Editing Kirby's Star Stacker (Game Boy)

{{Good}}{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Kirby's Star Stacker'' (Game Boy)}}
{{Infobox-Game
|title=Kirby's Star Stacker
|image=<tabs>
<tab name="North American box art>
[[File:KSSGB Box.jpg|250px]]
</tab>
<tab name="Japanese box art">
[[File:KSSGB Kirby's Kirakira Kids box art.png|250px]]
</tab>
</tabs>
|caption=Box art for '''''Kirby's Star Stacker''''' from various regions
|developer=[[HAL Laboratory]]
|publisher=[[Nintendo]]
|released='''Game Boy''':<br>{{Released|Japan|January 25, 1997|NA|April 7, 1997|Europe|October 20, 1997|Australia|October 20, 1997}}<br>'''Virtual Console (3DS)''':<br>{{Released|Japan|May 23, 2012|Europe|August 30, 2012|NA|January 17, 2013}}
|platforms=[[Game Boy]],<br>[[Virtual Console]] ([[Nintendo 3DS|3DS]])
|language={{languages|jp=y|en_us=y}}
|rating={{ratings|esrb=ka|pegi=3|cero=a}}
|predecessor=''[[Kirby Super Star]]''
|successor=''[[Kirby's Dream Land 3]]''
}}
{{about|the version on Game Boy|the Super Famicom version|[[Kirby's Star Stacker (Super Famicom)]]}}
'''''Kirby's Star Stacker''''' is a puzzle game and a ''[[Kirby (series)|Kirby]]'' spinoff released on the [[Game Boy]] in 1997. Playing similarly to ''[[mariowiki:Dr. Mario (game)|Dr. Mario]]'', this game tasks the player to line up [[Star Block|stars]] in a grid between [[Kirby]]'s [[Animal Friend]]s to "stack them" and remove them from the board, in order to prevent them from overflowing the board and forcing a loss.

''Kirby's Star Stacker'' is compatible with the Super Game Boy, which gives the game a wider range of colors and also adds a special border around the screen, much like ''[[Kirby's Dream Land 2]]''. ''Kirby's Star Stacker'' was later ported to the [[Nintendo 3DS]]'s Virtual Console in 2011 for Japan, 2012 in Australia and Europe, and lastly 2013 in North America. The game also received a Japan-exclusive remake on the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super Famicom]], also known as ''[[Kirby's Star Stacker (Super Famicom)|Kirby's Star Stacker]]''.

==Gameplay==
{{Quote|Kirby needs to stack the Stars. With three close friends, Rick, Kine, and Coo, you can help!|''Kirby's Star Stacker'' Instruction Booklet (North American print), page 2}}
[[File:KSSGB gameplay.png|thumb|left|Gameplay screenshot from Round Clear mode (Super Game Boy).]]
The game is a puzzle game in the basic style of ''[[wikipedia:Tetris|Tetris]]''. Domino-like groups of two connected blocks, which can be controlled with the directional pad and turned with the A and B buttons, fall from the top of the playing field one by one, eventually landing at the bottom of the field or on top of other blocks. Once the blocks have landed, the domino breaks up, and each block is individually affected by gravity. Six types of blocks exist in the game: three Friend Blocks are based on the [[Animal Friend]]s from ''[[Kirby's Dream Land 2]]'' ([[Rick]] the Hamster, [[Kine]] the Sunfish and [[Coo]] the Owl), Star Blocks, Bomb Blocks, and Hard Blocks. The goal is to score stars by placing one or more Star Blocks between two matching Friend Blocks, which will then cause both the Friend and Star Blocks to disappear, adding to the score total on the right-hand side. Hard Blocks and Bomb Blocks can likewise be sandwiched between Friends, the former transforming into Star Blocks, and the latter destroying the row of blocks they are on when this is done.

In order to achieve greater numbers of star points, Chains have to be utilized; if destroying a group of blocks leads to a chain reaction of other groups being destroyed, this counts as a Chain. Every Chain that is achieved causes a group of stars to fall into gaps between blocks and be added to the star point counter, their number starting at two but increasing with each Chain, up to a maximum of twelve. If these stars end up sandwiched between Friend Blocks when they land, they turn into Star Blocks, causing another group of blocks to be destroyed and the combo to continue; stars that land in positions where it would not be beneficial for them to transform into blocks simply disappear.

Apart from the blocks that fall from above slowly piling up unless destroyed, [[King Dedede]] regularly pounds the ground with his fist and causes a new row of blocks to appear at the bottom and push the already existing blocks upwards; the frequency of this depends on the difficulty level. The game continues until the game mode's victory requirement is met or the two columns in the middle of the screen have reached the top, the latter preventing new dominoes from appearing and causing a [[Game Over]].

== Modes ==
[[File:KSSGB Challenge Mode gameplay screenshot.png|thumb|200px|Gameplay of Challenge mode (on the Super Game Boy).]]
In the game there are 4 modes:
*'''[[Round Clear (Game Boy)|Round Clear]]''' - This is the main game, divided into five difficulties (Normal, Hard, Very Hard, Super Hard and Insane, with Insane needing to be unlocked); each difficulty having its own number of rounds. To complete each round, a set number of Stars must be stacked. Each difficulty has its own theme, ranging from a forest to a mountain range. When a round is completed, the player is then rewarded with special artwork based on the theme of the difficulty and depicting Kirby and his friends. This mode pits Kirby against [[King Dedede]], who taunts Kirby with an opening line at the start of each difficulty.

*'''Time Attack''' - As many Stars as possible must be stacked within a 3-minute time limit. Like in Round Clear, there are five difficulties: Normal, Hard, Very Hard, Super Hard and Insane. Insane is unlocked by stacking 100 stars or more in one of the lower difficulties. [[Tick-Tock Jr.]] appears in place of King Dedede in this game mode.

*'''Challenge''' - An endless mode in which the objective is to gain as many stars as possible before the middle stack of blocks touches the top of the screen; Dedede's hand lifts up the set of blocks, introducing a new row. Like in the other modes, the player can choose between the five difficulties Normal, Hard, Very Hard, Super Hard and Insane, with Insane being unlocked by stacking 1000 stars or more in one of the lower difficulties. Similarly to Round Clear, the player is rewarded with in-game artwork depending on the number of Stars collected, in order to encourage trying harder next time until the final picture is received. [[Mr. Star]] appears in place of King Dedede in this game mode.

*'''VS''' - A multiplayer mode for two players via the Game Link Cable. Player 1 controls Kirby, Player 2 controls [[Waddle Dee]]. The winner is decided when the other player receives a Game Over.

There is also a high score table for Challenge, and Time Attack mode, showing the top 3 scores for each.

{{clear}}

== Trivia ==
*Notably, the Super Game Boy border for this game changes its design once the player has attained [[100% completion]]. This is the only game in the ''Kirby'' series to have its Super Game Boy border behave this way.

== Gallery ==
=== Artwork ===
<gallery>
KSSGB Kirby no Kirakira Kids logo.png|Japanese logo
KSSGB Rick Block artwork.jpg|[[Rick]] Block
KSSGB Kine Block artwork.jpg|[[Kine]] Block
KSSGB Coo Block artwork.jpg|[[Coo]] Block
KSSGB Kirby artwork.png|Kirby riding a [[Warp Star]]
KSSGB Kirby artwork 2.png|Kirby looking up at a star
KSSGB Kirby artwork 3.png|Kirby holding a [[Star Block]]
KSSGB Kirby artwork 4.png|Kirby sleeping
KSSGB Kirby artwork 5.png|Kirby covering his head in fear
</gallery>

=== Screenshots ===
<gallery>
KSSGB Intro.png|Intro
KSSGB Title Screen GB.png|Title screen (Game Boy)
KSSGB Title Screen alt.png|Alternate title screen (Game Boy)
KSSGB title screen.png|Title screen (Super Game Boy)
KSSGB Alternate Title Screen SGB.png|Alternate title screen (Super Game Boy)
KSSGB mode select.png|Mode select screen (Super Game Boy)
KSSGB Records.png|Records table (Game Boy)
KSSGB stage clear.png|Stage clear screen (Super Game Boy)
KSSGB Time Attack gameplay.png|Gameplay in the Time Attack mode (Game Boy)
KSSGB Challenge gameplay.png|Gameplay in the Challenge Mode (Game Boy)
KSSGB Sleeping Kirby.png|Kirby takes a nap while waiting for the game to resume (Game Boy).
</gallery>

=== Clear illustrations ===
<gallery>
KSSGB Normal clear illustration.png|Clear illustration for Round Clear Normal difficulty
KSSGB Hard clear illustration.png|Clear illustration for Round Clear Hard difficulty
KSSGB Very Hard clear illustration.png|Clear illustration for Round Clear Very Hard difficulty
KSSGB Super Hard cleared illustration.png|Clear illustration for Round Clear Super Hard difficulty
KSSGB Insane cleared illustration.png|Clear illustration for Round Clear Insane difficulty
KSSGB Challenge mode illustration 1.png|An illustration from Challenge mode
KSSGB Challenge mode illustration 2.png|An illustration from Challenge mode
KSSGB Challenge mode illustration 3.png|An illustration from Challenge mode
</gallery>

=== Other ===
<gallery>
KSSGB Kirby win screen.png|Win screen for Kirby in the VS mode
KSSGB Kirby lose screen.png|Lose screen for Kirby in the VS mode
KSSGB Waddle Dee win screen.png|Win screen for Waddle Dee in the VS mode
KSSGB Waddle Dee lose screen.png|Lose screen for Waddle Dee in the VS mode
KSSGB SGB border.png|Super Game Boy border
KSSGB SGB 100 percent border.png|Super Game Boy border after attaining 100% completion
</gallery>

==Names in other languages==
{{Names
|ja=カービィのきらきらきっず
|jaR=Kābī no Kirakira Kizzu
|jaM=Kirby's Sparkling Kids
}}

==External links==
* [http://web.archive.org/web/19970605021306/http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n02/dmg/akcj/index.html Official Japanese site (archived from the Wayback Machine)]
* [https://www.kirbyinformer.com/kirbys-star-stacker ''Kirby's Star Stacker'' on Kirby Informer]
* [http://www.kirbysrainbowresort.net/games/starstacker/instruction.html English manual (external archive)]

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[[Category:Spin-off games]]
[[Category:Games on Game Boy]]
[[Category:Kirby's Star Stacker (Game Boy)]]