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Lava
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Lava (ormagma, depending on the situation) refers to a hazardous surface that will burnKirby or other playable characters should they touch it. Lava has become a commonly recurringhazard in theKirby series sinceKirby Super Star, though in that game it took on a more block-like form (both in literal chunks of magma and also as "fire boxes"). When a character touches lava, they’ll take damage, usually going through a “burning” animation. In mostKirby games, when enemies come into contact with lava, they'll take heavy damage and will almost always be instantly defeated. This can be used to the player's advantage, knocking enemies into lava to defeat them easily (though enemies will usually respawn if the player leaves the area and comes back). Bosses may make use of lava in their fights, likeMagman's first phase having a lava floor orPyribbit sending in lava geysers from the background.
Lava has a few special properties that both liken it to and differentiate it from other hazards. For example,Ability Stars anditems that touch lava will be destroyed on contact, just like withspikes. However, inKirby's Return to Dream Land and onward, if a player has theWater orIce ability, they'll be able to surf or skate over lava without taking damage - something that cannot be done as easily with spikes.
Some Kirby games have lava as a looming threat that the player needs to run away from.Neo Star - Stage 4 fromKirby 64: The Crystal Shards features two sections at its end where Kirby is fleeing from horizontally falling lava and vertically rising lava.Kirby: Canvas Curse andKirby and the Rainbow Curse both have stages where lava is rising below Kirby, andKirby and the Forgotten Land has a few stages where the terrain is sinking into lava.
Distinct lava properties by game[edit]
The following lists notable examples of unique properties or other distinctions for lava in certainKirby games:
Kirby's Dream Land 3[edit]
InKirby's Dream Land 3, lava doesn't put Kirby orGooey into a "burning" animation like other Kirby games do. Instead, they simply take damage the same way they would when hit by anything else.
Kirby & The Amazing Mirror[edit]
InKirby & The Amazing Mirror, lava is first seen occasionally spewing out fire in the form of geysers - later games would change these geysers to be more lava. Strangely, enemies are immune to all forms of lava in this game, not reacting upon contact with it at all.
Kirby: Squeak Squad[edit]
InKirby: Squeak Squad, lava can be cooled down by theIce ability or any ability that has an attack with icy properties - this includesIce Sword,Ice Bomb, and bothTornado andWheel if they have their ability scrolls unlocked and move over an icy surface (though this is impossible to achieve legitimately in-game). Cooled lava takes on a stony form that can be safely touched, but most attacks on it will break the stone and cause the harmful lava to reemerge. Finally, Tornado and Wheel can gain fiery properties if they move over lava with their ability scrolls unlocked.
Lava has a few odd interactions in this game that differentiate it from the lava inKirby & The Amazing Mirror. Enemies are still immune to lava, but they are no longer immune to the geysers of fire, and they also aren't immune to the lava in theBohboh fight. Moreover, the lava in said fight cannot be permanently cooled - after an attack neutralizes the lava, the stone encasing it will automatically break in roughly anywhere between 0.5 and 5 seconds.
Kirby's Epic Yarn /Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn[edit]
InKirby's Epic Yarn andits Nintendo 3DS port, lava is treated as an out-of-bounds zone. When Kirby orPrince Fluff come into contact with lava, they'll burn and sink into it before being saved byAngie and returned to the last solid ground they touched. With theFire Engine Metamortex transformation, Kirby and/or Prince Fluff are able to spray water onto lava, cooling it and turning it into stone platforms that can be safely traversed. However, after enough time passes, the stone will melt away and the lava will resurface.
Kirby Mass Attack[edit]
InKirby Mass Attack, lava is an insta-KO, automatically defeating any Kirby that touches it.
Kirby's Return to Dream Land /Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe[edit]
InKirby's Return to Dream Land and its remake,Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, lava ends up with many attributes that it would carry with it throughout the rest of the series. Chiefly among these attributes is the fact that theWater and Ice Copy Abilities can surf or skate on the surface of lava without taking any damage. As long as a Kirby with these abilities keeps dashing, they'll move along lava the same way they would on land. This aspect of lava would return in any game that has both lava or flaming blocks (which can be cooled down by this very technique) and either the Ice or Water abilities (with the sole exception ofKirby Fighters 2).
Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe in particular has an unintended interaction between the Ice or Water abilities and lava. When using the Control Stick to auto-dash over lava, if the player presses the stick down as if it were a button and stands still on the lava, Kirby won't take damage. The game seems to interpret this as a "quasi-dashing state", and Kirby is almost completely actionable on the lava with the sole exception of dodging. This glitch originates fromKirby Star Allies, and the only difference between the two games when it comes to this glitch is that Kirby cannot jump while it is being performed in the latter game.
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse[edit]
InKirby and the Rainbow Curse, lava is once again an insta-KO, automatically defeating Kirby and/orWaddle Dees on contact.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land[edit]
InKirby and the Forgotten Land, there are two kinds of lava - one that behaves like the lava in the 2D Kirby games, and another that is specifically considered out-of-bounds. The former kind of lava has the same properties, meaning it can be skated over with Ice or cooled down withWater-Balloon Mouth. The latter kind of lava will heavily damage Kirby or Bandana Waddle Dee before sending them back to the last solid ground they touched.
Gallery[edit]
Under the effects of an Invincible Candy, Kirby cannot be harmed by lava
Kirby minding his step around the lava in this cavern
Bosses like Magman make frequent usage of lava in their fights
The Turbo Star is unaffected while driving over lava, but that lava-composed dragon still poses a threat
A downward lava flow often acts as an impassable and harmful wall for Kirby
Sometimes Kirby has to deal with treacherous, lava-filled areas where one wrong move could spell the end
Ice Kirby can neutralize the threat of lava, potentially providing great benefits
Minecarts are thankfully impervious to the blistering heat
Fire Engine Kirby can easily turn boiling lava into solid stone platforms with his hose
Magu, an enemy entirely composed of lava, can be doused with water and defeated
Volcanic eruptions force Kirby to rethink his movements, lest he get scorched by molten rocks
Rainbow Ropes can protect Kirby from a fiery fate
Moving lava and falling meteors make for a deadly combination
Magma appears in the floor and ceiling ofHaldera Volcano
Phantom Forgo Dedede causes lava to spill into the arena, forcing Kirby to reposition
