Star Power
Star Power, sometimes also referred to as SP, is a special form of energy featured in the first two installments of the Paper Mario series. In both games, Star Power is used to fuel Special Moves, a set of unique combat techniques that require Mario to use a special power taught by an entity like a Star Spirit or a Crystal Star.
Breaking from the tradition of the series, Star Power is no longer prominent in the third installment of the series, Super Paper Mario, and onward. The lack of Star Power in the subsequent games disables some of the features known from its predecessors, namely the possibility to perform Special Moves.
Appearances
Paper Mario
In Paper Mario, Mario receives the ability to gather Star Power after he rescues Eldstar from the Koopa Bros., and he also learns his first Special Move from him. After that, another unit of Star Power is added to Mario's disposal for every Star Spirit he rescues. Along with each Star Spirit, Mario also learns new Special Moves for each Star Spirit which consume one to three SP when used. Mario's amount of Star Power is represented by colorful bars at the top of the screen. When the gauge is not completely full it will slightly refill during battle. It takes eight turns to fully recharge one SP bar. However, the player can also speed up this process by using the Focus-Command, letting Mario regain half of an SP bar in exchange for one turn.
Special Moves
| Name | SP used | Star Spirit required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refresh | 1 | Eldstar | A recovery technique that restores both five Heart Points and Flower Points. |
| Lullaby | 1 | Mamar | Affects all enemies and has a chance to put them to sleep. |
| Star Storm | 2 | Skolar | Summons a rain of stars dealing damage of seven points to each enemy, much like a Shooting Star. |
| Chill Out | 2 | Muskular | Decreases the attack power of all enemies by three points. |
| Smooch | 3 | Misstar | A recovery move which regenerates twenty of Mario's Heart Points. |
| Time Out | 2 | Klevar | Affects all enemies and immobilizes them, similar to a Stop Watch. |
| Up and Away | 2 | Kalmar | Has a chance to instantly defeat all enemies in battle. |
| Star Beam/Peach Beam | 0 | All (including Twink for the Peach Beam) | An attack that pierces and nullifies Bowser's invincibility casted upon him by the Star Rod. The attack is later upgraded by Twink and becomes the Peach Beam. |
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Mario gains access to Star Power after the prologue by holding aloft the Magical Map in front of the Thousand-Year Door. Like in the previous game, Mario's Star Power will increase with every Crystal Star he obtains and he will also learn new Special Moves. Unlike before, the Star Power gauge is now composed of up to eight dots, each representing one unit of Star Power. It can be recharged during a battle by the audience when Mario performs successful attacks or appeals to the audience. Outside battle it can be restored fully by staying at an inn. SP recovery can be augmented greatly by executing at least one Stylish Move, getting a BINGO or wearing certain Badges; the rate of regeneration on attacks is also boosted when Mario or his partner is in Danger or Peril, or a Trial Stew has been used.[1] It is also possible to get an SP Boost by using the Appeal-Command. In each case the amount of restored SP differs depending on the size and composition of the audience.
Special Moves
| Name | SP used | Item required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet Treat | 1 | Magical Map | A weak technique that slightly restores Heart Points and Flower Points. |
| Earth Tremor | 2 | Diamond Star | An attack using shock waves that deals up to six points of damage to all enemies. |
| Clock Out | 2 | Emerald Star | Produces a huge time bomb that immobilizes its targets and affects either Mario's team, the enemy group, or the audience. |
| Power Lift | 3 | Gold Star | Increases the attack and defense stats of Mario and his current partner. |
| Art Attack | 4 | Ruby Star | Summons a small cursor and lets the player circle around the enemies. Each complete circle causes up to three points of damage to the enclosed enemies. |
| Sweet Feast | 5 | Sapphire Star | A recovery move resembling Sweet treat, though it's more powerful and can restore more Heart Points and Flower Points. |
| Showstopper | 2 | Garnet Star | Has a chance to instantly defeat all enemies in battle. |
| Supernova | 6 | Crystal Star | Deals up to fifteen points of damage to each enemy on the battlefield. |
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | スターパワー Sutā pawā |
Star Power |
| Chinese | 星之能量[2] Xīng zhī Néngliàng |
Star Power |
| German | Sternenergie |
Star Energy |
References
- ^ http://ml.techyoshi.com/index.php/topic,142.0.html
- ^ iQue's Paper Mario instruction booklet, page 22.
