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m (i think this can just be removed, yeah. the earlier parts of this paragraph already explain that it's unusual for kirby)
 
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{{DISPLAYTITLE:{{KA KGT}}}}
{{Featured}}{{Title font|title=Kirby's Avalanche}}{{Infobox-Game
{{Infobox-Game
|title=Kirby's Avalanche
|image=[[File:Kirby's Avalanche Coverart.png]]
|image=
|caption=North American boxart for ''{{KA KGT}}''.
<tabs>
|developer=[[HAL Laboratory]]
<tab name="North America (later version)">
[[File:KAv Box 2.jpg|300px]]
</tab>
<tab name="North America (earlier version)">
[[File:KAv NTSC K-A Rating Box Art.jpg|300px]]
</tab>
<tab name="Europe">
[[File:KAv UK Box.jpg|300px]]
</tab>
</tabs>
|caption=Box art for '''''Kirby's Avalanche''''' from various regions
|developer=[[wikipedia:Compile (company)|Compile]], [[wikipedia:Banpresto|Banpresto]], [[HAL Laboratory]]
|publisher=[[Nintendo]]
|publisher=[[Nintendo]]
|designer= [[Kazunori Ikeda]]
|designer= [[Kazunori Ikeda]]
|released= '''SNES''':<br>{{Released|NA|April 25, 1995|Europe|February 1, 1995}}<br>'''Virtual Console (Wii)''':<br>{{Released|Europe|July 27, 2007|Australia|July 27, 2007|NA|September 24, 2007}}
|released= '''SNES''':<br>{{Released|Europe|February 1, 1995|NA|April 25, 1995}}<br>'''Virtual Console (Wii)''':<br>{{Released|Europe|July 27, 2007|Australia|July 27, 2007|NA|September 24, 2007}}<br>'''SNES: Nintendo Switch Online'''<br>{{released|NA|July 21, 2022}}<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxju2frV6PI NES & Super NES - July 2022 Game Updates - Nintendo Switch Online]</ref>
|platforms=[[SNES]], [[Wii]] [[Virtual Console]]
|platforms=[[SNES]], [[Wii]] [[Virtual Console]],<br>[[Nintendo Switch]] (SNES: [[Virtual Console|Nintendo Switch Online]])
|predecessor=''[[Kirby's Dream Land 2]]''
|language={{languages|en_us=y|en_gb=y}}
|successor=''[[Kirby's Block Ball]]''
|rating={{ratings|esrb=ka|pegi=3}}
|predecessor=''[[Kirby's Dream Course]]''
|successor=''[[Kirby's Dream Land 2]]''
}}
}}
'''''{{KA KGT}}''''' (known as {{UserLang|us='''''Kirby's Ghost Trap''''' in PAL regions|gb='''''Kirby's Avalanche''''' in North America}}) is a puzzle game in the [[Kirby (series)|''Kirby'' series]] resealed for the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]]. A spin-off in the ''Kirby'' series, it was released in Europe on February 1, 1995 then released in North America on April the 25th the same year. This is the only ''Kirby'' game that is not released in Japan.  
<onlyinclude>{{#ifeq:{{{transcludesection|}}}|lead|
'''''Kirby's Avalanche''''', known as '''''Kirby's Ghost Trap''''' in European languages, is a puzzle game developed by [[wikipedia:Compile (company)|Compile]], in collaboration with [[HAL Laboratory]], that was released in 1995. It is a spinoff title and a direct modification of the Japanese puzzle game ''[[puyo:Puyo Puyo|''Super Puyo Puyo'']]'', except featuring ''[[Kirby (series)|Kirby]]'' characters. The game, which can be played with one or two players, revolves around stacking multi-colored blobs (otherwise known as Puyos) and matching chains of the same color. Due to its similarities to ''Super Puyo Puyo'', this game was never released in Japan, making it the only ''Kirby'' game with this distinction.}}</onlyinclude>{{:{{ROOTPAGENAME}}|transcludesection=lead}}


''Kirby's Avalanche'' is an adaptation of [[wikipedia:Puyo Puyo|''Puyo Puyo'']], a puzzle game series developed by Compile. The series was not released outside of Japan and Asia until the early 2000s though it saw several other adaptations of the series in North America. ''Kirby's Avalanche'' is a direct modification of the game [[wikipedia:Super Puyo Puyo|Super Puyo Puyo]] and all characters and music (expect for the ''Panic'' theme) are replaced with ''Kirby'' ones.
== Story ==
 
{{quote|Welcome to Dream Land, a small and peaceful country situated on a far away little star. In Dream Land the local pastime is a puzzle game called "Avalanche." Kirby decided that since every Dream Lander plays the game, it would be a great idea to have a country-wide competition to determine who is the best player of all.<br><br>After months of organizing, the First Annual Dream Land's Avalanche Competition was finally announced. To be held at the Dream Fountain, this would be the biggest event in the history of Dream Land!<br><br>All the Dream Landers have been practicing, and all plan to attend and compete. Like Kirby, they have been dreaming sweet dreams of becoming the Avalanche Champion and claiming the highly sought after "Dream Fountain Cup."<br><br>The rules for the competition are quite simple: Everyone will travel by foot to the Dream Fountain. If, while on their journey, two Dream Landers happen to meet, they must challenge each other to an Avalanche match. Only the winner of the match may continue onward towards the Dream Fountain. In this way, the number of competitors will be whittled down to a manageable size before the final action at the Dream Fountain.<br><br>Can you help guide Kirby through the competition so he arrives successfully at the Dream Fountain? Can he rise above the grizzled veterans and achieve his dream of becoming the reigning champion? His fate is in your hands!|''Kirby's Avalanche'' manual}}
==Story==
{{quote|Welcome to Dream Land, a small and peaceful country situated on a far away little star. In Dream Land the local pastime is a puzzle game called "Avalanche." Kirby decided that since every Dream Lander plays the game, it would be a great idea to have a country-wide competition to determine who is the best player of all.
After months of organizing, the First Annual Dream Land's Avalanche Competition was finally announced. To be held at the Dream Fountain, this would be the biggest event in the history of Dream Land!
All the Dream Landers have been practicing, and all plan to attend and compete. Like Kirby, they have been dreaming sweet dreams of becoming the Avalanche Champion and claiming the highly sought after "Dream Fountain Cup."
The rules for the competition are quite simple: Everyone will travel by foot to the Dream Fountain. If, while on their journey, two Dream Landers happen to meet, they must challenge each other to an Avalanche match. Only the winner of the match may continue onward towards the Dream Fountain. In this way, the number of competitors will be whittled down to a manageable size before the final action at the Dream Fountain.
Can you help guide Kirby through the competition so he arrives successfully at the Dream Fountain? Can he rise above the grizzled veterans and achieve his dream of becoming the reigning champion? His fate is in your hands!|From the Kirby Avalanche Instruction Booklet}}
== Gameplay ==
[[File:KAvalanche Lololo and Lalala match.png|left|thumb|[[Kirby]] competing against [[Lololo & Lalala]].]]
In ''{{KA KGT}}'', like in Puyo Puyo, certain groups of colored blobs fall from the top of the screen. {{realMe}} must then rotate the groups (or formations) of blobs before they touch the bottom of the screen or the pile of blobs below, so that matching {{colour}}ed blobs touch from above, below, and the right and/or left. Once four more same-{{colour}}ed blobs touch each other, they will disappear, and any blobs above them will fall down to fill in the empty space.


If Kirby manages to set off a chain reaction with these blobs, rocks will then fall onto the opponents screen. The number of rocks that fall depend both on the number of blobs destroyed and the number of consecutive chain reactions, if any. These rocks will only disappear if {{realMe}} manages to destroy (pop) a full group of blobs that are in direct contact with the rocks.
==Gameplay==
[[File:KAv Lololo and Lalala match.png|left|thumb|[[Kirby]] competing against [[Lololo & Lalala]].]]
The rules in ''Kirby's Avalanche'' are identical to ''Super Puyo Puyo''. Two players each have their own playing field, a grid of 72 spaces (6 across and 12 high). Pairs of differently-colored [[puyo:Puyo (character)|Puyos]] (referred to in this game as blobs) fall from the top of the playing field and eventually touch the bottom. The goal is to drop and rotate the blobs in such a way that four or more of the same color connect with each other from above, below or to the side, in any combination. This done, they will disappear from the playing field. Any blobs above them will fall down and fill in the spots where the matched blobs once were. If a player runs out of room in the playing field to place blobs, that player will lose the game.


Notably, in the cut-scenes between each round, [[Kirby]] is shown trash-talking his opponents and speaking in full sentences. This a very unique and strange occurrence considering in the rest of the [[Kirby (series)|''Kirby'' series]] Kirby is not rude, and has never been known to speak, minus simple phrases, such as "Hi" or "Poyo". As such, this game's storyline does not fall into the [[Canon]], and certainly does not reflect Kirby as a character in the main series.
Clearing blobs will send [[puyo:Types of Puyo|Garbage Puyos]] (referred to in this game as boulders or ghosts) to the opponent's playing field. Boulders cannot be cleared when four or more of them touch, and can only disappear if a match of four colored blobs is accomplished right next to them. Because of this, they are essentially meant to waste space and make matching blobs more difficult.


It is possible to set up a [[puyo:List of Chaining Forms|chain reaction]] by matching four blobs, and then letting other blobs fall into spots where they will connect with more blobs, clearing more of them one after another in succession. The more blobs that disappear from the result of a chain reaction, the more boulders will be sent to the opponent's playing field. Setting up a large enough chain will create the eponymous "avalanche" (or "ghost trap"); so many boulders will be dropped that the opponent has no chance to recover.


==Bosses/Stages==
Just before the boulders rain down on a player's playing field, they will be shown icons that indicate how many boulders will drop. A small icon indicates one boulder, a bigger icon indicates 6 boulders, and a brown icon indicates 36 boulders. The winner is the one who outlasts their opponent by burying their playing field with boulders to the point that no further blobs can be dropped.
During the Competition mode of the game, Kirby may face a total of 16 [[Boss]]es in the order presented. These bosses do not possess any special skills (apart from [[King Dedede]], whose blobs make the ground shake, resulting in a purely optical effect), but their playing styles vary slightly, generally becoming faster and more aggressive as Kirby advances through the game.
 
Some techniques found in later games of the ''Puyo Puyo'' series are not possible to perform in this game, such as [[puyo:Offset rule|"offsetting"]] (neutralizing boulders by matching blobs before they fall) or [[puyo:Rotation#Double rotate|"double-rotation"]] (rotating blobs vertically when trapped in-between columns of other blobs).
{{clear}}
 
==Game modes==
There are four options on the main menu for ''Kirby's Avalanche'': "Competition", "1P vs. 2P", "Practice", and "Options".
 
===Competition===
During the Competition mode of the game, Kirby faces a total of 16 [[boss]]es in the order presented. These bosses do not possess any special skills (other than minor aesthetic differences), but their playing styles vary slightly, generally becoming faster and more aggressive as Kirby advances through the game. Each opponent is equivalent to another opponent from ''Puyo Puyo'', including their specific playstyle quirks (such as [[puyo:First-Instinct Chains|"first-instinct chains"]]).
 
Notably, in the cutscenes between each round, [[Kirby]] is shown trash-talking his opponents and speaking in full sentences. This is a very unique and strange occurrence; in most of the rest of the ''[[Kirby (series)|Kirby]]'' series, Kirby is not rude, and has rarely spoken outside of simple phrases, such as "hi". Instead, his behavior is more in line with the personality of ''Puyo Puyo''{{'}}s protagonist, [[puyo:Arle Nadja|Arle Nadja]], who is replaced by Kirby in this game.
 
There are three difficulty levels to Competition mode: Easy (otherwise referred to as the Learning Stage), Normal, and Hard. [[Waddle Dee]], [[Bronto Burt]] and [[Waddle Doo]] are exclusive to the Learning Stage (and are the only opponents fought in that mode), while [[Poppy Bros. Sr.]], [[Whispy Woods]] and [[Kabu]] are exclusive to the Normal setting. Individual battles are referred to as Stages, or "Lessons" in the case of the first three opponents.


It should be noted that [[Waddle Dee]], [[Bronto Burt]] and [[Waddle Doo]] are exclusive to the game's Easy mode (and are the only opponents fought in that mode), while [[Poppy Bros. Sr.]], [[Whispy Woods]] and [[Kabu]] are exclusive to Normal mode. Individual battles are referred to as Lessons (in Easy mode) or Stages.
{| class="wikitable" border=1 cellpadding=2
{| class="wikitable" border=1 cellpadding=2
!Stage
!Stage
Line 40: Line 59:
!Abbr.
!Abbr.
!Pre-Battle Exchange
!Pre-Battle Exchange
!Notes
!Announcer Audio and Misc. Notes
|-
|-
|rowspan=3|Lesson&nbsp;1
|rowspan=3|Lesson&nbsp;1
|rowspan=3|[[Waddle Dee]]
|rowspan=3|[[Waddle Dee]]
|rowspan=3 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAvWaddleDee.png]]
|rowspan=3 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAv Waddle Dee sprite.png]]
|rowspan=3 align=center|WADE
|rowspan=3 align=center|WADE
|width=44% bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''Hi, Waddle Dee! Are you ready?!?''
|width=44% bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''Hi, Waddle Dee! Are you ready?!?''
|rowspan=3|Waddle Dee never speeds up or turns any of its blobs while they are falling and appears to place them at random.
|rowspan=3|{{center|[[File:KAv voice sample Waddle Dee.mp3]]}}Waddle Dee never turns any of his blobs while they are falling. He plays rather passively, and rarely fast drops blobs. During the stage, red blobs will never drop, only giving up to four colors. His ''Puyo Puyo'' equivalent is [[puyo:Skeleton T|Skeleton T]].
|-
|-
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''Umm, can we just walk together? The forest scares me...''
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''Umm, can we just walk together? The forest scares me...''
Line 55: Line 74:
|rowspan=3|Lesson 2
|rowspan=3|Lesson 2
|rowspan=3|[[Bronto Burt]]
|rowspan=3|[[Bronto Burt]]
|rowspan=3 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAvBrontoBurt.png]]
|rowspan=3 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAv Bronto Burt sprite.png]]
|rowspan=3 align=center|BRON
|rowspan=3 align=center|BRON
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''Ah HA!! I have found my next victim!!''
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''Ah HA!! I have found my next victim!!''
|rowspan=3| -
|rowspan=3|{{center|[[File:KAv voice sample Bronto Burt.mp3]]}}Bronto Burt's ''Puyo Puyo'' equivalent is [[puyo:Nasu Grave|Nasu Grave]]. During the stage, red blobs will never drop, only giving up to four colors.
|-
|-
|bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''Bronto Burt you bully, the pleasure will be all mine.''
|bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''Bronto Burt you bully, the pleasure will be all mine.''
|-
|-
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''Shut up and play!''
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''Shut up and play!''
|-
|-
|-
|rowspan=2|Lesson 3
|rowspan=2|Lesson 3
|rowspan=2|[[Waddle Doo]]
|rowspan=2|[[Waddle Doo]]
|rowspan=2 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAvWaddleDoo.png]]
|rowspan=2 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAv Waddle Doo sprite.png]]
|rowspan=2 align=center|WADO
|rowspan=2 align=center|WADO
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''You did not treat Waddle Dee with respect... Now I, Waddle Doo will repay you in kind!''
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''You did not treat Waddle Dee with respect... Now I, Waddle Doo will repay you in kind!''
|rowspan=2| -
|rowspan=2|{{center|[[File:KAv voice sample Waddle Doo.mp3]]}}Waddle Doo's ''Puyo Puyo'' equivalent is [[puyo:Mummy|Mummy]]. During the stage, yellow blobs will never drop, only giving up to four colors.
|-
|-
|bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''I don't think so!!''
|bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''I don't think so!!''
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|rowspan=3|Stage 1
|rowspan=3|Stage 1
|rowspan=3|[[Poppy Bros. Sr.]]
|rowspan=3|[[Poppy Bros. Sr.]]
|rowspan=3 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAvPoppyBrosSr.png]]
|rowspan=3 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAv Poppy Bros Sr sprite.png]]
|rowspan=3 align=center|PBSR
|rowspan=3 align=center|PBSR
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''Hi, Kirby! Want a bomb sandwich?''
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''Hi, Kirby! Want a bomb sandwich?''
|rowspan=3|Like Waddle Dee, Poppy Bros. Sr. does not turn its blobs.
|rowspan=3|{{center|[[File:KAv voice sample Poppy Bros Sr.mp3]]}} He plays rather passively and rarely rotates blobs. His ''Puyo Puyo'' equivalent is [[puyo:Draco Centauros|Draco Centauros]].
|-
|-
|bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''I'll breathe in your pathetic bombs and send them right back at you!''
|bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''I'll breathe in your pathetic bombs and send them right back at you!''
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|rowspan=2|Stage 2
|rowspan=2|Stage 2
|rowspan=2|[[Whispy Woods]]
|rowspan=2|[[Whispy Woods]]
|rowspan=2 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAvWhispyWoods.png]]
|rowspan=2 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAv Whispy Woods sprite.png]]
|rowspan=2 align=center|WHIS
|rowspan=2 align=center|WHIS
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''Please don't tread on my roots, it would not be a wise decision.''
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''Please don't tread on my roots, it would not be a wise decision.''
|rowspan=2|Whispy always opens the battle by attempting to build four rows of blob at the bottom.
|rowspan=2|{{center|[[File:KAv voice sample Whispy Woods.mp3]]}}Whispy always opens the battle by attempting to build four rows of blobs at the bottom, and he will refill the bottom four rows if blobs from there are ever removed. His ''Puyo Puyo'' equivalent is [[puyo:Suketoudara|Suketoudara]].
|-
|-
|bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''I feel like some apple pie!''
|bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''I feel like some apple pie!''
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|rowspan=3|Stage 3
|rowspan=3|Stage 3
|rowspan=3|[[Kabu]]
|rowspan=3|[[Kabu]]
|rowspan=3 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAvKabu.png]]
|rowspan=3 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAv Kabu sprite.png]]
|rowspan=3 align=center|KABU
|rowspan=3 align=center|KABU
|bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''Who blocked the path with this boulder?''
|bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''Who blocked the path with this boulder?''
|rowspan=3| -
|rowspan=3|{{center|[[File:KAv voice sample Kabu.mp3]]}}Kabu is the only enemy whose abbreviation is the same as his name. His ''Puyo Puyo'' equivalent is [[puyo:Sukiya Podes|Sukiya Podes]].
|-
|-
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''Your road to glory ends here''
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''Your road to glory ends here''{{sic}}
|-
|-
|bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''OH!! Hi Kabu, are you ready for a game of Avalanche?''
|bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''OH!! Hi Kabu, are you ready for a game of Avalanche?''
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|rowspan=3|Stage 4
|rowspan=3|Stage 4
|rowspan=3|[[Broom Hatter]]
|rowspan=3|[[Broom Hatter]]
|rowspan=3 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAvBroomHatter.png]]
|rowspan=3 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAv Broom Hatter sprite.png]]
|rowspan=3 align=center|BRMH
|rowspan=3 align=center|BRMH
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''Oh what a mess! Must I clean up this entire forest?''
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''Oh what a mess! Must I clean up this entire forest?''
|rowspan=3|Broom Hatter is the first opponent in Hard mode and fills the leftmost and rightmost column to the top at the beginning of the fight.
|rowspan=3|{{center|[[File:KAv voice sample Broom Hatter.mp3]]}}Broom Hatter is the first opponent in the Hard setting and fills the leftmost and rightmost column to the top at the beginning of the fight. If blobs are removed from the side columns, she will always refill them. Her ''Puyo Puyo'' equivalent is [[puyo:Harpy|Harpy]], although her blobs do not release music notes unlike Harpy.
|-
|-
|bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''I'd worry more about cleaning up your Avalanche skills first.''
|bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''I'd worry more about cleaning up your Avalanche skills first.''
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|rowspan=3|Stage 5
|rowspan=3|Stage 5
|rowspan=3|[[Squishy]]
|rowspan=3|[[Squishy]]
|rowspan=3 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAvSquishy.png]]
|rowspan=3 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAv Squishy sprite.png]]
|rowspan=3 align=center|SQUI
|rowspan=3 align=center|SQUI
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''I know what your dream is! But King Dedede was saying-''
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''I know what your dream is! But King Dedede was saying-''
|rowspan=3| -
|rowspan=3|{{center|[[File:KAv voice sample Squishy.mp3]]}}Squishy's ''Puyo Puyo'' equivalent is [[puyo:Sasori Man|Sasori Man]]. In the European version, the replacement of "Avalanche" to "Ghost Trap" causes his dialogue to overflow from his text box.<ref> [https://m.youtube.com/watch?si=Rp9SDPkd75hr0psl&v=H4DeR9uey8Q&feature=youtu.be&t=7m25s Squishy cutscene in ''Kirby's Ghost Trap]</ref>
|-
|-
|bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''Go meddle in someone else's affairs, Squishy, I've got to get to the Dream Fountain.''
|bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''Go meddle in someone else's affairs, Squishy, I've got to get to the Dream Fountain.''
Line 129: Line 147:
|rowspan=2|Stage 6
|rowspan=2|Stage 6
|rowspan=2|[[Lololo & Lalala]]
|rowspan=2|[[Lololo & Lalala]]
|rowspan=2 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAvLololoLalala.png]]
|rowspan=2 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAv Lololo Lalala sprite.png]]
|rowspan=2 align=center|LOLA
|rowspan=2 align=center|LOLA
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''To get this far you must have a-MAZE-ing skill Tee hee hee!!''
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Kirby: ''To get this far you must have a-MAZE-ing skill Tee hee hee!!''{{sic}}
|rowspan=2| -
|rowspan=2|{{center|[[File:KAv voice sample Lololo Lalala.mp3]]}}Lololo & Lalala's blobs clear into musical notes, much like [[puyo:Harpy|Harpy]]. They prioritize clearing blobs over performing combos. Their ''Puyo Puyo'' equivalent is [[puyo:Panotty|Panotty]]. Their dialogue references [[HAL Laboratory]]'s ''[[wikipedia:Eggerland|Eggerland]]'' series of maze games, which they originally debuted in as Lolo and Lala.
|-
|-
|bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''Oh yeah? Try and figure your way out of this!''
|bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Enemy: ''Oh yeah? Try and figure your way out of this!''
|-
|-
|rowspan=2|Stage 7
|rowspan=2|Stage 7
|rowspan=2|[[Bugzzy]]
|rowspan=2|[[Bugzzy]]
|rowspan=2 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAvBugzzy.png]]
|rowspan=2 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAv Bugzzy sprite.png]]
|rowspan=2 align=center|BUGZ
|rowspan=2 align=center|BUGZ
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''ROOAAAAAAARRR!!!!!''
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''ROOAAAAAAARRR!!!!!''
|rowspan=2| -
|rowspan=2|{{center|[[File:KAv voice sample Bugzzy.mp3]]}}Bugzzy mainly focuses on slowly forming giant combos, filling Kirby's field with an immense amount of boulders. His ''Puyo Puyo'' equivalent is [[puyo:Zombie|Zombie]].
|-
|-
|bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''Oh, I'm soooo scared''
|bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''Oh, I'm soooo scared''{{sic}}
|-
|-
|rowspan=5|Stage 8
|rowspan=5|Stage 8
|rowspan=5|[[Paint Roller]]
|rowspan=5|[[Paint Roller]]
|rowspan=5 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAvPaintRoller.png]]
|rowspan=5 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAv Paint Roller sprite.png]]
|rowspan=5 align=center|PAIN
|rowspan=5 align=center|PAIN
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''Let me paint you a lovely portrait...''
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''Let me paint you a lovely portrait...''
|rowspan=5| -
|rowspan=5|{{center|[[File:KAv voice sample Paint Roller.mp3]]}}Paint Roller's ''Puyo Puyo'' equivalent is [[puyo:Witch|Witch]]. However, unlike Witch, his blobs do not release stars when they are removed.
|-
|-
|bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''Oh, how sweet of yo-''
|bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''Oh, how sweet of yo-''
Line 162: Line 180:
|rowspan=2|Stage 9
|rowspan=2|Stage 9
|rowspan=2|[[Heavy Mole]]
|rowspan=2|[[Heavy Mole]]
|rowspan=2 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAvHeavyMole.png]]
|rowspan=2 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAv Heavy Mole sprite.png]]
|rowspan=2 align=center|HVYM
|rowspan=2 align=center|HVYM
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''I am Heavy Mole, watch while I undermine your precious dream!!''
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''I am Heavy Mole, watch while I undermine your precious dream!!''
|rowspan=2|Heavy Mole is the first opponent fought at the Dream Fountain and focuses primarily on rapidly destroying blobs rather than forming big chain reactions.
|rowspan=2|{{center|[[File:KAv voice sample Heavy Mole.mp3]]}}Heavy Mole is the first opponent fought at the Dream Fountain, and focuses primarily on rapidly destroying blobs rather than forming big chain reactions. His ''Puyo Puyo'' equivalent is [[puyo:Zoh Daimaoh|Zoh Daimaoh]], though without his screen-shaking effect.
|-
|-
|bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''You are sneaky, but I will not be distracted by your under-handed tactics.''
|bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''You are sneaky, but I will not be distracted by your under-handed tactics.''
|-
|-
|rowspan=3|Stage 10
|rowspan=3|Stage 10
|rowspan=3|[[Mr. Shine and Mr. Bright]]
|rowspan=3|[[Mr. Shine & Mr. Bright]]
|rowspan=3 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAvMrShineMrBright.png]]
|rowspan=3 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAv Mr Shine Mr Bright sprite.png]]
|rowspan=3 align=center|MS&B
|rowspan=3 align=center|MS&B
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''We rule both the night and the day!''
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''We rule both the night and the day!''
|rowspan=3| -
|rowspan=3|{{center|[[File:KAv voice sample Shine Bright.mp3]]}}Mr. Shine & Mr. Bright's ''Puyo Puyo'' equivalent is [[puyo:Schezo Wegey|Schezo Wegey]].
|-
|-
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''This leaves no time for you Kirby! Be gone!!''
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''This leaves no time for you Kirby! Be gone!!''
Line 182: Line 200:
|rowspan=2|Stage 11
|rowspan=2|Stage 11
|rowspan=2|[[Kracko]]
|rowspan=2|[[Kracko]]
|rowspan=2 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAvKracko.png]]
|rowspan=2 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAv Kracko sprite.png]]
|rowspan=2 align=center|KRAC
|rowspan=2 align=center|KRAC
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''KRRR-RACKK!!!! Dance to my deadly music, or fry like a moth! HA HA!!''
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''KRRR-RACKK!!!! Dance to my deadly music, or fry like a moth! HA HA!!''
|rowspan=2| -
|rowspan=2|{{center|[[File:KAv voice sample Kracko.mp3]]}}Kracko's blobs release stars when they are removed, which is shared from [[puyo:Witch|Witch]]. Kracko's ''Puyo Puyo'' equvialent is [[puyo:Minotauros|Minotauros]].
|-
|-
|bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''You couldn't hit a barn sized lightning rod, Kracko!''
|bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''You couldn't hit a barn sized lightning rod, Kracko!''
Line 191: Line 209:
|rowspan=3|Stage 12
|rowspan=3|Stage 12
|rowspan=3|[[Meta Knight]]
|rowspan=3|[[Meta Knight]]
|rowspan=3 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAvMetaKnight.png]]
|rowspan=3 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAv Meta Knight sprite.png]]
|rowspan=3 align=center|META
|rowspan=3 align=center|META
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''None shall pass! En garde, Kirby!''
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''None shall pass! En garde, Kirby!''
|rowspan=3|Meta Knight is more skilled than other opponents at making a comeback when most of his playing field has been covered in rocks.
|rowspan=3|{{center|[[File:KAv voice sample Meta Knight.mp3]]}}Meta Knight is more skilled than other opponents at making a comeback when most of his playing field has been covered in boulders. His ''Puyo Puyo'' equivalent is [[puyo:Rulue|Rulue]]. The quote "None shall pass!" is a reference to the [[wikipedia:Black Knight (Monty Python)|Black Knight]] from ''[[wikipedia:Monty Python and the Holy Grail|Monty Python and the Holy Grail]]''.
|-
|-
|bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''But I have no sword!?!''
|bgcolor=#FFD0FF|Kirby: ''But I have no sword!?!''
Line 202: Line 220:
|rowspan=3|Final Stage
|rowspan=3|Final Stage
|rowspan=3|[[King Dedede]]
|rowspan=3|[[King Dedede]]
|rowspan=3 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAvKingDedede.png]]
|rowspan=3 bgcolor=#285068 align=center|[[File:KAv King Dedede sprite.png]]
|rowspan=3 align=center|DEDE
|rowspan=3 align=center|DEDE
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''Kirby!! Your dream has carried you far but here it ends.''
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''Kirby!! Your dream has carried you far but here it ends.''
|rowspan=3|When Dedede's blobs land, his half of the screen shakes slightly. This has no effect on gameplay, however.
|rowspan=3|{{center|[[File:KAv voice sample King Dedede.mp3]]}}When Dedede's blobs land, his half of the screen shakes slightly. This has no effect on gameplay, however. His ''Puyo Puyo'' equivalent is [[puyo:Satan|Dark Prince]], though his screen-shaking effect comes from [[puyo:Zoh Daimaoh|Zoh Daimaoh]].
|-
|-
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''The Dream Fountain Cup will be mine!!''
|bgcolor=#FFD0D0|Enemy: ''The Dream Fountain Cup will be mine!!''
Line 212: Line 230:
|}
|}


When Waddle Doo is defeated, King Dedede congratulates the player on their skill in the Learning Stage, then challenges them to try a higher difficulty. The high score table will be shown, and if the player got a high score, they will be prompted to input their initials. The game then returns to the title screen.
When King Dedede is defeated, the game displays a short ending cutscene, then the names of each of the characters, followed by the staff credits. If cleared with the COM Level set to Easy, Normal or Hard, the final message encourages the player to try the next COM Level, while if cleared on Hardest, the final message is a simple thanks for playing. Regardless of difficulty, at the end of the credits, a special code is revealed; holding A, B, X, and Y on the second controller during gameplay, then resetting the console with these buttons held, will unlock a special "custom" menu in the options. Much like clearing the Learning Stage, the best scores will then be shown, prompting the player to input their initials if they got a high score in the process.
===1P vs. 2P===
1P vs. 2P is the game's multiplayer mode, and requires two controllers to operate. Two players compete in a match of Avalanche. Player 1 will always be Kirby, while player 2 can be any of the opponents from Competition mode, selected at random. At the start of a match, each player can individually select their difficulty level on a scale from 1 to 5, which is represented by chili peppers: Mild, Medium, Spicy, Hot, and Cajun. This is another holdover from ''Puyo Puyo'', in which Arle's favorite food is curry, though this may possibly be a reference to the [[Superspicy Curry]] as well, which came from ''[[Kirby's Dream Land]]''. The difficulty level affects how fast the player's blobs fall, thus affecting reaction time. The number of rounds in each match can be adjusted through the Options menu. When a match is done, the game returns to the difficulty select.
===Practice===
Practice mode allows the player to play a single round of Avalanche without having to compete against an opponent. The goal is instead to last as long as possible and rack up a high score. Like 1P vs. 2P, the player can select their starting difficulty speed, with a choice between Mild, Spicy (which adds 40,000 points to the score), and Cajun (which adds 90,000 points to the score). Player 2 can join as well, though there is no incentive to compete other than for score, as boulders do not appear. When both players receive a game over, the best scores are shown; if either got a high score, they will be prompted to input their initials before the game returns to the title screen.
===Options===
Options mode allows the player to adjust the game settings in the various modes, as outlined below. This also includes the [[Jukebox#Kirby's Avalanche|sound test]] option to listen to the game's music and sound effects, and the input test option to ensure that the controllers' buttons are functioning properly. As mentioned above, some options are only available after entering a special code.
{| class="wikitable" border=1 cellpadding=2
!Option
!Details
|-
!colspan=2|Normal options
|-
|EXIT
|Saves any changes made to the options and returns to the main menu.
|-
|VS. COM LEVEL
|Adjusts the overall skill of the AI in Competition mode. The options are "EASY", "NORMAL" (default), "HARD", and "HARDEST".
|-
|1P VS. 2P MODE
|Adjusts the length of each match in 1P Vs. 2P mode. The options are "1 GAME MATCH" (default), "3 GAME MATCH", "5 GAME MATCH", "7 GAME MATCH", "9 GAME MATCH", "11 GAME MATCH", "13 GAME MATCH", and "15 GAME MATCH".
|-
|SAMPLING
|Turns voice samples on or off. The default is "ON".
|-
|FACE
|Adjusts where the opponent's face is seen in each round of Competition mode. The options are "FRONT" (in front of the playing field), "BACK" (behind the playing field; default), and "OFF".
|-
|BUTTON ASSIGNMENT
|Allows for reassigning the button layout for rotation inputs, minus the + Control Pad, for both player 1 and player 2. By default, the B button turns left, the A and Y buttons both turn right, and the rest of the buttons have no function. The + Control Pad's functions cannot be reassigned.
|-
|INPUT TEST
|Shows a screen allowing the player to test the input of all buttons, including the + Control Pad. This is represented by a list of all buttons displayed on-screen. When pressed or held, the button's on-screen label will say "ON"; otherwise, it will say "OFF". The R and L buttons must be pressed simultaneously to exit this screen.
|-
|CUSTOM
|Enters the custom options menu.
|-
!colspan=2|Custom options
|-
|EXIT CUSTOM
|Returns to the standard options.
|-
|SOUND
|Allows for playing back all sound effects. Ranges from 00 to 3F, listed in hexadecimal.
|-
|MUSIC
|Allows for playing back all music. Ranges from 00 to 10, listed in hexadecimal.
|-
|VOICE
|Allows for playing back all voice samples. Ranges from 00 to 25, listed in hexadecimal.
|-
|SOUND MODE
|Allows for adjusting the game's sound mode between stereo (default) and mono.
|-
|FACE POSITION
|Adjusts where the opponent's face is located on the screen in Competition mode. The options are "LOW", "MID" (default), and "HIGH".
|-
|SWEAT
|Turns on or off the opponent's sweat drops that appear when they are close to losing in Competition mode. The default is "ON".
|-
|BATTLE COLOR
|Allows for reducing the number of Puyo colors. The options are "4 AND 5" (default) and "3 AND 4". Only available after the A+B+X+Y input.
|-
|EARTHQUAKE
|Turns on or off King Dedede's "earthquake" effect in 1P vs. 2P and Practice mode. The default is "OFF". Only available after the A+B+X+Y input.
|-
|SPECIAL CUSTOM
|Enters the special custom options menu. Only available after the A+B+X+Y input.
|-
!colspan=2|Special custom options
|-
|EXIT SPECIAL CUSTOM
|Returns to the custom options menu.
|-
|FALL BLOB
|Adjusts how many boulders are sent during chain reactions. The options are "MINUS", "NORMAL" (default), "PLUS", "PANIC", and "HURRY".
|-
|MODE
|When exiting the options menu and holding the L button, this will bring the player directly to the selected mode. The options are "0 VS. COM" (Competition), "1 BATTLE" (1P vs. 2P, default), and "2 ENDLESS" (Practice).
|-
|STAGE
|This will start Competition mode from any stage, with the option of all 16 stages from "LESSON 01" (Waddle Dee) to "NORMAL 13" (King Dedede). The game must be started on Easy mode for this to work.
|-
|CPU PLAYER
|This will change player 1's CPU to one of the CPU opponent playstyles, with the option of each of the game's 16 opponents. It can only be seen in the title screen demo.
|}
There are also further, unused special options that can only be accessed through a game-altering device, such as a GameShark. One of these options is an early form of the "offsetting" rule.<ref name="tcrf">[https://tcrf.net/Kirby%27s_Avalanche ''Kirby's Avalanche'' on The Cutting Room Floor]</ref>
==Staff==
The following is a list of staff who have worked on ''Kirby's Avalanche'':
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" border="1" cellpadding="2"
|-
!colspan=4|Staff of ''Kirby's Avalanche'' &nbsp;
|-
!From
!Position
!Developer(s)
!Credited as
|-
!rowspan=7|Compile
!Producer
|Masamitsu Niitani
|Moo Niitani
|-
!Director
|colspan=2|{{center|[[Kazunori Ikeda]]}}
|-
!Programmer
|Takayuki Hirono
|Jemini Hirono
|-
!Sub Programmer
|Shouji Takeuchi<br>Masatoshi Setou<br>Takayuki Sato
|JG4MSG Takeuchi <^^;><br>S.T.O.<br>Satman
|-
!Graphic Designer
|Koji Teramoto<br>Akemi Sakai<br>Toshihiro Okamoto
|Janus Teramoto<br>Kemi<br>Lineard
|-
!Composer SE
|colspan=2|{{center|Einosuke Nagao}}
|-
!SFX Converter
|Einosuke Nagao<br>Nobuaki Yamasaki
|Einosuke Nagao<br>Taishow
|-
!colspan=2|HAL Laboratory
|colspan=2|{{center|[[Hirokazu Ando]]<br>[[Tetsuya Notoya]]}}
|-
!rowspan=4|Nintendo
!Nintendo Staff
|colspan=2|{{center|Hideki Fujii<br>Derek Whipple<br>Syuji Kawaguchi<br>Kensuke Tanabe}}
|-
!Voice Talent
|colspan=2|{{center|Michael Kelbraugh<br>Robin Krouse}}
|-
!Translations
|colspan=2|{{center|Keiko Tamura<br>Kayomi McDonald}}
|-
!Special Thanks
|colspan=2|{{center|Dan Owsen<br>Hiro Yamada}}
|-
!colspan=4|©1995 COMPILE / BANPRESTO<br>©1995 HAL LABORATORY / NINTENDO
|}
[[Masahiro Sakurai]] mentions in his ''Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games'' video regarding [[nwiki:Meteos|''Meteos'']]<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snHecpmPeJs&t=1m32s "Meteos <nowiki>[Game Concepts]</nowiki>"], ''Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games''</ref> that he served as an uncredited supervisor for ''Kirby's Avalanche''. It is unclear exactly how involved he was, as he only mentions it in passing.
==Nintendo Switch Online description==
''Everyone's favorite round, pink hero takes a break from swallowing his enemies to put your brain to work in this fast-paced puzzle game. Players take control of Kirby and match wits with well-known enemies from the Kirby series (including his archrival, King Dedede!) in an effort to win the First Annual Dream Land Avalanche Competition. This simple-but-addictive gameplay revolves around brightly colored blobs and boulders. When the right amount of matching blobs are stacked, they explode and rain down boulders on your opponent's field of play! Keep going until your screen is clear to move on to the next round. But be careful—the farther you advance, the faster the blobs fall, and the smarter the opponents get! Are you good enough to help Kirby become the avalanche king?''
==Trivia==
*''Kirby's Avalanche'' is one of several international rebrandings of the ''Puyo Puyo'' series for western audiences, with other examples including ''[[wikipedia:Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine|Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine]]'' and the "Bug Drop" minigame in ''[[wikipedia:Timon & Pumbaa's Jungle Games|Timon & Pumbaa's Jungle Games]]''.
**Although most traces of ''Super Puyo Puyo'' were removed from ''Kirby's Avalanche'', the columns in the title screen still have inscriptions that read "PUYOPYO".
*Most of the game's soundtrack consists of remixed music from ''[[Kirby's Adventure]]'' and ''[[Kirby's Dream Course]]''.
*Interestingly, the modern designs for several characters (such as [[Kracko]] and [[Meta Knight]]) first debuted in this game, ahead of their appearance in ''[[Kirby Super Star]]''. It is likely that this game's development overlapped with ''Kirby Super Star'', so the newer designs were used while the later game was still being developed.
*The staff credits can be viewed immediately if the game is started or rebooted while player 1 holds L + right and player 2 holds R + left.<ref name="tcrf"/>
* ''Kirby's Avalanche'' was one of several titles compatible with [[wikipedia:XBAND|XBAND]], an [[Online features|online service]] for the SNES that functioned through an expansion cartridge connected to a modem. This technically makes it the first ''Kirby'' game with online multiplayer, though the first one with native online compatibility was ''[[Kirby Battle Royale]]'', released 22 years later.


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
===Artwork===
<gallery>
KAv Kirby artwork.png|[[Kirby]]
KAv Lololo & Lalala artwork.png|[[Lololo & Lalala]]
KAv King Dedede artwork.png|[[King Dedede]]
</gallery>
===Sprites===
<gallery style="image-rendering:pixelated;">
KAv Kirby cutscene sprite.png|Kirby
KAv Kirby sprite.png|Kirby
KAv Kirby sprite 2.png|Kirby's icon from the credits
KAv Waddle Dee cutscene sprite.png|[[Waddle Dee]]
KAv Bronto Burt cutscene sprite.png|[[Bronto Burt]]
KAv Waddle Doo cutscene sprite.png|[[Waddle Doo]]
KAv Poppy Bros Sr cutscene sprite.png|[[Poppy Bros. Sr.]]
KAv Kabu cutscene sprite.png|[[Kabu]]
KAv Broom Hatter cutscene sprite.png|[[Broom Hatter]]
KAv Squishy cutscene sprite.png|[[Squishy]]
KAv Lololo cutscene sprite.png|Lololo
KAv Lalala cutscene sprite.png|Lalala
KAv Bugzzy cutscene sprite.png|[[Bugzzy]]
KAv Paint Roller cutscene sprite.png|[[Paint Roller]]
KAv Heavy Mole cutscene sprite.png|[[Heavy Mole]]
KAv Mr Shine cutscene sprite.png|[[Mr. Shine & Mr. Bright|Mr. Shine]]
KAv Mr Bright cutscene sprite.png|[[Mr. Shine & Mr. Bright|Mr. Bright]]
KAv Kracko cutscene sprite.png|[[Kracko]]
KAv Meta Knight cutscene sprite.png|[[Meta Knight]]
KAv King Dedede cutscene sprite.png|King Dedede
</gallery>
===Screenshots===
<gallery>
<gallery>
File:Kirby Avalanche box art 2.jpg|Later North American box art with an 'E' rating
KAv title screen.png|American title screen
File:Ka.png|Title screen
KAv mode selection.png|Mode select screen
File:Kirby Avalanche mode selection.png|Mode select screen
KAv Lesson 1 gameplay.png|Lesson 1 (Easy) gameplay against [[Waddle Dee]]
File:KAv Lesson 1 gameplay.png|Lesson 1 (Easy) gameplay against Waddle Dee.
KAv Broom Hatter intro.png|[[Broom Hatter]] talking to Kirby
File:Kirbyavalanchescreen16.png|[[Broom Hatter]] talking to Kirby.
KAv Heavy Mole match.png|Kirby going against [[Heavy Mole]]
File:Kirbyavalanchescreen24.png|Kirby going against [[Heavy Mole]].
KAv Game Over.png|Game over screen
KAv Custom Options Menu.png|Custom Options menu
</gallery>
</gallery>


==Trivia==
===Audio===
*[[Whispy Woods]] is the 5th boss rather than the first as in most other games.
<gallery>
*This game is practically Kirby Tetris.
Kav Level 1 intro.mp3|[[Level 5 Map Select|Pre-stage theme (Easy)]]
*Sega released a game similar to this and Puyo Puyo, two years before this called ''Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine''.
KAv Butter Building.oga|[[Butter Building (theme)|Easy stage]]
*[[Meta Knight]] is voiced by a girl in this game, Waddle Doo is Waddle Dee's cousin, and Paint Roller is an art student.
KAv Yogurt Yard clip.mp3|[[Mountain Stage|Normal stage]]
*This is the only Kirby game to not be released in Japan.
KAv Underground Stage Sample.mp3|[[Underground Stage|Hard stage]]
KAv Mid-Boss Battle.mp3|[[Mid-Boss Battle|Dedede cutscene]]
KAv Dedede Stage.mp3|[[VS. Robo Dedede|Dedede Stage]]
KAv Kirby Dance.mp3|[[Kirby Dance (theme)|Victory]]
KAv Ending.wav|[[Title Screen / Demo|Ending]]
KAv Game Over jingle.mp3|Game Over
Ice Cream Island KAva.oga|[[Ice Cream Island (theme)|1P vs. 2P]]
</gallery>
 
==Names in other languages==
{{names
|nl=Kirby's Ghost Trap<br>Kirby's Avalanche
|nlM=-<br>-
|frA=Kirby's Avalanche
|frAM=-
|frE=Kirby's Ghost Trap<br>Kirby's Avalanche
|frEM=-<br>-
|de=Kirby's Ghost Trap<br>Kirby's Avalanche
|deM=-<br>-
|it=Kirby's Ghost Trap<br>Kirby's Avalanche
|itM=-<br>-
|ko=Kirby's Avalanche
|koM=-
|ptA=Kirby's Avalanche
|ptAM=-
|ptE=Kirby's Ghost Trap<br>Kirby's Avalanche
|ptEM=-<br>-
|ru=Kirby's Ghost Trap<br>Kirby's Avalanche
|ruM=-<br>-
|esA=Kirby's Avalanche
|esAM=-
|esE=Kirby's Ghost Trap<br>Kirby's Avalanche
|esEM=-<br>-
}}
 
{{ref}}


==External links==
==External links==
*[[harddrop:Puyo Puyo|Kirby's Avalanche]] at Hard Drop Tetris Wiki
*''[[harddrop:Puyo Puyo|Puyo Puyo]]'', the series from which this game is derived, at Hard Drop Tetris Wiki
*[https://www.kirbyinformer.com/kirbys-avalanche ''Kirby's Avalanche'' on Kirby Informer]
*[[puyo:Kirby's Avalanche|''Kirby's Avalanche'']] at Puyo Nexus, a ''Puyo Puyo'' wiki
*[https://www.kirbyinformer.com/kirbys-avalanche ''Kirby's Avalanche''] on Kirby Informer
*[http://www.kirbysrainbowresort.net/games/avalanche/instruction.html English manual (external archive)] ([https://www.gamesdatabase.org/Media/SYSTEM/Nintendo_SNES/Manual/formated/Kirby-s_Avalanche_-_1995_-_Nintendo.pdf second archive])


{{clear}}
{{clear}}
{{navbox-Games}}
{{navbox-Games}}
{{Navbox-KAv}}
{{Navbox-KAv Music}}
[[Category:Spin-off games]]
[[Category:Spin-off games]]
[[Category:Games on Super Nintendo Entertainment System]]
[[Category:Games on Super Nintendo Entertainment System]]

Latest revision as of 00:45, 25 March 2024

Kirby's Avalanche

KAv Box 2.jpg

KAv NTSC K-A Rating Box Art.jpg

KAv UK Box.jpg

Box art for Kirby's Avalanche from various regions
Details
Developer(s) Compile, Banpresto, HAL Laboratory
Publisher(s) Nintendo
Designer(s) Kazunori Ikeda
Release date(s) SNES:
Europe February 1, 1995
NA April 25, 1995

Virtual Console (Wii):
Europe July 27, 2007
Australia July 27, 2007
NA September 24, 2007

SNES: Nintendo Switch Online
NA July 21, 2022
[1]
Platform(s) SNES, Wii Virtual Console,
Nintendo Switch (SNES: Nintendo Switch Online)
Supported languages American English, British English
Rating(s) ESRB: Kids to Adults / Everyone
PEGI: 3+
Game chronology
Kirby's Dream Course Kirby's Dream Land 2
On affiliated sites
StrategyWiki Walkthrough
 This box: view  talk  edit 

Kirby's Avalanche, known as Kirby's Ghost Trap in European languages, is a puzzle game developed by Compile, in collaboration with HAL Laboratory, that was released in 1995. It is a spinoff title and a direct modification of the Japanese puzzle game Super Puyo Puyo, except featuring Kirby characters. The game, which can be played with one or two players, revolves around stacking multi-colored blobs (otherwise known as Puyos) and matching chains of the same color. Due to its similarities to Super Puyo Puyo, this game was never released in Japan, making it the only Kirby game with this distinction.

Story[edit]

Welcome to Dream Land, a small and peaceful country situated on a far away little star. In Dream Land the local pastime is a puzzle game called "Avalanche." Kirby decided that since every Dream Lander plays the game, it would be a great idea to have a country-wide competition to determine who is the best player of all.

After months of organizing, the First Annual Dream Land's Avalanche Competition was finally announced. To be held at the Dream Fountain, this would be the biggest event in the history of Dream Land!

All the Dream Landers have been practicing, and all plan to attend and compete. Like Kirby, they have been dreaming sweet dreams of becoming the Avalanche Champion and claiming the highly sought after "Dream Fountain Cup."

The rules for the competition are quite simple: Everyone will travel by foot to the Dream Fountain. If, while on their journey, two Dream Landers happen to meet, they must challenge each other to an Avalanche match. Only the winner of the match may continue onward towards the Dream Fountain. In this way, the number of competitors will be whittled down to a manageable size before the final action at the Dream Fountain.

Can you help guide Kirby through the competition so he arrives successfully at the Dream Fountain? Can he rise above the grizzled veterans and achieve his dream of becoming the reigning champion? His fate is in your hands!

— Kirby's Avalanche manual


Gameplay[edit]

Kirby competing against Lololo & Lalala.

The rules in Kirby's Avalanche are identical to Super Puyo Puyo. Two players each have their own playing field, a grid of 72 spaces (6 across and 12 high). Pairs of differently-colored Puyos (referred to in this game as blobs) fall from the top of the playing field and eventually touch the bottom. The goal is to drop and rotate the blobs in such a way that four or more of the same color connect with each other from above, below or to the side, in any combination. This done, they will disappear from the playing field. Any blobs above them will fall down and fill in the spots where the matched blobs once were. If a player runs out of room in the playing field to place blobs, that player will lose the game.

Clearing blobs will send Garbage Puyos (referred to in this game as boulders or ghosts) to the opponent's playing field. Boulders cannot be cleared when four or more of them touch, and can only disappear if a match of four colored blobs is accomplished right next to them. Because of this, they are essentially meant to waste space and make matching blobs more difficult.

It is possible to set up a chain reaction by matching four blobs, and then letting other blobs fall into spots where they will connect with more blobs, clearing more of them one after another in succession. The more blobs that disappear from the result of a chain reaction, the more boulders will be sent to the opponent's playing field. Setting up a large enough chain will create the eponymous "avalanche" (or "ghost trap"); so many boulders will be dropped that the opponent has no chance to recover.

Just before the boulders rain down on a player's playing field, they will be shown icons that indicate how many boulders will drop. A small icon indicates one boulder, a bigger icon indicates 6 boulders, and a brown icon indicates 36 boulders. The winner is the one who outlasts their opponent by burying their playing field with boulders to the point that no further blobs can be dropped.

Some techniques found in later games of the Puyo Puyo series are not possible to perform in this game, such as "offsetting" (neutralizing boulders by matching blobs before they fall) or "double-rotation" (rotating blobs vertically when trapped in-between columns of other blobs).

Game modes[edit]

There are four options on the main menu for Kirby's Avalanche: "Competition", "1P vs. 2P", "Practice", and "Options".

Competition[edit]

During the Competition mode of the game, Kirby faces a total of 16 bosses in the order presented. These bosses do not possess any special skills (other than minor aesthetic differences), but their playing styles vary slightly, generally becoming faster and more aggressive as Kirby advances through the game. Each opponent is equivalent to another opponent from Puyo Puyo, including their specific playstyle quirks (such as "first-instinct chains").

Notably, in the cutscenes between each round, Kirby is shown trash-talking his opponents and speaking in full sentences. This is a very unique and strange occurrence; in most of the rest of the Kirby series, Kirby is not rude, and has rarely spoken outside of simple phrases, such as "hi". Instead, his behavior is more in line with the personality of Puyo Puyo's protagonist, Arle Nadja, who is replaced by Kirby in this game.

There are three difficulty levels to Competition mode: Easy (otherwise referred to as the Learning Stage), Normal, and Hard. Waddle Dee, Bronto Burt and Waddle Doo are exclusive to the Learning Stage (and are the only opponents fought in that mode), while Poppy Bros. Sr., Whispy Woods and Kabu are exclusive to the Normal setting. Individual battles are referred to as Stages, or "Lessons" in the case of the first three opponents.

Stage Name Appearance Abbr. Pre-Battle Exchange Announcer Audio and Misc. Notes
Lesson 1 Waddle Dee KAv Waddle Dee sprite.png WADE Kirby: Hi, Waddle Dee! Are you ready?!? Waddle Dee never turns any of his blobs while they are falling. He plays rather passively, and rarely fast drops blobs. During the stage, red blobs will never drop, only giving up to four colors. His Puyo Puyo equivalent is Skeleton T.
Enemy: Umm, can we just walk together? The forest scares me...
Kirby: Sorry, rules are rules!
Lesson 2 Bronto Burt KAv Bronto Burt sprite.png BRON Enemy: Ah HA!! I have found my next victim!! Bronto Burt's Puyo Puyo equivalent is Nasu Grave. During the stage, red blobs will never drop, only giving up to four colors.
Kirby: Bronto Burt you bully, the pleasure will be all mine.
Enemy: Shut up and play!
Lesson 3 Waddle Doo KAv Waddle Doo sprite.png WADO Enemy: You did not treat Waddle Dee with respect... Now I, Waddle Doo will repay you in kind! Waddle Doo's Puyo Puyo equivalent is Mummy. During the stage, yellow blobs will never drop, only giving up to four colors.
Kirby: I don't think so!!
Stage 1 Poppy Bros. Sr. KAv Poppy Bros Sr sprite.png PBSR Enemy: Hi, Kirby! Want a bomb sandwich? He plays rather passively and rarely rotates blobs. His Puyo Puyo equivalent is Draco Centauros.
Kirby: I'll breathe in your pathetic bombs and send them right back at you!
Enemy: Stalemate... Okay, let's compete in a quick game of Avalanche!
Stage 2 Whispy Woods KAv Whispy Woods sprite.png WHIS Enemy: Please don't tread on my roots, it would not be a wise decision. Whispy always opens the battle by attempting to build four rows of blobs at the bottom, and he will refill the bottom four rows if blobs from there are ever removed. His Puyo Puyo equivalent is Suketoudara.
Kirby: I feel like some apple pie!
Stage 3 Kabu KAv Kabu sprite.png KABU Kirby: Who blocked the path with this boulder? Kabu is the only enemy whose abbreviation is the same as his name. His Puyo Puyo equivalent is Sukiya Podes.
Enemy: Your road to glory ends here[sic]
Kirby: OH!! Hi Kabu, are you ready for a game of Avalanche?
Stage 4 Broom Hatter KAv Broom Hatter sprite.png BRMH Enemy: Oh what a mess! Must I clean up this entire forest? Broom Hatter is the first opponent in the Hard setting and fills the leftmost and rightmost column to the top at the beginning of the fight. If blobs are removed from the side columns, she will always refill them. Her Puyo Puyo equivalent is Harpy, although her blobs do not release music notes unlike Harpy.
Kirby: I'd worry more about cleaning up your Avalanche skills first.
Enemy: Dust, dust, sweep... Huh?!??
Stage 5 Squishy KAv Squishy sprite.png SQUI Enemy: I know what your dream is! But King Dedede was saying- Squishy's Puyo Puyo equivalent is Sasori Man. In the European version, the replacement of "Avalanche" to "Ghost Trap" causes his dialogue to overflow from his text box.[2]
Kirby: Go meddle in someone else's affairs, Squishy, I've got to get to the Dream Fountain.
Enemy: An eight-armed Avalanche for you then, Kirby!
Stage 6 Lololo & Lalala KAv Lololo Lalala sprite.png LOLA Kirby: To get this far you must have a-MAZE-ing skill Tee hee hee!![sic] Lololo & Lalala's blobs clear into musical notes, much like Harpy. They prioritize clearing blobs over performing combos. Their Puyo Puyo equivalent is Panotty. Their dialogue references HAL Laboratory's Eggerland series of maze games, which they originally debuted in as Lolo and Lala.
Enemy: Oh yeah? Try and figure your way out of this!
Stage 7 Bugzzy KAv Bugzzy sprite.png BUGZ Enemy: ROOAAAAAAARRR!!!!! Bugzzy mainly focuses on slowly forming giant combos, filling Kirby's field with an immense amount of boulders. His Puyo Puyo equivalent is Zombie.
Kirby: Oh, I'm soooo scared[sic]
Stage 8 Paint Roller KAv Paint Roller sprite.png PAIN Enemy: Let me paint you a lovely portrait... Paint Roller's Puyo Puyo equivalent is Witch. However, unlike Witch, his blobs do not release stars when they are removed.
Kirby: Oh, how sweet of yo-
Enemy: ...of you losing to me, HA HA HA!
Kirby: Paint Roller, you are the meanest art student I've ever met.
Enemy: Student? HA! I am the MASTER!!
Stage 9 Heavy Mole KAv Heavy Mole sprite.png HVYM Enemy: I am Heavy Mole, watch while I undermine your precious dream!! Heavy Mole is the first opponent fought at the Dream Fountain, and focuses primarily on rapidly destroying blobs rather than forming big chain reactions. His Puyo Puyo equivalent is Zoh Daimaoh, though without his screen-shaking effect.
Kirby: You are sneaky, but I will not be distracted by your under-handed tactics.
Stage 10 Mr. Shine & Mr. Bright KAv Mr Shine Mr Bright sprite.png MS&B Enemy: We rule both the night and the day! Mr. Shine & Mr. Bright's Puyo Puyo equivalent is Schezo Wegey.
Enemy: This leaves no time for you Kirby! Be gone!!
Kirby: I thrive at dusk and at dawn! I'll have you two fighting before the day is done.
Stage 11 Kracko KAv Kracko sprite.png KRAC Enemy: KRRR-RACKK!!!! Dance to my deadly music, or fry like a moth! HA HA!! Kracko's blobs release stars when they are removed, which is shared from Witch. Kracko's Puyo Puyo equvialent is Minotauros.
Kirby: You couldn't hit a barn sized lightning rod, Kracko!
Stage 12 Meta Knight KAv Meta Knight sprite.png META Enemy: None shall pass! En garde, Kirby! Meta Knight is more skilled than other opponents at making a comeback when most of his playing field has been covered in boulders. His Puyo Puyo equivalent is Rulue. The quote "None shall pass!" is a reference to the Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Kirby: But I have no sword!?!
Enemy: Oh, you're so right... Then Avalanche it is, ha ha ha ha!!!
Final Stage King Dedede KAv King Dedede sprite.png DEDE Enemy: Kirby!! Your dream has carried you far but here it ends. When Dedede's blobs land, his half of the screen shakes slightly. This has no effect on gameplay, however. His Puyo Puyo equivalent is Dark Prince, though his screen-shaking effect comes from Zoh Daimaoh.
Enemy: The Dream Fountain Cup will be mine!!
Kirby: Welcome King Dedede. And good luck to you too.

When Waddle Doo is defeated, King Dedede congratulates the player on their skill in the Learning Stage, then challenges them to try a higher difficulty. The high score table will be shown, and if the player got a high score, they will be prompted to input their initials. The game then returns to the title screen.

When King Dedede is defeated, the game displays a short ending cutscene, then the names of each of the characters, followed by the staff credits. If cleared with the COM Level set to Easy, Normal or Hard, the final message encourages the player to try the next COM Level, while if cleared on Hardest, the final message is a simple thanks for playing. Regardless of difficulty, at the end of the credits, a special code is revealed; holding A, B, X, and Y on the second controller during gameplay, then resetting the console with these buttons held, will unlock a special "custom" menu in the options. Much like clearing the Learning Stage, the best scores will then be shown, prompting the player to input their initials if they got a high score in the process.

1P vs. 2P[edit]

1P vs. 2P is the game's multiplayer mode, and requires two controllers to operate. Two players compete in a match of Avalanche. Player 1 will always be Kirby, while player 2 can be any of the opponents from Competition mode, selected at random. At the start of a match, each player can individually select their difficulty level on a scale from 1 to 5, which is represented by chili peppers: Mild, Medium, Spicy, Hot, and Cajun. This is another holdover from Puyo Puyo, in which Arle's favorite food is curry, though this may possibly be a reference to the Superspicy Curry as well, which came from Kirby's Dream Land. The difficulty level affects how fast the player's blobs fall, thus affecting reaction time. The number of rounds in each match can be adjusted through the Options menu. When a match is done, the game returns to the difficulty select.

Practice[edit]

Practice mode allows the player to play a single round of Avalanche without having to compete against an opponent. The goal is instead to last as long as possible and rack up a high score. Like 1P vs. 2P, the player can select their starting difficulty speed, with a choice between Mild, Spicy (which adds 40,000 points to the score), and Cajun (which adds 90,000 points to the score). Player 2 can join as well, though there is no incentive to compete other than for score, as boulders do not appear. When both players receive a game over, the best scores are shown; if either got a high score, they will be prompted to input their initials before the game returns to the title screen.

Options[edit]

Options mode allows the player to adjust the game settings in the various modes, as outlined below. This also includes the sound test option to listen to the game's music and sound effects, and the input test option to ensure that the controllers' buttons are functioning properly. As mentioned above, some options are only available after entering a special code.

Option Details
Normal options
EXIT Saves any changes made to the options and returns to the main menu.
VS. COM LEVEL Adjusts the overall skill of the AI in Competition mode. The options are "EASY", "NORMAL" (default), "HARD", and "HARDEST".
1P VS. 2P MODE Adjusts the length of each match in 1P Vs. 2P mode. The options are "1 GAME MATCH" (default), "3 GAME MATCH", "5 GAME MATCH", "7 GAME MATCH", "9 GAME MATCH", "11 GAME MATCH", "13 GAME MATCH", and "15 GAME MATCH".
SAMPLING Turns voice samples on or off. The default is "ON".
FACE Adjusts where the opponent's face is seen in each round of Competition mode. The options are "FRONT" (in front of the playing field), "BACK" (behind the playing field; default), and "OFF".
BUTTON ASSIGNMENT Allows for reassigning the button layout for rotation inputs, minus the + Control Pad, for both player 1 and player 2. By default, the B button turns left, the A and Y buttons both turn right, and the rest of the buttons have no function. The + Control Pad's functions cannot be reassigned.
INPUT TEST Shows a screen allowing the player to test the input of all buttons, including the + Control Pad. This is represented by a list of all buttons displayed on-screen. When pressed or held, the button's on-screen label will say "ON"; otherwise, it will say "OFF". The R and L buttons must be pressed simultaneously to exit this screen.
CUSTOM Enters the custom options menu.
Custom options
EXIT CUSTOM Returns to the standard options.
SOUND Allows for playing back all sound effects. Ranges from 00 to 3F, listed in hexadecimal.
MUSIC Allows for playing back all music. Ranges from 00 to 10, listed in hexadecimal.
VOICE Allows for playing back all voice samples. Ranges from 00 to 25, listed in hexadecimal.
SOUND MODE Allows for adjusting the game's sound mode between stereo (default) and mono.
FACE POSITION Adjusts where the opponent's face is located on the screen in Competition mode. The options are "LOW", "MID" (default), and "HIGH".
SWEAT Turns on or off the opponent's sweat drops that appear when they are close to losing in Competition mode. The default is "ON".
BATTLE COLOR Allows for reducing the number of Puyo colors. The options are "4 AND 5" (default) and "3 AND 4". Only available after the A+B+X+Y input.
EARTHQUAKE Turns on or off King Dedede's "earthquake" effect in 1P vs. 2P and Practice mode. The default is "OFF". Only available after the A+B+X+Y input.
SPECIAL CUSTOM Enters the special custom options menu. Only available after the A+B+X+Y input.
Special custom options
EXIT SPECIAL CUSTOM Returns to the custom options menu.
FALL BLOB Adjusts how many boulders are sent during chain reactions. The options are "MINUS", "NORMAL" (default), "PLUS", "PANIC", and "HURRY".
MODE When exiting the options menu and holding the L button, this will bring the player directly to the selected mode. The options are "0 VS. COM" (Competition), "1 BATTLE" (1P vs. 2P, default), and "2 ENDLESS" (Practice).
STAGE This will start Competition mode from any stage, with the option of all 16 stages from "LESSON 01" (Waddle Dee) to "NORMAL 13" (King Dedede). The game must be started on Easy mode for this to work.
CPU PLAYER This will change player 1's CPU to one of the CPU opponent playstyles, with the option of each of the game's 16 opponents. It can only be seen in the title screen demo.

There are also further, unused special options that can only be accessed through a game-altering device, such as a GameShark. One of these options is an early form of the "offsetting" rule.[3]

Staff[edit]

The following is a list of staff who have worked on Kirby's Avalanche:

Staff of Kirby's Avalanche  
From Position Developer(s) Credited as
Compile Producer Masamitsu Niitani Moo Niitani
Director
Programmer Takayuki Hirono Jemini Hirono
Sub Programmer Shouji Takeuchi
Masatoshi Setou
Takayuki Sato
JG4MSG Takeuchi <^^;>
S.T.O.
Satman
Graphic Designer Koji Teramoto
Akemi Sakai
Toshihiro Okamoto
Janus Teramoto
Kemi
Lineard
Composer SE
Einosuke Nagao
SFX Converter Einosuke Nagao
Nobuaki Yamasaki
Einosuke Nagao
Taishow
HAL Laboratory
Nintendo Nintendo Staff
Hideki Fujii
Derek Whipple
Syuji Kawaguchi
Kensuke Tanabe
Voice Talent
Michael Kelbraugh
Robin Krouse
Translations
Keiko Tamura
Kayomi McDonald
Special Thanks
Dan Owsen
Hiro Yamada
©1995 COMPILE / BANPRESTO
©1995 HAL LABORATORY / NINTENDO

Masahiro Sakurai mentions in his Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games video regarding Meteos[4] that he served as an uncredited supervisor for Kirby's Avalanche. It is unclear exactly how involved he was, as he only mentions it in passing.

Nintendo Switch Online description[edit]

Everyone's favorite round, pink hero takes a break from swallowing his enemies to put your brain to work in this fast-paced puzzle game. Players take control of Kirby and match wits with well-known enemies from the Kirby series (including his archrival, King Dedede!) in an effort to win the First Annual Dream Land Avalanche Competition. This simple-but-addictive gameplay revolves around brightly colored blobs and boulders. When the right amount of matching blobs are stacked, they explode and rain down boulders on your opponent's field of play! Keep going until your screen is clear to move on to the next round. But be careful—the farther you advance, the faster the blobs fall, and the smarter the opponents get! Are you good enough to help Kirby become the avalanche king?

Trivia[edit]

  • Kirby's Avalanche is one of several international rebrandings of the Puyo Puyo series for western audiences, with other examples including Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine and the "Bug Drop" minigame in Timon & Pumbaa's Jungle Games.
    • Although most traces of Super Puyo Puyo were removed from Kirby's Avalanche, the columns in the title screen still have inscriptions that read "PUYOPYO".
  • Most of the game's soundtrack consists of remixed music from Kirby's Adventure and Kirby's Dream Course.
  • Interestingly, the modern designs for several characters (such as Kracko and Meta Knight) first debuted in this game, ahead of their appearance in Kirby Super Star. It is likely that this game's development overlapped with Kirby Super Star, so the newer designs were used while the later game was still being developed.
  • The staff credits can be viewed immediately if the game is started or rebooted while player 1 holds L + right and player 2 holds R + left.[3]
  • Kirby's Avalanche was one of several titles compatible with XBAND, an online service for the SNES that functioned through an expansion cartridge connected to a modem. This technically makes it the first Kirby game with online multiplayer, though the first one with native online compatibility was Kirby Battle Royale, released 22 years later.

Gallery[edit]

Artwork[edit]

Sprites[edit]

Screenshots[edit]

Audio[edit]

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Dutch Kirby's Ghost Trap
Kirby's Avalanche
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Canadian French Kirby's Avalanche -
European French Kirby's Ghost Trap
Kirby's Avalanche
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German Kirby's Ghost Trap
Kirby's Avalanche
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Italian Kirby's Ghost Trap
Kirby's Avalanche
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Korean Kirby's Avalanche
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Brazilian Portuguese Kirby's Avalanche -
European Portuguese Kirby's Ghost Trap
Kirby's Avalanche
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Russian Kirby's Ghost Trap
Kirby's Avalanche
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Latin American Spanish Kirby's Avalanche -
European Spanish Kirby's Ghost Trap
Kirby's Avalanche
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References

External links[edit]