oadstool Tour is a golf game incorporating characters, enemies and themes from the Mario series. As a typical golf game, the player's objective is to hit the ball into the hole using as few strokes as possible. Prior to the swing, the player chooses a club, a general direction and range for the ball to travel. During the swing, the player determines power by timing a button press for a marker to stop at the desired point on a power meter.[4] At this point, the player can choose to influence the direction of the ball by applying spin.[5] Players can alternate between auto and manual shots, with the latter providing the player with more control, albeit at a higher risk of a poor shot. Many of these gameplay aspects, such as spin, are affected by the individual statistics of each character. These relate to features such as control of the ball and the general height of the character's shot, which determines how much the character's play is affected by the wind. At varying stages in the "Character match" mode, characters have a chance to be upgraded into "Star characters", which grants statistical enhancements. To achieve this, the player must defeat a computer-designated artificial intelligence (AI) opponent with a character of their choice, awarding the AI character with the upgrade for use later by the player.[1] The opportunities are only available once an envelope appears beside a character portrait in the selection screen.[6]
There are seven courses in the game, with the later versions featuring more complex terrain and exotic features. The more advanced courses offer a higher frequency of difficult terrain and elevation,[4] as in bunkers, which limit the accuracy and range of shots. There are also hazards such as lava pits and thwomps, which will incur a one-shot penalty if landed on. Each course takes its name from a particular Mario feature, such as "Peach's Castle Grounds", which is themed in particular on the Mushroom Kingdom. This course includes themed hazards such as chain chomps in bunkers, as well as warp pipes to change the location of the ball.[1]
Toadstool Tour contains several gameplay modes and variants of golf, as well as the traditional stroke and match play. The player can choose to play the "Doubles" option in several modes, which allows two players to play alternate strokes as a team. "Coin attack" entails collecting several coins scattered on the course, while "Ring attack" requires the player to direct the ball through rings of varying locations, angles, and diameter while keeping on or under par.[1] Some side games incorporate personal training for the player, such as the side games, which develop approaching, putting, shots, and birdie skills (see types of shots). The main mode is "Tournament mode", which involves the player competing against artificial intelligence opponents on each course to win trophies. The game features interactivity with the Game Boy Advance via the GameCube – Game Boy Advance link cable. Players can transfer their player characters from Mario Golf: Advance Tour to Toadstool Tour and gain experience points through gameplay, which can then be transferred back to Advance Tour; players can also unlock bonus characters in Advance Tour based on their progress in Toadstool Tour.
