Bonus Star

"You may have chased earlier! But these gold come to you! Each counts toward your gold total!"

- MC Ballyhoo

Bonus Stars are Stars that are given out at the end of a Battle Royale map in every Mario Party game except Mario Party Advance and Mario Party: Island Tour. They are last-minute bonuses given to players (or teams) who have excelled in a particular field of gameplay during the game itself. So to say, the player who appears to be in first place at the end of the final turn may ultimately lose if an opponent receives enough Bonus Stars to surpass them.

Although Bonus Stars are usually optional, one must play with them in Mario Party; during Story Mode in Mario Party 3, Mario Party 4, and Mario Party 9; and during the Mario Party mode in Mario Party 10. They must play with them off during the story mode of Mario Party DS. Most Mario Party games had three Bonus Stars to be handed out, and while they remained the same for the first six games, later games have mixed things up a fair bit. Starting with Mario Party 7, games have had six potential Bonus Stars that could be awarded, although only three would ever be chosen, and it was random as to which ones would get picked.

In the event of a tie for a Bonus Star, both, three, or all four players would receive one. In Battle Royale and Tag Team Mode, no one would get a Star in the event of a tie. The same goes for Duel Mode in Mario Party DS.

Up until Mario Party 4, Bonus Stars were identical in appearance to standard Stars. However, starting with Mario Party 5, each Bonus Star was given a unique look, with its own color and emblem on it.

In Mario Party 9 and Mario Party 10, Bonus Stars do not function the same way like in other games, since these games do not feature any coins or Stars to collect. Instead, each Bonus Star gives the player five Mini Stars (or ten bananas on DK's Jungle Ruins).

In Mario Party 10, only two Bonus Stars are awarded, mostly because there are only five types of Bonus Stars rather than six. In Mario Party: Star Rush, the number was changed back to three. However, in Super Mario Party and Mario Party Superstars, it was once again changed to two, but three Bonus Stars are given if the game lasts 20 turns in Super Mario Party only, or 30 turns in both Super Mario Party and Mario Party Superstars. In addition, Mario Party Superstars also added the option to have only the three classic Bonus Stars (the Rich, Minigame, and Eventful Stars) to be handed out at the end of the game, similarly to the first five Mario Party installments. This option always has these three Stars given out regardless of turn number.

In Mario Party: Star Rush, Bonus Stars are exclusive to the Balloon Bash mode of the game. As in the regular Toad Scramble, they are called "Bonuses" instead and players receive coins if rewarded with a bonus.

Types of Bonus Stars

 * Coin Star: This Bonus Star first appeared in Mario Party and appeared in every subsequent game up to Mario Party 5. It is awarded to whoever held the most coins at any time during gameplay.
 * Happening Star: Also known as the Event Star, Green Star, Action Star, or ? Star, the Happening Star has appeared in every Mario Party game until Mario Party 9, returning in Super Mario Party as the Eventful Star. It is awarded to whoever landed on the most ? Spaces during gameplay.
 * Minigame Star: The Minigame Star (originally spelled Mini-Game Star and Mini-game Star) has appeared in every Mario Party game to date. It is awarded to whoever collected the most coins in every minigame altogether. Coins won from Battle (pre-Mario Party 5), Duel, Game Guy, and Donkey Kong minigames are not accounted for. In Mario Party 9, Mario Party DS, and Mario Party Superstars, the number of minigame wins is counted instead.
 * Orb Star: Appearing in Mario Party 6, Mario Party 7, Mario Party 8 (as the Candy Star), Mario Party DS, Mario Party: Star Rush, and Super Mario Party (as the Item Star), this Star is given to whoever used the most Orbs, items, or Candies during gameplay. It replaces the Coin Star in Mario Party 6.
 * Red Star: This Bonus Star appears in Mario Party 7 and  Mario Party 8, returning as the Unlucky Star in Super Mario Party. It is given to whoever landed on the most Red Spaces during gameplay. In Super Mario Party, it also counts the number of Bad Luck Spaces and Extra Bad Luck Spaces landed on.
 * Running Star: This Bonus Star appears in Mario Party 7, Mario Party 8, and Mario Party DS, returning as the Sightseer Star in Mario Party: Star Rush and Super Mario Party. It is given to whoever moved the most spaces altogether by rolling the Dice Block.
 * Shopping Star: This Bonus Star appears in Mario Party 7 and Mario Party 8. It is given to whoever spent the most coins at Orb huts and Candy Shops, respectively. Shops that Bowser runs (through Bowser Time) count towards this total.
 * Friendship Star: Appearing only in Mario Party DS, this Bonus Star is given to whoever landed on the most Friend Spaces during gameplay.
 * Hex Star: Appearing only in Mario Party DS, this Bonus Star is given to whoever threw the most Hexes.
 * Dice Block Star: Appearing in Mario Party 9, this Bonus Star is given to whoever used the most Special Dice Blocks throughout the course of the game.
 * Far Star: Appearing in Mario Party 9, this Bonus Star is given to whoever had the highest total from hitting Dice Blocks throughout the course of the game. (This is similar to the Running Star, but it has a description to fit the new vehicular movement mechanic.)
 * Minus Star: Appearing in Mario Party 9, this Bonus Star is given to whoever collected the most Mini Ztars (or Z-Bananas on DK's Jungle Ruins) throughout the course of the game.
 * Slow Star: Appearing in Mario Party 9, this Bonus Star is given to whoever rolled the lowest Dice Block total throughout the course of the game. It reappears in Mario Party: Star Rush and Super Mario Party as the Slowpoke Star.
 * Spin Star: Appearing only in Mario Party 9, this Bonus Star is given to whoever landed on the most Spin Spaces throughout the course of the game.
 * Balloon Star: Appearing in Mario Party: Star Rush, this Bonus Star is given to whoever popped the most balloons.
 * Champion Star: Appearing in Mario Party: Star Rush, this Bonus Star is given to whoever is the "undeniable minigame champion." This likely refers to the player who won every single minigame in a round or won the most out of everyone.
 * Ally Star: Introduced in Super Mario Party, this Bonus Star is given to the player who has collected the most allies in a game.
 * Buddy Star: Introduced in Super Mario Party, this Bonus Star is given to the player who has collected a randomly selected buddy. The game determines the "lucky" buddy when determining which Bonus Stars will appear for the game. This Star is similar to the "Lucky Ally Bonus" seen in Mario Party: Star Rush.
 * Rich Star: Introduced in Super Mario Party and reappearing in Mario Party Superstars, this Bonus Star is awarded to the player who collected the most coins total throughout the game, including coins spent and stolen from them. Unlike the Coin Star in previous installments, it does not calculate who held the most coins at any given time.
 * Doormat Star: Introduced in Super Mario Party, this Bonus Star appears only in the Partner Party mode. It is given to the player who is stomped on the most times by other players. This happens when another player moves through their space.
 * Stompy Star: Introduced in Super Mario Party, this Bonus Star appears only in the Partner Party mode. It is given to the player who stomps on other players the most times. This happens when the player moves through another player's space.
 * Bowser Space Star: Introduced in Mario Party Superstars, this Bonus Star is given to the player who landed on the most Bowser Spaces.