration Features: Most of the encounters that clear off all of your Chore Cards happen later in the game, giving the player lucky enough to have control at that point a fighting chance if they were behind schedule the whole game.
- Bonus Space: Note Cards, which introduce a challenge of some kind when the in-game clock reaches or passes the time listed on that card. When the challenge is completed, all players concerned get rid of a Chore Card. Only downside: none of the players doing the Note Card can take any turns while dealing with it.
- Coop Multiplayer: Subverted in that it’s every player for themselves, and some of your moves stick other players with additional Chore Cards, but there are the Note Cards which can help all players concerned. Also, the only thing that determines whether you personally win or lose is whether you have a full set of six Get Ready tokens and an empty hand of Chore Cards at 6:00 PM. (You can be ready to go way before then, but it’s more than possible to suddenly get stuck with additional Chore Cards.) To be clear: everyone can win, everyone can lose, or it could be a mixture of the two.
- Evil Aunt: Well, maybe not outright evil, per se, but Aunt Franny will hinder your attempts at going to the party by sticking you with additional chore cards. Subverted the last time she calls in, because she will award the active player a Get Ready token for their efforts.
- The Ghost: The Keller twins, the hosts of the big party, are only mentioned and never seen. They aren't even identified during the party at the end.
- Hot Potato: Whoever is currently taking a turn when you hear the sound of a phone ringing is usually going to be the one affected by the next character to speak. Unlike most examples of this trope, some of the results are actually good, like friends (or reasonable authority figures) helping you with your chores (clearing off some or all of your Chore Cards in the process), or giving you Get Ready tokens. Also, it may affect all players (Mom or Dad letting anyone stuck doing homework or practicing piano back into the game), or someone else entirely (Aunt Franny sticking whoever has the fewest Chore Cards in hand at that point with two more).
- Kaizo Trap: So you've cleared off all your Chore Cards and you have a full set of Get Ready tokens. That means you move directly to the front porch to end your turn. If it comes back to your turn before 6:00 rolls around, you have to take a Mom's Stamp of Approval card. Some do nothing. Others allow you to help another player to clear off Chore Cards. Still others stick you with an additional Chore Card and send you to a specific space on the board. Also, if you’re on the porch early enough, you could have Chore Cards forced on you by another player. Having to take a Chore Card kicks you off the porch and forces you to continue playing. This can be heartbreaking if it happens at the last moment.
- Lethal Chef: Aunt Franny, whose
infamous Jello molds contain sweet potatoes, olives, and sardines. - Losing Horns: Type A. At 6:00 PM in-game, you hear your alarm clock going off, followed by the "Charge" fanfare, ending in a falling-off.
- Luck-Based Mission: It's a Roll-and-Move game, so this is a given. You could be down to one Chore Card, but getting rid of it on the board only works if it matches the section of the board for that card, or if you land on the color space of someone currently playing (landing on another player's space hands one of yours of to them, while your own allows you to get rid of two.)
- Moving the Goalposts: Any encounter that sticks you with additional Chore Cards, especially when your hand is empty of Chore Cards and you’re on the porch at that point.
- Multiple Endings: Immediately after the Losing Horns, you're treated to a scene of Wayne and Oscar Schlumper showing up excited to spend the whole evening with you and about to apply their experimental hair gel to your hair. This is immediately followed by a scene of the party with your friends excited that you made it. Both endings are shown, because 1. It's a VHS tape, and 2. There may be a mix of winners and losers.
- Plot Coupon: The Get Ready tokens. You need to collect one each for nails, hair, shoes, outfit, jewelry, and make-up. (If fewer than 5 are playing, you also need two extras of any kind.) When your hand is empty of Chore Cards at the start of your turn, you get to take one of these.
- Random Encounter: Well, as random as a VHS Game can be, but at various times, you hear a phone ringing. Whoever's currently taking a turn has to deal with the result - good or bad.
- Rapid-Fire Name Guessing: Aunt Franny, who seems to have no idea what your name is, so she keeps shotgunning guesses at your name.
- Right on the Tick: The game ends the moment the on-screen clock hits 6:00 PM. If you want to dodge having to deal with the Mom’s Stamp of Approval cards, you also have to be ready almost exactly at that point, since that gets triggered if the turn makes it back to you.
- Roll-and-Move: The main mechanic of the game.
- Timed Mission: In-game, you have eight hours - from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM - to empty your hand of all Chore Cards and have a full complement of six Get Ready Tokens. In real time terms, you have 30 minutes to pull it off. Note that the only thing that matters is your ready status at the end of the time limit, even if you were ready before then.
- Unwanted Assistance: Little Billy's attempts at helping you get your chores done, which only mess things up more, sticking you with an additional Chore Card.
- Whammy: Aside from spaces and Random Encounters that can stick you with additional Chore Cards, the Stuck Doing Homework and Stuck Practicing Piano spaces on the game board cause anyone unfortunate enough to land on them to have to sit out of the game (except for dealing with Note Cards) until either of your parents call in saying that anyone doing either of those things can return to the game. At 5:02 PM, in-game time,note Mom calls in saying that the Homework and Piano Practice spaces are no longer in play.
