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Kirby's Pinball Land
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Kirby's Pinball Land is the first spin-off game in theKirby series, released on theGame Boy in late 1993. The game has since seen a re-release on theNintendo 3DSVirtual Console in 2012.Kirby's Pinball Land is a derivative of thepinball genre, featuringKirby as the pinball and enemies fromKirby's Dream Land andKirby's Adventure as bumpers on the courses.
The game consists of three pinball tables (referred to in the instruction manual as "Pinball Lands") that are themed around elements and environments fromKirby's Dream Land, each with three primary boards and aboss. Each table also has a Bonus Game, which can be accessed from the Middle Stage. To "complete" the game, Kirby must defeat the boss in each Pinball Land, and then defeatKing Dedede without losing all of hisextra lives, though all this really does is cause the game to loop. The only true way to end the game is to get aGame Over, with the overall objective being to earn as high ascore as possible.
Controls[edit]
Being based on a classic pinball game, the player cannot control Kirby directly. Instead, a pair of flippers can be utilized on each floor of the various pinball lands to bat Kirby about the area. In addition, the player can "shake" the pinball boards to move Kirby around somewhat, which can be useful to get him un-stuck from various obstacles. The controls are as follows:
- Start - begin game / pause game
- Select - enter pause menu
- ↓ or← - Move left flipper / navigate through menu
- A - Move right flipper / useSpringboard orCannon
- ↑ or→ - Shake board from left / navigate through menu
- B - Shake board from right
- A +B +Start +Select - Resets the game
Gameplay[edit]
Kirby's Pinball Land is styled after a classic pinball game, and as such, the objective is to earn a high score with a limited number of tries. Instead of staying in a single board, however, the game puts aKirby spin on the genre by throwing in several different 'Pinball Lands' with bosses at the end of them. In each of the Pinball Lands are an assortment of enemies and other hazards which serve as different kinds of bumpers, ramps, and springs.
There are three primary Pinball Lands, known asWispy-Woods Land,Kracko Land, andPoppy Brothers' Land. Each of these Pinball Lands is separated into three primary boards stacked on top of each other (known as the "Bottom Stage", "Middle Stage", and "Top Stage"), with a board's Bonus Game accessible from its Middle Stage and a boss accessible from its Top Stage. Given the stacked nature of these boards, the player can only lose a life if Kirby falls beneath the Bottom Stage. However, instead of automatically losing the ball, the player is given a chance to save Kirby by using aSpringboard at the bottom, which functions similarly to theGoal Game inKirby's Adventure. A successful use of the board will rocket Kirby back into the higher boards, though repeated drops will cause the springboard to shrink further and further until it cannot be used anymore.
The three Pinball Lands can be tackled in any order from the main hub. After defeating a Pinball Land's boss, theWarp Star that leads to that Pinball Land is replaced with a ball that constantly switches between the letters 'E', 'X', 'T', 'R', and 'A'. These balls can be utilized to spell out the word 'EXTRA', which gives the player a1-Up when done. The balls are replenished every time Kirby clears a Pinball Land, but they disappear after Kirby finishes all three. Should this happen, a Warp Star will appear in the middle of the main hub, which Kirby can then use to proceed to the final encounter withKing Dedede. Once Dedede is defeated, the game will reset without resetting the player's score or number ofextra lives. Oncethe game is over, the score is registered and the game completely resets. During gameplay, it is possible to save and quit, then return later from the start menu from the saved point. However, that save point can only be used once.
Scoring[edit]
Nearly every interactable object inKirby's Pinball Land will reward the player with points when bumped into or used. Since the game will loop after defeating King Dedede, the ultimate goal is to obtain as high a score as possible. Oncethe game is over, the player will be prompted to enter their score into a leaderboard if the score is in the top four placings. A name can be assigned to this score using up to seven characters.
With every 500000 points earned, the game will cut to a celebratory cutscene where three Kirbys dance along with musical accompaniment before returning to regular gameplay.
In addition to standard point values, there are also Bonuses and Multipliers, which can be earned by performing certain actions (resulting in seeing a +B or +M on-screen when earned). These are not added to the player's overall score until after losing a life. Each bonus collected adds 1000 points to the pool, while each multiplier adds another multiple of the pool.
For more information on scoring (including individual values from enemies and objects), see the Pinball Land articles.
Pinball Lands[edit]
| Pinball Lands ofKirby's Pinball Land | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Image | Boss | Notes |
| Wispy-Woods Land |  | Whispy Woods | This Pinball Land's music is completely new, known simply as "Whispy Woods Land". |
| Kracko Land |  | Kracko Jr. &Kracko | This Pinball Land's music is a near-identical arrangement of "Bubbly Clouds" fromKirby's Dream Land. |
| Poppy Brothers' Land |  | TwinPoppy Bros. Sr. (referred to as "Poppy Brothers" in this game) | This Pinball Land's music is a near-identical arrangement of "Green Greens" fromKirby's Dream Land. |
| King Dedede's table |  | King Dedede | Unlocked once the bosses of the main three boards are defeated. |
Bonus Games[edit]
- Wispy-Woods Land features aBreakout-style game where enemies and items move along the top of a series of breakable blocks.Kirby's Block Ball would later focus on the idea of Kirby in a Breakout-inspired game.
- Poppy Brothers' Land features a game where Kirby has to punt himself into a goal on a soccer-themed course, with aSquishy acting as the goalie.
- Kracko Land features a game where Kirby has to bounce food items up to a copy of himself on a cloud deck who will eat them for points.
More detail on these Bonus Games can be found on the pages for the respective Pinball Lands.
Enemies[edit]
The following are all of the non-boss enemies which appear inKirby's Pinball Land. For more details on how they function, see the appropriate Pinball Land page or the enemy page itself:
Wispy-Woods Land[edit]
- Apple - 1600 points
- Broom Hatter - 10000 points
- Bounder - 480 points
- Cappy - 600 points (first hit), 1200 points (second hit)
- Gordo (referred to as "Gordow" in the North American manual) - 240 points
- Kabu (referred to as "Kaboo" in the North American manual) - 240 points (480 for Big Kabu, referred to as "Big Kaboo")
- Mumbies (referred to as "Mummy Ball" in the North American manual) - 360 points
- Slippy - 3000 points
- Twister - 100 points per spin (spin amount depends on speed)
- UFO - 1000, 1500, or 2000 points
- Waddle Dee - 5000 points
- Waddle Doo - (appears only on the slot machine)
- Blade Knight - Appears after beating King Dedede once then doing the Pinball Land'sEaster egg; 77700 points
- Wispy Woods - 5000 points per hit, 50000 points on defeat
Kracko Land[edit]
- Apple - 1600 points
- Booler (referred to as "Bumpin' Boo" in the North American manual) - 360 points
- Bronto Burt - 3600 points
- Cloudy - 300 points
- Chuckie (referred to as "Chucky" in the North American manual) - 1000 points
- Flapper - 2400 points
- Gordo (referred to as "Gordow" in the North American manual) - 240 points
- Hurly - 2000 points
- Mr. Bright - 900 points
- Mr. Shine - 1800 points
- Nimbus - 800 points
- Scarfy - 480 points (120 for mini-Scarfy)
- Twizzy - 2400 points
- Meta Knight - Appears after beating King Dedede once then doing the Pinball Land's Easter egg; 77700 points
- Kracko Jr. &Kracko - 5000 points per hit, 50000 points on defeat
Poppy Brothers' Land[edit]
- Apple - 1600 points
- Chilly - 360 points
- Chick - each subsequent hit is worth more points (100, 200, 400, 800)
- Gordo (referred to as "Gordow" in the North American manual) - 240 points
- Mr. Frosty - 480 points
- Poppy Bros. Jr. (referred to as "Junior Poppy Brothers" in the North American manual) - 250 points (2nd floor), 500 points (third floor) (360 points for bombs)
- Sparky - +B
- Squishy (referred to as "Squishy Squid" in the North American manual) - not worth points
- Tookey (referred to as "Cluck" in the North American manual) - 1000 points
- Axe Knight - Appears after beating King Dedede once then doing the Pinball Land's Easter egg; 77700 points
- Poppy Bros. Sr. (referred to as "Poppy Brothers" in this game) - 5000 points per hit, 50000 points (each) on defeat
King Dedede's table[edit]
- King Dedede - 5000 points per hit, 150000 points on defeat
Items[edit]
There are a number of items that Kirby can acquire to assist in various ways. They are as follows:
- 1-Up - Provides an extra life.
- Bomb - +B when collected.
- Cake - +M when collected.
- Energy Drink - This item occupies a gutter slot on the board, preventing Kirby from falling through, but disappearing after being used.
- Invincible Candy (referred to as "Candy" in this game) - Worth 3000 points when collected.
- Key - Appears once a boss is defeated. Collecting this is necessary to complete the pinball land.
- Maxim Tomato - This item occupies the central pit between the flippers, offering a safety net for a short duration before disappearing.
- Mint Leaf - Worth 1000 points when collected.
- Superspicy Curry (referred to as "Spicy Food" in this game) - Worth 2000 points when collected.
- Warp Star - Kirby will be taken to a different zone when he touches this.
Secret codes[edit]
The player can input a special code in the game's title screen, causing a black or white cat to appear crossing the screen. If the player starts the game while they are present, the game starts like normal, but when Kirby enters one of the three lands, certain changes occur:
- If the player presses and holds left on the control pad, the Select button, and the A or B button in that order (which causes the white cat to appear), Kirby will be sent to a Pinball Land's Bonus Game upon riding the Warp Star leading to that Pinball Land. After finishing the Bonus Game, Kirby returns to the main hub where he can re-enter any Pinball Land he has already visited before.
- If the player presses and holds right on the control pad, the Select button, and the A or B button in that order (which causes the black cat to appear), Kirby will be sent to a Pinball Land's boss upon riding the Warp Star leading to that Pinball Land, but the game continues to play normally.
In the Rankings screen, pressing down on the control pad, the Select button, and Start button in that order causes all high scores to be deleted.
Descriptions[edit]
Nintendo eShop[edit]
Original Release Date: November 1993
Choose your world and take aim! Kirby™ will be launched into the fast-paced dangers of uncharted worlds, but you can help him face his foes head on. It’s a pinball race to check out each new world’s surprise enemies and pitfalls. Flip Kirby in battles against lethal eyeballs, a shooting tree and mace-swinging maniacs. Take aim and leap to new worlds. Three different pinball games, four screens tall, with tons of secret bonus levels!
My Nintendo Store[edit]
Choose your world and take aim. Kirby™ will be launched into the fast-paced dangers of uncharted worlds, but you can help him face his foes head on. It’s a pinball race to check out each new world’s surprise enemies and pitfalls. Flip Kirby in battles against lethal eyeballs, a shooting tree and mace-swinging maniacs. Play three different pinball games, each four screens tall, with tons of secret bonus levels.[1]
Trivia[edit]
- Several sound effects from this game are borrowed fromRevenge of the 'Gator, another pinball game developed byHAL Laboratory.
- The Bonus Game of Wispy-Woods Land is also largely based on Bonus Stage 1 of the same game.[2]
- The maximum bonus attainable is 99000 x 99. This takes roughly 11 minutes to count out if earned.
- Kirby Mass Attack contains aSub-Game namedKirby Brawlball that follows a very similar concept to this game.
- The code to play the Sub-Game's Boss Rush is the same code that allows Kirby to immediately fight a boss inKirby's Pinball Land. It also causes the black cat to appear on-screen.
Gallery[edit]
Logos[edit]
English logo
Japanese logo
Artwork[edit]
Group artwork
Artwork ofWispy-Woods Land's Middle Stage
Artwork ofKracko Land's Middle Stage
Artwork of Kracko Land's boss board
Artwork ofPoppy Brothers' Land's Top Stage
Kirby holding another Kirby on an umbrella
Sprites[edit]
A Kirby bumper with an umbrella
Nimbus
Poppy Bros. Jr.
Springboard (small)
Springboard (smaller)
Springboard (smallest)
Icon forWispy-Woods Land
Icon forKracko Land
Icon forPoppy Brothers' Land
The cat that appears when entering the boss rush code
The cat that appears when entering the code to play the Bonus Games
Screenshots[edit]
Title screen
The intro cutscene of the game, with King Dedede escaping via the bumpers
TheSpringboard which Kirby can use to get an extra chance
One of the celebratory milestones for reaching a 500000 score threshold
The ending cutscene where Dedede gets away and the game resets
Audio[edit]
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | カービィのピンボール Kābyi no Pinbōru | Kirby's Pinball |
| English | Kirby's Pinball Land | - |
| Chinese | Kirby's Pinball Land | - |
| Dutch | Kirby's Pinball Land | - |
| French | Kirby's Pinball Land | - |
| German | Kirby's Pinball Land | - |
| Italian | Kirby's Pinball Land | - |
| Korean | Kirby's Pinball Land | - |
| Portuguese | Kirby's Pinball Land | - |
| Spanish | Kirby's Pinball Land | - |
External links[edit]
References
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- Pages using Tabber parser tag
- Articles which list Japanese names
- Articles which list Chinese names
- Articles which list Dutch names
- Articles which list French names
- Articles which list German names
- Articles which list Italian names
- Articles which list Korean names
- Articles which list Portuguese names
- Articles which list Spanish names
