Block Star (Mario Party series)

Template:Minigame-infobox 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. In Mario Party: The Top 100, this minigame is unlocked after obtaining 100 stars in Minigame Island. Its name is a pun on "rock star."

Introduction

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

Gameplay

In Block Star, a stack of blocks rises from the bottom of the screen, and the player must move blocks to group five or more like-colored blocks together to clear them. The player can move blocks around by carrying a block, and if any like-colored block are grouped together, they will also be carried. Once the group of blocks is released, the blocks will move to the topmost position in each column. Star Blocks (blocks with a star in them) and Time Blocks (blocks with a clock in them) cannot be moved this way, even if they are grouped together with normal like-colored blocks. The player can raise the stack if needed, which will add extra blocks from the bottom. In order to clear each level, the player must clear all of the Star Blocks on them in each level. If at least one column of blocks reached the highest point (past the lowest bar of the gate, which is indicated by a red line in Superstars), the timer drains more quickly and the player cannot raise the stack, unless the blocks in the affected columns are removed to make them shorter. The player starts with 60 seconds, and the game ends if the timer reaches zero. The player can add 15 seconds to their time by matching Time Blocks. Clearing a level also rewards the player with 15 more seconds, and in both cases where the time increases, it cannot exceed 60 seconds. The music speeds up once the timer reaches 10 seconds or the stack is close to the top. 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. With the exception of Mario Party: The Top 100, the player can continue from the level they got a game over on.

The player's score only increases after each level is completed. where the score awarded is different between versions. In Mario Party 6 and Mario Party: The Top 100, the score rewarded is based on the time remaining, so for example, clearing a level at 45 seconds left will reward 45 points. In Mario Party DS, the score rewarded is based on the amount of Star Blocks required to be cleared where it is 10 points per Star Block, so for example, clearing level 1, which has an objective of 1 Star Block, will reward the player with 10 points. In Mario Party Superstars, the score awarded is based on both the the amount of time left and the amount of Star Blocks required to be cleared (10 points per Star Block), so for example, clearing level 1 (objective of 1 Star Block) with 45 seconds left will reward the player with 55 points: 45 from time remaining and 10 points from the one Star Block.

There are five different phases which are separated by each set of levels. In regards to the first, second, and last phases, where the Star Blocks are not found on fixed columns, the Star Blocks in Mario Party 6 and Mario Party DS are grouped more closely, while in Mario Party: The Top 100 and Mario Party Superstars they are generally scattered. Within each of the phases, the levels are as follows:

Level 1 to 15: Blocks come in four colors. Amount of Star Blocks required to be cleared starts from 1 at level 1 and increases by one per level, up to 15 at level 15.
Level 16 to 45: Blocks come in five colors. Amount of Star Blocks required to be cleared starts from 5 at level 16 and increases by one per level, for a maximum requirement of 15 stars from level 26 to 45.
Level 46 to 60: Blocks come in five colors. Amount of Star Blocks required to be cleared starts from 6 at level 46 and increases by one per level, up to 20 at level 60. The Star Blocks are all found in the leftmost column.
Level 61 to 80: Blocks come in four colors. Amount of Star Blocks required to be cleared is 16 for level 61 to 62, 18 for level 63 to 67, and 20 for level 68 to 80. The Star Blocks are all found in both leftmost or rightmost columns.
Level 81 to 99: Blocks come in five colors. Amount of Star Blocks required to be cleared is 16 for level 81 to 82, 18 for level 83 to 87, and 20 for level 88 to 99.

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.

Controls

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
jc-right – Send Block Up
+ jc-right – Carry Block
jc-bottom – Raise Blocks