Kirby's Block Ball

The game's 55 levels include power-ups, bonus rounds, and minigames. The team spent half a year revising the gameplay to match Kirby's signature characteristics. Released in Japan on December 14, 1995, later in North America in May 1996, and in Europe on August 29, 1996. Reviewers considered the game an improvement on the Breakout formula and praised its gameplay craftsmanship and incorporation of the Kirby series. It was included in multiple top Game Boy game lists and was later released on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console.

• Title — Kirby's Block Ball • Developer — * Tose • Nintendo R&D1 • Publisher — Nintendo • Director — Hiromune Kouno • Producer — * Gunpei Yokoi • Shigeru Miyamoto • Designer — * Hiroyoshi Kubo • Ichirou Takigawa • Programmer — * Takeshi Yamazaki • Toshifumi Hiroo • Yuki Yano • Yasu Shimokawa • Zhu Li • Artist — * Isao Shiroyama • You Kotou • Composer — * Sukezo Ouyama • Ryoue Takagi • Series — Kirby • Platforms — Game Boy • Released — December 14, 1995 • Genre — Action • Modes — Single-player

• Illustration — Screenshot of gameplay as Kirby uses the "spark" power-up and three walls are exposed The player controls paddles along the screen's edges to knock a bouncing ball, Kirby, into destructible bricks. The player loses a life if Kirby hits a spike-covered edge of the screen. Each of the game's eleven stages include five rounds of increasingly complex block patterns for Kirby to clear. The ten different block types vary in durability and points value. A well-timed hit of the paddle gives Kirby a powerful bounce to break through harder blocks. Another block type turns the remaining blocks into a bonus round that rewards the player for clearing the screen in the least amount of time. The player can find warp stars that lead to minigames, such as air hockey, where the player can earn extra lives. The rounds also include enemies to attack and avoid. Some enemies contain bonus items. Each stage ends in a boss fight. With the stone, needle, flame, and spark Copy Abilities, Kirby can transform to interact with blocks differently. For instance, the spark power-up lets Kirby break through otherwise indestructible blocks, and the needle allows Kirby to stick back to a paddle to launch again from a more advantageous position. The game has a themed frame and uses a wide palette of colors in-game when played with the Super Game Boy.

The game was developed by Nintendo R&D1, and published by Nintendo. At one point in development, HAL decided that the game did not feel like a Kirby game. The team spent six months completely revising the game under explicit instructions on how Kirby should move. Kirby games contain elements of unrestricted, creative movement as a general theme. Kirby's Block Ball was released for the Game Boy first in Japan on December 14, 1995 and later in Europe (1995) and North America (May 1996). It was later released on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console, and released first in Japan (October 2011) and later in Europe (February 2012) and North America (May 2012).