Point

Point is a term used in the Mario games. It is acquired by defeating enemies or bosses, collecting Coins, etc. The total of all received points is usually called the Score. The first Mario game to include points was the original Donkey Kong arcade game, where they determine the player's ranking. In Super Paper Mario, points are used to level up the characters, replacing Star Points in the first and the second Paper Mario games.

While in many games points serve some purpose (in Super Mario Land, for example, they let Mario continue after a Game Over if he has enough of them), they are rather useless in other games and serve only as a secondary goal, such as in Super Mario World and the New Super Mario Bros. series. In Super Mario 3D Land, points are replaced completely by Coins. In Super Mario 3D World, they reappear with a major role only in multiplayer mode: the game keeps track of points for each player, and displays the totals at the end of each level. (Any points earned while riding Plessie are awarded to all players.) The player with most points gets a crown as a prize. It is worth 5000 points if a player wears it to the end of the next level. It can be lost if the player who holds it gets hit by an enemy and can be stolen if a player Ground Pounds on the crowned character. If the crowned player grabs a Double Cherry, only one instance of their character wears the crown.

The concept of points is also used in the Mario Kart series. In the Grand Prix and Versus modes, they are awarded based on the player's finishing position. At the end of the tournament, the player with the most points gets a gold Cup, and the second- and third-place finishers receive silver and bronze trophies. Points are also used in Battle mode, with different uses throughout the games. In Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Kart DS, the player can set a rule that makes the winner gain a point, and (in Mario Kart DS only) win the match when reaching a predetermined number of points. In Mario Kart Wii, the player earns a point for every balloon popped or Coin collected. At the end, the teams' points are totaled and the team with more wins the match. Winning a predetermined number of matches means winning the battle. In Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart 8, points work as in Mario Kart Wii, but are summed individually. In Balloon Battle, players can earn an unlimited number of points, but in Mario Kart 7's Coin Runners game, a player can earn only 10 points per battle due to the game's limit of 10 coins carried at a time.

Various Mario sports titles use the concept in various ways like shooting a basketball into the net in Mario Hoops 3-on-3 and Mario Sports Mix, and scoring goals in the Mario Strikers series.

In the first Super Mario Bros., the player can earn this series of points by jumping on multiple enemies without touching the ground: 100 - 200 - 400 - 500 - 800 - 1000 - 2000 - 4000 - 8000 - 1UP - 1UP - 1UP ..., while in the New Super Mario Bros. series, the chain is different: 200 - 400 - 800 - 1000 - 2000 - 4000 - 8000 - 1UP - 1UP - 1UP ..., and also applies when defeating enemies while under the effect of a Star. If the player starts a chain of jumps from a Hammer Bro., the chain starts at 1000. In Super Mario 3D World, the system is slightly different: 200 - 400 - 800 - 1000 - 2000 - 4000 - 8000 - 1UP - 200 - 400 - 800 ... .