The Status Bar
The Status Bar at the top of the screen displays important information.
Heart Points (HP) Check to see how healthy you are. You will lose HP when you take damage from an enemy.
Flower Points (FP) Use FP for Badge attacks and special attacks.
Badge Points (BP) Use BP to equip Badges.
Star Points Earn Star Points by defeating enemies. You need 100 to move up a level.
Coins Use coins for buying items or Badges. You can carry up to 999 coins.
Star Powers Use for Star Spirit Powers.
Field Screen Controls
Control Stick Move in any direction. Your speed will change depending on how far you press the Control Stick. Press it a little to walk slowly, or press it further to run. Walk across pathways or enter pipes to move on to new screens. (To enter a pipe, stand on the pipe, then press down on the Control Stick.) When a cursor appears on the screen, use the Control Stick to select items and attacks or to answer questions.
Z Button Spin round and round. Use Z along with the Control Stick to do a Spin Dash. Using this technique, you can move even faster than you do when you're running, but you'll be unable to move for a short time afterwards. Be careful using this technique when enemies are nearby. You can also use Z during conversations to review previous messages.
A Button Jump on enemies, jump to higher places, hit blocks in midair and more! When you come close to a person and a speech cloud appears, press A to speak to the person. If a star appears on the lower-right corner of the text bubble, press A again to continue reading. If you approach something and a red "!" mark appears, press A to do an action. For example, opening doors or searching through bushes can be done. Sometimes, when you talk to a person or approach an object that requires you to give or use a Key Item, a window will automatically appear and allow you to select the Key Item to give or use. Sometimes, you must give or use plain Items.
B Button Hit blocks, trees, and other objects on the ground with a hammer and speed up conversation. (You must find the hammer in the game before you can use B.) Yellow Blocks - When you find one of these blocking a path, use the Hammer to clear the way.
Hitting Blocks from Below
Brick Blocks See if there are coins or other items inside.
? Blocks Find hidden coins or items.
Red ? Blocks Find hidden Badges inside.
Save Block Save your game.
Heart Blocks Recover HP and FP.
Super Block Move one of your Party Members up a level.
Switch Make something happen nearby.
Power Up Your Jump and Hammer
Each time you find new Boots or a new Hammer, the power of your jump or Hammer attack will increase.
Spin Jump Jump, then press A at the right time to do a midair flip and pound the ground.
Super Hammer Use the Super Hammer to break blocks that are harder than normal Yellow Blocks.
C UP Button Get information, such as HP and FP, from the Status Bar at the top of the screen. The Status Bar will stay on the screen as you move around on the Field Screens. Press C UP again to make the Status Bar disappear. The Status Bar will also appear automatically if you stand still for a while.
C LEFT Button Use an item. Make your selection from the Item Menu, then press A. Press B to cancel. (Items in gray cannot be used in the Field Screen.)
Examples of Items
Mushroom Restore 5 HP.
Honey Syrup Restore 5 FP.
Fire Flower * Throw fireballs that burn all enmies.
Sleepy Sheep * Put all enemies to sleep temporarily.
Stone Cap * Prevent damage. (You can't move while using this item.)
Thunder Bolt * Stike one enemy with a lightning bolt.
* These items can be used only during battle.
How Much Can You Carry?
You can carry only ten items at a time. If you already have ten items when you find a new one, you must throw away one you're carrying before you can pick up the new one. If you discard an item, it will appear briefly on the Field Screen but will disappear shortly thereafter. Key Items are carried separately, so they are not included in this ten-item limit.
C Down Button Use a buddy's ability. Each Party Member's abilities are different. Press B or C DOWN to cancel some of them.
C Right Button Switch friends if you have two or more of them.
Using Party Members
Party Members are steadfast pals who want to help you on your adventure. Along the way, you'll meet more and more of them, each with his or her own special abilities. They can help you clear obstacles that appear on the Field Screens, and they can go into battle with you. Only one Party MEmber can appear on screen with you at a time, so only that buddy's abilities are available to you on both Field and Battle Screens. Switch teammates to use the one that's best suited to face a certain enemy or overcome a specific obstacle. You can also use Super Blocks to increase your allies' levels.
START Button Press START to pause your game and view information about Mario. You can also equip Badges on this screen. Use the Control Stick to select information, then press A to get details. Press B or START to return to the game.
Using the Menu Screen
MARIO
Get information about Mario. View current level, HP, FP, BP, current boots, current Hammer, current Star Power, current Star Points, current Coins, current Star Pieces, and total Play Time. You can also learn the controls for the game here.
BADGES
This allows you to view all of your badges, your active badges, and equip or take off badges. You get to also read their effects and view how much BP they require to use.
ITEMS
You can check to see the items you are carrying. Items are carried in different places, depending on the type of item. Use the Control Stick to choose an item, then press A to confirm your selection. You cannot actually use an item on this screen. To use items, press C LEFT on a Field Screen or you can use them during Battle Screens. Key Items - These are important items, such as those that are necessary to get through certain parts of the game and those that you give to other people. You can carry an unlimited number of Key Items, and you can't throw them away.
PARTY
Check on your teammates' stats. You can view their currently-learned abilities, learn about them and their Field abilities, and view their ranks. You can't actually switch party members here; it is done by pressing C RIGHT on the Field Screens or switching during Battle Screens.
SPIRITS
See which Star Spirits you have rescued. You have view their descriptions and the powers they provide you with as well.
MAP
View a map of the world and get simple descriptions of areas you have already visited. Areas you've visited are indicated by red circles.
~ Most of this is taken from the Instruction Manual.
