Basics and Experience

Combat
As Mario explores the paper island he will encounter a number of friends as well as enemies. One teammate can walk around with Mario on the map screen. This team member can be changed by pressing left on the D-pad. Each member has their own special abilities which are accessed by pressing the X button when walking around the world.

Mario's allies will also join him in battle when attacked by enemies on the map screen. In order to get an extra attack at the beginning of the battle, Mario can attack an enemy first on the map screen. It is important to remember that the same rules apply to the map screen that apply in battle. If Mario jumps on a spiked enemy on the map, then the battle will start with him performing a jump, and being damaged by the spikes. Enemies will also try to attack Mario first on the map screen, so pay attention while wandering in new areas.

After an enemy is defeated, they will give Mario experience in the form of stars. Whenever he collects 100 stars Mario will have the option of upgrading both HP, FP, or BP. Hit points and flower points can be raised by five and badge points can be raised by three. The only way to level up Mario's allies is to collect shine sprites and take them to the wizard in east Rogueport. Each level-up costs three shine sprites and will imbue the characters with new powers.

Actions
Battles aren't just about picking an attack. Mario and friends will have to pull off specific "actions" in order to make the most of their moves. For example when Mario chooses to jump on an opponent he will run towards them and jump on their head. If you press the A button just as he is about to land on them, he will perform a double jump and cause more damage. Each move has its own special actions which are described at the bottom of the screen when the move is selected.

Guard Action
Pressing the A button just before an enemy connects with their attack will initiate a guard action which will protect Mario from some damage. If you press the B button just before an enemy's attack lands you will perform a "superguard" and turn their attack against them. Superguards are more difficult than a regular guard. Note: neither of these guard moves can be performed by button mashing. You have one chance to hit the button at the correct time.

Team Work
Mario doesn't have to face the X-Nauts alone, he gains the help of a number of characters throughout the game. You can take one extra teammate into battle at a time. During combat, before a team member makes their move, press the Y button to change the order in which your team members attack. There is also an option under tactics to swap out characters as a turn during battle.

The character standing closest to the enemy will receive the brunt of the damage during a battle. This means when the going gets tough for the character in the front, swap places and the damaged character will be safer in the rear. Using a combination of keeping Mario in the back, and swapping out teammates is a great way to absorb large amounts of damage from more powerful bosses.

Remember, the game only ends when Mario runs out of HP, so focus your energies on keeping the plumber alive and don't fret over the loss of a teammate or two during a tough battle.

Flower Power
Badges and new weapons give Mario the ability to perform more powerful attacks that use up Flower points. These can be looked at as the "magic" of this RPG. This is also one of the categories that Mario can level up when he reaches 100 star points. Every attack besides the basic actions will cost FP and you will use it regularly by the end of the game, so don't ignore this area!

Special Moves, Star Power and the Audience
As Mario finds Crystal stars, each one will give him a special move. In order to perform these moves Mario needs star power. Once Mario has special moves, audience members will start to appear to watch his battles. If Mario successfully completes battle actions (such as pressing A at the right time while performing a jump) the audience will applaud and award him with star power. The star power gauge appears directly under the flower power indicator on the battle screen.

Sometimes an item will appear in the audience. This means that audience members are preparing to throw it into battle. If a harmful item appears, like a hammer, you can press X to have Mario run into the audience and beat down the unruly observer. Be careful not to beat up people who try to toss in helpful items!

Stylish Moves!
Stylish moves are performed after a successful action and add to the amount of star power granted by the audience. An example of an easy stylish move to perform is immediately after Mario pulls of his hammer attack tap the A button and Mario will do a back flip. You can also tap A again when Mario lands twice more to perform consecutive back flips and get lots of star points.

Later in the game Mario can find a timing tutor badge that will put an exclamation point over a characters head at the exact time you should push A to perform a stylish move.

Tactics
Other tactics that Mario and his allies can use include the option to appeal, defend, run away, and charge. Appealing to the crowd is an easy way to gain star power, however it takes up a turn during a battle. Defend is self explanatory, it simply boosts the characters defense for on round of battle. Choosing to run away will bring up a meter that can be filled by furiously tapping the A button. If the "Ok!" arrow stops on a green section then Mario will successfully leave the battle. If it lands on a blue section, the attempt will fail and Mario will fall flat on his face. After Mario runs away, he will lose coins much like a defeated enemy drops coins and items after being bested by the plumber.

Later in the game Mario will come across badges that add the "charge" option to the tactics menu. This takes up one turn and will boost a character's attack for their next move.

Bingo!
Whenever Mario or a teammate successfully completes an action command like a double jump, a bingo icon appears in the upper right hand corner of the battle screen. If two of the spinning icons match, on the next successful action command you will have the chance to match a third icon on a spinning wheel. Press A to stop the wheel and if you score a match, Mario will be rewarded with different things depending on the icons. Bingo can turn the tide of the battle rather quickly. Remember, the more successful actions you complete, the more chances you have to win.

Mushroom: Full HP
Stars: Full Star Power
Flowers: Full FP
Shine Sprites: Everything Full
Poison mushrooms: HP, FP, audience, and star power will be reduced by half.

Characters...