Star Road is a fictional place is the Nintendo universe, specifically the Mario franchise. Nintendo (Japanese: 任天堂 Nintendō; NASDAQ: NTDOY, TYO: 7974 ) is a Japanese company originally founded on November 6, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards, for use in a Japanese playing card game of the same name. ... For over 20 years, Mario has been the official video game mascot for Nintendo. ...

Super Mario World

Star Road first appeared in the Super NES game Super Mario World. Star Road was in an alternate place from the game area, possibly the moon due to the white ground and backround of stars. Star Road is a plateau shaped like a star, with a Star Warp at the tip of each point. A round mountain lies in the middle of the plateau. Players access the Star Road via the 5 Star Warps hidden about the map. The Warps are all hidden within secret exits. Because it is possible to complete the game without finding many secret exits, it is possible for players to play through the game without ever realizing the Star Road even exists. It is only upon completing the game and seeing their level exit total (Super Mario World contains 96 exits), that they will realize they have missed a large portion of the game, and thus must track down the Star Warps and find Star Road.

The five Star Warps are located in Donut Plains, Vanilla Dome, Soda Lake, The Forest of Illusions, and The Valley of Bowser. All are hidden behind secret exits that often require some work to find. The Star Road contains 5 levels, each with their own secret exit. Initially, the Star Warps each connect to only one level. Completing the level sends the player back to the warp. However, the secret exits connect one Warp to the next. By completing all 5 secret exits, players fully create the Star Road and can Warp quickly about the map via the Warps. Players can also discover the location of the Warp by connecting to them on Star Road, and warping back to the game area. Players will be unable to move from the Warp, but will see where it is located and thus, what levels they need to complete to access it from the game area.

Early Ending

Using the Star Road, players can find an easy way to finish the game and defeat Bowser. The Warp that connects to Star Road 5 leads to Bowser's castle, the final level. Thus, players need only find the warp in Donut Plains and complete the Star Road to access the final level. Oddly enough, if players play through the game normally and never use the 5th Star Warp, they can access it through the secret exit in Valley of Bowser 4, and it will not connect to the castle.

The 'Special' World

As mentioned, each Star Road level contains 2 exits: one leading to the original Star Warp, the secret exit continuing the Star Road. However, it is the normal exit of Star Road 5 that completes the Road, prompting players to ask 'where does the secret exit lead?' The secret exit of Star Road 5 creates a 6th Warp on a mountain in the middle of the plateau. This warp leads to the 'Special' World.

It is never said exactly where the Special World is. The background is entirely black, except for a series of twinkling stars that spell out 'Special'. There are 8 levels in the Special World, each named after a slang word, such as Gnarly, Tubular, Funky, Outrageous, etc. Each level is completely different from the others: one takes place in the sky, one in a forest, and one even atop a glacier. Each level is also rather difficult: one requires players to hit switchs to direct the course of a moving platform they stand on. If players hit the wrong switches, the platform will fall from the sky- along with the player. Tubular takes place in midair, among a large system of pipes. Players must navigate through a course of Chargin' Chucks, dodging footballs and baseballs while using powerups to float from pipe to pipe.

The levels also feature many unique sequences: the P-Balloon used in the above level Tubular almost never appears in the game. One level is one of only two in the game in which players must avoid enemies that float in bubbles. The most notable of all the levels is the finale, in which coins spell out 'YOU ARE A SUPER PLAYER!!!' on a long stretch of ground before the exit. Upon completing the Special World, the game areas change. The color pallet changes vastly, and many enemies change as well. The Pirana Plants become Jack-o-Lanterns, the Bullet Bills become pig-like Piget Bills, and the Koopas, supposedly loyal to Bowser, honor the player by abadoning their shells and donning Mario masks instead.

Super Mario RPG- Legend of the 7 Stars

In Super Mario RPG, Star Road plays a critical role in the plotline. During the opening sequence, the Star Road is shattered into 7 pieces by the sword Exor. The game centers around the player collecting the 7 pieces, called Star Pieces.

The First Star Piece

The first Star Piece lands somewhere near the Mushrom Kingdom, and is retrieved by Mack the Big Knife, a boss modeled after a dagger. Upon defeating Mack and his Shysters, the Star Piece is retrieved, although at this point, no one knows what it is for. It is noted however, that Mack was a minion of Smithy, the game's main villain.

Geno and Bowyer

Navigating their way through the forest maze, Mario and Mallow come upon Bowyer, a large, obnoxious boss designed after a bow and arrow set. While contemplating how to deal with Bowyer and his minions, another minion arrives with the second Star Piece. An unnamed figure in a blue cape arrives on the scene and battles Bowyer single handedly, doing surprisingly well. Bowyer attempts to use a large arrow against the figure, but Mario and Mallow intervene, realizing the figure is the doll Geno that recently vanished from the nearby Rose Town. The three defeat Bowyer, and Geno tells Mario and Mallow about the Star Road, of which he is a guardian spirit borrowing the doll body for the purpose of finding the Star Pieces.. The Star Road grants wishes, but was destroyed by Exor. Thus, Mario's world is one where dreams cannot come true. Thus, the three team up to collect the Star Pieces. A minion of Bowyer's overhears and rushes off to inform Smithy.

Inside the Mines

The three then journey to Molevile, a town of moles situated around a large mountain. A Star Piece crashed into the mountain and caused a cave in, blocking many parts of the mine off. Players must defeat the reoccuring enemy Croco to gain a bomb to enter the inner parts of the mine, where they meet Punchinello the bomb user. On the brink of defeat, Punchinello calls forth a gigantic bomb. Mario, Mallow and Geno survive the blast, and the force dislodges the Star Piece from the ceiling. Despite the fact that Punchinello's bomb personna fits in with Smithy's gang, as all of Smithy's minions are designed after weapons, Punchinello is not an ally of Smithy.

Star Hill

Adding the Koopa King Bowser and Princess Toadstool to their party, Mario and company climb Star Hill. Star Hill is a large, blue mountain onto which the wishes granted at Star Road fall. This is notably the only Star Piece that players to not have to fight a boss for.

20000 Leagues Under the Sea

The party then travels to Seaside Town. Although many of the towns folk act suspiciously, the town elder acts normally. He tells the party that a Star has crashed into the sea, and he wants it for a purpose he does not explain. However, the section of the sea that the Star has landed in is the territory of the notorious pirate, Jonathan 'Johnny' Jones. The party infiltrates the sunken ship that is Jones' lair and comes face to face with various ghosts before meeting Johnny. Upon defeat, Johnny is impressed by the party's fighting, and willingly hands over the Star.

Returning to Seaside Town, the town Elder reveals that he and the townsfolk are members of Smithy's gang, called Yaridovich. They locked the real townsfolk away while using the town as a front from which they hunted the Star. The party has no choice but to hand over the Star, but give chase when Yaridovich runs away. Cornered by the shore, Yaridovich attempts to escape, but is cut off by Johnny Jones and his pirates. Johnny, infuriated that 'Yari' would steal a gift he gave to his 'mates', decides to dispatch Yaridovich. But Johnny's pirates point out that it's Mario's place to get rid of Yaridovich. Revealing his true form as a strange, spear-toting creature, Yaridovich is destroyed. Johnny returns to the sea, but leaves a note congratulating Mario on his victory, and telling that his pirates saw a gigantic axe-like structure flying across the sky as they retreated.

Barrel Volcano

The sixth Star is inside Barrel Volcano. The party fights their way through many firey enemies, and confronts the dreaded Czar Dragon. Defeating the dragon and its skeletal reincarnation Zombone, the sixth star is ready to be claimed. However, the 'Axem Ranger' (obvious parodies of the Power Rangers) snatch the Star and flee. The party chases the Rangers out of the volcano, when the gigantic axe-like airship Blade rises into the sky. Hopping onto the ship, the party destroys Blade and the Rangers, claiming the 6th Star.

Bowser's Castle

Entering Bowser's Castle (Now Smithy's Castle) at long last, the party defeats the sword Exor and enters Smithy's World. They find Smithy wearing the 7th Star around his neck, using its power to create clones of all the bosses and enemies the party has already dispatched. Upon his defeat, Smithy is destroyed, the final Star Piece is claimed, and the game is over.