Stactus
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| “ | The little spiked plant that often comes in stacks is called a Stactus. There's a quick way to defeat it. Take out the top head. It will bring down all the others. | ” | — Daroach, in Kirby Mass Attack |
Stactus is a common enemy which is encountered exclusively in Kirby Mass Attack, appearing primarily in Sandy Canyon. It is a small round green plant-like creature with a cat-like face, remaining motionless. As its name implies, it often stacks on top of others of its kind, with the top Stactus taking on an orange hue. Each Stactus is worth 100 points when defeated.
Characteristics
Being desert-themed enemies, Stactuses are first encountered in Sandy Canyon, the second level of the game. They come in three different colors (green, cyan and orange), which determine their behavior:
- Green Stactuses may either be stationary or move slowly towards the Kirbys, occasionally stopping and extending their spikes; in order to defeat them, they must be pummeled while their spines are retracted or the Kirbys will take damage and be thrown off.
- Orange Stactuses are stationary and harmless by themselves, their main purpose being to rest on top of a stack of differently colored Stactuses and serve as a means of obliterating the entire stack by slamming them downwards.
- Cyan Stactuses are likewise stationary and always have their spines extended, making them invincible to direct attacks and permanently harmful to touch. They usually form stacks below an orange Stactus, requiring the Kirbys the defeat the enemy on top of them instead, thus slamming it down and eliminating the cyan ones below it.
Stactus' primary means of defense is its thorns, which it will shoot out on occasion. When stacked, the lower Stactuses will often have their thorns permanently out. Defeating the head Stactus will allow the Kirbys to smash the lower Stactuses at the same time, however.
Unlike many other creatures, Stactus will not sink in quicksand. Apart from the regular kind, two larger varieties of Stactus exist in the game: Big Stactus and Bigger Stactus. There is also a separate variety that wobbles known as a Crazy Stactus.
Locations
Stactus can be found in the following levels and stages in Kirby Mass Attack:
| Stactus locations in Kirby Mass Attack | |||||||
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| Stage | Green Grounds | Sandy Canyon | Dedede Resort | Volcano Valley | Necro Nebula | ||
| Stage 1 | 
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| Stage 2 |
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| Stage 3 |
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| Stage 4 |
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| Stage 5 |
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N/A | ||
| Stage 6 |
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N/A | ||
| Stage 7 |
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N/A | ||
| Stage 8 |
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N/A | ||
| Stage 9 |
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N/A | ||
| Stage 10 |
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N/A | ||
| Stage 11 | N/A |
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N/A | ||
| Boss Stage |
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Other appearances
- In the Kirby Mass Attack Sub-Game Kirby Quest, Stactuses appear as opponents in Stages 12 and 14, with 90 HP each.
- In Kirby: Triple Deluxe, a stack of Stactuses appears as a collectable Keychain.
Trivia
- A stack of two green and one orange Stactus can be seen in Kirby Mass Attack's Japanese ending, watching the enemy listing from a theater seat.
- Stactus is one of the few common enemy types in Kirby Mass Attack that can appear in a boss stage, in this case appearing during the Lady Ivy fight.
Gallery
Green Stactus sprite
Orange Stactus sprite
Teal Stactus sprite
Stactus Keychain from Kirby: Triple Deluxe
Artwork of Stactus with feet, not seen in-game
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
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| Japanese | カクサン Kakusan |
Kakusan (most likely derived from 「カクタス」kakutasu (cactus) and the common honorific 「さん」san. 「拡散」kakusan is also the Japanese word for "scattering".) |
| European French | Pilactus | Portmanteau of "pile" and "cactus" |
| German | Staktus | Stactus |
| Korean | 선인깨비 Seoninkkaebi |
From "선인장"Seoninjang(Cactus) and "도깨비"Dokkaebi |
