
/~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~\
|                                         |
|   Super Smash Brothers                  |
|   Kirby FAQ                             |
|   Version 1.15                          |
|   12/09/00                              |
|                                         |
|   Author: cyper (cyper32@hotmail.com)   |
|                                         |
\~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~/



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 talented characters in Super Smash Brothers.
Maybe you were lured by the size of this FAQ, or by the fact that it's new.
Or, maybe you have nothing better to do (like me ;-)). In any case, I hope
you enjoy this FAQ and if at all helps your playing with Kirby, I guess it
has done its job.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.  Tips & Tricks^
12.  General Strategies*^
13.  Combos^
14.  Contact Info
15.  Credits

* Still under construction
^ Could use reader input!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.   Legal Stuff
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This FAQ is Copyright (C) 2000 cyper. If you want to post this FAQ on your
website, you must e-mail me at <cyper32@hotmail.com> for permission. If you
do post this on your website, you must explicitly state, somewhere outside of
the FAQ (preferably right next to its link), that I, cyper, am the author.
While you may change the formatting, the text of this FAQ, including this
copyright notice, must remain unaltered. You must update the FAQ as I do; I
will notify you through e-mail whenever I update.

Steal my work and you will get a nasty e-mail from me (at the very least),
and unless you immediately remove my work from your site, your plagiarism
will be known around the gaming community. Currently, FAQers all over are
having trouble with plagiarism, and their outrage has led to several sites
being shut down. No act of plagiarism will be ignored.

Thanks for your time and consideration.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2.   Revision History
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Version 1.15 (12/09/00)

Sorry this revision took so long, but I got laid up by my gawddamn homework.
Anyway, I added some really great reader input, submitted by Ken Lawler
(Lawler14@sluggy.net). This includes some info on the Pokemon, items, and a
good strategy for Kirby vs. Ness. Thanks a bunch! I also finished up the One
Player Walkthrough (I added the stuff for the Bonus stages).

Version 1.08 (11/29/00)

After much procrastination, I've finally been able to finish all the One
Player Walkthrough, except for the Bonus levels. I've also made some minor
formatting corrections and changed/added things here-and-there. Strategies
and other stuff (more Tips & Tricks, Combos, etc.) will be added soon, so be
on the lookout!

Version 1.0 (11/04/00)

Good to go. Most of this FAQ is complete, but there are a few sections that
are incomplete and a few that can be expanded on. Anyway, look for updates
soon, and enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3.   Introduction to Super Smash Brothers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

      Super Smash Brothers is a fighting game for the Nintendo 64. When
released in April 1999, it made a huge splash both in the United States and
Japan, and showed the world that the N64 could support a great fighting game.
It also went against many people's conceptions of a "typical" fighting game.
Super Smash Brothers is a totally unique game; not only is it one of the few
4-player fighting games on a system that excels mainly in First Person
Shooters and platformers, it also has a simple, 2-D fighting style that takes
only half-an-hour or so to get used to.

      While the moves are simply executed (using only combinations of a
movement of the control stick and/or a button), giving the impression of it
being a shallow, kiddy game, Super Smash Bros. possesses a lot of depth and
requires strategy rather than button-mashing. This is one of the features
that attracts so many gamers, sick of traditional, mindless fighters, to SSB.

      The plot of Smash Bros. is simple. Some kid gets all of his favorite
Nintendo mascots and puts them together in "The Fight of the Century". They
must compete for the status of "favorite toy", blah blah blah... So anyway,
you've got up to four Nintendo characters (there are eight chooseable, along
with four hidden ones) duking it out on an arena closely fashioned to one of
the characters' home worlds. The object of the game is not to kill the
opposing fighters (Nintendo mascots killing each other? Lord, no!) but to
knock them off the arena. This can be accomplished by launching them into the
air; if the character can't get back onto the arena using their jumps and
their comeback moves, they die--er, I mean, are knocked off. The more damage
a character has, the farther they're launched with each move, and the easier
it will be for them to be knocked off. In addition, there are horizontal
"boundaries" on each side of the arena, and a vertical boundary at the top of
the arena; any character that hits these invisible boundaries automatically
dies (otherwise, characters with very good jumping abilities would hardly
ever die).

      In addition to a fairly good, but easy, single-player "quest", there
are two multiplayer modes in SSB: Time and Stock, both of which can be played
with teams. Time is, obviously, a timed match, and the winner is whoever has
the highest score, the score being the number of times you knocked others
off, minus the number of times you were knocked off. Time rewards mostly
aggressive playing, and seems to lead to an all-out brawl in the last 30
seconds or so as everyone tries to kill everyone else and score points. This
makes for an interesting fight, but IMHO, there is less strategy and more
craziness than in the other mode. Speaking of which, the other mode, Stock,
is my personal favorite (most other people seem to favor it, too). The last
person standing wins; thus, Stock rewards a more conservative combination of
offensive and defensive play.

      So that's the basic premise. If, for some reason, it doesn't sound like
insanely fun action, trust me, it is.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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 any 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 extremely vulnerable. If anyone
tries to challenge Kirby in the air, drill kick them and they'll think twice
about it next time.

      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.
Bottom line: use Kirby's speed, combos, and variety of moves, 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. 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 controls.

      When doing a strong attack or 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, or 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 combos
(like the Drill Kick) do a lot of damage, but don't launch the opponent far.
Also, 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 significantly. Just another benefit of varying your moves.

***********************************************
UNIVERSAL MOVES (ones that all characters have)
***********************************************

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.

Block ~ Hold Z

The character puts his or her shield up. 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.

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 hold
the opponent in your arms for a few seconds, then execute the throw
automatically). The backwards throw is R, then Back.

Taunt	~ L

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,
it sucks because 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: 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.



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 got 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 good 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. Anyway, 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: good
Recovery: average
Damage: excellent
Power: poor
Priority: very 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 a 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: 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.



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. Don't neglect your normal moves in favor of these; while
Kirby's special moves might look cooler, they are also more predictable
(especially the 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.

Note: a smash attack (especially at the hands of the copied opponent) will
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 weapon, 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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crate

Type: container
Speed: slow
Power: good
Cheapness: N/A
Overall: N/A

I don't really recommend using this as a weapon, as it takes a few seconds to
pick it up and then throw it. Plus, while you are holding the crate above
your head, you are totally vulnerable; you can't attack or even move (DK
excepted) except for turning left or right. If you do hit someone with it,
they will be launched pretty far and take moderate damage, more so if the
crate happens to be booby-trapped and it contains, instead of items, a nasty
explosion.

The crate is primarily a way of getting items. If it is broken open, it will
release one to three items, usually three. I recommend that you simply
execute a smash attack into it to break it; however, if you have heavy
damage, you might want to execute the Stone move into it, or pick it up and
throw it, just in case the crate is booby trapped. Booby-trapped crates are
rare, but they seem to come about at the most inopportune times.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Barrel

Type: container
Speed: slow
Power: good
Cheapness: N/A
Overall: N/A

The barrel is similar to the crate, only slightly smaller. As with the crate,
only DK can carry it around. It breaks the same way as the crate. As with the
crate, you're vulnerable when you pick it up, so use attacks to break it open
instead. Inside will be one to three items, usually two or three. Be careful,
though, since barrels can also be booby-trapped.

Throw a barrel and it will roll along the stage, not stopping until it goes
uphill and loses momentum (at which point it will roll back and forth), it
goes off the edge of the stage, or it hits somebody. Hey, you never know,
maybe someone will be dumb enough to walk into it.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chansey Egg

Type: container
Speed: N/A
Power: none
Cheapness: N/A
Overall: N/A

It's just a little egg that Chansey throws. Chansey can appear either from a
Pokeball or as a wild Pokemon in Saffron City. These eggs will break open
when hit (you cannot pick them up or throw them) and reveal an item... or an
explosion.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Capsule

Type: container
Speed: fast
Power: weak
Cheapness: N/A
Overall: N/A

Similar to the Chansey Egg, except that it can appear anywhere and can be
picked up and thrown. It also releases either an item or an explosion. If you
see one, either break it open immediately or throw it at someone else. If you
throw it at someone else (capsules fly at a pretty good speed) the person
will be hit, taking weak damage (unless of course the capsule is booby-
trapped), and the capsule will break. Sometimes, if you do this, the person
who's been hit will recover and take the item... not always good. So, if you
want to make sure you keep the item, break it yourself. I recommend jumping
up and throwing it down. This way is quick and won't result in any harm if
the capsule turns out to be booby-trapped.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Beam Sword

- from Kirby's Dream Land 2 (Game Boy))

Type: clobbering
Speed: medium
Power: strong
Cheapness: low-medium
Overall: Excellent

This is one of my favorite weapons. It's a cool, glowing sword (a.k.a.
lightsaber) that takes the place of your A-attacks, like all clobbering
weapons. A smash attack will send the opponent flying and will do about 25%
damage in the process.

The sword is undoubtedly a handy weapon, yet it's not too cheap since it
requires a degree of skill to use it well. A well-handled beamsword is a
deadly weapon. As Kirby, pressing just A will make Kirby just "wave" his
sword in front of him; little damage, but a good keep-away-er. Strong and
Smash attacks are big swipes, handy as edge-guarding or finishing moves. You
can also do a dashing attack with the sword by pressing A while running;
Kirby will lunge with the sword, doing only moderate damage but often
catching opponents off guard. The sword can also be used to block projectiles
(although I wouldn't rely on it). Two people with swords can have a
lightsaber battle, which can look quite impressive. Another thing to note is
that the sword goes a long way, upwards or forwards, when thrown, and does
pretty good damage if it hits somebody in the air (it even does some damage
if it hits them on the bounce). If you see this weapon, go out of your way to
get it.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Home Run Bat

Type: clobbering
Speed: slow
Power: very strong
Cheapness: medium-high
Overall: fair

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, and no matter who your opponent is. The only exception us
if the opponent "bounces" repeatedly into walls on the way up; one place
where this might happen is that dip in Hyrule Castle, surrounded by a little
tower on one side and a wall on the other. Also, if a player is hit downwards
or bumps hard into an obstacle on their flight up, they may survive.

Amongst beginners this weapon is extremely cheap, as most beginners aren't
adept at blocking/rolling, and they may not see it coming. More experienced
players, however, will recognize the telltale sparkle of the bat and
instinctively roll; it's hard to hit an experienced player. 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

Type: clobbering
Speed: fast
Power: Strong-Very Strong
Cheapness: extreme
Overall: excellent

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.

There are a few downsides to using a hammer, however: the hammering person
can only jump once, and cannot do anything but hammer. Sometimes, if a
character with a low first-jump (like Kirby) gets the hammer, it will be
hard, if not impossible, for him/her to get to the topmost platform. You
should take advantage of this fact if your opponent has the hammer. Also, a
hammering person is NOT invincible; any attack with higher priority than the
hammer (Kirby's stone is one) will send the person reeling. Sometimes they'll
lose the hammer (at which point anyone else can get it), sometimes not; but
it's a good way to buy time. Also, if they fall of the edge while they've got
the hammer, they won't be able to get back, as they won't be able to use
their remaining jumps or Up, B move. Also, the hammer cannot be canceled in
bad situations; the only way it will end by itself, after ten or fifteen
seconds, or if the person is hit by a strong attack.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fan

Type: clobbering
Speed: very fast
Power: weak
Cheapness: high
Overall: good

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.
At this point, Kirby should use his Stone, or Drill Kick. Also, a fan's smash
attack is very fast, especially with Kirby, who has good speed on all of his
smash attacks. The fan also has a vacuum effect, so once you hit someone with
the fan, they'll be drawn towards you, at which point you can hit them again
and again. Very annoying, and the damage will mount up.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Motion Sensor Bomb

Type: placement
Speed: fast
Power: strong
Cheapness: low-medium
Overall: excellent

Remember those Proximity Mines from Goldeneye, the ones we all know and love?
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... he, he) 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 him; place them on the clouds on Yoshi's Island; put them right next
to valuable items; whatever. In any case, I don't regard these as cheap as it
takes strategy to place them well - any retard can see a proxy mine placed
right in front of them. By the way, 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.

One last thing: don't forget where you put your proxies. There's nothing
worse - and I mean nothing - than being killed by your own proximity mines.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bumper

Type: placement
Speed: fast
Power: pathetic
Cheapness: medium
Overall: crap

It's just a little circular thing emblazoned with the "cross" logo that's
everywhere in Super Smash Brothers (I think it's the logo of the company that
worked with Hal Laboratories in developing SSB, but I'm not sure). Anyway,
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. The bumper will last on the ground for
several seconds. Basically, all it's good for is putting it on the edge and
hoping that someone gets hit by it while they're coming back.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pokeball

Type: throwing
Speed: varies
Power: varies
Cheapness: varies
Overall: varies (usually good)

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, its body 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). The Pokemon range from useless to
extremely damaging, and include (Thanks to Ken Lawler for the names of the
Pokemon's attacks):

*******
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.

*********
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 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 have.

********
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 fightin' - literally. Hitmonlee will try to karate kick
whoever's closest to him (he has no qualms about hitting other characters who
happen to be in his way, though). He has pretty 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. This usually happens
with most other characters, causing only 20-30% damage. However, with big,
heavy characters like DK, the coins will do much more damage, especially in
the very rare case that the character actually gets trapped under Meowth. In
these cases, the damage supposedly can get to 999%, although the best I've
witnessed is about 150-200%.

***
Mew                                                                  Teleport
***

A very rare Pokemon, Mew comes out and glitters nicely, slowly rising to the
sky. It does nothing other than giving you points in single-player, and
making Pokemon fans shout, "Oh my God, Mew! Mew!"

****
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 "rise 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). It will do
moderate to heavy damage to anyone caught under it, as well as knocking them
pretty far. As Kirby, you can simply do your Stone move and it will protect
you from Snorlax's ass.

*******
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. I think that if you crouch
with Kirby, you can avoid the shots, but I'm not sure. Anyway, if you do get
caught, you'll probably take moderate damage, as each shot knocks you up
slightly and puts you in position to be hit by the next shot.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bob-omb

Type: throwing
Speed: fast
Power: very strong
Cheapness: low-medium
Overall: good

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 hits it will
detonate it, and if no one hits it within ten or so seconds if it walking
around, it will stop, start flashing, and detonate itself. The best way to
use the Bob-omb is to pick it up (before the five seconds is up) and throw it
at an opponent. Don't worry, the Bo-bomb's time fuse won't go out in your
hand; however, if someone hits you hard while you're carrying the Bo-bomb, it
may be detonated. (Link, in particular, has many moves that can do this.) So,
it's best for you to get rid of the Bo-bomb as quickly as possible,
preferably by "handing" it to someone else. Anyone who gets hit by the Bo-
bomb will take up to 40% damage and fly off, landing far, far away.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Red Shell

Type: throwing
Speed: medium-fast
Power: weak-medium
Cheapness: medium-high
Overall: poor

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

Type: throwing
Speed: medium-fast
Power: strong
Cheapness: low
Overall: good

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. Anyway, a player hit while the green shell is
still in the air will take good damage; a player hit by the green shell as
it's rolling along will still take moderate damage. Careful not to throw the
green shell into walls or obstacles, as it may bounce back and hit you while
you're still in your "throw" animation.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ray Gun

Type: projectile
Speed: fast
Power: weak-medium
Cheapness: extreme
Overall: very good

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 I have sixteen shots, I might as well... y'see,
that's why this weapon is so cheap. You just keep shooting and shooting, and
with 8% damage per shot, it'll add up to a lot of damage, as well as one
mightily pissed opponent. In fact, if you can catch someone at the edge of
the arena, you can keep juggling them until they actually hit the horizontal
boundary!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Star Rod

- From Kirby's Adventure (NES)

Type: clobbering/projectile
Speed: slow-medium
Power: medium-strong
Cheapness: low
Overall: excellent

One of the most under-rated 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

Type: stream
Speed: slow-medium
Power: strong
Cheapness: high-extreme
Overall: excellent

The Fire Flower sends streams of fire at your opponent. Each time you press A
- and keep in mind that there is a slight start up delay - it will fire five
"shots" of fire, each doing 3% damage. Now take into account that the Fire
Flower has a vast depository, and you've got a recipe for a fried opponent.
In fact, if you can corner someone and you keep blasting away with it,
they'll easily sustain 100% + damage, occasionally rising into the 150% +
range. 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. If the
fire flower runs out of ammo, it can be thrown, dealing moderate damage to
whoever's hit by it. Bottom line: try to stay away.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maxim(um) Tomato

Type: healing
Speed: N/A
Power: N/A
Cheapness: high
Overall: good

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.
Basically, it's health. The only thing to take into account is that, if you
are hit during the few seconds it takes to heal, you will still fly and you
can still die. (It's pretty funny to send someone into the background, as you
watch their damage go down and as they're sparkling.)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Heart

Type: Healing
Speed: N/A
Power: N/A
Cheapness: very high
Overall: excellent

It's the same as a Maxim Tomato, except it will take off all your damage.
Ugh, yuck.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Star

Type: Invincibility
Speed: N/A
Power: N/A
Cheapness: medium-high
Overall: poor

In theory, the star should be quite cheap and make a difference in hard-
fought battles. Well, it is quite cheap, and it can make a difference, except
that it only lasts ten seconds, which is much too short of a time span to
really accomplish anything significant, especially since anyone in their
right mind will be running away and dodging your attacks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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, 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 the 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 arenas. I'll
also give a brief description. Happy?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Peach's Castle

Size: small - 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 the arena 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, or 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 aerodynamical other than sometimes slowing down your flight if you
are hit into their sides and bottom. They come in handy, sometimes.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yoshi's Island

Size: medium
Fun: **
Kirby Rating: ***
Hazards: None
Helps: Clouds

The arena itself 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, that the clouds will disappear about
three seconds of someone stepping 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 of it)
you'll have to constantly jump to avoid the cloud disappearing at you feet.
If a cloud does disappear, it reappears several seconds later.

The arena 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-medium
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 most 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 (i.e. almost always downwards). 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 talkin'! 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 90% 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 outer space, on the top of Great Fox
(that's 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.
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 shirt 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. 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 you can block these shots, and you definitely cannot block them with
Kirby's shield). Be careful - the Arwing is by far the most dangerous
"single-encounter" stage hazard.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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 them. 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.

Anyways, Planet Zebes is home of Samus Aran. It's a little floating world,
with a sea of acid below (yeah, that's the yellow stuff). 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. The only complication is, that the acid has a
habit of moving up and engulfing the stage at the most inopportune times
(i.e. 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'll hurt ya. 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 the 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 may 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 door in the main platform,
surprising (and usually damaging) whoever's on the main platform. 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 idiot walking into the door. The Pokemon are:

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 near it. Note that shields (including
Kirby's Stone) cannot protect you from Electrode, so if you see him, get
away. Careful - the blast radius is greater than you might think.

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.

Venosaur                                                            Solarbeam

Comes out, shoots "blasts of solar energy". Hmmm... hope you've got
sunscreen! It some damage to and annoys whoever's hit.

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.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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 right of it; there is an overhanging wall covering
that whole section of level - perfect for combos.

Finally, one last note: you can walk off the edge of the stage if you walk to
the left or right too far - 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 not 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 scores on the bonus rounds). And, you'll have
to beat single player under various conditions (see "Secrets") 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
             challenging. 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 1.4 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 1.0 to 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, 3)
*********

      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, 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. Even on Very Hard, it's not
challenging.

****************
II.   Yoshi Team                                              (1, 1, 1, 2, 2)
****************

      Uh-oh, it's a whole sh!tload of Yoshis, and they're coming to get you!
Big challenge, right? Wrong. This is the second-easiest stage, apart from
Link's, and on the harder difficulties it's _the_ easiest stage. These
Yoshi's are incredibly incompetent (hmmm... reminds me of George Dubya Bush)
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
Yoshis flying out of the arena. Kill the Yoshis in order (as they drop down
from the stage - look at the Yoshi Team stock-meter at the upper-left of the
screen to see which colored Yoshi is the "next", if you forget) and you'll
get Yoshi Rainbow, which gives you a substantial point bonus. I'll admit that
I've never actually gotten it, because (a) I'm too impatient, and (b)
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.

*********
III.  Fox                                                     (1, 1, 2, 2, 2)
*********

      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 probably 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. Catch him and throw
him backwards. Wait for him to recover, then hit him with a Lunge Kick.
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 25-30
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. 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.

********************************
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
and spiking Mario and Luigi aren't easy. While spiking, beware of Luigi's
Flaming Uppercut.

      Anyway, a key to this stage is to get your buddy involved. This often
means attacking whoever your buddy is attacking - the other opponent will
slowly plod along, seemingly caring little about his brother. By teaming up,
you will quickly eliminate one of the two brothers, and your job will be made
much easier. Team up and play wisely (don't get too excited, because Luigi
and Mario can easily catch you unaware) and the level shouldn't be too hard.
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.

      Kill Luigi without hitting Mario and you'll get Bros. Calamity, a
pretty good bonus.

*************
VI.   Pikachu                                                 (1, 1, 2, 2, 2)
*************

      I don't know what it has been smoking, but Pika in this stage is a
complete moron. 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 (you begin to its
right anyway) and watch Pika walk into the platform. Hopefully, the door will
soon open and reveal, let's say, Electrode. Ouch. Plus, Pikachu, in its
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 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 fooling 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.

      However, 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. Remember
not to be too aggressive, 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 fine. 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 inbetween 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, walk - not jump - down the ramp. At the opening, jump. Keep
jumping, upwards and to the right. After using all 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. 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 Kirbys are quite adept
at throwing and are heavy on offense, whether towards you or towards the
other (computer) Kirbys. 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 Kirbys. Like I said, they are
good at throwing, and chances are their reflexes are faster than yours when
it comes to doing so. 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 Kirbys don't get any outrageous items, and as long
as you're aware of your surroundings, you'll be fine.

      Kill the Kirbys 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.

*****************
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 pretty
good 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 150-200% 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.

*********************************
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), 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 you don't lose points or
anything.

***************************
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 probably
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. 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, evade, drill, evade, and
so on.

      The Master Hand's attacks can all be dodged. I'm not going to go to the
trouble of listing every attack (you'll have to find that out through
experience) but I'll give you some hints: if his finger starts sparkling,
he's going to send some projectiles at you. Turn into Stone to block them
(otherwise, they may break your shield). If his hand twinkles, like Ness when
he's jumping, that means that he's going to jab. Either jump around or block
with stone. For most other attacks, if you see them coming, you should jump
around to avoid them, or execute Stone to shield yourself. A last tip - don't
be distracted by the swirling background.

      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.   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). Do be careful when edge-guarding, since
experienced players controlling characters with Up, B moves which have good
priority (like Samus or Captain Falcon) may be able to override your edge
guard move and hit you instead. Still, edge guarding is NOT cheap; it is
effective and smart.

- Spike! A type of edge-guarding move, except that spiking occurs in the air.
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
(which is Down, A/aerial) serves as his spike. A spike will hit an opponent
downwards while they are in the air, and into the abyss below the arena. 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! Capitalize 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
move), 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 is an
example of a good defensive character.)

- Do not overuse Kirby's shield - it is one of the smallest ones in the game.
If you do not want to get your shield broken, you can use Stone to act as a
shield to everything except the Hammer and throws.

- Roll. Kirby has a great, quick, roll that is extremely useful in getting
out of tight situations. 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 are coming out of the roll).

- 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.

- Use items well. This can mean using them as bait, throwing them at the
right time, and knowing when to throw them and when to use them. Oh, and by
the way, 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 stock, 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, 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 the edge. 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... 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 annoyed 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 attack you. 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, Congo Jungle, and Peach's Castle 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 easiest 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.

- 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 ground/acid. 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. At the last minute, however, 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.

Well, those are all the tips and tricks I have for now. I'll try to add more
soon. If you have good tips or tricks, send them in! You'll get credited, and
you'll be able to share your gem of information with the whole world!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
12.   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 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.

<<<STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION>>>

**************
Captain Falcon
**************

***********
Donkey Kong
***********

***
Fox
***

**********
Jigglypuff
**********

*****
Kirby
*****

****
Link
****

*****
Luigi
*****

*****
Mario
*****

****
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!"

*******
Pikachu
*******

*****
Samus
*****

*****
Yoshi
*****

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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 in the particular situation. Anyway, the combos:



~ Drill Kick (Down, A/air) Combo

Use the downwards Drill Kick in the air, then do 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 70% 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 40% 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 out. They probably won't be quick enough to hit you
(for example, with an aerial Down, A move) while you are executing the combo.

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 Forward+A smash attack (the 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 right, 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 60% to 100-120% damage, or more (to 150% + 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 35-60; 60-100+ is possible if you're lucky.



This is just a start; I'll be putting up more combos as I remember them. Send
your cool, USEFUL combos in, and I'll post them. Just remember that combos
that work on both humans and computers, not just computers, are preferred.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
14.   Contact Info
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

      If you'd like to make a contribution to this FAQ, e-mail me at
<cyper32@hotmail.com> with your contribution and a name or alias that I can
attribute it to. Spot any mistakes? If so, let me know. If you have any
constructive criticism or praise, sure, I'd love to hear what you have to
say. Just keep it coherent and meaningful. If you're bored and just wanna say
hi, drop me a line. I'll try to answer any questions/comments or thank you
for your contributions ASAP, but keep in mind I only check my E-mail a few
times a week, if I'm lucky. Please - no hate mail or spam. I welcome your
criticisms, but not your ranting and abuse. Thank you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
15.   Credits
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

      I'd like to thank everyone who helped and supported my writing this
FAQ: my parents, for giving me the freedom to write it in the first place and
for buying me this game; my friends, for being my opponents and supplying me
with countless hours of fun; Pokeytax, for mentioning a great combo that I
had ignored; Ken Lawler (Lawler14@sluggy.net), for several great contri-
butions; Jeff "CJayC" Veasey, for posting my FAQ on his wonderful site;
Nintendo and Hal Laboratories, for making such a cool game; myself, for
actually writing this FAQ; and, last but not least, you, dear reader, for
reading this FAQ.

peace
