According to Nintendo Enthusiast, the Bowser’s minions mentioned in the ONM Review will be playable characters at one point in the game. The eight characters include previously playable characters in the Mario Party Series, save for the already confirmed Shy Guy and Koopa Troopa. The list contains:
- Boo
- Dry Bones
- Koopa Kid
- Hammer Bro.
- Blooper
- Birdo
- Shy Guy
- Koopa Troopa
While the news is very exciting because fans have been questioning the lack of playable characters, I would take this with a grain of salt. The Nintendo Enthusiast article contains all the information we already knew from the ONM Review and it looked more like a recap of what we know instead of a preview of their own. This also goes against the report that only 12 characters will be playable in Mario Party 9, but there could be unlock-able characters later in the game.
Thanks to FifthDegreeBurn for the heads up!