So I'm playing my Pictobits, having a pictoblast, and I realize that some levels I've completed have a star next to my high score, and others don't.

So I figure I'll replay those levels and get a better score, so that I can get a star ranking. (For an Art Style game this one sure is short, so anything to extend its life is fine by me.)

The weird thing is, though, is that sometimes when I earn a star, I don't necessarily have the best score for that level. Nor do I necessarily have the best time.

So if the star ranking is neither score nor time based, how is it arrived at?

Also, I get the feeling that this game was not intended to be part of the Art Style series when it was initially designed, but that's a conspiracy theory for another time.

Maybe it's triggered by not using POWs?

EDIT: Yeah, seems to be the case, I replayed a level without using a POW and got a star, replayed another and used a POW and the result screen didn't show a star (the level still carries it though).

EDIT2: It's in the manual >_>

Doh, I forgot these things even came with "manuals." Thanks for the answer though. I'm kind of disappointed that that's all it takes to get a star...I was hoping for some more interesting condition than that. Blah!

What are those manuals you speak of?

Here's one...what's with buying each music track twice? You buy it once and you can listen to it, then you can buy it a second time to have a little plus sign displayed next to it.

...but I don't really hear a difference between the before and after versions. Or maybe it's just hard to tell because the non-plus version goes away when you get the plus version, making it hard to compare.

What's the difference?

Would you say that the non-plus version has you nonplussed?

Someone laugh, please.

He'll be here all week, ladies and gentlemen.

Oh good!
Sets up a deckchair and opens a fresh bag of popcorn

Oh... Um... That's actually my only joke. What should I do now? We still have, well, most of the week left.
Perhaps sharing the popcorn with the performer would give him some inspiration?

Ahem, I didn't sit down so that I could hand out free stuff, now get up there and dance, boy.

Hmmm...... that's not gonna sell you any tickets to a show, since I'm pretty sure that that isn't you. Looks like I'm gonna have to tweet a negative review. I'll do it, you know!

Please don't tweet me. Anything but!
Also, I assume "tweeting" has something to do with this bizarre "Twitter" craze I have yet to understand?

@Chicken Brutus: buying the music once gets you the basic music that starts when the level starts. have you ever played through a level so long that the music changes, though? it gets a little bit fuller or richer, and i believe the song is a little longer because you're adding that on; that's what you're paying for when you buy it again.

I assumed that's what it was, but then I listened to something I didn't have the plus version of...I think it was Excitebike or something...and it certainly sounded pretty full to me. I don't know, maybe I'm just unable to hear the differences unless they're side by side.

Cool little game, though...but I do wish there were more levels.

me too. there's a couple of levels that are fun, but are crap for raking in coins with, so i keep going back to the same coin-making levels so that i can buy stuff. playing for coins that way is kinda boring.

I wonder what will happen after I buy all the music and dark stages. Will the game still keep a running tab of my coins? That seems kind of pointless. They serve a function inside the levels to open up pow-blocks, but outside of levels there will be no reason to keep them...

...hmm. Has anyone beaten all the dark levels AND bought all the music yet? There must be SOMETHING at the end of this tunnel...

Iv'e actually beaten all regular levels, dark levels and bought all music once. I think i have like 7 more plus tracks to buy. Beating all darks unlocks a cute little thing at the end of the credits. I wont blurt it out but if u wanna know i'll tell you.

I'll wait to see it myself, thanks. I only have a few dark levels yet. But if you buy all the tracks before I do, let me know if anything happens.

workin on it right now! Good luck on dark lv 15! It's HARD!!