Ztar
- Not to be confused with Dark Star.
| Ztar | |
|---|---|
| |
| First appearance | Mario Party (1998) |
| Latest appearance | Super Mario Party Jamboree (2024) |
| Effect | Subtracts one Star from the player's Star count |
- “I'll give you a Ztar star because you're so lucky!”
- —Bowser, Mario Party 5
Ztars (pronounced "Za-tars"),[1] also named Shadow Stars,[2] Dark Stars,[3] and Z-Stars in the PAL versions of Mario Party 7,[citation needed] are black counterparts to Stars found exclusively within the Mario Party series. They serve various functions from game to game but usually take away one Star from the player's possession. The Ztars' name comes from a corruption of "Star" and is spelled with a "z" instead of an "s." "Z" can be interpreted as a backwards "s," referencing how Ztars are meant to be the opposite of Stars.
Mini Ztars appear in place of Ztars in Mario Party 9, Mario Party 10, or Mario Party: Island Tour, deducting from the current number of Mini Stars a player has.
History[edit]
Mario Party[edit]
The first appearance of Ztars was in Mario Party, where they are the bogus item for Mario's Rainbow Castle. They appear as black stars with white eyes. Bowser forces the player to buy a Ztar for 40 Coins, but it does not have an effect on the player's Star count. Upon the player purchasing it, the usual Star acquisition fanfare plays but becomes darker-toned at the end. This is Bowser's most expensive bogus item in the game.
Mario Party 2[edit]
Ztars, known as Shining Stars in-game, next appear in Mario Party 2 during the "Bowser's Multiplying Toads" event. If a player lands on a Bowser Space and triggers this event, Bowser makes two Toads appear on the board: One is real, and the other is really a Baby Bowser in disguise. Each Toad offers to sell the player a Star for 20 Coins. While the real Toad sells the player a genuine Star, the fake Toad actually sells the player a Ztar, then reveals himself as Baby Bowser. Like in the first game, Ztars do not affect the player's Star total, and they serve only to waste their Coins. To find the real Toad, the player needs to either be lucky or use one of two items: The first is a Magic Lamp, which always brings them to the real Toad, while the second is a Bowser Bomb, which, when used at the end of the turn, causes the fake Toad to reveal himself.
Mario Party 3[edit]
Ztars make a cameo appearance in Mario Party 3 in the minigame Cosmic Coaster. The star on the goal looks like a Ztar until a team reaches it, at which point it changes to look like a Star and starts rocking from side to side. If a team is close to the goal but loses the minigame, it remains a Ztar and can be seen falling slightly askew.
Mario Party 4[edit]
In Mario Party 4, Ztars make a few cameos in the Extra Room. A Ztar can be seen flying under the boards in Mega Board Mayhem and Mini Board Mad-Dash from Thwomp's Backroom Ball. Also, after every minigame has been unlocked, a Ztar appears in the Extra Room. Selecting it starts Beach Volley Folly, which the Ztar hosts.
From this game forward in the series, the Ztar's eyes look angry.
Mario Party 5[edit]
If a player lands on a Bowser Space in Mario Party 5 and has at least one Star, Bowser occasionally gives the player a Ztar, which subtracts one Star from the player's current total unless they have none. In Card Party, players can uncover a Ztar Star Card that has the same effect but can make their Star count go below zero. Ztar Star Cards are hidden within Star Cards, so it is based purely on chance whether the player receives a Ztar or a Star. Additionally, some Star Cards transform into Ztar Star Cards after being revealed and vice versa.
In Super Duel Mode, a Ztar can be seen as the power source for the Ztar Engine engine part.
Mario Party 6[edit]
Ztars were renamed Shadow Stars in Mario Party 6. In Clockwork Castle, when Bowser encounters a player, he gives them a Shadow Star if they have one or more Stars. Shadow Stars serve the same purpose as in Mario Party 5. If the player has no Stars, Bowser gives them a Special Shadow Star, which takes away 20 coins instead. Bowser also gives the player a Shadow Star if they land on Bowser's Battle Yacht in Castaway Bay.
Shadow Stars also make minor cameos in the comparison quiz section of Speak Up and on the floor in Tricky Tires.
Mario Party 7[edit]
Dark Stars still have the same effect in Mario Party 7. At one of the Green Spaces in Grand Canal, the player must choose a chest from a group after the chests have been shuffled by a Blooper. One of the chests holds a Dark Star. If the player chooses this chest, they must take it. In Neon Heights during Bowser Time, Bowser sometimes puts a Dark Star in one of the chests. If the player pays Koopa Kid for this chest, they are forced to take the Dark Star inside. Unlike in Mario Party 6, if the player has no Stars, they do not lose 20 coins.
Mario Party DS[edit]
In Mario Party DS, Ztars occasionally appear in Hidden Blocks. If a player is unfortunate enough to get a Ztar, they lose one Star. A player cannot get a Ztar from a Hidden Block if they do not have any Stars. Also, a figure called Ztar appears at the same time the Star figure appears.
Super Mario Party Jamboree[edit]
In Super Mario Party Jamboree, Ztars appear again as items sold forcibly in Mario's Rainbow Castle returning from Mario Party. This time, they are sold by Impostor Bowser for 20 coins.[4] On Rainbow Galleria in the Party-Planner Trek, where it is given to the player by a Shy Guy on the first floor if given his shopping bag, the Shy Guy describes it as "a total impulse buy". The player can then bring it to a Snifit Janitor on the second floor to dispose of it and get 1 Mini Star. In this game, they are made of painted cardboard, as described by the Snifit.
Profiles and statistics[edit]
Mario Party DS[edit]
| Figurine | Image | Description | How to unlock
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Ztar |  |
This dark, gloomy icon oozes with sadness and regret. Unfortunately, where there is light, there is dark. Where there's a Star, there's a Ztar! | Win 40,000 MP Points. |
Gallery[edit]
Mario Party 7
Mario Party DS
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ズター[?] Zutā |
Ztar | |
| Chinese (simplified) | 惺星[5] Xīngxīng |
From「星星」(xīngxing, "star") and「惺」(xīng, "to come to realize"). Alternatively, it may be a pun on「假惺惺」(jiǎxīngxīng, "hypocritical") and「假星星」(jiǎ xīngxing, "fake star").[6] | |
| Dutch | Schaduwster[7] | Shadow Star | |
| French | Étoile Z[8][9][10] | Z Star | |
| German | Z-Stern[?] | Z-Star | |
| Z-Star[11][12] | - | ||
| Italian | Fosca[13][14] | Feminine of fosco ("dark") | |
| Allets[15] | From stella ("star"), spelled backwards | Mario Party DS | |
| Korean | 가짜스타[?] Gajja seuta |
Fake Star | |
| Portuguese | Etreta[16] | From estrela ("star") and treta (slang for "deception", "trickery") | |
| Russian | Темная звезда[?] Tyomnaya zvezda |
Dark Star | |
| Spanish (NOA) | Estrella negativa[17] | Negative Star | |
| Spanish (NOE) | O. Paca[18][19] | Pun on opaca ("murky") and the name "Paca" | |
| Eztrella[20] | From estrella ("star") with a "z" replacing the "s" | Mario Party DS | |
| Estrella negativa[21] | Negative Star | Super Mario Party Jamboree |
Trivia[edit]
- In Mario Party 8, there is an unused music clip that is a more menacing variation of the "You Got a Star!" jingle.[22] Additionally, there is an unused model of a Ztar in the game's files, suggesting they were probably cut from the final game.[23]
References[edit]
- ^ Nintendo Unity (October 19, 2024). Super Mario Party Jamboree - All Ztar Reactions (0:08). YouTube (English).
- ^ "I'm going to trade you Shadow Stars for your Stars! GWAHAHA!" – Bowser (2004). Mario Party 6. Nintendo (English).
- ^ "Today's your lucky day! You get my Dark Star! Bwaaaa ha ha haaaa!!" – Bowser (2005). Mario Party 7. Nintendo (American English).
- ^ Turners064 (October 11, 2024). 2: The Ztars are back from Mario Party 1. But it only takes 20 coins, instead of 40. But the cutscene is really good. X. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
- ^ Chinese Nintendo (November 6, 2014). Super Mario Party Jamboree introduced the Chinese name for Ztar: 惺星, from 星星 (star) and 惺 (to come to realize).. Mastodon. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ^ https://x.com/MaiGames18/status/1858571402473087463
- ^ ellenihana (November 4, 2024). Stream 30. tijd voor een party (0:53:40). Twitch (Dutch). Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ^ "C'est moi l'Etoile Z. Obscure, j'suis une star de la nuit..." – Mario Party 4 Extra Room.
- ^ "... Chaque ombre a sa lumière, chaque salière son poivrier et chaque Etoile son Etoile Z!" – Ztar figurine description, Mario Party DS.
- ^ MOTY QUÉBECOIS - VOD (October 28, 2024). SUPER MARIO PARTY JAMBOREE et du MARIO KART 8 DELUXE avec @Jeffrey_GamingQC et des followers (1:00:37). YouTube (Canadian French). Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ^ "Z-Star ist umhüllt von der Finsternis eines lichtlosen Gestirns..." – Mario Party 4 Extra Room.
- ^ "... Wo ein Stern leuchtet, da lauert ein Z-Star!" – Ztar figurine description, Mario Party DS.
- ^ "Fosca brilla nera come la pece..." – Mario Party 4 Extra Room.
- ^ Mario's Castle Plays (October 5, 2024). Ci siamo massacrati in Mario Party 5 (2:05:14). YouTube. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
- ^ "... Dove c'è una Stella, c'è anche una Allets!" – Ztar figurine description, Mario Party DS.
- ^ Fernando Moritz (October 24, 2024). Super Mario Bros Jamboree - Castelo Arco-Íris do Mario - Gameplay em Português (33:14). YouTube (Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved November 5, 2024.
- ^ PlayAK (October 20, 2024). Castillo Arcoíris de Mario | Super Mario Party Jamboree (35:36). YouTube (Latin American Spanish). Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ^ "Hola, soy O. Paca y tanbién tengo un juego para ti..." – Mario Party 4 Extra Room.
- ^ Glitch3d (December 8, 2018). [Mario Party 7] Toad, Birdo, Mario y Daisy en Ciudad Neón (27:55). YouTube. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
- ^ "... Donde hay una estrella, ¡también hay una eztrella!" – Ztar figurine description, Mario Party DS.
- ^ TheNanashy (October 19, 2024). Super Mario Party Jamboree - Todos los Tableros (Mario Party) (4:05:50). YouTube (European Spanish). Retrieved October 20, 2024.
- ^ RadiatorRampardos (October 3, 2011). Mario Party 8 Soundtrack - You Got a Star (Alternate Version). YouTube. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
- ^ Mario Party 8. The Cutting Room Floor (English). Retrieved October 21, 2024.
