Block Star (Mario Party series)

Block Star is a Rare minigame in Mario Party 6, a Puzzle minigame in Mario Party DS, a Special minigame in Mario Party: The Top 100, and a Sports & Puzzles minigame in Mario Party Superstars. Its name is a pun on "rock star."

Introduction
The minigame starts with four rows of blocks rising from the bottom.

Gameplay
Block Star's gameplay is similar to that of Tetris Attack. A stack of blocks rises from the bottom of the screen, and the player must make five or more blocks of the same color touch to clear them. In order to clear each level, the player must clear all of the blocks with stars on them in each level. If a stack of blocks gets too high (past the lowest bar of the gate, which is indicated by a red line in Superstars), the timer drains more quickly. The game ends if the timer reaches zero. The player can add fifteen seconds to their time by matching blocks with a clock on them. This minigame is one of the three single-player minigames in Mario Party 6 and is unique in this category in having a two-player mode. In the Mario Party DS version, a Mario Party Point is earned for every ten points earned in the game.

In the multiplayer version of this minigame, both players have a five-second time limit. The timer does not start counting down until the stack gets too high; the players must keep the stack below the lowest bar of the gate to keep the timer from counting down. The player who still has time left is the winner. There are blocks with up- and down-facing arrows. Matching blocks with up-facing arrows causes a row of Brick Blocks to appear at the bottom of the opponent's stack, while matching blocks with down-facing arrows causes three Brick Blocks to appear on top of the opponent's stack. In The Top 100 and Superstars, the effects are reversed, and only one Brick Block will appear on the top if an up-facing arrow block is matched. Brick Blocks can be cleared by making a match adjacent to them, or by touching them. In both modes, the music speeds up if a player's stack is too high.

Ending
In single-player mode, the gate closes once time runs out. The player does their winning pose if they got a new record; otherwise, they do their losing pose.

In multiplayer mode, the losing player's gate closes in Mario Party 6 and Mario Party DS, while both gates close in The Top 100 and Superstars. The players then do their winning and losing poses.

Mario Party 6

 * or – Move the cursor
 * Press and hold – Carry block
 * Release – Drop block
 * – Raise stack

Mario Party DS

 * – Move hand
 * – Send piece to top of the stack
 * – Lift stack

Mario Party: The Top 100

 * Move cursor
 * Hold : Carry block
 * Release : Place block on top
 * Move block up

Mario Party Superstars

 * – Move Cursor
 * – Send Block Up
 * + – Carry Block
 * – Raise Blocks

One Player

 * Rules – "Move blocks and link five or more together to make them disappear. Clear away all of the Star Blocks to beat the level."
 * Advice 1 – "Clear away the Time Block to add an extra 15 seconds to the timer! You'll get points for any remaining time when you clear a level."
 * Advice 2 – "Blocks will flash red and drain precious seconds from the timer if they stack too high."

Two Players

 * Rules – "Clear away blocks by connecting five same-colored blocks."
 * Controls 2 – "You can break a brick block by hovering over it with your cursor and pressing ."
 * Advice 1 – "Connect four same-colored blocks to the Up-arrow Block to cause a row of brick blocks to appear at the bottom of your foe's screen."
 * Advice 2 – "Connect four same-colored blocks to the Down-arrow Block to cause brick blocks to fall on your foe's screen."

One Player

 * Rules – "Connect five or more blocks of the same color to clear them. You have to clear a certain number of blocks containing a ★ to finish a level."
 * Tips – "Clear the clock-shaped block to gain more time. Use this strategically!"

Two Players

 * Rules – "Connect five or more blocks for the same color to clear them. The gauge will fall when the blocks rise to the gate. The player whose gauge hits zero loses."
 * Tips – "Clear a block with an arrow on it to cause problems for your opponent!"

Mario Party: The Top 100

 * Description – "Move blocks up to connect the same color! Connect 5 or more blocks to clear them all!"
 * On-screen (Vs. mode) – "Connect 5 or more same-colored blocks to clear them!"
 * On-screen (Endless mode) – "Connect 5 or more same-colored blocks to clear every star block!"

Mario Party Superstars

 * Free Play and Vs. Puzzles: "Connect five or more blocks to remove them! If your timer reaches zero, it's game over. Remove ↑ and ↓ blocks to pester your rival."
 * Score Attack: "Connect five or more blocks to remove them! Eliminate ★s to clear a level. If your timer reaches zero, it's game over."