Kirby's Blowout Blast - Secret Path
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Secret Path is the final level of Kirby's Blowout Blast, unlockable only after a Gold or better trophy is earned in every prior stage in the game. This level - like the previous ones - consists of five stages, but this time, all five stages need to be played in succession, with a single score and time kept for the whole run. This effectively makes Secret Path a level consisting of one long stage broken up into five parts, each part resembling the levels played up to this point in order. Throughout this level, Kirby has to fight Lololo & Lalala's Revenge, Kracko's Revenge, and King Dedede's Revenge again, but instead of just facing Giant King Dedede's Revenge after knocking out his archrival, the King makes one more stand as Giant Masked Dedede. Completing this level completes the extra game of Kirby's Blowout Blast, and rolls the second credits sequence.
Overview[edit]
Stage layout[edit]
SP-1[edit]
This stage begins in a wide grassy area with short cliffs around the sides. Kirby is immediately ambushed by a large amount of enemies. Once these are cleared out, Kirby can make his way up the cliffs and round the trees patrolled by Gordos. As he begins to make his way to the right, he drops into a shallow gorge where he is ambushed for a second time. After this ambush ends, Kirby can head further right onto more isolated platforms with more Gordos on patrol. He is then stopped on a long platform by a third ambush. When this ends, Kirby can hop up some stairs past a few more enemies until he reaches an area with six doorways lain out in bars of three walkways that step upward toward the back. Here, he has to battle Lololo & Lalala's Revenge in this new challenging environment. Defeating them completes this portion of Secret Path, allowing Kirby to collect some Score Coins and then hop onto the Warp Star to move on to the next area.
SP-2[edit]
Stage SP-2 takes Kirby back to the purple sand-banks, where the path leads to the right past some tall cliffs. These cliffs obscure the view, forcing Kirby to recognize and dodge silhouettes of enemies. He is soon stopped by an ambush where this occlusion comes into play. Once this is cleared out, Kirby will need to head further right and dodge some Gordos while picking up some Waddle Dees to use on a set of Glunks along the path. From here, Kirby is placed in another ambush situation, but this time, he needs to use the Star Blocks at his disposal to defeat some Key Dees before they hop down into the abyss below. After this, Kirby can run a little further before entering another ambush, this time with enemies hopping at him from the foreground. After this, Kirby hops down toward a small flat arena where he has to battle a Mini Masher and then two regular Mashers in sequence before moving on to the next stage.
SP-3[edit]
This stage takes place in the Castle Lololo-style area, and begins by having Kirby climb up some stairs then run to the right past Nruffs ready to charge him down. After hopping a Gordo, the first ambush of this stage takes place in an area with an alcove up in the background wall where enemies will jump down from. Once this is cleared out, Kirby must move up some more stairs and deal with more Nruffs while he leads to the left along the upper walkway. A second ambush stops him at a narrow path leading under the wall. After clearing this out, Kirby can grab a gold coin from some Gordos on guard and then hover up to the top of the wall, where he can now head back to the right. After passing a few more enemies, Kirby reaches the highest platform, where he has to battle Kracko's Revenge in a confined space. Defeating this boss allows Kirby to move on to the next area.
SP-4[edit]
SP-4 takes place in an area that resembles the Bubbly Clouds aesthetic, and starts Kirby off by having him hop along very narrow platforms past patrolling foes. He is stopped on one of these platforms to deal with an ambush involving Soarars and Mumbies. This cleared out, Kirby can move further to the right as he makes his way downward. From here, Kirby faces a third ambush, where he needs to quickly suck up a big foe so he can break down some Star Blocks and blast three Key Dees trying to get away. From here, after hopping down through a ring of Gordos, Kirby reaches a wider platform where he faces the last enemy ambush of the stage. After clearing out some normal enemies, he has to fight a Masher and a Mega Masher at the same time. These defeated, Kirby can move on to the final area.
SP-5[edit]
The last area takes place in a Castle Dedede-style environment. Kirby starts by hopping down a long corridor between two tall walls while avoiding Shotzo fire and taking out enemies. He is stopped for an ambush in a room with three isolated walkways where he will need to put his diagonal firing skills to the test. Once this is cleared out, Kirby can move immediately into the second ambush in a more confined space, where Babuts and other flying foes need to be shot down. From here, Kirby runs into a third ambush where he will need to avoid the continuous barrage of Shotzo fire as he deals with some Waddle Dees. These cleared out, Kirby can run up a final set of stairs and walkways in order to reach the last open arena at the end, where he faces King Dedede's Revenge once again. Once he is defeated, the Sparkling Star returns one more time to make Dedede giant again, but this time, he also has his mask. Details on this last part of the fight can be found in the section below.
Enemies[edit]
The following enemies can be found in Secret Path:
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Final boss: Giant Masked Dedede[edit]
- Main article: Masked Dedede
Giant Masked Dedede has a number of distinct attacks and upgrades when compared to his normal giant counterparts. Notably, his mask will deflect any standard star bullets thrown at it, so only blaster bullets will be effective here. One of the new attacks Dedede has in this form is the ability to fire missiles from his souped-up hammer, which can be inhaled and spat back. His hammer can also open up to fire a laser beam that scorches the ground as it seeks Kirby. Giant Masked Dedede's inhale is also much more dangerous, as waves of Gordos fly in from behind that can trip Kirby up as he is trying to get away. Once this final boss is defeated, the mask breaks, and King Dedede shrinks back to normal size, bawling as he is flung back onto the stage.
Tips[edit]
The following are tips on how to get a Platinum trophy in this level:
- The bosses in Secret Path always run on the same attack pattern each time they are fought, so it can help to learn what those patterns are.
- At the start of SP-1, it is possible to get a very large number of points right away by bunching up the enemies in the first ambush for combos. Likewise, a combo of 15 can be obtained during the second ambush in this stage by bunching up the enemies.
- A big combo of 14 can be scored in the first ambush of SP-3 by bunching all the enemies up.
- In SP-3, Kirby can get a headstart in the Kracko's Revenge fight if he saves up the Nruffs just before the boss area to use as ammunition.
- In SP-5, a combo of 15 can be scored during the second ambush by swallowing the wedge of Bronto Burts, then hopping over one of the last two waves coming in for a big shot that takes them all down.
- Due to the large number of opportunities to score extra points, it is not necessary to get every stage clear bonus in order to earn Platinum. Hence, it is okay if Kirby takes a little damage during this level if he otherwise performs well.
Trivia[edit]
- Unlike the other levels, when Kirby prepares to fly off into Secret Path, he gives the player a serious nod and dour expression.
- The coins that appear at the end of stages 2, 3, and 4 of Secret Path spell out 'HAL'.
- Notably, there are no Sectra enemies in this level.
Gallery[edit]
SP-1[edit]
Ambush at the start of SP-1
Another ambush further down the path
Battle with Lololo & Lalala's Revenge
SP-2[edit]
Battling silhouettes in SP-2
Key Dee target shooting
Battle with Masher
SP-3[edit]
An ambush within an ambush in SP-3
Climbing up the steps
Battle with Kracko's Revenge
SP-4[edit]
Long ways to fall in SP-4
Kirby needs to think big to catch those Key Dees.
Final ambush of the section
SP-5[edit]
Leaping across the broken bridges in SP-5
Battle with King Dedede's Revenge
Battling Giant Masked Dedede, firing missiles at Kirby
Battling Giant Masked Dedede, using the heat ray
Battling Giant Masked Dedede, using his Inhale
Dedede crying after being defeated a third time
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
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| Japanese | シークレット Shīkuretto |
Secret |
| European French | Secret | - |
| Italian | Livello segreto | Secret level |
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