RTA Guide/120 Star

The goal of the 120 Star category is to complete the game as fast as possible while collecting all 120 stars.

Category Rules

• Collect all 120 stars.
• Beat the game.
• No gameplay restrictions. (As such, all forms of BLJ and methods of skipping door requirements are allowed.)

Notes

It is generally recommended to learn 70 Star before 120; many stars performed in that category are also performed in 120, allowing you to focus more on the longer, 120-specific stars.

There are several different routes for 120 Star involving different stage order and castle movement. The route used in this guide is the most commonly used non-LBLJ route, which aims to reach the basement as early as possible, since it contains some of the most difficult stars in the run. Once you have learned all of the stars separately, you will be able to adapt to other routes fairly easily.

Route

Lobby

1. Bob-Omb Battlefield (1)
   • Behind Chain Chomp's Gate
2. Whomp's Fortress (all stars)
3. The Secret Aquarium
4. Jolly Roger Bay (all stars)
5. Castle Secret Stars
   • The Princess's Secret Slide (first star)
   • Tower of the Wing Cap
   • The Princess's Secret Slide (second star)
6. Bowser in the Dark World
   • Bowser in the Dark World (Reds)
   • Bowser Battle 1
7. Bob-omb Battlefield (2)
   • Big Bob-omb on the Summit
   • Footrace with Koopa the Quick
   • BoB 100 Coins + Find the 8 Red Coins
   • Shoot to the Island in the Sky
   • Mario Wings to the Sky

Basement

1. MIPS (first star)
2. Shifting Sand Land (all stars)
3. Hazy Maze Cave (all stars)
   • Cavern of the Metal Cap
4. HMC Toad
5. Lethal Lava Land (all stars)
6. MIPS (second star)
7. Vanish Cap Under the Moat

Middle Segment

1. Cool, Cool Mountain (all stars)
2. Big Boo's Haunt (all stars)
3. Dire, Dire Docks (1)
   • DDD 100 Coins + Pole-Jumping for Red Coins
   • Chests in the Current
   • Board Bowser's Sub
   • The remaining stars are saved until after Fire Sea so the sub, which causes lag on N64, is removed. You can opt to do DDD in one segment if you do proper lag reduction, or if you play on emulator or VC.
4. Bowser in the Fire Sea
   • Bowser in the Fire Sea (Reds)
   • Bowser Battle 2
5. Dire, Dire Docks (2)
   • The Manta Ray's Reward
   • Through the Jet Stream
   • Collect the Caps...
   • Afterward, re-enter Bowser in the Fire Sea, pause and exit the stage, and head upstairs.

Upstairs

1. Wet-Dry World (all stars)
2. Tiny-Huge Island (all stars)
3. Upstairs Toad
4. Tall, Tall Mountain (all stars)
5. Snowman's Land (all stars)

Tippy

1. Wing Mario Over the Rainbow (Cloud Stage)
2. Tick Tock Clock (all stars)
3. Tippy Toad
4. Rainbow Ride (all stars)
5. Bowser in the Sky
   • Bowser in the Sky (Reds)
   • Bowser Battle 3