Star
Star power is almost always worth getting because of the speed advantage it gives you. Your max ground running speed is 4.0 and Mario becomes invincible to enemies for the duration of the star power. Star power lasts 660 frames (11 seconds) and does not affect your Y-Speed.
Some movement is faster to do without and with star, and some movement is actually slower with star. Knowing how to move differently with star is vital, as star is fairly common in Any%.
You keep 4.0 speed while running and jumping in NSMBW, unlike New Super Mario Bros. DS where you lose your star speed in the air.
Pipekicks
You do accelerate significantly faster with star power, but wallkicking is still the fastest way to reach max 4.0 speed from 0 speed.
The first relevant pipekick with star power is in 2-3.
Shooting fire/ice after a wallkick with star power still gives you an acceleration boost.
Slopes
The number one slope rule with star is do not slide. Sliding takes away your star speed.
You do want to run down slopes less steep than 45 degrees. You will keep 4 speed and gain more as you run down gentle slopes.
Do not run down steep slopes unless you have penguin and are going for…
Hyperspeed
To acquire hyperspeed:
-
Run down a slope to accelerate to over
4.0running speed. -
Penguin slide and quickly jump. You will now maintain
> 4.0speed horizontally as long as you are in the air. -
Chain jumps, jumping off of the ground as quickly as possible. Sliding on the ground will lose speed.
Hyperspeed can still be acquired without star, but less effectively. Learn more in the Penguin Guide.
Star is usually fastest for horizontal movement. Propeller is usually fastest for vertical movement, so let’s learn how it works.