
Defeating enemies awards various numbers of Star Points to Mario for every 100 Star Points, Mario is able to level up. Flower Points-which are required for special moves-are shared among Mario and his party members.

If Mario's Heart Points are reduced to 0, however, the game ends and the player must start again from the last saved point. When a partner's heart points are reduced to 0, the partner becomes inactive for the rest of that battle and later battles until recovery. In The Thousand-Year Door, each of Mario's party members now have their own heart points (HP) and may receive any attack that Mario can receive. A similar 'action command' was also used in all released Mario RPG games. The turn-based system, in which players select an attack, defense, or item from a menu, is augmented by timed button presses that can result in substantial attack or defence bonuses when performed correctly. Battles in The Thousand-Year Door borrow elements from Super Mario RPG and the first original Paper Mario game.
