/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\ | | | Super Smash Brothers | | Kirby FAQ | | Version Final | | 04/20/02 | | | | Author: me | | | \~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/ Thanks for dropping by and checking out my Kirby FAQ. In this FAQ, I hope to help anyone who’s having trouble with or is interested in mastering Kirby, one of the most popular and most talented characters in Super Smash Brothers. I hope you enjoy this FAQ and if at all helps your playing with Kirby, I guess it has done its job. Also, what’s up with Kirby sucking in Melee? That’s just insane bad fortune. Bastards at HAL. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Table of Contents: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. Legal Stuff 2. Revision History 3. Introduction to Super Smash Brothers 4. Introduction to Kirby 5. How to play as Kirby 6. Basic Moves 7. Kirby's Special Moves 8. Items 9. Arenas 10. One Player Walkthrough 11. General Strategies 12. Tips & Tricks 13. Combos 14. Contact Info 15. Credits ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. Legal Stuff ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This FAQ is Copyright. Don’t use it on your website. If you do, I won’t have any real recourse, but I’ll find out who you are, and hurt you with bad karma. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 4. Introduction to Kirby ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you’ve never heard of Super Smash Brothers, or the Kirby's Dreamland series for the Super Nintendo (where have you been all these years?!) then you might not know about the awesome fighter that is Kirby. Kirby is an 8- inch tall alien from a distant planet. While he’s small, round, cute, and looks basically like a pink marshmallow, don’t underestimate his fighting prowess. Easily one of the best, or even THE best, fighter in Super Smash Brothers, Kirby can copy opponents’ abilities, drop like a brick onto any unsuspecting opponents, and pull off a variety of other moves. Kirby is also quick, especially when it comes to executing Smash Attacks, and has the ability to pull off devastating combos. Being the puffy little guy that he is, Kirby has six jumps, which gives him awesome aerial abilities and lets him stay in the air for long periods of time. The downside to Kirby’s puffiness is that, being light, Kirby can easily be knocked off the stage. While his jumps will usually get him back up safely, Kirby will hit the side and upper “boundaries” (meaning that he will die) at a lower damage than most other characters. However, Kirby’s few disadvantages are hugely outweighed by his advantages; a Kirby mastered will be extremely hard to beat. Hopefully, this FAQ will give you a nudge in that direction. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5. How to play as Kirby ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The key to playing well with Kirby is understanding his particular style. Each character in Super Smash Bros. has his or her own style; while switching between characters it’s important to switch styles, too. For example, you wouldn’t want to use the same style you’d use for a quick, light, aggressive fighter like Kirby, for a big, slow, powerful character like Donkey Kong. The key to winning with Kirby is: stay on the offensive! This may sound weird, considering that Kirby is knocked off easily and so you’d probably want to not get into the mix too much. This kind of defensive playing is actually better for beginners and intermediates, who need more time to experiment with various moves and projectiles; however, staying away from the action is a cue for experts to instantly focus their attacks on you. Since Kirby has few defensive moves – his moves mostly are damage dealing or launching moves, and he has few “keep-away” moves – you’ll want to stay on the offensive. This is something that Kirby is good at; his drill kick and Stone can affect many people and deal a lot of damage, and Kirby has a variety of quick, damaging, and powerful moves. His dash and throw are also quick moves that can catch an opponent by surprise. Kirby does not have any one hugely powerful move, like DK’s Giant Punch or Falcon’s Falcon Punch; however, Kirby is a character who utilizes his variety of moves to adjust to almost any situation and keep his opponent guessing. This is not to say that Kirby sucks at defense; he has a nice, quick roll that is very handy in tight situations, and if prospects look dangerous you can always take to the air. No character can equal the flight powers or endurance of Kirby, with the exception of Jigglypuff, whose lack of a functional Up, B comeback move makes her very vulnerable. If anyone tries to challenge Kirby in the air, use Kirby’s floatiness and variety of aerial moves to teach them a lesson. Kirby’s biggest weakness, apart from his lightness, may be his low priority. Priority is how a move will match up with another of similar strength; since Kirby generally has low priority (remember, he is a marshmallowy guy) he will sometimes be hit by the other move, even if he himself executes a move at the same time. This is less apparent with Forward+A moves, but more apparent with land vs. air or air vs. land attacks. The bottom line is that you use Kirby’s speed, variety of moves, and combos, rather than his outright strength, to win. That’s a general overview for using Kirby. Keep in mind that some of what I’ve said may seem weird at first; after all, it is my opinion, based on my own experience. However, read the moves list and other parts of the FAQ, and get some experience with Kirby, and you’ll probably see what I’m talking about. There are other strategies for use against different opponents and in individual arenas; I’ll cover some of them here, but experience is the best teacher! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6. Basic Moves ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In case you are a total beginner at Super Smash Brothers, here is a _very_ basic control scheme. It’s not very complicated, but, then again, the controls of SSB aren’t all that complicated either. Anyway: /-----------------------------------------------------------------\ | | | Control Stick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . move around | | Tap Left/Right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dash (run) | | C-buttons/Tap Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jump | | A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . normal attack/pick up item | | B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . special attack | | L . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . taunt | | Z,A/R . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . throw* | | R + Control Stock Direction . . . . . . . . . . throw item | | Z/Hold R . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . block | | Tap Left/Right while blocking . . . . . . . . . . . . roll | | Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pause | | | \-----------------------------------------------------------------/ * When holding an item, you cannot use any throws, as you will end up throwing away your item instead. You can, however, use projectiles (with the exception of Link’s bomb). NOTE: during this FAQ I will be referring to Control Stick directions as Left, Right, Up, and Down. I will refer to the L and R shoulder buttons on the controller as L and R. Don’t be thrown off because I sometimes use Left/Right, and sometimes use L/R; they stand for different buttons. When doing a special move, the control stick should be TILTED, or held in the particular direction. When doing a smash attack, rolling, or dashing, the control stick should be TAPPED – that is, forcefully tilted at the same time as the corresponding button (if any) and very quickly let go. The abbreviations: , TILT and hold direction, then press button + TAP direction and tap the button simultaneously Try varying your moves (this works especially well with Kirby) to make your opponent stay on guard. If you can corner them, either throw them if they’re blocking, or try to execute a combo. Corners are great places to execute combos since the enemy will simply bounce off of the wall... into your hands (Kirby plays tennis like an ace). If your opponent is blocking but has little shield left, either execute a string of attacks (in hopes of breaking their shields and making them momentarily dizzy) or throw them. If you’re really sneaky, you might try hitting them by doing an attack that hits a part of the body that their reduced shield doesn’t cover. A last note: There is a difference between a move’s “damage” and its “power”. Damage refers to how many percent damage it deals, and power refers to how far it launches. While the power is usually proportional to the damage, and vice versa, this is not always true. For example, some moves (like the Drill Kick) do a lot of damage, but don’t launch the opponent far. Each move will do its maximum damage (the damage that I’ve listed here) only if you use it sparingly and only if you hit the opponent with the strongest part of the move (this only applies to some moves). If you use a particular move two or three times in a row, then that move’s damage dealt will decrease signifi- cantly. Just another benefit of varying your moves. =============================================== UNIVERSAL MOVES (ones that all characters have) =============================================== ---Block ~ Hold Z--- The character puts his or her shield up – you’ll now be immune to most everything except throws. Obviously, this is an important move, so you’d better master it. ---Roll ~ Hold Z, then tap Left/Right--- The character will roll quickly in the direction pressed. Holding Z throughout the roll will make the character put up its shields immediately after it has finished rolling. Handy for getting out of tight situations. Rolling is absolutely crucial in close games, especially if you’re fighting multiple opponents. Be sure that you are familiar with the characters’ rolls – they vary in speed, distance, and coverage. Kirby has a short, quick, tight roll that protects him well. ---Recover ~ hold Z after a knockdown--- How did I forget this one!? Anyway, if you’ve been knocked down (for example, you’re landing after you’ve been launched by an attack), press Z as you land to quickly flip over and recover. Pressing Z and tapping the control stick will make you recover => roll. Very handy for blocking against subsequent moves made by the aggressor. Also, if you’re landing from a hard aerial move (for example, Link’s Down, A/aerial), you can tap (not hold) Z as you land to recover and put up your shield immediately, instead of going through the normal recovery animations. ---Dash ~ Tap Left/Right--- The character will start running in the direction you’ve tapped in. Press A during a dash to execute a dashing attack, which is usually some sort of lunging attack that has good range/priority and does moderate damage. ---Crouch ~ hold/tap Down--- The character will crouch down. There’s not much point in this, although the animations are amusing. Kirby turns into a pink pancake. The only practical effect that I know of is that some projectiles will pass over your head. ---Throw ~ R--- A throw is a very short to short-range move, depending on the character. It will launch the opponent a moderate distance and do a moderate to good amount of damage. Don’t underestimate throws, as they are unblockable and very handy in tight situations. Each character has two different throws; the forward throw is simply R, then tap R again (if you don’t tap R again, you’ll execute the throw automatically after a few seconds). The backwards throw is R, then Back. You can also throw by pressing A while blocking. This is a good defensive move as it can catch an opponent who is trying to get you into a combo (and so is executing a flurry of moves) by surprise; block, wait for the opponent to be in a recovery from a move, then press A to throw. ---Taunt ~ L--- Ah, saved the best for last. The character will do a (usually) cute, annoying finishing pose, pissing the hell out of opponents. Kirby’s taunt has him say, “HiiIIIi!” and wave his arms around in an endearing manner. Fun to use and abuse. Just don’t use them on people who are better fighters than you. Note: Kirby’s taunt will also release any powers he has absorbed. This is useful if you have a crappy power and you’d like to capture a better one. ============== KIRBY’S MOVES: ============== ----- LAND: ----- ---Tap ~ A; 3% damage--- Speed: good Recovery: good Damage: terrible Power: terrible Priority: average Overall: crap It sucks more than a White House intern. What more can I say? ---Double Tap Combo ~ A, A; 7% damage (3%, then 4%)--- Speed: good Recovery: fair Damage: poor Power: terrible Priority: fair Overall: crap Not useful. ---Flurry Punch (infinite combo) ~ Tap A repeatedly; 1%/hit--- Speed: good Recovery: fair Damage: varies (generally poor-average) Power: terrible Priority: good Overall: poor It’s cheap, annoying, and nothing makes you look more like a beginner. Plus, you can inflict a ton of damage using other moves in the time it takes for you to rack up damage from the infinite combo. ---Vertical Kick ~ Up, A; 14% damage--- Speed: good Recovery: good Damage: fair Power: average Priority: poor Overall: good It may come in handy in situations where speed is more important than brute strength (it’s good in sudden-death situations). If someone’s doing an aerial attack, block or use a stronger move to counter instead of this one, unless you have very good timing. Good for setting up combos. ---Low Kick ~ Down, A; 8% damage--- Speed: good Recovery: good Damage: poor Power: below average Priority: poor Overall: below average Usually won’t help much; it does very little offensively. ---Spin Kick ~ Forward, A; 10% damage--- Speed: good Recovery: good Damage: average Power: below average Priority: poor Overall: below average Doesn’t do much by itself. However, this move can be somewhat effective if you hit an opponent with it and immediately follow with a smash attack. Why? Because the spin kick will send the opponent just a bit into the air – the perfect height for say, a Lunge Kick or other smash attack. Plus, the spin kick comes out pretty fast and can be surprising. ---Running Kick ~ Press A while dashing; 10% damage--- Speed: good Recovery: below average Damage: average Power: below average Priority: good Overall: good A pretty useful move: it has good range and comes out fast. Useful for setting an opponent up for a combo. ---Flip Kick ~ Up + A; 16% damage--- Speed: average Recovery: poor Damage: good Power: good Priority: good Overall: good A good move, and one that can be repeated several times for a combo. The Flip Kick is easy to incorporate into other combos – be creative. A successful Flip Kick requires good timing so you’ll be able to hit your opponent on the “bounce” – don’t expect your opponent to be just standing there, waiting for you to flip kick them. Only thing is, it’s a bit slow, and most Down, A aerial moves have better priority. Still, it’s still a valuable part of your arsenal. ---Split Kick ~ Down + A; 18% damage--- Speed: very good Recovery: average Damage: good Power: good Priority: good Overall: very good Very useful, as it does good damage and comes out fast. Can be good as an edge-guarding move. Use as a lower, quicker variation of the lunge kick, and for setting up combos. ---Lunge Kick ~ Forward + A; 17% damage--- Speed: good Recovery: fair Damage: good Power: very good Priority: good Overall: excellent This, along with the drill kick, has to be Kirby’s most useful move. It comes out fast, has good priority, is a good combo-er (and sets up opportunities to connect with other moves) and has pretty good power. Its speed is its biggest asset; repeat several times for an easy combo (30 - 50% or more), or mix with other moves. This should be a staple of combos and your ground game. ---Piledriver ~ R; 13% damage--- Speed: good Recovery: fair Damage: average Power: good Priority: good Overall: good Get used to throwing – Kirby has nice throws with fair range (especially if executed while dashing), and throws are one of the staples of Kirby’s game. For example, if an opponent is blocking because they see a combo coming (or if they’ve already been sucked into your combo and are blocking to stop any additional hits), use your throw - it’s unblockable. Or, if someone does a dashing attack (or any other move that takes a while to recover) against you, block, then throw as they’re recovering. For his Piledriver, Kirby grabs the opponent, goes up into the stratosphere (almost) and comes down, sending the flying diagonally (upwards and forwards). You’d figure that the move would do more damage, but oh well. ---Kirby Suplex ~ R then Back; 16% damage--- Speed: good Recovery: fair Damage: good Power: average Priority: good Overall: good Kirby will flip the opponent over his back, sending them flying. Good as a damage raiser. As with his Piledriver, don’t be afraid to use this often. ---- AIR: ---- ---Karate Kick ~ A; 15% damage--- Speed: good Recovery: fair Damage: average Power: average-good Priority: good Overall: good Useful as a way of hitting your opponent out further without compromising much air time (it’s safer than spiking). This move is best when used as a finisher, while the other character is jumping and trying to recover. Just remember that most Up, B recovery moves will go through this move and hit you. ---Spin Kick ~ Up, A; 8% damage--- Speed: good Recovery: below average Damage: poor Power: poor Priority: average Overall: poor Lots of people seem to like this move (the computer does) but I’ve never found it to be anything more than annoying. It’s hard to time right, does very little damage, and doesn’t send your opponent far at all. Plus, when you reach the ground there’ll be a little recovery time, so you can’t use this move to set up for a combo. Oh well – at least it looks cool. ---Drill Kick ~ Down, A; 3%/hit; up to 30% damage--- Speed: very good Recovery: average Damage: excellent Power: poor Priority: good Overall: excellent If you want to be even remotely good with Kirby, you’ll have to master this move. This is great in combos, and deals some hefty damage (typical range is from 18-24% damage, but if you’re good you can connect with the full 30% pretty often). Not only is this good over land, but it’s great as a spiking move (see “Tips and Tricks”) as anyone hit by this move over the air will plunge downwards, and it will be very hard for them to recover. Since Kirby has so many jumps, he is an excellent spiker. Utilize this move - a lot. ---Forwards Drill Kick ~ Forward, A; 3%/hit; up to 21% damage--- Speed: very good Recovery: fair Damage: good Power: poor Priority: average Overall: good Another drill kick, although not as useful as its downwards counter-part. Why? Because it can’t spike, it doesn’t do as much damage, it doesn’t have the duration of the downwards Drill Kick, it doesn’t have as good a priority, and for some reason it seems harder to connect with (the range seems a bit shorter). It’s still good, though. If for some reason you’re desperate you can use this move between jumps to gain a tad more air, but there aren’t many situations where this will be necessary for Kirby. The helicopter sound effects are somewhat amusing though. ---Backwards Kick ~ Back, A; 16% damage--- Speed: good Recovery: fair Damage: good Power: fair Priority: good Overall: good This move is often useful in the air for getting someone off of your back. It’s also good for stealing KO’s. How? While you are trying to come back with Kirby, and you’re facing land, back-kick anyone who’s behind you, trying to recover. Not only will you not lose much airtime, but you’ll also be credited with a KO, even if it was someone else who launched the player off the arena in the first place. However, for purely offensive purposes, I’d rely on the Karate Kick or one of the Drills instead of this move. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 7. Kirby's Special Moves ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These are Kirby’s trademark moves. There are three special moves for each character; each character has an Up, B move, a Down, B move, and a B move. Learn to use all of these well, as they are vital to your success as a Kirby player. However, don’t neglect your normal moves in favor of these; while Kirby’s special moves might look cooler, they are also more predictable (especially Stone, which has a half-second or so start-up delay) and have longer recovery times. ======= Swallow ~ B, then B to copy; 5% damage ======= ~ B, then A to spit out; 10% damage Kirby will inhale any character within a few feet in front of him. Once swallowed, press B to copy the opponent, enabling you to use their B attack, or press A to spit them out. Anyone hit by the unfortunate character being spit out will take a good amount of damage and fly back pretty far; it’s a good finishing move if you can catch another opponent off guard. This move can be useful if you can suck in a character with a good B-move, such as Donkey Kong, Samus, Captain Falcon, etc. However, I’ve noticed that many Kirby players overuse their stolen attack, often with the attitude, “I’ve got the attack, and I might as well use it while it lasts”. This can often backfire as opponents will anticipate your moves and counter. Also, an over-emphasis on that one move will limit your overall game, as all your thoughts will be on connecting that one Giant Punch, Falcon Punch, Blaster Shot, etc. Instead of viewing your B-attack as the focus of your game, just think of it as a useful extension of it and work it into combos and sequences, instead of working them into the move. Note: a smash attack (especially at the hands of the copied opponent) will often cause you to lose your power. ============ Final Cutter ~ Up, B; 13% damage ============ (the move has three parts of 8%, 2%, and 3% damage each) Kirby will pull out his little sword thing, and jump up with his sword in his hand (part 1); he’ll then come down, his sword creating a slight arc as he somersaults to go from his up-phase to his down-phase (part 2); and finally, his sword will send a little shockwave forward when he lands (part 3). In Kirby’s case, as with most other characters, the Up, B move also serves as a final jump, so if you can’t get back onto the platform with your regular jumps, use your Final Cutter. Note that once you execute the Final Cutter, you cannot do anything else until you touch land; thus, the Cutter should be a move of last resort (except when used as a weapon). Kirby’s Final Cutter is a good defensive move, as most characters will be hit, or at best, trade hits, if they try to edge guard Kirby while he is executing his Final Cutter. The Final Cutter is also an offensive weapon; if someone is over the abyss, execute your Final Cutter as you are standing to the side of them, so that Kirby will hit them right as he is somersaulting, hitting them with the downwards arc of his sword and sending them straight downwards (into the abyss). You can do this while still over land, since Kirby’s “somersaulting” part of the Final Cutter has a little horizontal arch. It takes a bit of practice, but it’s a deadly move, especially in arenas with “gaps” where someone can fall to their doom (e.g. Saffron City). As a Kirby player, I’d say your most important special is the Final Cutter. I hear you saying, “What?! It only does 13% damage!” Yes, but it’s an important recovery move with very good priority. It also sets up combos very well. Finally, it’s an excellent spiker. Sure, it’s not as damaging as the Stone, but it’s not as easily blocked or countered. ===== Stone ~ Down, B; 20% damage ===== Kirby will transform into a brick-like form, and drop like... well, like a stone. Anyone in its way will be hit diagonally upwards and take a good 20% damage (this is Kirby’s most powerful one-hit move, apart from spitting out DK onto opponents). This is a very good move against computers and beginners/intermediates, but experts will see this coming from a mile away as it has some start-up delay while Kirby is transforming. Also, a good player on the ground will often see your stone dropping and block, then throw you as the stone hits the ground (you can be thrown while in stone form). However, there are tactics you can use that will make stone much more effective. Pressing B at any time during the time in which you’re stoned will make you un-transform immediately. So, if you’ve hit the ground and a player is running at you, trying to throw you, press B to un-transform faster. This is also true if you’ve hit the ground and the stone is sliding down the ramp, about to go off the edge of the arena. Also, if you see anyone blocking and waiting as you are dropping, press B in mid-air to untransform, and execute a drill-kick or another combo, either hitting them or forcing them to block and setting up a combo. If you have quick fingers, you can actually execute stone, untransform (at which point your opponent may stop blocking and try to attack you or counter you) and then execute stone again, surprising your opponent. Oh, and one last thing: the stone can defend against anything other than Electrode’s blast, repeated hammer blows or throws. This means it’s basically an unlimited shield against all other moves and projectiles. So, if you see, say, an Arwing coming at you, instead of blocking and getting your shield broken, use stone instead. This also applies to some Pokemon (the stone can guard against Snorlax’s coming-down move). Just remember that you can be thrown while you’re in stone. Also, keep in mind that stone only lasts about three seconds or so on the ground. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 8. Items ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There are many items in Super Smash Bros., and they do a nice job of further spicing up the action. Some are very cool and require lots of skill and/or strategy to use; others are just plain cheap. There are lots of items to choose from, so whether you like the heavy-hitting baseball bat, the cool, Star Wars-esque Beam Sword, the delightfully devious Motion Sensor Bombs, or something else, you’ll probably have the item you want. When you first get the game, you won’t be able to choose items; they’ll be set on default (all items, Medium occurrence). However, play 50 multiplayer games, and you’ll earn Item Switch, which lets you turn on and off any and all items. It also lets you choose from None, Very Low, Low, Medium, High, and Very High levels of occurrence. This’ll make battles more interesting, as you can turn off the items you don’t want, and leave the rest at Very High occurrence, or do whatever suits your fancy. Thanks to Ken Lawler for pointing out the items that originated from Kirby games. ---Crates/Barrels/Chansey Eggs/Capsules--- These are the containers found in Super Smash Brothers. True to their name, they contain from one to three items, with the crates and barrels usually carrying two or three items and the Chansey eggs or capsules carrying one item. Crates and barrels are slow, and you cannot move while holding one (unless you’re DK), while Chansey Eggs and capsules are fast. I don’t really recommend using the crate or barrel as a weapon, as it takes too long and leaves you vulnerable. The easiest way to open a crate or barrel is to smash attack it; just remember that a container may be booby-trapped with a rather powerful explosive, so be careful. Capsules are handy for throwing at opponents. Impsrage mentions that you can pick up Chansey Eggs if you stand right on top of them; silly me for forgetting. ---Beam Sword--- ~From Kirby’s Dream Land 2 (Game Boy) A powerful, glowing sword (aka lightsaber) that enables you to do quick thrusts and parries as well as powerful swipes. Learn to use it, as it can easily turn the tide of a battle. It’s handy for throwing, too. ---Home Run Bat--- True to its name, the Home Run Bat will send any opponent out of the arena, should they be hit by a smash attack from it. This applies no matter how much damage they have, the only exception being if the opponent “bounces” repeatedly into walls or obstacles on the way up. Most good players will see this coming from a mile away, so if you’re facing good players, throw the bat and catch them off guard; you probably won’t catch them with a Homer, and in other attacks the bat does little damage. ---Hammer--- Anyone who picks up a hammer will immediately be sent into a clobbering frenzy, where they’ll keep hammering with the hammer for ten to fifteen seconds. Get hit by the hammer and you’ll sustain 30% damage and fly upwards; two or three hits will kill you. It’s not hard to see why this item is so cheap. A stone or a strong attack from below (you better have good timing to try with the attack from below; Stoning is a bit easier) will usually knock the hammer out of the opponent’s hands, giving you an opportunity to grab it. ---Fan--- The fan is very weak; even a smash attack from it will only do 8% damage, and less if you use the fan too much. Its primary function lies in its power to combo and break shields. One smash attack from a fan will break most shields, at which point the opponent will be dizzy and vulnerable for a few seconds. Take advantage of them at this point (not in _that_ way, you pervert!). The fan is also good for almost-infinite combos, since it has a great vacuum effect. ---Motion Sensor Bomb--- Remember those Proximity Mines from GoldenEye, the ones we all love to hate? Of course you do! Well, these are the same things. Pick ‘em up, and throw them somewhere. In a few seconds, they’ll become active, and from then on whoever steps on them... KABOOM! Place them in dark corners, on the very sides of arenas (good for players trying to come back... hehe) or places where they blend into the surroundings. Use them strategically – taunt an opponent till they come after you, not knowing that a proxy mine is between you and them; place them on the clouds on Yoshi’s Island; put them right next to valuable items; whatever. As you are playing, listen for the “thblapp” sound of a proxy mine being placed; conversely, if you’re the one placing them, talk or distract your opponents so they won’t hear you placing the mine. Be careful not to pull a “Dubya” and step on one of your own mines. ---Bumper--- It’s just a little circular thing emblazoned with the “cross” logo that’s everywhere in Super Smash Brothers. Throw it and it will implant itself somewhere. If it hits someone while it’s in the air, that player will receive slight damage and fly back a bit. While the bumper is on the ground, whoever hits it will receive a whopping 1% damage and fly a good five feet. It’s crap. ---Pokeball--- Throw it and a Pokemon will be unleashed. The Pokemon will come out, do its thing, and disappear. The best way to use the Pokeball is to throw it at somebody. The Pokeball’ll hit them, and when they get up, the Pokemon that comes out will unleash its attack for a one-two punch. Note that you cannot kill the Pokemon; if you try, their bodies will only damage you (the wild Charmander and Chansey that appear in Saffron City are the exceptions; they can be killed with a smash attack or Stone). The Pokemon range from useless to extremely damaging, and include (Thanks to Ken Lawler for the names of the Pokemon’s attacks, and I’m sorry if I missed anything or made mistakes; I’m not really into Pokemon): ======= Beedril Substitute ======= An initial Beedril will come out (the initial one is the most powerful), and then a whole swarm of Beedril will follow, dealing 12% per hit. If you’re caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, it could be painful – hope you’re not allergic! ========= Blastoise Hydro Pump ========= A big turtle thing; it comes out and shoots rays of water. One of the Pokemon whose attacks can’t be reflected. Anyway, while the attack won’t do much damage, it can be useful for edge guarding. Blastoise will slowly back away with each shot it fires, and often falls off the edge before it disappears. ======= Chansey Softboiled ======= A cute little ...thing... that comes out and sends out several eggs. They can be thrown or broken open to reveal an item. (see “Chansey Egg”, above.) ========= Charizard Fire Spin ========= A great dragon (or whatever it is) that comes out and spews fire in both directions. The body itself is quite harmful and will dish out lots of damage, so stay away. Also stay away from the fire, obviously. One of the best Pokemon to get. ======== Clefairy Metronome ======== A Pokemon that will come out, and imitate another Pokemon. Its attack will be similar to that of the Pokemon it imitates (Clefairy will behave like the Pokemon it’s imitating when it comes out of the Pokeball; look carefully so you know which one it’s imitating), except that the attack will be shorter but come quicker. ======= Goldeen Splash ======= It’s supposed to be a fish, or something like that. It just flops around pathetically for a while. It can’t damage anyone. ========= Hitmonlee Hi Jump Kick ========= Oops, forgot this one. Thanks to Ken Lawler for pointing it out. He comes out kicking – literally. Hitmonlee will try to karate kick whoever’s closest to him (although he has no qualms about hitting other characters who happen to be in his way). He has fairly good range, so be careful. Execute Stone to protect yourself from him. ====== Meowth Pay Day ====== Potentially, the best Pokemon. It spews streams of coins, each coin doing 3% damage, which is absolutely incredible when you consider that there are several coins in each stream, and that Meowth is spewing out four streams of coins (in each direction) at all times. Ouch. Luckily, Kirby is light, and will usually be batted away with the first few coins. With big, fat characters, who might even get stuck right under Meowth, the damage can seriously mount up. === Mew Teleport === A very rare Pokemon, Mew comes out and glitters nicely, slowly rising to the sky. It does not do any damage, as far as I know, but it will distract Pokefreaks. While they’re distracted, bash them. ==== Onix Rock Slide ==== A huge rock snake, whatever that is. It shoots upward to the sky, doing heavy damage and usually killing whoever’s in its upwards path. It then sends a stream of boulders downwards in a small section of the arena, which do pretty good damage and can occasionally cause a heavily-damaged player to “ascend to heaven”, as each successive boulder knocks the player further upward. ======= Snorlax Body Slam ======= A big fat Pokemon, Snorlax will rise to the top of the screen and then come down a few seconds later, only immensely fattened (and very pixilated – the developers used the same sprite for both forms of Snorlax). Stone will protect you from becoming “an album cover”, if you get the reference. ======= Starmie Swift ======= It’ll come out, and home in on the nearest player, flying until it’s sufficiently close and at the same level as that player. It will then send a stream of... yes, stars, towards that player, each of which will do 3% damage. The easiest way to escape Starmie is to simply fly up (especially easy with Kirby) or drop down to another level. Crouching with Kirby will turn him into a pancake, which will also dodge the shots. ---Bo-bomb--- It’s just your standard little bomb. Only twist is, leave it alone for five seconds or so, and it’ll start walking around. Anyone who touches it will detonate it, and if no one hits it within five or so seconds if it walking around, it will stop, start flashing, and detonate itself. If you pick the Bo-bomb up, it will no longer have a time fuse, but a strong attack will detonate it in your hands (Link is particularly good at doing this). Whoever the Bo-bomb hits will definitely need a band-aid. ---Red Shell--- Pick it up and throw it, and on whatever platform it lands, it will travel back and forth. It won’t skip platforms, and as it can’t travel through the air, it won’t fall down onto another platform. It’ll just move along that one platform at a pretty good speed, homing in on players and doing 10% damage. Not too useful, except to occasionally edge-guard weak jumpers. ---Green Shell--- Pick it up and throw it at someone. Depending on with how much force you throw it (press A to throw it weakly, Forward, A to throw it with some force, and Forward+A to throw it with pretty good speed), it will either land and stay there, or keep rolling for a while. Unlike the red shell, the green shell will fall off platforms. The green shell will do a pretty good amount of damage (even when it’s just rolling slowly on the ground), so be careful if you see one thrown at you. Also, don’t throw the green shell into walls or obstacles, as it may bounce back and hit you. ---Ray Gun--- Pick it up, and shoot someone with its lightning fast shots. Note how each shot knocks the other player back and up a little bit, right in line for the next shot... hmmm, since you have sixteen shots, you might as well... y’see, that’s why this weapon is so cheap. ---Star Rod--- ~From Kirby’s Adventure (NES) One of the most underrated weapons in the game. The Star Rod can be used to hit people, much like a sword, only not quite as powerful. The cool thing is, though, execute a strong/smash attack, and in addition to a powerful swipe of the Rod, it will send out a star that will do pretty good damage if it hits someone. The Star Rod holds twenty stars, which is a lot; if you do run out, though, you can still use it as a clobbering weapon. ---Fire Flower--- The Fire Flower sends streams of fire at your opponent. Each time you press A (keep in mind that there is a slight start up delay) it will fire a nasty stream of fire. Now take into account that the Fire Flower has a vast depository... KFC, anyone? In fact, if you can corner someone and you keep blasting away with it, they’ll easily sustain 100% + damage. Shielding doesn’t work much, as the steady stream of fire will not let you put your shield down, until it breaks or you’re hit by the fire. The fire flower can also be thrown at an opponent, inflicting moderate damage. Basically, just stay away from anyone who’s got this item. ---Maxim(um) Tomato/Heart--- I never really liked Healing items, mostly since they seem a bit unfair. Anyway, eat a Maxim Tomato and up to 100% of your damage will be taken away. The heart is the same as a Maxim Tomato, except it will take off all your damage. Ugh, yuck. Basically, these two items give you health. ---Star--- It renders you invincible. Too bad it only lasts around ten seconds, a bit too little to be very effective. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 9. Arenas ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There are eight arenas that you can play in in Multiplayer, plus a few other one-player only arenas. There’s also a hidden arena. Anyway, you should know about the arenas themselves, their layout, dangers, helps, and other miscellaneous info. The arenas vary widely in size, as well as in layout: some float, some are actually made of a series of rooftops, and some are on the ground. Anyway, I’ll rate each arena’s size, its fun level (out of five), and how it suits Kirby, as well as tell you of any hazards/helps in the arena. I’ll also give a (not-so) brief description. Happy? ============== Peach’s Castle ============== Size: medium Fun: *** Kirby Rating: ** Hazards: Bumper Helps: Moving platform, Ramps Well, it’s a medium sized floating arena, with the real Peach’s Castle in the background. The main platform is rather short, with two little rope bridges leading off to each side. Below the main platform – and you can drop down to it or jump up from it – is a smaller platform, which is handy for unleashing surprise attacks on those on the upper platform (most Up+A or Up, B moves will hit a person on the platform above you). At the bottom of the arena there is a moving platform that’s quite long (longer than the arena itself). The platform moves left and right across the arena, and can be useful if you’re trying to get back onto land and it is on your side of the arena. Above the main platform of the arena is a bumper that slowly moves in a short left-right path; while it only does 1% damage when you hit it, it is quite annoying and can break up your moves. This is especially true with Kirby, who possesses many vertical moves (his jumps, drill kick, final cutter, stone, etc. can all be screwed up by the bumper). The bumper also restricts aerial movement and makes it a bit harder to get around. Not a big deal, but it’s there, and it’s annoying. To both sides of the bumper are two ramps; these do nothing other than slow down your flight if you get knocked onto them. They can sometimes come in handy, since they can prevent you from flying straight out of the arena. Perhaps the largest problem is the fact that the bumper and the ramps make it very hard for someone to die from the horizontal boundaries (since opponents are often stopped by those obstacles). The moving platform also makes it hard to spike, making this arena not a good one for Kirby. I often get annoyed in this arena since it seems that a big part of Kirby’s mobility is taken away, but it’s good for some other characters. ============== Yoshi’s Island ============== Size: medium Fun: ** Kirby Rating: *** Hazards: None Helps: Clouds This disturbingly “happy” arena is small, but there is one cloud to the left of the arena and two clouds to the right. The second cloud on the right is quite a distance from the arena; not only does this extend the right boundary (making it harder for a character to die), it also gives characters coming back a chance to get back on. Beware, though, since the clouds will disappear about three seconds after someone steps on them, so if you feel like simply shying away from the action by hiding on the clouds (not advised – all characters can get onto the clouds; some, like Kirby, just have an easier time doing so) you’ll have to constantly jump to avoid the clouds disappearing at your feet. If a cloud does disappear, it will reappear several seconds later. Anyway, Yoshi’s Island is fashioned in the shape of Yoshi’s Storybook (how cute!). The main platform is shaped like a book – lower in the middle and higher at the sides – with little platforms above the main platform and a longer platform at the top. Pretty standard stuff. Usually, the only reason I play in Yoshi’s Island is to have fun with the clouds – put proxies on them, taunt from them, whatever. Still, the arena’s pretty good for Kirby, since the clouds make for lots of aerial action. Note: there is one good trick that you can do with Kirby (actually with any character, but Kirby does it easiest) relating to the clouds on this level. It’s pretty funny and I guarantee it’ll work the first time, and probably many times after that. See “Tips and Tricks” for details. ============ Congo Jungle ============ Size: small Fun: ** Kirby Rating: ** Hazards: None Helps: Barrel Well, its got a remix of the classic DK music, but even that is a little restrained and not as catchy as the real tune. The rest of the level is also rather bland. Amongst a nice jungle background, with birds in the distance, is a relatively small stage. The stage has a main platform, which is not uniform in height (it rises at the ends). Above the main platform are two little platforms, on either side, that are tilted downwards. In the middle of arena there are a couple of floating platforms that go around in a loop. The problem is that this arena is quite small, and the platforms limit aerial moves, so you (and every other character) will have to rely mostly on ground attacks. Kirby has good attacks, but his arsenal of moves is shortened a bit. One good thing is that you can actually jump off the stage, and jump back up through the bottom of the stage, surprising some people. Another good thing is the fact that there’s a barrel moving left and right below the stage, so if you can’t quite make it back onto the stage, you can always try for the barrel. Note that you can’t stay in the barrel too long, or it will spit you out, in a random direction (read: straight downward). The barrel seems to benefit other characters more than Kirby, since Kirby has good enough flight ability to need the barrel only very rarely. ========== Dream Land ========== Size: small Fun: **** Kirby Rating: ***** Hazards: Tree Helps: None Now we’re talking! Welcome to Dream Land, the home of Kirby. It’s the smallest arena in Super Smash Brothers, and it’s a rather plain one at that. It’s a little island with a nice path going through it, as well as a pond and some pretty flowers. There are three platforms, two near each end of the arena and one higher platform in the middle. The only other feature is that tree from the Kirby games (I forget its name) that blows characters... off the arena, that is. Actually, it’s very weak and does very little to impact the game. However, don’t judge the arena to be bad because of its small size and simple layout. It’s definitely one of the best in the game. Not only is it fun, but its small size and plain layout guarantees all-out fighting, with no hiding or running away. Beginners mightn’t like this, but it’s heaven for experts who want a serious battle. Plus, the music is very cool, kind of bouncy and cute, but not too cute. Just like Kirby. This arena is very good for Kirby. There’s plenty of room above the platforms for aerial attacks, and the small size guarantees a lot of blocking, rolling, nasty combos, edge-guarding, and spiking, all of which Kirby excels at. ============= Hyrule Castle ============= Size: large Fun: ***** Kirby Rating: **** Hazards: Tornado Helps: None Another one of my favorite stages. In fact, almost everyone, regardless of who they play as, likes this stage. Why? Simply, because it’s a good looking stage that’s well designed, has a nice background, and offers different venues of fighting. Hyrule Castle is a stage where you’re basically fighting on the roof of a castle. I would have liked it if there were parapets and towers and what not, but instead you’ve got more of a linear stage. A few spiked towers are there for cosmetic purposes in the foreground, and forests and streams can be seen in the background, far below the castle. (This is probably one of the coolest and most impressive backgrounds. Zoom in while you are jumping in the air for an even better effect.) Anyway, on the far-left part of the stage is a little sloping roof that drops off a bit from the main platform of the stage. It’s a good place for Kirby to be, as it’s good for aerial stuff and edge-guarding. The main platform is to the right, and is just a moderately long stretch of flat ground. In the middle of the main platform is a tower (it’s actually only there in the background – it can’t be interacted with) with platforms going up; jump up onto the upper platform and you’ll get items (it’s one of the places where many items seem to appear), as well as be in a good position for jumping and launching aerial attacks. To the right of the main platform is another small platform, which also drops down from the main platform. At the place where the right platform drops from the main one, a little wall is formed, perfect for “playing tennis” and executing ground based combos. In the middle of this platform is a small tower, which can be interacted with (i.e. you can go through it, jump up onto it, etc.) A sneaky place to put mines is in the dark spot underneath the tower. So that’s the layout. Overall, it’s a cool arena, and a good one for beginners and experts alike. It offers many cool places to fight and use items, so if you’re an item-phile, seek out Hyrule. One last thing: there is a tornado that periodically appears for a while on any of the three main platforms; stay away from it or you’ll be thrown high (sometimes too high) and take damage. It usually moves slowly, but sometimes erratically speeds up – a real pain. It will kill Kirby at only 85% damage or so, so be careful! ======== Sector Z ======== Size: very large Fun: ***** Kirby Rating: **** Hazards: Arwing Helps: None Another great arena. You’re fighting in (a strangely oxygen-rich sector of) outer space, on the top of Great Fox (Fox’s starship). The arena is huge, and spans from the front of Great Fox’s spine through to its tail and the little section after its tail. In the background is a big nebula of sorts, as well as stars and some floating crap. (Leftover debris from failed NASA missions?) The main platform at the left, the spine of the ship, is very long and slightly slanted upwards, good for all-out fighting and item using. The main platform slopes up into the tail, which drops down onto a small, lower platform. This lower platform is a cool place for Kirby to be because, as in Hyrule Castle, you can use the wall formed by the tail to play tennis with other characters (except the other characters aren’t playing with you – they’re being played by you and the wall, if you know what I’m saying). Also, drop off of the tail and you’ll have plenty of air space to perform cool combos (this applies to the whole stage). The hazard in this stage is the Arwing, a little plane that zooms by every now and then. It flies horizontally across either of the two platforms (the main platform and the little tail platform) and starts shooting the heck out of anyone in its way, using its front-mounted laser blasters. Each laser shot does 16% damage, and, since two shots come out at the same time, you’ll probably be hit by both and receive a good 32% damage. Ouch. If you block, your shield will be broken after only two volleys of shots (the Arwing fires a total of four volleys, or eight shots per appearance) so it’s better to use Stone to guard. Still, it’s better to be shield broken than dead, although sometimes if you get shield broken you’ll die anyway, since you’ll be launched onto the Arwing and then flown off into oblivion. The Arwing also does quick diving attacks, where it quickly (and without warning) flies across the screen, targeting characters and launching blaster shots at them. If you hear the sound of the blasters being fired, quickly jump (I don’t think Stone works against these shots, and you definitely cannot block them with Kirby’s shield). Be careful – the Arwing is by far the most dangerous stage hazard (maybe the lava is more dangerous, but you get plenty of warning beforehand). ============ Planet Zebes ============ Size: medium-large Fun: ***** Kirby Rating: *** Hazards: Acid Helps: Vertically moving platform A lotta people hate this stage. They complain that the acid screws up their playing, and the stage sucks because you can’t really spike, and overall the stage is too hard. Well, screw ‘em. This stage has to be one of the most fun stages in the game. Maybe not the most fair – if you had a dispute over who’s a better player, this might not be your preferred stage – but definitely one of the most challenging and fun. Planet Zebes is home of Samus Aran. It’s a little floating world, with a sea of acid below. The acid can actually help, because if you fall off the stage and you can’t get back on, at least you won’t fall to your death: you will be singed by the acid, but not necessarily killed by it (although you can fall to your death if you are invincible or use Kirby’s Stone move – thanks to Impsrage for reminding me). The only complication is, that the acid has a habit of moving up and engulfing the stage at the most inopportune times (e.g.. when you’re fighting). So, when you fight on Zebes, don’t just pay attention to your opponents; also pay attention to the acid, because at 16% damage a hit, it hurts. Luckily, the acid gives you fair warning; whenever it’s about to rise, the planet rocks back and forth, an indication for everyone to scramble onto the highest platforms. Of course, this is when the fighting gets... interesting, with everyone trying to kill everyone else, but still trying to stay on. Note that the acid can rise anywhere from just a few feet to the level where it practically engulfs the stage; however, it never rises to the highest platform, so seek refuge there. Lastly, there’s a moving platform to the right of the arena that goes up and down. It may be risky to stay on it, but at least you’ll avoid all the other players scrambling to that one top platform. ============ Saffron City ============ Size: large Fun: **** Kirby Rating: ***** Hazards: Wild Pokemon Helps: Vertically moving platforms This is one of the more... unique arenas. Basically, you’re fighting on several rooftops, some being rather small, and some (like the main “platform” in the middle) being of medium size. As usual, there are abysses on both sides of the arena, but there are also gaps between the buildings, where you can also fall to your doom. Undoubtedly, this is good spiking country for Kirby. There are some vertically moving platforms on the left of the arena (buoyed up by fans from the buildings... cool!) that add an element of luck to your recovery. On the right side of the arena is just a little rooftop, painted out to be a helipad, from which you can have immense amounts of fun spiking and edge guarding. One of the most important features of the stage is the Pokemon. Yes, Pokemon in their home stage – who would have expected it? Anyway, wild Pokemon will pop out of that little box on the main platform, surprising (and usually damaging) whoever’s nearby. You’ll get some warning, though, because the door will open and light will shine through a few seconds before the Pokemon pop out. Oh yeah, the Pokemon can also be triggered by some retard walking into the door. Anyway, the Pokemon are: ------- Chansey Softboiled ------- Throws a few eggs onto the main platform. Yummy, protein! Also, if you walk into the door while Chansey is there, and touch Chansey, you’ll recover by 5%. Hey, y’never know, it might just come in handy. (Note: this only applies to the wild Chansey.) After you’ve recovered, thank Chansey... by smash- attacking it out of the box. ---------- Charmander Flamethrower (if no flames, Tackle) ---------- Whatever it is, it comes out, sometimes blasting a stream of fire that will do moderate damage. If it doesn’t blast fire, its body will still do damage... although you can change that by smash-attacking the stupid Pokemon and sending him flying. --------- Electrode Self-Destruct --------- A bomb of some sorts. It comes out, shakes for a few seconds, and explodes, doing a lot of damage to whoever’s nearby. Note that shields (including Kirby’s Stone) cannot protect you from Electrode, so if you see him, run away. Careful - the blast radius is greater than you might think. Note: Van Beethoven informs me that some shields actually do protect you from Electrode. Thanks for the tip. ------- Porygon Sharpen & Tackle ------- Similar to Charmander/Venosaur’s Tackle move, except stronger. Porygon bursts out with much pomp to surprise anyone who’s trying for a Chansey or other benign Pokemon. -------- Venosaur Solarbeam (if no blasts, Tackle) -------- Comes out, shoots “blasts of solar energy” (actually, they look more like greenish crap to me, but what do I know about Pokemon). Hmmm... hope you’ve got sunscreen! It does some damage to and annoys whoever’s hit. As with Charmander, its body also does damage to anyone who’s hit. =============================== Mushroom Kingdom (secret arena) =============================== Size: medium-large Fun: ***** Kirby Rating: *** Hazards: Piranha Plants Helps: Tubes Well, if this doesn’t make you nostalgic, nothing will. It’s the old Super Mario Bros. all over again, with its piranha plants (emerging from those classic green tubes, of course), POW block (hit it and anyone on land gets thrown up and takes 20% damage) and balancing scale on the middle (don’t stay too long, or the scale will tip over). Even the background, with paratroopers bouncing on spring blocks, is a trip to the past. Other unique parts of the arena include the fact that you cannot fall off, except for the middle gap, which has the balancing scale over it. Even the balancing scale gives ample warning that it’s about to drop, so very few (human) players will drop off in this arena. Unfortunately, the balancing also makes it a little hard for Kirby to spike successfully. Other cool things are the piranha plant tubes. Press Down while standing over them (of course, while the piranha plants aren’t popped up) and you’ll transport to the second tube. That, or the sewer tube, that leads out in the middle of one of the sides of the gap. Don’t worry, though, since it’s easy to jump back up onto the stage (especially with Kirby). Just think of the tubes as a creative way to escape an attacker, or at least gain time. Another cool part of the level is to the bottom left of it; there is an overhanging wall covering that whole section of level – perfect for combos. Take advantage of the POW block, which is quite powerful (anyone upwards of 80% damage or so is liable to be killed). Since even Level 9 CPUs won’t deliberately go for the POW block (they can hit it with a freak move, though), if you are playing with computers, take your time and wait till all the compies are on the ground before hitting the POW block. Finally, one last note, in case you’re a bit dull: you can kill yourself if you walk too far to the left or right – so be careful. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 10. One-player Walkthrough ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Super Smash Bros. is meant to be a multi-player game. Hell, even if you’re alone, you can play multiplayer with the computer-controlled opponents. Because of this, the one-player mode is neither as fun, nor as replayable, as the multiplayer; however, it’s still not bad, and if you’re good at Smash Bros. and you’re looking for a challenge, try getting high scores in single player (or low times on the bonus rounds). And, you’ll have to beat single player under various conditions to get the hidden characters and access secret stuff, so, like it or not, you’ll at least have to play through the one-player mode a few times. The one-player mode is made of fourteen different stages, each with one or more opponents. Sometimes, you will have allies, too. The object of the one- player game is to survive (obviously) to the end of the quest, and pick up points along the way. You can choose between five difficulties: ============================================================================= Very Easy: Recommended for temporarily blind players. Easy: You might have to actually pick up your controller on this mode. Normal: The equivalent of the “Easy” setting on most games. Hard: A challenge, to say the most. Try this after you’ve trained a bit or have played the CPU a little. Very Hard: If you’re pretty good at this game, this difficulty won’t be too bad. It’s no cakewalk, but it’s definitely not Perfect Agent, either. ============================================================================= You also have to choice of setting your stock (lives) from one to five; obviously, you’ll have an easier time if you set the stock to five. There is no penalty for doing this, so it’ll always benefit you if you set your stock higher (unless you’re solely trying to challenge yourself). If you use up all of your lives (shame on you), you can always continue, but your score will be cut in half. Speaking of your score, you get points for the amount of time left on the timer (which is set to 5:00 for each stage), the amount of damage inflicted on your opponent, and special bonuses. You can get special bonuses for using only a few particular moves (Hawk if you only use aerial moves, Judo Warrior if you use only throws, Smash-less if you don’t use smash attacks, etc.), for beating a stage under 30 seconds, for killing multiple opponents in order, and for pure luck/coincidence (you get a bonus if the opponent kills him/herself without you hitting them; you also get a bonus if your opponent dies just before you are about to). With these special bonuses, you can get your score to around 1.5 million points (the highest I’ve heard of is 1.5 to 2 million). With Kirby, I can score around 1.4 million if I’m very lucky and get a lot of bonuses. Some of the bonuses are mostly luck, so even if you play with the goal of trying to get a good score, and play well, without luck you’ll probably only get around 1.2 million points. Anyway, for this walkthrough, I’ll be concentrating mostly on survival and playing well, rather than luck and special bonuses. However, if there is a particularly valuable or notable special bonus in a stage, I’ll tell you about it. Also, the five numbers to the right of each stage name are the difficulties of that stage, on a scale from 1 to 5. There are five numbers, one for each difficulty level (the left-most number represents the Very Easy difficulty, the second-from-left number represents the Easy difficulty, etc.). Note: the first two bonuses only have one number because the difficulties remain constant throughout all the levels. On with the walkthrough! ========= I. Link (1, 1, 1, 2, 2) ========= If you can’t beat Link, you should just throw your N64 out your window and try something that requires (even) less brainpower than this does – for example, watching soap operas, wrestling, running for the Republican Presidential nomination and RIGGING THE ELECTION (oops, did I say that aloud?), etc. Anyway, all you really have to do is attack Link and get him to the edge, where he’ll basically self-destruct. On the easier difficulties you can just keep using throws to get Link to the left edge of Hyrule Castle, then throw him right as he is about to execute his comeback move. Then he’ll simply plummet down to his doom, and you’ll net a very good amount of awards: No items, Smash-less, Judo Warrior (since you used only throws), No Miss X 1 (you haven’t died yet), No Damage, Full Power, Speedster (for completing the level in under 30 seconds), and Fighter Stance (if you taunt just as Link dies), among others. On the harder difficulties, you’ll have to use a variety of attacks, but just concentrate on killing Link in under 30 seconds without being hit. Again, throws play a large role. Even on Very Hard, it’s not challenging. ================ II. Yoshi Team (1, 1, 1, 2, 2) ================ Uh-oh, it’s a whole shitload of Yoshies, and they’re coming to get you! Big challenge, right? Wrong. This is the second-easiest stage, apart from Link’s. These Yoshies are incredibly incompetent (hmmm... remind me of Dubya) and do nothing but jump around. Plus, they’re also extremely weak. The quickest way to take ‘em out is actually to use Kirby’s aerial Up, A move; the spin, while doing only 8% damage at the most, will send one of these Yoshies flying out of the arena. Kill the Yoshies in order (as they drop down from the stage – look at the Yoshi Team stock-meter at the upper-left of the screen, or the damage count at the bottom of the screen, to see which colored Yoshi is the “next”, if you forget) and you’ll get Yoshi Rainbow, which gives you a good fifty grand of points. Be careful, though, because accidents happen: it’s hard _not_ to kill a Yoshi since they’re so weak, and the spinning move goes all over the place; also, these Yoshis are quite good at simply jumping off of the arena by themselves. On the harder difficulties I recommend getting the Yoshi’s stoned. Don’t go under them or else you might get stuck under their feet for some potentially nasty damage. ========== III. Fox (1, 1, 2, 2, 2) ========== There are two ways you can do this stage: the regular way, or the Pacifist way. The Pacifist way doesn’t always work out perfectly, but it’ll net you a nice bonus if you do it right. REGULAR WAY: I have found a strategy for this stage that, if used correctly, makes fighting Fox, even on very hard, a piece-o-cake (well, he’s not that hard anyway). This strategy works around 80-90% of the time, and enables you to easily and quickly (in under 30 seconds) beat Fox and get a good amount of points in the process. There are ways to beat Fox that get you more points, but then again, my emphasis here is on ease of survival. At the start, dash towards Fox before he can react. He may shoot a laser at you on the harder difficulties, but if you dash you’ll get to the dip in the stage and the laser will go over your head. Catch Fox and throw him backwards. Wait for him to recover, then hit him with a Lunge Kick, dashing kick, or throw, depending on how he recovers. Repeat two or three times (you may need to use your Split Kick, too, depending on how close you hit Fox from) until Fox is near the left edge of the stage. Now hit him a last time, and he’ll fly off the stage. Either jump towards Fox and spike him, or simply edge-guard him one from land. Spiking is risky because (a) you might get hit by the Arwing (it comes by near the 20-25 second mark, which should be close to the current time if you’re following my strat) and (b) Fox might damage you a little with a stray hit. When edge-guarding don’t go too close to the arena’s edge or else you’ll have a hard time lunge-kicking the Fire Fox. If you edge guard him, you could get an extra bonus as Fox may be hit and killed by the Arwing, giving you the Arwing Clear award; if not, you’ll still get Speedster, No Damage, Full Power, No Items, No Miss X 3 (hopefully), and more awards. PACIFIST WAY: You can do this on any difficulty, but it’s easier not to get hit on the easier modes. This doesn’t always work (sometimes the Arwing doesn’t fly by at the right time, and sometimes Fox doesn’t get hit), but if it does, it’s worth it. I recommend that you try this way if you’re going for a high score. At the start, walk or run to the left edge of the stage. Fox will follow (be careful not to be hit by any blaster shots). Once Fox is within striking range, start jumping, dashing, rolling, etc. – anything that will prevent Fox from hitting you. Obviously, you shouldn’t hit Fox in the process, or else you won’t get Pacifist. Dodging Fox’s attacks gets harder in the later difficulties, but even if you do get hit don’t give up. Pacifist, not No Damage, is worth the mega-points. After fifteen or twenty seconds you should hear the sound of the Arwing blasting its lasers. This means that it’s overhead, and starting to drop to your level. Keep Fox near the left edge of Great Fox because that’s where the Arwing shoots from. As soon as you see the Arwing coming towards you either block, Stone, or jump. At this point it’s probably safest to block as Fox may throw you out of Stone (and Stone is slow to transform/untransform), and jumping might make Fox jump with you, making him go out of range of the Arwing. Anyway, just get Fox to go a bit to the right of you (roll to the left, if needed). He’ll get hit by the first laser shot. Block the second volley; jump, and with luck, the third volley will hit Fox again. Say “tata, mofo” and taunt. You’ll get Pacifist (60,000), No Damage (15,000), Full Power (5000), Speedster (10,000), Arwing Clear (4,000), and a few others. Bottom line: at least 94,000 points up your arse, and probably 100K and up. ================================ IV. Bonus 1: Break the Targets (3) ================================ This is one of the easier bonus stages. Right at the start, execute a quick kick going left to break the target that’s right next to you. Jump and execute a midair kick to break the target above you; keep jumping and use your Final Cutter to get onto the platform above you. You should break the target on that platform with the Final Cutter’s blade or shockwave. Jump to your right and horizontal-drill kick (Forward, A/aerial) the target. A horizontal drill kick won’t make you lose much height (as Kirby doesn’t really “drop” while he’s doing it) so you can keep jumping, left and upward, to the higher platform. Now, jump to the highest platform. Run over to the opening of the long, narrow, tube, and turn into Stone. You’ll hit two targets on the way down, and you will slide down a ramp and hit a third target. Right after you hit the third target, unstone. Jump onto the moving platform that should be roughly at your level. Execute a midair kick before you land to break the target on the platform. Now, jump left in the direction of the arrow. There is a platform to your upper-left. Jump and Final Cutter up onto the platform, breaking the target. Jump upwards four times and execute one last Final Cutter, which should give you enough vertical height to hit that last target. =================== V. Mario Brothers (2, 2, 2, 3, 4) =================== Probably the first stage where you’ll have to stay on your guard. Mario and Luigi are a good team and can team up for some nasty combos. Because of the bumper, the ramps, and the moving platform at the bottom, edge guarding or spiking the two is very hard. While spiking, beware of Luigi’s Flaming Uppercut. Don’t misunderestimate (LOL) their teamwork skills. On the easier difficulty levels, just let your buddy do his stuff while you go for Luigi. Kill Luigi before you even touch Mario so that you’ll get Bros. Calamity (25K). Don’t worry if your buddy hits Mario – that doesn’t count. On these difficulty levels your ally will probably be better than the Brothers, so just kill Luigi and take care of Mario. Collect your bonus at the end. On the harder difficulty levels (namely, Very Hard), these mofos can seriously PISS YOU OFF. Your partner will act narcoleptic; you won’t be able to spike or edge-guard much due to the layout of the arena; and the Brothers work well together. They will often launch fireball after fireball. You might be smart enough to block or jump, but your ally won’t. Also, these fireballs will block most of your moves, and if you get hit by both Mario and Luigi’s fireballs (this happens more often than you’d think) you’ll notch up 14% damage. Plus, in the air, the Bros. Fwd, A/aerial (the extended-leg kick) has more priority and range than most of your aerial moves, so you won’t be king of the air. On these difficulty levels, Mario and Luigi will often rush you at the start. Either block or counter, and quickly jump up to help your ally who will most likely be in trouble. If you’re caught unawares at the beginning, you and your ally will get stuck in a flurry of hits, tornados, and coin punches (= +30% damage for both of you). My advice is to NOT go for Bros. Calamity; these brothers are always jumping around, and you’ll probably sustain heavy damage in killing Luigi while avoiding Mario. Not to mention the fact that your ally will be slaughtered while you’re f’n around with Luigi. Try to get your buddy involved. This often means attacking whoever your buddy is attacking (well, trying to attack). By teaming up, you might get luck and quickly eliminate one of the two brothers, making your job a lot easier. At least, your buddy won’t get killed so quickly. On the harder difficulties, don’t let your ally do all the work by himself – he’ll just get killed and you’ll be left in a sticky situation. If your ally does get killed, or kills himself early on (unfortunately, this happens more often than you might think) you’ll just have to duke it out. Try not to get between Mario and Luigi, and watch for the Mario Tornado/Luigi Flaming Punch sequence. Try to isolate one of them and look for opportunities for quick throws and hits to get him near the edge. Edge guard and spike all you can and try to kill your target without getting hit too much by the other brother. Don’t worry about Luigi’s Shoryuken when you’re spiking him as I’ve never seen a computer Luigi execute it successfully in that situation. Unfortunately, most times you’ll have to work them up to 100% damage and hit them straight out of the arena, instead of being lucky enough to edge guard or spike. If you can kill one brother without sustaining massive damage, it’ll be easy going from then on. Work on the other guy; dodge and roll a bit, and you’ll soon find an opening. Lunge kick him to the edge, and try edge guard or spike; without another brother annoying you, you should be able to take him out pretty easily. ============= VI. Pikachu (1, 1, 2, 2, 2) ============= Hey You, Pikachu! Well, this Pika exemplifies the slogan “Don’t. Do. Drugs.” as espoused (quite ironically/sarcastically or while high) by Eminem. Anyway, even on very hard, Pika will have a hard time just _getting_ to you, because it keeps trying to get to you through the Pokemon door. So, just stand on one of the platforms to the right of the door and watch Pika walk into the platform. Hopefully, the door will soon open and reveal, let’s say, Electrode. Ouch. Plus, Pikachu, in his present mental state, has a hard time recovering with the Double Agility – half the time he falls between the gaps in the buildings and dies. If you get lucky enough to get Pikachu to kill himself, without hitting him once, you’ll get Pacifist, which is worth mega- points. If Pika’s been battered by the Pokemon but isn’t dead, and you want to get a move-on, hit and kill Pika with a single smash attack, and you’ll get the Single-Move award. If, somehow, Pikachu actually gets to you, you’ll have to do some actual fighting. But not that much. Just keep a ground-based game (remember, Pika’s air combos rival even Kirby’s, and he’s quicker and more mobile in the air than you are) and spike as soon as you get Pikachu between one of the buildings. Gameset! =============== VII. Giant DK (2, 2, 2, 3, 4) =============== This one can be hard if you start hecking around, because Giant DK is strong, Kirby is weak, and a few hits can send you into the stratosphere. So, play hit-and-run with the Stone or drill kicks. Combos aren’t too good because DK has such good priority, he can often hit you even in the middle of the combo. My usual strat is to copy DK’s ability, charge up (with your other two allies keeping DK busy, hopefully) then get him up to 150-200%. Then, BAM! Even Giant DK can’t handle that. On the harder difficulties, remember to stay a little bit away from DK, while on the easier difficulties you can basically just jump in, execute a huge flurry of moves, and kill him in around 20 seconds. If you see an opportunity to edge guard DK, do so. Once he’s over 100% - pretty low damage for Giant DK – he becomes somewhat vulnerable to good, sustained, edge guarding. Unfortunately, spiking probably won’t do much since the fella’s so heavy, he doesn’t really get knocked down. Instead, lunge kick and split kick DK. If you can break up his Helicopter Spin move, he’ll be in serious trouble. Split Kick works especially well since it comes out fast and has good priority. Remember not to be too aggressive on the harder difficulties, and keep your allies alive, and you’ll be fine. ==================================== VIII. Bonus 2: Board the Platforms (4) ==================================== This one can be a bit challenging, but if you’re a good jumper, you’ll be alright. After the easy platforms at the start, wait at the ledge for the next platform. If you wait a bit, you’ll note that the platform comes by every six seconds or so, and it drops at the same rate you fall. So, if you fall after the platform comes, you’ll never drop down enough to hit it, and if you fall before the platform, the solid upper wall will prevent you from getting to it. What do you do? Simple. As soon as the platform comes, start falling. Tilt the controller over to the left, so that you are between the two walls and just above the platform. Now, tap Down on the control stick to drop faster. You’ll drop down nicely onto the platform. As soon as you hit the platform, jump out of the little space (enclosed by the two walls) and up the diagonal ramp to your right. Hit the platform and take the little escalator up. After hitting the platform, run – not jump – down the ramp. Stone past the bumper. Unstone as you’re going down the ramp, and jump at the opening. Keep jumping, upwards and to the right. After using five or six jumps, use your Final Cutter. You should reach the very top-right corner, where a platform is. Don’t be rushed with your jumps; get as much vertical and horizontal distance out of each jump as possible before jumping again. Now drop down the passage at the bottom. Don’t use any of your jumps until you get to the opening, at which point you should repeat the above process, only jump to the top and to the left now. (If you’re having trouble with this, you can take a rest at the little alcove on the right before you jump. This makes the jump a little easier but it wastes some time. Also, don’t tap down to fall faster if you’re struggling – it seems to make jumping harder.) Hit the platform. Drop down and you’ll see that last platform on the other side of the wall; sink a bit, go under the wall, and then jump and final cutter back up onto the last platform. ================ IX. Kirby Team (2, 2, 2, 3, 4) ================ These guys are a little hardier and a lot more aggressive than those Yoshis you trampled over earlier, so be careful. The Kirbies are quite adept at throwing and are heavy on offense, whether towards you or towards themselves. You’ll have to fight eight of them, two at a time, to get through this round. First of all, don’t get too close to the Kirbies. Like I said, they are good at throwing, and chances are their reflexes are faster than yours when it comes to doing so, so don’t throw too much unless you’re on an easy difficulty or you want to gain Judo Warrior for points. Instead, roll around and hit them with a smash attack when they aren’t facing you (the classic trick for playing against computers). Then, make sure they die (sometimes they just drop, but sometimes they jump back onto the arena – one smash attack won’t quite kill them outright). As long as the Kirbies don’t get any outrageous items, and as long as you’re aware of your surroundings, you’ll be fine. Kill the Kirbies in the order of their appearance (there should be no trouble keeping track here – each Kirby has a different costume) and you’ll get Kirby Ranks, a pretty nice bonus. ========== X. Samus (1, 2, 2, 3, 3) ========== Some people say she’s hard. I personally have never had trouble with her, at least not with Kirby. Even on very hard, if you can get a good start on her, a few combos and a spike down into the acid will do her in, quickly and effectively. Unfortunately, there’s no one good strategy for this stage, as Samus is kind of unpredictable. The best I can do is give a rough outline: Start out with a dash and a throw, or maybe a dashing attack or lunge kick. Afterwards you have a variety of options; you can start a lunge kick combo, or you can drill her (the cpu Samus is bad at defending against drill kicks, for some reason). Kirby has very good ground-based moves; use them, but don’t be afraid to toss in a few aerial moves too – the computer Samus isn’t screw- happy. After a while, either launch her to the sides of the arena, or catch her in the air and spike her down into the lava. If you start having trouble, try to work Samus into the lava. Then jump down and start spiking, and the game is practically yours. ================= XI. Metal Mario (2, 2, 3, 3, 4) ================= This guy’s a freakin’ tank. He’s slow and immensely heavy, and almost impervious to attacks. (Did the “Metal” part of his name hint at that?) He can slowly chip away at you, so be careful on the harder difficulties. Unfortunately, you can’t steal his fireballs and jump around launching them to raise his damage, because Metal Mario doesn’t have fireballs. At the start, he’ll be on the upper platform while you’re on the bottom. Jump up to him and drill kick. Repeat. Mario is slow at getting down, so by the time he drops down off the platform, he should have amassed a pretty good amount of damage. Once he’s down onto the main stage, it’ll be harder to drill him since the platform will be in your way. Regardless, keep drilling him from through the platform (or wait until he’s in the clear, at the edges of the arena). A dashing attack or two will also be good. I advise to use mostly aerial moves, because a ground-based move or combo will be bad. Why? Because Metal Mario will just flinch a bit, then hit you while you are still recovering. Once Metal Mario gets over 100-150% damage, you can start executing ground moves and combos. Get him over the edge, and edge guard him or spike him. One edge guard should be enough, cause the guy drops like a stone. NOTE: You may want to try the Swallow trick (see Tips & Tricks) that The Net Nomad suggested. It can help you in getting a quick, cheap kill (the Net Nomad claims to have done it in four seconds!). ================================== XII. Bonus 3: Race to the Finish (1, 2, 2, 3, 3) ================================== This one’s basically the same with every character: run through the stage’s levels, which alternate left-to-right, till you get to the end. You have one minute on the timer (this time constraint shouldn’t be a problem unless you’re incredibly slow or the controller’s not plugged in), and you get points for every second left on the timer after you finish. Anyways, on the levels with the hazards, jump over those explosive balls (careful not to have one drop down on you) and run past the bumpers while they’re hovering above you. These “hazards” shouldn’t be a problem at all unless you’re practically blind, so don’t worry. As you drop down between levels, Fighting Polygons will assail you. On the harder levels they’re quite persistent and can waste a lot of time, so instead of fighting them, Stone or Drill Kick through them and dash through the rest of the level - the Polygons can’t catch you if you dash. Even if the Polygons hit you, it shouldn’t be a problem because AFAIK you don’t lose any points. (However, you will lose points if you bump into one of the explosive wheels or bumpers, so be careful.) ============================= XIII. Fighting Polygon Team (2, 3, 3, 4, 5) ============================= Well, this is it. The hardest part of your quest. On the easier difficulties, this stage is just a slight challenge; on the harder difficulties, doing well on this stage (i.e. not dying too much) is pretty challenging. On Very Hard, you should be able to complete this level, dying once, with only moderate challenge. However, if you are aiming to beat this level (and the game) without dying, you’ll need a lot of skill; the level of skill needed to beat this stage, on Very Hard, without dying is slightly higher than the level needed to beat three Level 9 computers teamed up on you. Well, there aren’t really any tricks or awesome combos you can do on this stage. It’s all about playing carefully, with a good amount of rolling and blocking. There are thirty of the polygonal bastards you have to deal with, each slightly stronger than one of the Yoshis you faced earlier (but not as strong as the Kirbys). If you let every other polygon hit you, even just a little bit, you’ll soon amass a massive amount of damage. Anyway, my tips for the stage: - Shield and roll a lot. It’s better to kill opponents one at a time, than launch a risky attack, kill two or three polygons, but wind up with 15 or 20% damage in the process. - Use quick smash attacks like the lunge kick to put away the polygons. Throws work well, too. Attacks which have a longer recovery time, such as the Flip Kick, aren’t recommended. - Keep a careful eye on the items, as they can help you immeasurably. If you see a Maxim tomato (there are quite a few of them that pop up) forget what you’re doing and try to get it. After all, it’s the equivalent of a life. Also, don’t let opponents get the good items, such as Beam swords or Hammers. Try to get them for yourself. - Play conservatively (unless you see a very good item). With good strategy and playing, you’ll win without losing a life. If you can’t, practice, practice, practice! ================== XIV. Master Hand (1, 2, 2, 3, 4) ================== You’ve reached the apex of your quest. You’ve battled through tough stages like the Mario Bros., Giant DK, Metal Mario, and the Fighting Polygon Team. Your reward for doing this: an epic fight with... a giant glove!? Honestly, I don’t know what the team was smoking. They could have at least made the villain Bowser or something. Unfortunately, you’re stuck with fighting the gloved hand of your Master (the little kid to whom you belong). Anyway, the Master Hand has special powers and can send projectiles, jab at you, send flames, and do lots of other stuff that you’ll have to avoid. To kill him, you have to bring his health down to 0% (he starts out with 300%). The Master Hand really isn’t that hard, if you’re consistent. On the later difficulties, some attacks can kill you in one hit, so you have to be careful. As long as you are, you’re fine, as every attack can be dodged relatively easily, if you know what to do and if you can anticipate what’s coming (each attack has a unique warning: for example: sparkling fingers = launching of rockets; flashing fingers = jabs, etc.) Between every attack the Hand sends, he’ll rest for a while, hovering just above the platform. During this time (the time will be longer on the easier difficulties) run up to him and (downwards) drill kick him, multiple times if time permits. The drill kick is probably your best attack, as Stone takes too long to execute (and only does 20% damage compared to the drill kick’s 30%) and smash attacks are too slow and leave you too vulnerable. Basically, just drill him, evade his attacks, drill, evade, and so on. The most common mistake is that you take too long in attacking him and don’t have enough time to evade his next attack. Remember that you can execute Stone to shield yourself. A last tip – don’t be distracted by the swirling background (which gets very intense later on; epileptics beware!). Anyways, after a minute or two you’ll be done. Congratulations! You’ve beaten the One-Player game! INCREDIBLE! Your score is (hopefully) over a million points! It wasn’t that hard now, was it? Now you can move on to... Multiplayer! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 11. General Strategies ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Here you’ll find general strategies for battling it (using Kirby, of course) against each of the other characters. If there is a specific combo or strategy that Kirby can use against a particular character, I’ll try to list it too, if I can find/remember one (or if you send it in). Anyway, most of these strategies and combos will work on Computers and Humans, unless specified, although it takes a little more intelligence and planning to defeat a skilled human player than an equally skilled computer player. Oh, and remember that these guides are based solely on my experience with human players (and to a lesser extent, level 9 computers) and may be skewed somewhat by the fact that I’ve never really faced any good human players of some characters, while for other characters I’ve faced plenty of good humans who play as them. If you really disagree with something I’ve said (you probably will), e-mail me (nicely) and tell me why, and I might change my mind, and perhaps my FAQ! ============== Captain Falcon ============== Falcon is quicker than you, and has that annoying Falcon Grab (a deterrent to aerial attacks and edge-guarding/spiking), so fighting him isn’t easy. Beware of his Fire Kick (Forward+A) as it comes out pretty fast and is powerful. It also has long range so you may be hit as you come out of a roll if you’re not careful. The Falcon Kick shouldn’t be a real problem, as you should see it coming. If so, block and counter with a throw or smash attack. Falcon’s Uppercut (Up+A) can go through a drill kick unless it’s well timed and placed, so be careful. In the air, avoid overusing drill kicks. If the Falcon player can predict your drill, he may dodge and Falcon Grab you. Stick with an occasional Stone; the karate kick/backward kick also works well since it allows you to keep your distance and deter a pesky Falcon. Be wary of his flip kick (Up, A/aerial). While edge-guarding, be careful when trying to lunge kick Falcon as he may well execute his Grab and catch you off guard. The same goes for spiking, although if you have good timing with the downward drill kick you shouldn’t have a big problem. Generally, you should be careful around Falcon. Kirby’s speed and throw are basically negated by Falcon’s, and Falcon’s smash attacks are also pretty quick in coming out. An important move is your Final Cutter; it’s good as a deterrent since it shields your front (well, the first part of the move does, anyway) from Falcon’s Grab. You should also roll a lot; your roll is quicker than Falcon’s so he probably won’t be able to follow you well. Block and roll whenever you see a Fire Kick or Falcon Punch coming (you can actually roll to his other side and attack if you are close to Falcon while he starts charging his punch), and launch a combo. Ground combos work especially well. If you can get a few openings, you can get Falcon to the edge where he’s vulnerable to any form of edge-guarding (remember, his jumps are pathetic). Just be cautious all the way along, and don’t lose your head, as one Falcon Punch or Fire Kick can turn the whole game around. =========== Donkey Kong =========== I’ve never had too much trouble with DK, but then again, I’ve never played an excellent human DK. Obviously, his huge size and heaviness open him up to sustained combos, both on the ground and in the air. On the ground, if you can get an opening, start a lunge kick or even flip kick combo, and he’ll have trouble getting out of it until he has moderate damage. In the air, drill kicks work well as he’s such a big heavy target; you’ll probably be getting 21-30% damage with every downward drill you execute. Stone works well, but I doubt you can catch DK off-guard since he shouldn’t be in the air that much. Just look for openings to get in a stray Lunge or Flip Kick and you shouldn’t have any trouble connecting on at least a moderate combo. Lunge Kicks, Upward/Flip kicks, and Drills work especially well. Edge guarding DK is actually quite hard if you don’t spike. Despite his size, he has fair jumping ability. Also, his helicopter recovery makes it hard for you to edge guard him, since if you try and hit him, your attack will most likely be negated by his twirling fists (which will often hit you instead, knocking you from your position and further annoying you). Instead of staying at the edge, jump out and downward drill kick DK; there’s nothing much he can do (his aerial upwards attack would waste time and probably make him fall short of the arena) if you stay just above him. Don’t get down to his level, or you’ll get hit by his helicopter, or worse, his tomahawk (forward, a/aerial), which will send you down into oblivion. On the ground, watch out for his Giant Punches and Hand Slaps. These are powerful, and can screw you majorly. Of course, if you can keep your concentration, you can easily predict and dodge them (roll to DK’s other side) and get in a solid hit (or start a combo). One of DK’s biggest assets is his throw, which has great range and priority. Because of this, be wary of dashing into DK (if you’re going to execute a dashing attack, do so early, or else you may get thrown) and don’t try to throw him yourself – you’ll likely lose. If he tries to grab you and suicide, meaning that he’s *real* desperate, wait till he’s near the edge of the arena, then start mashing buttons. Hopefully you’ll escape his grasp in midair, allowing you to jump back on, but not DK (since he’s got bad vertical jumping ability). Generally anyone who tries to suicide is very desperate and/or crap, so in most cases you should be able to escape DK’s hold, spike, and get back onto land. === Fox === Fox is rather hard one. He’s almost as fast as Falcon and is nimbler, meaning that you’ll be hard pressed to find easy openings. Fox is full of quick moves, especially aerial ones (forward, a/aerial and up, a/aerial) that can do some damage and set you up for later moves. Fox doesn’t have one particularly powerful move but can set up good combos that will raise your damage quickly. Fox’s dash and throw are faster than yours, so be careful when throwing. However, note that your throw has greater range. Fox’s blaster and Fire Fox should not be a problem because you can easily detect them. Just don’t block a blaster shot at close range because your shield will stay up for a bit after the shot and Fox may dash in and throw you. Also, don’t be stubborn and try to “run through” Fox’s blaster shots. If he’s pressing B rapidly and shooting a whole series of shots in succession, instead of trying to roll or attack through the shots, simply block, then roll away and jump. You may be hit once or twice for a little damage, but if you pull a Rambo and slowly advance through Fox’s fire, you’ll take upwards of 30 or 40% damage. Plus, Fox can simply roll or jump away from you once you do get close. Also, if he’s pressing B quickly enough, he’ll shoot quickly enough to repeatedly break up your Lunge Kick or whatever moves you’re trying on him. Be careful of Fox’s ground smash attacks. These moves have about the same priority as yours but come out a tad faster. Also be careful of his aerial moves as his Up, A/aerial is extremely annoying and will penetrate through most of your drills. Due to his quick and nimble jumping Fox can actually juggle you for some time with this move and at high damage you’ll be killed, so try to evade or Stone. It’s likely that you won’t be able to evade or Stone in time (and a very nimble Fox might be able to dodge your Stone or anticipate it and counter), and Fox’s kick will probably go through your drill kick (or at least one of the hits will, which will keep you in the air), so just try to keep away from the situation. Don’t try to trade hits (Kirby’s drill vs. Fox’s flip kick) as you’ll be the loser. As a last resort you can pull a Final Cutter, provided that you’re not too high in the air. It’s a rather stupid move and Fox may still be able to get to you, but at least you’ll surprise him and go downwards faster. Stone may work if you see Fox trying an aerial combo on you early enough. Just be sure that you’ll have enough time to form Stone before Fox gets to you. The final cutter is also a good defense against Fox, especially when he’s trying a few aerial moves on you. Fox shouldn’t be too hard to spike. He has few anti-spike counters that he can perform in the air without losing significant time and air (and consequently dying), and his Fire Fox takes a while to come out. If you see Fox starting to rocket, hurry up and hit him out of it; if you see that it’s in its later stages (i.e. Fox is starting to do his Fire Fox routine) don’t bother because the Fire Fox has great priority and will override your spike. Instead, wait for a safe time and then edge-guard, or actually wait for Fox to land and sort your options then, as the late stages of the Fire Fox can still screw you through your edge-guarding move. So, it’s usually better to spike Fox instead of letting him come within Fire Fox range and then trying to edge-guard. Fox does have a spiking move but because his air is limited (is jumping isn’t all that bad but he jumps and falls fast) he’s not a great spiker. If you’re trying to get back onto land be careful that he doesn’t do a little jump out and then drill you – like I said, his jumps are fast and it may catch you by surprise. However if you anticipate it you can probably counter with a move of your own, provided you’ve got enough jumps left to carry you onto the stage afterwards. Be careful when Final Cutter-ing onto the stage as Fox may use his reflecting shield and send the wave back at you, resulting in a little damage and sending you flying off the arena again. To prevent this, you can Final Cutter yourself onto the ledge – be careful, though. It’s a pretty even game with Fox. Aerial combos are risky because of Fox’s versatility; however, you may have an edge in ground combos as Fox cannot sustain most ground combos as long as you can. Basically, play conser- vatively, dash a few times to surprise Fox (your dashing kick has good range), and once again, look for a few openings and take full advantage of them. ========== Jigglypuff ========== Don’t underestimate the puffer, as a good Jiggly can pose a serious threat. Jiggly, while slightly slower than you (both on land and in the air), has obviously very good jumping abilities. I actually prefer Kirby’s jumps as they are more even and you’re very versatile in the air (both vertically and horizontally). In contrast, Jiggly’s first three jumps are relatively “big”, but the rest are tiny and are of little to no use vertically. However, Jiggly has a great horizontal aerial game, enhanced by her Pounds, so be careful. Also, Jiggly has more air than you since she’s lighter, so you may be able to actually outlast Kirby in the air. Oh, and don’t forget about her drill. Jiggler’s drill is perhaps her best move in the air. It has the same max. damage as Kirby’s (30%) but it seems to have more range and duration. Plus, Jiggly floats even more than Kirby, so she doesn’t “drop” much in the air, allowing for her to get more hits in. However, you can counter Jiggly’s drills by simply remaining on top of her whenever she gets airborne – you have more vertical jumping abilities than her so it shouldn’t be a problem. You might even try a Stone every now and then, as Jiggly isn’t extremely agile in the air (although she might me able to counter your Stone with a well timed and placed Pound). Also, be careful of Jigglypuff’s Pound. It has very good priority and Jiggles can easily juggle with it. It’s quite annoying in the air as a well-timed Pound will go through your karate kick (A/aerial), backwards kick (back, A/aerial) or spin kick (Up, A/aerial) unless you have perfect timing. Don’t use any of those moves much or else Jiggly will anticipate them and Pound you out of them. Don’t be afraid of drilling her, especially with your downwards drill, as Jiggly only has her hand clap (up, A/aerial) to defend against it. While a well-placed hand clap can hit you and send you flying, if you drill quickly then Jigglypuff probably won’t be able to react quickly enough to defend against it. On the ground, you should be careful of Jiggly’s Fwd+A smash as it is quick and is decent in combos. Also, don’t be caught off guard by Jiggly’s headbutt (Up+A), which comes out surprisingly fast and is quite powerful. It has a large arc, so if you’re stupid Jiggly can easily catch you as you’re coming down. In One-on-One combat you should be very careful of the Sing&Sleep tactic. You can mash buttons to get out of Sing quicker but it probably won’t work. Also be careful of a quick Rest in the air on Jiggly’s part, which can occur if either of you get too comfortable when trying a drill or the like. Don’t let Jiggly Pound your shield down because then she can use headbutt or Rest on you. Getting shield-broken is easier than you might think as some of Jiggly’s moves cause shield-stun (i.e. your shield is still up for a moment after the move has ended), at which point she can Pound your shield down. Be very careful when blocking in three or four-player combat as you mightn’t see Jiggly coming. Jiggly’s backward throw is surprisingly good as it throws you at a low angle, so you fly very far horizontally. Her other throw is somewhat crap but it is good for setting up for combos (if you want to see some good Jiggly combos, see x1372’s Cheap Combo FAQ!). Jiggly is an okay edge guarder, but jump up (or stay low) and Jiggly won’t be able to get to you very well. Remember, you have better coming back abilities (in general) than Jiggly, so don’t be afraid to get in a spiking match. You should win – remember, you have a Final Cutter, while Jiggly has, well... When playing against Jiggly, try to exploit her weaknesses. The final cutter works well against an overly enthusiastic aerial Jig. Also remember that, as a balloon, Jigglers cannot change directions or dart about in the air very well, so use your maneuverability to your advantage in the air. On the ground, you may find it hard to get Jiggs in sustained combos due to her lightness, but try to get her near to the edge. Instead of edge guarding (she has a good anti-edge in her Pound), jump out and spike the hell out of her. Remember, she doesn’t really have aerial moves that have much range upwards, so feel free to downwards-drill her. Be careful of her hand clap, although your drill has the range and priority to beat it (usually). Don’t get overly comfy for else Jigglypuff may do a last-ditch rest on you. In any case, just be careful and don’t get too tied-up in the air against Jiggly, and you should triumph. ===== Kirby ===== Well, there’s not that much I can say about Kirby, since I’ve hardly ever played a good human player. Plus, the CPU Kirby bites, and I never let it play since it’ll screw up my stats ;-). Anyway, remember that whatever you do, the other Kirby can do, perhaps better. Don’t focus on one move, since the other guy can always imitate you. A good strategy is to do things that the other Kirby won’t expect; since you probably have a good amount of experience with Kirby if you’re reading this, you know what to expect: lunge kicks, complemented by split kicks, and the occasional flip or two. In the air, look for incessant drilling (vertical and horizontal) and a kick or two or ten. Be careful of nasty spikes using the Final Cutter and beware of Stone when you’re jumping around. So, do what you can to counter: remember that strong attacks generally _will_ block smash attacks, so do a strong attack to block an incoming move, then lunge kick the opponent while he/she is still recovering. You know those damn annoying combos you always give opponents? Well, you don’t wanna be on the receiving end now, so if it looks like you’re going to get swept into a combo, block, roll, jump - anything that will save you. Luckily, Kirby’s light, so you won’t get into a sustained combo, but neither will your opponent. While every good Kirby player has a few set moves they use often, some like particular moves more than others. If you see a lunge-happy Kirby, remember that a Split Kick or even Swallow will handily counter a Lunge Kick, and at a pretty good distance (plus it comes out quick, so it might surprise the opponent). Also note that blocking-then-dashing kick works well against Final Cutters, while Block-Roll-Lunge or Block-throw works well against drills. In the air, well, it’s anybody’s guess, since you both have equal priority. Try to get the upper hand and also remember that Stone can teach an incessant driller a lesson. As for edge-guarding and spiking: you probably won’t succeed in edge-guarding as they’ll just latch onto the ledge. Spiking is very risky (careful that they don’t swallow you and suicide, or Final Cutter you and suicide) but what I usually do is quickly jump out, do a drill kick from a relatively high position, and jump back onto land ASAP. If you’re lucky the drill kick will come out quick enough that they won’t be able to react, and you’ll just hit them with one or two hits of the drill (doing only 3 or 6% damage, but spiking them nonetheless). Often Kirbys will be able to recover from “soft” spikes like yours (the only other character who can do this consistently is Pikachu) so if you’re up against another opponent, you may have to spike several times to finally get the job done. Again, this is risky, so I recommend duking this one out on land and hitting the other Kirby out of the arena, instead of spiking or edge-guarding. Since Kirby is light, it shouldn’t be much of a problem. So basically, get aware of what type of game they play, and counter it. Also remember that you should try to vary your moves and do things that the other Kirby doesn’t expect, such as using non-Smash attacks. Your throw and dashing kick are lifesavers, especially if the two of you are rolling around. Expect an intense match with lots of blocking, rolling, dodging, and throwing; the best player wins. It’s as simple as that. ==== Link ==== Oooh, Mr. Fancy-Pantsy swords moves is in town! Actually, thanks to one of my friends who is a Link fanatic, I have lots of experience with Link. While playing against Link, you have to be careful, very careful, as Link has much better priority and his moves can send you flying at low damage. However, Kirby has the speed and recovery speed advantage, so you also have your advantages. One of Link’s biggest weaknesses is that his moves come out rather slowly and he recovers rather slowly. If you can block, say, his Sword Slash (Fwd+A) or his Sword Roundabout (Down+A) then you have plenty of time to execute a lunge kick, split kick, or flip kick. Take advantage of Link by luring yourself close to him, then rolling either away from him or into (and past) him, although with this second strategy you have to do it before the move actually starts. If Link blocks right after he executes a move, then throw him out of it. Similarly, if Link tries to throw you while you’re blocking, just roll or jump out of the way, then kick him. Many Link players overuse their throws. A good trick is to pretend you’re running right into Link, then jump up as you come into throwing range. The opponent will see you coming and that R-button reflex will kick in. By this time, you should be airborne, and you’ll have plenty of time to execute a Stone, drill kick, etc. Beware of Link’s Fwd+A, as it has a wide arc and a long range so he can roll out of range of an air-to-land drill, then hit you with his Sword Slash. Link’s roundabout is often used as it comes out quite quickly and launches players up (or, if he hits you on the “roundabout”, it hits you sideways). Don’t try a lunge or split kick to counter because you won’t have enough time; instead, just block and roll away ASAP. Don’t get yourself thrown. Link may try his three-hit sword move (Up+A) on you if you drill from right on top of him. Don’t drill in these circumstances as at least one of the three slashes will probably get past your drill. You shouldn’t have to worry about Link’s bomb as you can see it coming from a mile away. Beware of his boomerang, though, as it knocks you up (*snicker*) into the perfect position for a Sword Slash or throw. If you block, roll away quickly lest a throw or dashing attack be coming your way. The boomerang is also dangerous in the air; don’t be surprised if a Link who’s jumping back onto the stage first unleashes a boomerang. Link can go straight from an aerial move (like the boomerang) into his Up+B recovery spin, unlike most other characters who recover for a while. In the air, watch for Link’s upward and downward slashes. He may use his upwards slash on one of your attempted drill kicks, but the attacks can cancel. If they don’t, you’ll be the loser, as an upward slash hurts a lot more than one or two hits from a drill. Link’s air roundabout (Fwd, A/aerial) is deadly but it takes a long time coming. There’s not much you can counter it with, except perhaps a karate or backwards kick, and even those may not cancel the move completely. Basically, just don’t fly adjacent to Link in the air, or you’ll know what’s coming. If you get Link into the air, don’t try too many Flip Kicks or else Link may get you with a downwards slash, which has good priority. Also, be careful of a quick downwards slash combined with a tap of Down on the Control Stick. In this situation Link will fall downwards quickly, and with his slash move. This comes out quickly and is hard to avoid. Block if you see it coming, then get ready for Link to recover (by tapping Z) once he hits the ground. Once Link’s shield is up, throw him. Because Link’s dangerous in the air I wouldn’t try too many drills, except where Link’s already executed a move and missed. One good move is Stone; Link probably won’t be able to jump away in time if he’s airborne, and he won’t be able to counter it either. Just don’t start Stone from right above Link, because a smart Link player will see you transforming and quickly use his/her aerial swirl (Up, B/aerial) to hit you out of Stone before you’re fully transformed. If the two of you are close in the air a drill will be good, but don’t give him any warning lest he decide to counter it. Edge guarding Link is somewhat hard, as there’s no way your attack will get past his swirl. However, if Link’s swirl is done and he’s just sort of “floating” in the air, don’t hesitate to lunge kick him into oblivion. If I were you I’d spike Link; you may get hit once or twice in the process (be careful of suicidal Links doing their comeback move early, just to spite you) but you should get a KO. A good combo near the edge is to do a dashing kick to knock Link off, then a quick split kick to hit him out of the jump that’s coming, then either an edge-guard or spike. As for Link, he can edge guard will with his Sword Slash or his Sword Roundabout, but a Final Cutter onto the ledge will solve that problem. Some suicidal people like to jump off the arena and use their downward slash moves to knock you further outwards and kill you (hehe... I love doing this), so be careful of that whenever you’re facing a Link with a high amount of damage. Note that if you’re close to the arena Link can “hop” back onto the arena after his downward slash move, adding insult to your injury, but a quick counter move (a quick karate kick or even Stone will throw him off) when you see that suicidal Link coming should do the trick. So, with Link, just use your superior rolling and dodging skills to your advantage. Block and roll from all of his attacks and hit him while he’s recovering, or throw him. Link fits into most combos well, so raise that damage-meter! Don’t forget that persistent edge-guarding or a spike can kill Link at woefully low amounts of damage, so exploit the fact that Link can’t jump worth a damn. Also, if Link’s boomerang is pissing you off, copy it. It can be useful as an edge-guarding move, or to set up for your combos. ===== Luigi ===== Never liked Luigi, never will. His Fireball sucks as it can’t bounce like Mario’s; his only really good moves are the Shoryuken (Flaming Coin Punch, for you purists) and the Luigi Tornado, which are hard to connect with (for maximum damage) and overused; he’s slow on land and clumsy in the air, and he can’t combo or juggle very well. Luigi’s good on a team as a finisher or “dart in, dart out” player, but he’s not very good one-on-one due to his slowness. However, he can give you trouble since most of his moves all have the same or better priority than you, but he’s not as good a comboer or juggler as Mario is. I find that his Shoryuken is very overrated as there are few instances where Luigi will have a chance to connect. If he tries the “drill kick => shoryuken” maneuver then block on the ground (careful for Luigi’s throws, though); blocking and rolling (and then countering) works well. In the air, be careful of Luigi’s forward kick since it comes out hard and fast and will probably go through your Karate/Backward kick, as it’s stronger. Instead of trying lots of horizontal kicks and drills, go for drill kicks instead. Luigi’s Up, A/aerial (his little flip kick) doesn’t do much damage and doesn’t have good priority, so don’t worry. If you’re going to drill, do it slightly early so Luigi can’t Shory (if he tries, he’ll end up with the little, 1% damage uppercut) or Tornado you. Drilling early won’t do as much damage as usual but it will send Luigi downwards and give you an opportunity to set up further moves. Stone from above also works well in deterring Luigi. Be careful not to go under Luigi in the air as his Tornado or drill kick will go through most any attack you can pull off in that situation. On land, you have an edge as you are nimbler than Luigi. If the opponent is stupid enough to let fly with the Fists of Fury (Dashing attack), just block and execute a throw or split kick. If you see it coming you can also block, roll through the attack and come out on the other side of Luigi. You’ll have a bit of time to counter him if you’re quick enough. Lunge Kicks and Split Kicks work well in deterring any pesky Luigi who wants to come close for a throw or Shoryuken, and they also set up combos. Don’t throw too much since Luigi’s throw, while a bit slower, has better range and he may end up countering your throw with his. Be careful of Luigi’s headbutt, as it is powerful and has a large arc. The bad thing is that many of Luigi’s attacks will nullify yours, making persistent comboing hard. If you can start a combo, you may be able to rack up a good amount of damage as Luigi isn’t very light. Luigi has good jumping and his recovery move has very good priority, so it’s not easy to edge guard. Don’t try edge-guarding past his Shoryuken unless it’s in its later stages; otherwise your attack will be nullified. Spiking is a bit easier since if you start your drill early then you’ll probably be able to hit Luigi with at least one or two hits. If you’re coming back, Luigi may try to jump out and drill but it’s not likely as his drill is not an effective spike (it doesn’t send you downwards that much). His Forward+A move is dangerous, but as it doesn’t have that good of a range I wouldn’t worry too much about it. When playing Luigi, all you can do is dodge and get in a few hits here-and- there, and maybe hope for a combo or two. It’s not easy to get in an opening since Luigi’s fireballs and strong attacks can easily nullify smash attacks from you. Just be patient and do quick attacks (for example, throw or split kick) if you get an opportunity while Luigi’s recovering. This seems to be one of the more “boring” matchups as your fighting styles differ and since Luigi seems to be more of an attack-by-attack fighter instead of a fluid fighter like Kirby, Fox, or Link. Anyway, just try to get an early damage advantage and spike whenever you get a chance. If Luigi closes in then block and roll to protect yourself from that stupid Shoryuken of his. ===== Mario ===== Mario is a bit more dangerous than his brother Luigi because he actually has decent comboing ability, as well as a much more useful fireball. Also, he’s a much quicker fighter, especially in the air, and is a bit more nimble than his brother (despite his waistline!). On the ground, watch for Mario’s specials. His fireballs are quite annoying and will seemingly gravitate towards you; block them when they’re fired at you (be careful of an attempted throw at the end, but since Kirby’s throw is quicker you can try to press A while blocking to counterthrow Mario). If you block and roll, be careful: if you roll backwards, you may get hit by the still-traveling fireball as you come out of it, since the fireball moves at a similar rate to your roll. If you roll forward, you may roll right into a second fireball, or worse, into Mario’s waiting hands. The best tactic is probably to block and quickly jump away from a subsequent rushing attack/throw, or roll forwards and then either evade Mario’s attacks or catch him by surprise (you might keep your shield up at the end of the roll to block any attack that’s coming, then throw him as he recovers. However, there’s an element of chance involved because Mario might be waiting to throw you). The Mario tornado comes out quickly but thankfully it’s easy to block and does little damage. Mario’s uppercut doesn’t quite have the range of Luigi’s, but it’s a lot more annoying since it comes out so quickly and breaks up most of your moves. The effectiveness of your lunge kick will be reduced because a well-placed fireball (Mario can shoot plenty of them in a short period of time) will negate it (as well as most other moves you might execute). This can get extremely annoying, especially when you’re fighting multiple opponents, because you’ll never be able to get a hit past the fireball! Also, Mario’s punch, while not as strong or as combo-able as your lunge kick, also comes out quickly and is good for negating the kick. So, while you should still use the kick a fair bit, don’t use it too much or give time for Mario to counter. A good alternative to the lunge kick is the split kick, which comes out quicker and can go through a fireball if you’re lucky. Don’t let Mario see your pattern, though, or else he’ll just block and throw. Also, while comboing, don’t give Mario any breathing room or he’ll quickly break up your combo with a tornado or uppercut. Speaking of Mario’s throws, be careful of them. They come out pretty quickly and have decent range, and that spinny throw of his annoys not only you but also anyone else you might ram into. Good moves to employ are the (strong) upwards kick followed by the (smash) flip kick. Mario probably won’t have enough time to counter with a headbutt, especially if you use the quicker upwards kick first. This leads to a nice combo that Mario won’t get out of until he has moderate damage. Another good move is the Final Cutter. The blade (right before you spring up) is good for nullifying any fireballs right in front of you, and the energy wave will go through fireballs and can catch Mario off guard. If anything, it will make him block, giving you time to sort your options. In the air, your vertical drill kick and your stone will go through anything Mario gives. However, Mario can attack you while you’re setting up your drill kick or your stone. For example, Mario might try an aerial flip (weak but decent range) to interrupt or cancel a drill, or he might use his uppercut on you if he anticipates your stoning (remember, it takes Kirby a little while to get into position and then transform, and during this time Mario could easily jump into position and try an uppercut). The best bet is to start these moves early so Mario won’t get a chance to counter. What you don’t want to do in the air is to use a horizontal drill kick, karate kick, or even a backwards kick. Mario and Luigi both have that powerful aerial spinning kick (Forward, A/aerial) that has more range than your moves as well as good priority. Be wary of this move and don’t get close to Mario in the air, unless you’re going in from above. Don’t try to get him in the air from below, either (actually this applies to Kirby while fighting most any opponent) since your Up, A/aerial is that crappy spinning move. From below and to the side works well, though, as Mario can’t counter your Final Cutter very well. Spiking Mario isn’t that hard, as long as you start your spike early. Mario may try a flip kick to deter you but that shouldn’t be a problem; spike again if necessary. If he tries an uppercut you’ll likely trade hits, meaning that you’ll be damaged a little bit but Mario will still be spiked. Even if he gets you cleanly with the uppercut he’ll still die unless he’s already close to the stage, since his uppercut doesn’t have much horizontal distance. When spiking you should still be careful of Mario’s deadly forward spinning kick as that doesn’t sacrifice much air so Mario players will use that move liberally. Stay on top of Mario to dodge the move. When edge-guarding, use your split kick instead of your lunge kick since that covers your underside better (Mario will probably try an uppercut from below). You probably won’t cancel the uppercut though, and since a good Mario player will aim for the ledge you probably won’t be able to edge-guard much. So, spike when you get a chance. Mario’s drill isn’t much of a spiker, especially against Kirby, and your final cutter should be able to cancel any edge-guarding move he throws at you. Be careful that you don’t get hit by an errant fireball (it shouldn’t matter that much anyway, though, as you won’t lose much air) and aim for the ledge (or else Mario can punch or headbutt you). You probably won’t have to worry much about Mario edge-guarding or spiking, though. Overall this is a relatively tough match up. Don’t get annoyed by his fireballs, and don’t get caught in too many of them because at 7% per hit, the damage can mount up. Remember that you are quicker and more nimble than Mario, so roll everywhere and try to hit him from the back. Throws are good too. Don’t try to go into a slugfest because almost all of Mario’s attacks have better or equal priority to yours, and they’re almost as quick coming out. Be patient and look for openings! ==== Ness ==== Ken Lawler has some great, accurate information regarding Kirby vs. Ness: “Ness usually has better priority than you, but this balances out somewhat by the fact that his moves are slower. Since your only projectile is the blade the Final Cutter produces, PSI Magnet shouldn't a problem. Try to identify the small flash around Ness when he uses his PK attacks, then dodge accordingly. Usually it'll be PK Fire, since Thunder takes longer to strike and usually leaves a Ness player open. If you get hit by PK Fire, the next move is probably a throw or Thunder Ram, so get out ASAP. Jumping in isn't a bad idea, just make sure to take a second quick hop once in awhile to mess up his counter (usually a Yo-Yo swing), then come in with a Down and A, or maybe a Stone. If Ness attempts the Thunder Ram technique (aka hitting himself with PK Thunder, propelling himself forward), you can use Stone if you see it coming (and you'd better). Or if he misses, go to the point where he'll begin to drop, and make him sorry he ever attempted to hit you with that move!” Hmmm...what can I say that Ken Lawler hasn’t!? Well, Kirby and Ness have very different playing styles. In fact, apart from the fact that they’re both light and floaty, they have almost nothing in common! Kirby excels in combos and tight sequences because many of his moves chain together (take the lunge kick, for example). In contrast, Ness’s moves don’t chain together because they take a while coming out and have significant recovery. However, Ness’s moves are generally more powerful and damaging than Kirby’s and have better priority; thus Ness has the advantage when it comes to juggling and/or countering attacks. One good way to combat ness is to use normal or strong attacks, which come out very quickly, to negate Ness’s attacks. Then you have a good amount of time to whoop Ness, who should be recovering. On the ground, look to chain a few flip, split, and lunge kicks in. Ness is not quick when it comes to executing attacks or recovering, so use Kirby’s agility to your advantage. A few throws wouldn’t hurt, but be careful of counter-throws. Ness’s throw is similar to yours (it is slightly slower in coming out but seems to have better range, and is usually more effective) and if you’re not careful or too eager with comboing, you’ll get thrown. Also be careful of Ness’s smash attacks. His baseball bat hit comes out slowly and isn’t particularly good, so you shouldn’t have any problems there. However, his other two ground smashes are tricky. His upwards yoyo is surprisingly quick in coming out and covers a wide arc. His forwards yoyo is unique in that it goes backwards, not forwards, upon coming out. This surprises many a newbie Ness and even experienced Kirbys; while it makes for tough timing, a good Ness player will trick you by executing the move with his back to you, or doing it normally and waiting for you to block at the wrong time. Be careful. Also be careful of Ness’s specials. PK Fire is useful from mid-range and has stopped many a charging Kirby. PK Fire’s slanting aerial trajectory makes it a good jump-in, so block when you see that subtle movement of Ness’s hands. Obviously, a well-timed Thunder Ram hurts, but you should not give Ness enough time to execute it. A good Ness player uses the Thunder Ram rarely; only intermediate players (those good enough to control the Thunder Ram but not good enough to see its weaknesses) will use it frequently. Counter if you can, or block/Stone. Don’t try to intercept Ness once he’s been hit by the PK Thunder; most likely, it won’t work. In the air, you have an advantage in that you are much more agile than Ness. Exploit this point. Don’t hang around, or Ness will try a PK Fire or even Thunder. Use your drills, vertical and horizontal, to your full advantage. Even that spinning move can be effective, as Ness won’t expect it, it’s surprisingly hard to totally counter, and Ness doesn’t react that quickly. Just remember to execute quick moves. Stone works well if you can execute it early enough, but beware of Ness’s floaty jumping and plan accordingly. In summary, just be careful of Ness’s moves, which are somewhat slow but powerful. Use speed rather than brute strength, and be careful of Ness’s priority. I don’t recommend using the Flip Kick or other slow moves, unless you’re chaining them into combos, because Ness may be able to counter those moves. Instead, use fast moves such as the Lunge Kick and your Drills; block and roll a lot (counter on Ness’s mis-hit); and remember that dashing and quick throws work well. ======= Pikachu ======= Ah, the dreaded Pikachu. Many people use Pikachu, and for good reason: the little rat is quick in attacking, deadly nimble, and has phenomenal jumping abilities. While it cannot match Kirby or even Jigglypuff in sustained flight, its Double Agility makes for amazing maneuvers, recoveries, and evasions. Because of Pika’s quickness on feet and in air, it is often labeled the Anti-Kirby, a reputation it often lives up to. I say that even though none of my friends “specialize” in Pikachu! There are lots of things you have to be careful of when playing against that little son of a bitch. First, let’s deal with Pika’s air combos. That little Forward, A/aerial move works wonders as it comes out quick, chains easily and does 15% damage or so. A good Pika player will execute that move multiple times in the air (remember, it comes out quickly and has little recovery time) and/or chain it into a sequence on the ground. Your backwards kick and karate kick are strong enough to neutralize the move, PROVIDED YOU TIME IT CORRECTLY. This is not easy, though! Both the Karate and Backwards kick take a little time in coming out, and Pika is so quick in the air that you’ll be hard- pressed to respond quick enough (especially since top-class Pika players are lightning quick on the buttons). Basically, whenever Pika gets close to you in the air, you should be prepared to counterattack or block. Also be careful of Pika’s Down, A/aerial. This also comes out quickly and knocks you to the side at a pretty good angle. It usually won’t kill you, but it is quite annoying. The worst thing is, it is VERY hard to counter! That upwards- spinning thing of Kirby’s is weak and tricky to time right, not to mention that it takes a small (but significant) amount of time to get started. Pika may use the move as a jump-in, so block or use a Strong (not smash) Upwards kick to counter if you are very confident in your timing. Also be aware of Pika’s little tail kicks and such in the air; if you’re not careful they’ll stun you and set you up into a combo. So, how do you counter Pikachu in the air? Good question. I don’t have enough experience playing against Pikachu, so I won’t answer it. ... Okay, I will answer it, but just not very well! You need to stay aware of exactly where Pikachu is in relation to you. You then have to anticipate what the little motherfu-uh, moron is going to do. For example, if Pikachu is to your side, anticipate its Forward, A/aerial. If it’s slightly above you and to the side, anticipate its Down, A/aerial. If it’s a bit more above you, be careful for its Thunder, which can catch you unawares (remember, you are not nimble enough in the air to easily evade a well-timed/placed Thunder). Also watch for a few unexpected moves, like a Spitball of electricity or a Teleport as an evasive move. Whatever you do, stay on your feet and watch for the electric drills and tail flips. YOUR best friends are your drills, as these are almost as quick as Pika’s and are more powerful, so you should have no problem with countering if you can execute the move in time. Don’t be afraid to use or overuse your horizontal drill. Also, a few kicks and spins here-and-there will deter a pesky Pika, and hopefully discourage them from taking to the air. Your specials are good too. A Stone or Swallow is risky because of the time involved, but if you’re desperate or if you see Pikachu coming early, pull it now and then to surprise Pika and keep him honest. Final Cutter will just about counter anything Pika can throw at you – at least until you hit the ground. So, if you’re feeling cornered, execute (at an early time – anticipation is key) a Final Cutter and use the Blade as you go up as a shield from any of Pika’s attacks. It goes without saying that good placement and timing of the Final Cutter is vital. Now, watch out for Pika’s specials. A good Pika player knows the importance of the teleport and can do just about frickin’ anything with it. Trust me, Pika can pull off amazing stunts, not only for recovery but also for evasion or to lure you into a trap. Also, Pika’s little electricity balls/runners do fair damage for a projectile and are quite versatile. Don’t get hit or else you may well be left open. Finally, be careful of the Thunder. Remember that Pika doesn’t necessarily have to be planted on the ground to execute it. On land you have the advantage in combos (at least, I think you do). As with most characters, take full advantage of any openings you find. The split kick works great in deterring a Pika who’s trying to rush you. Pika’s downwards and upwards smashes aren’t that powerful, but are quick and can juggle, so be careful. Pika’s forward smash is quite powerful but slow in coming out. You can block its forward smash quite easily, or counter it with a quick Split Kick. A dash now and then is also good, since Pikachu isn’t particularly good at blocking or countering on the ground. A dash ==> throw is effective, but don’t do it too much because Pika is just as quick, if not quicker, on the R- button as you. Edge-guarding and/or spiking a good Pika is very hard. That teleport can send Pika anywhere, from just onto the ledge to all the way inland. Try to anticipate Pika’s landing, but don’t count on much success. Also, remember that you CANNOT hit Pika out of its teleport; you have to wait till it’s falling, and at the start of its fall it is still partially invincible. Experts will limit their falling to as little as possible, so don’t count on any bonus there. Conversely, Pikachu is not very good at edge-guarding/ spiking Kirby: while it gets great distance and agility in the air, it doesn’t get much “hang time”, so to speak. Don’t look for any spikes, unless a desperate Pika decides to try its Down, A/aerial on you. This can actually be quite effective if you’re at high damage, as you get launched in one direction, so anticipate and counter when necessary. Sometimes you can Swallow an over-enthusiastic Pikachu. Now, Pikachu has a potentially devastating edge-guard in its forward smash, which is almost as powerful as Link’s. Thus, be careful in coming back and watch for the warning signs; Pika takes a good while in executing the move, and you should be able to block/counter. If in doubt, aim for the ledge. In summary, when playing against Pika, it’s vital for you to stay on your feet. Pika is more agile and quicker in most moves than you, so execute moves extra-early and beware of surprise moves in the air. Try to keep Pika more- or-less grounded, and be careful of the jump in downwards drill. Get Pika into combos, drills, etc., and use your Final Cutter to act as an aerial skill. Basically, you have to be very precise, and block/counter, then make your move. There’s nothing much you can exploit here...it’s all up to your skill in dodging attacks and then handing them out. Good luck...you’ll need it. ===== Samus ===== That chick in the metallic suit is finally back on the N64, and she has brought a good arsenal of moves with her. She has the blaster to act as a long-range chipper or short-range shot; lots of quick, moderately strong smashes to fight in close; and the screw attack, flamethrowers, and aerial drill to mess you up in the air. However, Samus is a bit slow – not so much in her moves but in her running/rolling/jumping – and you are much more agile than her; you’ll want to take advantage of this. Your specials work well here. Swallow is useful as Samus’s blaster is a nice ability to have; Final Cutter is great against an advancing Samus, since she’s not agile nor is she fast; and Stone works well in the air. If you see Samus getting ready for a Screw attack or an upwards drill in the air, quickly execute your Stone or, if time is tight, your downwards drill. Samus’s specials aren’t that effective against Kirby. The exception is, of course, her Screw attack, which works great in the air and is virtually untouchable: it’s VERY hard to hit her out of it or even counter it, even if you use a well-timed drill kick or even a Stone. So, be careful of her Screw attack, especially in the air. However, her other two specials, the blaster and the bombs, aren’t that useful. She may get a few little blasts off on you, but if you see her charged up then obviously you’ll be on your guard. Watch for the little delay as she lowers her blaster to shoot; you should have ample time to block. Don’t dash if she’s charged up, unless you’re in very close combat. Samus’s bombs aren’t that effective, as Kirby wouldn’t get underneath her in most circumstances. Roll or Final Cutter should do the trick. On land, you should really exploit your comboing ability. Samus fits nicely into most combos and sequences, so use/overuse your lunge kick, split kick, flip/upwards kick, and throws. Remember, Samus has a good, tight roll, but it is slow and you can predict where she’ll land. You can throw her from a roll, or simply dash up. Be careful that she doesn’t counter-throw you as you’re dashing, although if you dash quick enough she probably won’t be able to react. However, her block ==> throw maneuver works well, so be careful. She should be careful of Samus’s smashes too, but you have a decided advantage on land. Her strong upwards kick and smash attack flamethrower are powerful, but they have a fair bit of delay (especially the flamethrower) and the flamethrower shouldn’t connect too much on Kirby. Just be careful while jumping in; execute an early drill or Stone to block and/or counter. You can also make a last-minute jump before you hit the ground; you’ll fly clear of Samus’s flamethrower, and then have time to Stone (or if your reflexes aren’t that quick, drill). Her downwards trip is perfect for getting you into an air combo, but sometimes you will be able to recover quickly in the air. In any case, the trip has a little delay and you should spot it. Samus’s forward blaster smash is quite dangerous: it’s not extremely powerful but it’s quick. If you do get hit, quickly roll backwards (in the direction you were launched in) as soon as you hit the ground, lest Samus be chasing you. It’s a dangerous move, so be very careful, and don’t get TOO close; always try to have the upper hand by launching your lunge kick early. Samus probably won’t be able to counter or block it. Samus is quite good in the air though, so be very careful. Her moves have great priority and range. My advice is NOT to take to the air too much, and always retain a little breathing room. Your drill kick is not extremely effective, because even if you time it right Samus will still sometimes be able to counter or at least block it. Remember, her moves generally have longer range and better priority than yours, so you won’t always win if you match your downwards drill versus her upwards drill. The same goes for her horizontal flamethrower versus your horizontal drill/kicks, and her screw attack versus your Stone. Mind you, Stone actually works well, IF you can get a little breathing room. If not, don’t try it; Samus can easily drill you out of your Stone if you’re just starting the move, and in some cases she can Screw you out of the early stages of the move. As with other good air players, remember just to execute your drills and other moves early; jump and fall quickly – don’t be a sitting duck; and don’t get too close. Especially, watch out for her horizontal flamethrower and the screw attack; those two moves have great priority and only your Stone can break them up, so either Stone (if you’re lucky enough to be in a good position) or evade. With edge guarding and spiking: be very careful of Samus’s abilities! First of all, she’s got pretty good jumps in that they’re high and floaty, yet she can quickly change direction for the second jump. Don’t get too relaxed; she is quite a good jumper! Plus, she has two good moves: her Forward+A smash for edge-guarding, and her Down, A/aerial for spiking. Both these moves are quick and effective. Her Forward+A is one of the quickest smashes in the game, and so a good Samus will have an easy time knocking you out of your Final Cutter. You should aim to either fly past a Samus who’s too close to the edge, or aim for the ledge. I advise the ledge, but if you do, quickly jump off or roll onto the platform before your momentary invincibility ceases. Samus’s downwards trip is great at knocking off edge-hangers. One good way to counter the blaster smash is to execute your Final Cutter just a bit early, then gently “push” Kirby onto the platform while he’s momentarily stuck in that first animation (where he pulls his sword out). If you get the timing right you can get Samus on the upwards jump of the Cutter and that will negate whatever move she throws at you. If she happens to execute the smash early, it may hit you, and it will if your timing isn’t good, so it’s still risky. Onto her spike...needless to say, it’s good. Even against Kirby, it’s an instant kill. There’s no good way to block it or counter it once Samus gets into position (you can do the upwards spin as it has fair priority, but that takes a while in coming out and loses lots of air for you), so you should start your horizontal drill or backwards kick (these work best) as you see Samus coming. If she’s jumping towards you then it’s a fair bet that it’s to spike, so you should anticipate it. Conversely, edge-guarding and spiking Samus aren’t easy. Edge-guarding is the easier of the two; if she aims for the ledge, you can try a split kick near the ledge to knock her off right before she gets to the ledge; however, if you get the timing wrong she’ll get to the ledge then climb back on with a counter move. Just hope that she doesn’t get to the ledge or starts falling after her Screw attack; a lunge or split kick will do then. A clean spike isn’t easy. Near the arena, Samus will try a screw, which may go through your drill; a bit further away (too far away for her to waste her recovery move) she’ll use the Up, A/aerial. Both these moves have good priority and length, so all you can do is not to hope for a “clean” spike, but several spikes. You’ll get hit too, but you’re a better jumper and Samus will die after two or three hits from the drill kick (even if you end up taking most of the damage from her counters). Overall, I suggest that you use your agility in rolling and throwing and your great comboing to win. Samus is good in the air so don’t rely too much on that avenue of attack; instead, just dash, throw, and try to get her into a combo for a good deal of damage. When edge-guarding and spiking, keep at it but be careful because Samus can easily return the favor; use Kirby’s great air to your advantage. Just roll and dodge a great deal, get a few little combos here and there, and hopefully you’ll win. ===== Yoshi ===== Now, Yoshi is one of those “unusual” characters whose moves and timing vary somewhat from the rest, kind of like Ness. Thus, he’s a hard nut to crack – not only because of his innate potential (which few players fully realize) but also because you might not be familiar with his style. I don’t pretend to be familiar with it either, so you’ll have to bear with me. Most of what I write here is based on my experience with CPU Level 9’s, as unfortunately none of my friends play with him. Still, the level 9’s are pretty good, so hopefully my info is still relevant. First, let’s start with the specials. Your Stone is somewhat effective in that it’s one of the few moves that you possess that can consistently break up Yoshi’s jump. Thus, don’t be afraid to pull a Stone or two if you see Yoshi trying to recover. However, don’t use it too much because Yoshi can easily Swallow or throw you out of it. Kirby’s Swallow move works well in the air to gulp up an overenthusiastic Yoshi, but be sure to start it a bit early since Yoshi’s Forward, A/aerial overhead smash comes down hard and fast. Don’t start Swallow too early or use it too often, though, or else you’ll end up being predicted and perhaps countered with an egg or other move. Finally, the Final Cutter works well in disrupting Yoshi’s jump (although it doesn’t always work) but can be countered by a good Yoshi (with a well-placed/timed egg, for example). I advise you not to use the Final Cutter too much, as it leaves you open, and as Yoshi’s weird jumping (and huge jumping “invincibility”) makes him a hard target. As for Yoshi’s specials, be very careful. The Swallow move is very effective as it can easily take you out as you dash in for a throw. Also be on the watch for a Butt Stomp here-and-there; there’s lots of delay, so you should have no problem with reaction speed, but those two stars that are formed by Yoshi’s drop are annoying. Not only do they do a miniscule amount of damage, but they also stun you for a second, meaning that if you’re hit by the stars then you’ll lose all chance of connecting on a combo. I advise that you roll away from a Butt Stomp, and keep your shield up after the roll! This will protect you from the stars. After a short moment of shield-stun you can then execute a lunge kick, split kick, dash, etc. On land, you can exploit your lunge and split kicks to some degree because Yoshi’s forward smash is rather slow. Be careful with jump-ins, however, as Yoshi’s upward smash is very powerful and covers a great arc and range, so unless you time your attack right you’ll get hit. I’ve found that lunge kicks combined with rolls and occasional quick dashes work well; while Yoshi can counter with a downward attack/smash or Swallow, those attacks aren’t especially powerful (the downward smash is, though, if you’ve got high damage) and Yoshi doesn’t use them too much. As long as you’re not too predictable (e.g. don’t start dashing from too far away) you should be alright. A few throws here and there would be good too. In the air you can try your best to somehow get Yoshi into a combo or sequence of some sort, but it doesn’t really work. You can flip kick Yoshi into the air and then repeat or follow it up with a drill, but that’s about it. Yoshi has incredible priority in his jumps and while he’s in the upwards arc for that second jump he’s basically invincible. You can Stone Yoshi out of hit but that requires anticipation and good timing, and a good Yoshi player probably won’t fall into that trap. Other aerial attacks such as kicks or drills won’t break up Yoshi’s jump, and the drills won’t do much damage since you can’t keep Yoshi from continuing on his jumping trajectory. Thus, Yoshi is quite hard to get in the air, while you are relatively vulnerable. Yoshi’s jumping is hard to predict and a good Yoshi player may come in for the upwards tail sweep, or a painful forwards tomahawk, or that hugely damaging feet of fury. These attacks all have equal or greater priority than your corresponding moves, so be very careful! This is extremely true in the case of the forwards tomahawk (forward, A/aerial), which is both long, painful, and has great priority. A Swallow or Final Cutter can surprise Yoshi, but not for long. Your best bet is either to try to karate/backwards kick to counter, or Stone well beforehand to counter/evade. Be careful also of Yoshi’s eggs, which will easily hit you out of Stone and any attacking position you might be in. Remember, Yoshi’s eggs can go in a 90-degree arc from where Yoshi is facing! As fair as edge-guarding and spiking are concerned, neither is easy, but edge-guarding is your best bet. Spiking is nearly impossible due to Yoshi’s priority with the second jump, so don’t try it; a good Yoshi might just tomahawk you to your doom. Your only hope is to wait at the ledge and hope that you can disrupt Yoshi with the shockwave of your Final Cutter, or maybe connect a lunge/split kick. For the two above strategies to work Yoshi must be falling from the second jump – that’s the only time Yoshi is totally vulnerable. If you see that Yoshi is still jumping strong as he’s coming back, don’t bother trying to edge-guard; just stay back, maybe try for a Final Cutter shockwave, and prepare for a quick dash or split kick to maybe catch Yoshi off-guard. Now, coming back against Yoshi can be unexpectedly hard. Yoshi’s jumping is very risky (since he doesn’t have a functional third comeback move) so don’t expect any spiking, although the forward tomahawk is a fine spiking implement should a suicidal Yoshi want to try it. The main danger is with edge- guarding: Yoshi has two powerful edge-guarding moves, the forward and upward smash. Both take a while coming out, but the forwards move is powerful and will basically spell curtains for you, while the upwards move is also strong and covers a wide arc, and can easily set up a combo or kill you at high damage. Both these moves have high-priority, so be careful, and as usual, aim for the ledge. Yoshi’s downwards tail flip is deadly too, as it sends you on a horizontal trajectory, but that’s not commonly used due to its average priority and range. Overall, Yoshi is a bit of a tough match up. If you’re used to playing such orthodox characters like Link, Mario, Samus, or even Pika, then you’ll have a hard time adjusting to Yoshi’s jumping ability and great priority. Don’t forget about Yoshi’s specials, especially the egg throw and egg drop (Swallow). These are quite underrated and the egg throw is hell on your aerial offense. If you can predict Yoshi, then it’s just a matter of time before you can get in a good throw or lunge/split kick and then perhaps get on a roll. Remember, Yoshi isn’t as nimble nor is he as fast as you, so abuse your dashing speed, throwing speed, and rolling! Roll everywhere, and Yoshi will have to rely on moves such as the downwards tail flip (Down+A), which most players aren’t used to relying on. Don’t get hit by the forwards and upwards smash attacks, and keep moving, and you’ll have the big speed advantage. Once you get Yoshi into a combo, you’ve got a good chance of racking up the damage, so play hit’n’run and make sure to hit hard. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 12. Tips & Tricks ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - EDGE-GUARD! If you see someone in the air trying to make it back onto land, go to the edge and wait until they are almost on land. Then, BAM! Unleash a smash attack on them (for Kirby the best choices would probably be Forward+A or Down+A) and make sure that they never come back, edge-guarding repeatedly if necessary, and not stopping till they fall to their doom (or hit you over the head with their controller). Be careful when edge-guarding, since experienced players controlling characters with high-priority recovery moves (like Samus’s Screw Attack or Captain Falcon’s Falcon Grab) may be able to override your edge guard move and hit you instead. Still, edge guarding is NOT cheap; it is not only effective and smart, but a vital part of the game. You can also “steal” KOs by jumping after someone who’s been knocked off the stage by another player, and spiking the person who’s been knocked off (before he can be edge-guarded by his original attacker), getting a cheap, free kill and infuriating the original attacker since the hard-earned KO should’ve been his! - Spike! A type of edge-guarding move, except that spiking occurs over the abyss and not over land, with the spike sending the opponent down to their doom. Most characters have a spike, which is usually their aerial Down, A, but which can also be their aerial Forward, A. In Kirby’s case, his Drill Kick (Down, A/aerial) serves as his spike. To spike someone, jump off the edge after them, execute your spike on them, and then jump back onto the edge. Usually, a player who’s been spiked won’t be able to get back up on land. Kirby is probably the best spiker out of all the SSB characters, in part because of his many jumps and great spike (it only takes one hit from his multi-hit drill kick to spike a player). Kirby’s only weakness is that a character with good priority may execute an aerial move that nullifies the spike and may sometimes even hit Kirby! However, as long as you spike from above, and not from the side, this shouldn’t be much of an issue. Spiking is one of Kirby’s strengths; capitalise on it! - Know Kirby's style! Like I said, Kirby is meant to be an offensive character. Even though Kirby has a wonderful form of blocking (the Stone), you should still play aggressively, since Kirby is a good combo-er and his moves can do a lot of damage. However, do not play TOO aggressively or else you may well get knocked off early. If you want a defensive character, then you may want to try using another character instead. (Samus, anyone?) - Do not overuse Kirby's shield – it is one of the smallest ones in the game. If you don’t want to get your shield broken, you can use Stone to act as a shield to everything except the Hammer and throws. Use this only in desperation or against computer opponents, as a crafty human will just throw you out of Stone. - Roll. Kirby has a great, quick, tight roll that is extremely useful in getting out of sticky situations (which will occur often if you play multiple human/computer opponents). Because it is so fast, and since Kirby is invincible during most of the roll, you’ll almost never be hit out of a roll (unless someone launches a projectile at you). Also, since Kirby’s roll is so fast, most players won’t be able to respond quickly enough to prepare a counterattack (for example, they probably won’t be quick enough to run over to you and throw you when you block as you’re coming out of the roll). Hold Z when you come out of the roll to put your shield up. - Press Z to recover quickly if you’ve been knocked to the ground. This is *very* useful as you won’t be left lying on the ground, vulnerable to attacks. Plus, it’s good for surprising opponents and getting back into the action faster. Remember to hold Z for a bit so your shield is up when you get up off the ground; shield and roll away from any attacks your opponent launches as you get off the ground. Be wary of throws. You can also tap Z as you land from a hard aerial attack (it’s very obvious what I mean if you play as Link, but perhaps not so obvious with Kirby) to recover instantly instead of having recovery time. - Use items well. This can mean using them as bait or throwing them, as well as simply keeping them on hand. Know when to throw them and when to use them; make sure you utilize their full potential. For example, if you have a Motion Sensor Bomb, put it against a wall – it is virtually invisible there, and will give someone a nasty little (or big) surprise! - Use throws a lot, especially against turtle players who block all of your attacks (throws are unblockable). Kirby has a pretty fast dash and a quick throw, so it’s good to have an itchy R-button. - Use Kirby's regular throw (R, then R again) to get to a higher platform, if needed. This can also make it easier to kill an opponent with that throw, since from a higher platform they’ll also be launched higher and go closer to the vertical boundary. - You may already know this from other games, but tapping down when you’re on a platform will make you drop off that platform. Also, tapping down in the air will make you fall faster. This can actually have a practical purpose other than speeding you up. For instance, if you’re in the air and your opponent expects you to fall down slowly and execute an attack, tap down to fall faster, surprising your opponent. - Suicide, if need be (I’m talking about in the game, folks). By suiciding, and taking down another player with you, you can do yourself a world of good. For example, let’s say you’re playing a Stock match. You and your opponent have the same number of lives, but you have 150% damage while your opponent has 20% damage. Suicide! You’re gonna die pretty soon anyway, so why not take your opponent (who should be able to last a while longer) with you! Kirby has two suicide moves that can take the other person down, too: 1. Fly over the edge while your opponent is standing near the edge. Use Swallow to suck your opponent in with you, and both of you will fall to your doom. If you have only used one or two of your jumps, spit your opponent out while the two of you are going down; Kirby may be able to fly back up onto land, but your opponent probably won’t be able to. If you’re a good jumper, you can even spit your opponent out, spike him, and (perhaps) make it back up to the stage! 2. Use Kirby’s primary throw (R, then R again) while you and your opponent are really close to the edge, and facing away from the stage towards the abyss. Believe it or not, the throw actually has a tiny bit of horizontal range, so if you’re close enough to the edge when you execute the throw, you’ll come down... straight into the abyss. A very cool way to let it all go. - This is the funny Yoshi’s Island trick that I was talking about. Basically, you get a person very, VERY pissed at you while you are on the second cloud on the right (the one farthest from the arena). Actually, you can do this trick on any cloud, but the farthest cloud works best. Anyway, for this trick, absorb a cheap power (Mario’s fireball, Pika’s electricity thing, etc.) and continuously use it while you’re on the cloud. Sometimes, the projectile won’t even make it to the stage, but it will still annoy your opponent(s). Or, if you can’t absorb an annoying power, just taunt on the cloud. Remember that you have to be constantly jumping up and down, or else the cloud will disappear under your feet, and you don’t want that to happen... yet. So, just jump and throw projectiles, or taunt, jump, taunt, jump, and so on. Try to get one of your opponents to come towards you; if they are reluctant, a little goading, teasing, and boasting on your part will make up their minds. As they leave the platform, instead of jumping up and down, *stay* on the cloud. You want the three seconds that the cloud is present to run out right when your opponent is getting ready to land on the cloud and attack you. This requires good timing. When this happens, you’ll be ready, and you can use your jumps to get onto the main platform or the first cloud. However, your opponent will probably have used most or all of his jumps as he’s coming over to pummel you, so he’ll be planning his attack on you when, suddenly... poof! The cloud disappears. Unless they are a very flighty character, or they’re very lucky, they won’t be prepared enough to make it back on. - The above trick too long? Just throw a proxy mine on a cloud, and watch the fireworks. - Dream Land and Congo Jungle are small enough arenas for Kirby to actually fly under and come up on the other side. I’ve found that Dream Land is probably the easier to do this in, since it seems to be smaller. Nonetheless, it’s a hard feat and requires good timing and concentration. To do it, you have to face *away* from the edge of the arena, jump backwards and off the arena, and use your five other jumps to move yourself horizontally under the arena (use your next jump only when you’re starting to drop below the vertical level of the last jump; you want to stay at a constant height slightly below the arena). Then, use your Final Cutter to get back up onto the other side once you’ve made it to the other edge of the arena. It’s good for a surprise, and if you can do this you’re pretty good at jumping. Note: the only other character that can do this is Pikachu, using his double- agility (many people say he has a short, third agility, although I’m not sure I’ve seen this myself. Thanks to Guang Liu for this tidbit). By the way, you can “cheat” in Congo Jungle since you can jump through the bottom of the arena. - Feeling cruel? Note that the acid in Planet Zebes and the tornado in Hyrule Castle both send the unfortunate player upwards. So, when you see a person falling into the acid, or spinning around in the tornado, get above them and Stone them, or, even better, drill kick them... right back into the acid/tornado. This is basically spiking over the acid/ground. Similarly, if someone gets into the barrel in DK’s stage, follow the barrel around as best as you can. Then, when they launch themselves upwards, execute your Split Kick (Down+A – I’ve found that this works best in that situation) and they’ll be sent flying. Just be careful that they don’t hit and damage you as they are being launched upwards. - If someone is really annoying you because they keep using Link/Samus/ Yoshi’s long-range throw, then dash towards them. They will see it coming and try to throw you. However, at the last minute, jump up, away from the clutches of their throw. While they’re still in their throwing animation, stone or downward drill-kick them. This’ll make them think twice about using those (IMHO) horrible, slow, throws. - Guang Liu adds a tip: “If you are knocked out so far and know that you can't get back, don't use the final cutter [author’s note: I think he means swallow, not final cutter]. (Some people like to go after you even though they know that you can't make it back just for the fun of it and knock you even more before you die). Instead, wait until they come near you and before they make their move, use the final cutter. If you timed it right, you will bring them up and then down with you. That is a better way to commit suicide since you can be sure that they will go down FIRST! For example, you and your opponent have only one stock left, you are at 124% and your opponent 67%, and you know that you may not beat them. So just do what I did because the final cutter pushes the opponent down faster than the rate you fall, your opponent will die first and you can get the win. (Unlike where you suck them up into your mouth and die together at the exact same time and you'll have to count the total KO's in order to decide the victor).” Actually, if you suck them into your mouth I think you (Kirby) die first, so there’s another reason to use the Final Cutter. - Platinum Kirby adds a trick: “Have you ever noticed that if you hit your enemy with a hard attack, like Giant Punch with Donkey, you see circles and rare things? Well, go to training mode, choose Ness and Falcon as your oponnent, stay in front of falcon, press start to see the menu, go to item and choose red shell, and press A four times to obtain four shells. Exit the menu and quickly push Falcon to the shells, stop when you see that falcon is exactly over the shells, then, walk away from him just a little, and do the forward smash attack to hit him with your baseball bat. If done correctly, you will see a lot of that circles and rare things all over the screen, and your oponnent will receive 999% damage, hehe...” Note that you do not have to use Falcon as your “opponent”. You can also use Fox’s reflector shield in place of Ness’s bat (and maybe some other attacks as well, although I’ve never tried). - Another trick (this one’s quite odd, but cool anyways) from Platinum Kirby: “With Mario, Donkey Kong, Falcon, Yoshi, Ness, Jiggly and Pikachu, you can listen to the sound of your taunt when your character is not doing its taunt. How? Well, you can do this trick in all the arenas, but you’ll get better results if you practice in Fox’s arena. As you know, this scene only has three places to climb, the right side, the left side and the other that is above the red horse symbol. Well, when starting to run, and when you’re about to fall to the right side of the spaceship, press L just before you fall, that means when you´re still on the left side of the ship, but going to fall to the other. That was difficult to explain for me but I hope you’ll understand; if done correctly you will hear the sound of the Taunt but your character won’t do the move that normally it does, then, you can taunt your opponents without losing time and with[out] danger.” - Well, this only works on computers, but anyway: with small characters (like Jigglypuff or Kirby) you can walk into a CPU while it's holding a barrel above its head (those retards, they do it all the time, I'm afraid). Anyway, if you do walk right into them, they won't do anything, cause they'll be muddled as to how they can hit you with the crate/barrel. Pathetic, no? Give 'em a flip kick to teach them a lesson. Or, execute any other attack to start a combo - the CPU is totally defenseless. (Note: the barrel may fall on you or explode when you attack it if you're not careful, though.) - The Net Nomad sez: “You know how Yoshi can sometimes make people into eggs and then have them fall helplessly off the platform? It's kinda hard to do, of course (however, the Yoshis in the one-player game have some strange ability to do it to you often). Kirby also has a "chicken" move, which can, like many other things in this game, seriously annoy somebody. But his can be easier. First, stand at the side of a platform (only in stages with a big "floating platform" like Dream Land or Sector Z) and jump off. Then, if an opponent is standing there or has been chasing you there, suck them up and let them fall with you - kinda like the suicide move. As soon as you're at the level where you can spit out your opponent and have them end up under the platform, do so. Unless they're certain characters like Kirby himself, Pikachu, and maybe a couple others, they're helpless. Then, just use the rest of your jumps and Final Cutter if need be to get back on the platform. I've found this one helpful in the Metal Mario stage.” Well, those are all the tips and tricks I could think of. Feel free to send me more tips and tricks, as long as they’re good and *useful*! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 13. Combos ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These can all be used against humans, not just computers; in some cases, they may work better against humans. You won’t see any combos that require ridiculous amounts of chance and/or stupidity on the part of the opponent to pull off. Damage figures are for the typical range of damage inflicted by the move(s) in the particular situation. Anyway, the combos: ============================================================================= ~ Drill Kick (Down, A/air) Combo Use the downward Drill Kick in the air, and then repeat on the ground. Damage: 21-30 in the air; 9-15 for each ground combo. ============================================================================= ~ The... other... Drill Kick (Forward, A/air) Combo Same as the Drill Kick Combo, only use your aerial Forward, A move to start the combo instead of your drill kick. Damage: 12-21 in the air; 9-15 for each ground combo. ============================================================================= ~ Kirby's Infinite Combo Keep tapping A after cornering someone against a wall (works well in Great Fox and Hyrule Castle). This is about as cheap a tactic as you’ll find in this FAQ, and most experts will find a way out of it; but, you never know when you’ll need it. If you can start this, you can usually get 20% + damage; just watch your back! Damage: 1/hit. ============================================================================= ~ Lunge Kick (Forward+A) Combo This only works with characters with low damage (they are the only ones who only go a short distance when kicked, thus enabling you to continue the combo by executing another move that hits them on their “bounce”). This combo will only work up to about 50 to 60% damage; after this, the opponent will be launched too far and will be able to roll away from your attacks. Damage: 17 for the first hit, 7 for each thereafter. ============================================================================= ~ Flip Kick (Up+A) Combo Just keep on using your Flip Kick. It's quite tricky to get the timing right, and after your enemy has passed 50% damage they will be sent high enough to easily escape the combo; however, it makes for a good combo if you can catch someone with low damage. Also, once you start the combo, it’s almost impossible for the opponent to get out of it until they have been sent high enough that they can fall away. They probably won’t be quick enough to hit you (for example, with an aerial Down, A move) while you are executing the combo unless they have high damage; if it looks like they’re going to try and hit you from above, roll and counter instead. Odds are that their downward move will go through your flip kick, so don’t try and hit them through the move. Damage: 16 for the first hit, 6 for each one thereafter. ============================================================================= ~ The Vertical Kick (Up, A) Combo Thanks to Pokeytax for mentioning this one. I usually don’t use this much, but it is a very good combo. As your opponent is coming down from the air, get under them and execute a vertical kick. You’ll need good timing, though, since the vertical kick’s priority isn’t the best in the world. Once you’ve hit the opponent, keep hitting. You’ll usually get several hits in before the opponent can get enough breathing room to jump away. It’s also easy to incorporate Flip Kicks into this combo; you can also jump up and execute a drill kick on your opponent while they’re still “stunned” by your vertical kick. Be creative. Damage: 14 for the first hit, 11 for the second, and either 6 or 11 for each hit thereafter (depending on how closely together your hits are linked). ============================================================================= ~ The Mighty Great Fox Combo OK, this takes a bit of practice: isolate your opponent so that no one else will bother you. Start fighting on the tail of Great Fox. Ideally, your opponent should have around 60% damage, depending on the character. Now, hit them with Kirby's Lunge Kick. This is the hardest part of the combo - finding an opening. When you hit them with the smash attack, you should be standing about 1/3 of the tail-length from the end of the tail (i.e. the right side of the tail; the edge of the arena). It's hard to say, in measurements, exactly where, but it comes with practice. If you smash attack them, and you're in the right place, they should be hit down and right by the tail, right into you. Now, do another Lunge Kick, and again, you want them to bounce very slightly ahead of you, or even fly a bit over your head. When they do, do a Lunge Kick going right, or _away_ from the tail. Sometimes, if you time it wrong, the opponent will actually be hit right, but if you execute it correctly, they'll be hit left by your smash attack. Wait for the bounce and hit them with another smash attack going left this time, and then after that bounce a smash attack going right, and so on. So the whole time your position should be roughly stationary, but smashing leftwards and rightwards, alternately. Your opponent should be hit left, into the tail, each time, and what's good about this combo is that, if you have good timing and don't screw up, you can keep them in the air -- they'll never touch the ground. Trust me - this is a good, albeit hard to understand, combo. I usually get the opponent from around 60% to 100-120% damage, or more (to 140% + damage is not too hard) and once you get the opponent to that level, pause a little, and smash them right, this time making them actually go right, off the arena. Damage: usually around 35-50; 60-80+ is possible if you're lucky. ============================================================================= ~ Impsrage has a good combo: “Use Kirbys Down-B attack on someone standing, land (this is important so you are not using the multi jump - it screws it up but I don’t know why exactly) jump once, and repeat. After your opponent has taken some damage (I think about 80%) they'll bounce up a little. Use the drill and this time use the Up- A attack instead of jumping, which will usually send them flying off the arena! The hard part may be getting your opponent not to roll away from your incessant Stoning. Damage: Maybe around 100%, but it doesn’t always work against humans. ============================================================================= ~ Lupus 57 also mentions a useful combo: “Up+A them into the air and final cutter them when they are still airborne.” I use that a fair bit, actually, especially near the edge. I don’t know how I missed that one. Damage: Only around 15-25%, but it’s good for spikes with the Final Cutter. It’s also a good basic, all-situation combo. ============================================================================= ~ Platinum Kirby adds a good combo: “When you are playing against heavy characters like C. Falcon, Link, or Yoshi, you can do this combo: do a little jump and when you are falling down in the air, get close to your enemy. When you are going to land, press Back+A in the air to do a kick, then, press Up+A to do a vertical kick, then your enemy is falling down towards you, quickly do the Up+A smash attack to send your opponent to the sky again. Because it is too heavy, it can’t attack you so quickly; that gives you time to kick him again with another vertical kick. Then, jump and press Forward+A to do a drill kick, that should be the end of this combo but if your speed with Kirby is good, you can land, run and hit one more time (You should try jumping with the A button only, to do a weak kick, anyway one more hit and some more damage.) Your enemy may receive over 80%, but I have to say one thing: I suppose that you already know that if you’re coming down and do a mid-air attack, your character normally can’t do it another attack immediately; well, if you press the Z button just before you land, you will be able to do any attack.” Damage: 80% or more, if all your hits, drills, etc. connect properly. If not, the damage may be a bit less. ============================================================================= ~ Here’s another good combo from Platinum Kirby: “For weak opponents like Mario, Luigi or even Ness: You have to do the first and second moves that I have written above, but, you have to continue with this: after the vertical kick, do a very little jump and immediately press the A button, this should hit your opponent as any attack, but, rarely, it won’t be very effective and your enemy is not going to go so far, then, land as quick as you can, and do another vertical kick, jump again doing the first move you’ve done at the beginning of the combo, but, like the third attack, you have to jump and press the control stick and a button at the same time, this will give you the same effect: your opponent won’t be kicked as it normally is, and if done correctly it is going to go forward, and very near to you; then, just press B to swallow your opponent.” When Platinum Kirby says, “your opponent won’t be kicked as it normally is”, what I think he means is that you can’t hit the opponent with the very start of the Karate Kick, or else your opponent will be hit too far; instead, you have to press A quickly to execute the Karate Kick earlier than usual and hit your opponent with only the trailing part of your move (when your foot is still sticking out). This combo is hard to pull off, but it is a pretty cool one. Damage: High! ============================================================================= Keep the combos a-coming! Any good, *useful* combo is appreciated. Nothing that requires extreme luck or stupidity, though! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 14. Contact Info ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sorry, this FAQ is no longer being maintained. Thanks for all the contributions over the years. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 15. Credits ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Many thanks to the readers who sent in their words of wisdom: +Pokeytax (embree@sega.net), for mentioning a useful combo that I’d ignored; +Ken Lawler (Lawler14@sluggy.net), for several great contributions; +Impsrage (Impsrage@aol.com), for submitting a stage tip and a combo; +Lupus57 (supercow_57@hotmail.com), for submitting a couple of combos; +Guang Liu (guangliu@hotmail.com), for a correction about Pikachu’s agility and an addition to the Tips and Tricks; +Platinum Kirby (platinum_kirby@hotmail.com) for several combos and tricks; +Van Beethoven (vanbeethoven8@hotmail.com) for a tip on Electrode; +The Net Nomad (Jwall0312@aol.com) for a helpful trick involving Swallow; and +The Deathblade (deathbladegtx@yahoo.com) for some corrections on the Saffron City Pokemon.