Kirby's Block Ball

Kirby + Breakout = Kirby's Block Ball

Debug Menu


A GameShark code will enable debug menu. After enabling the code, you need to reset the game, then disable the code. Alternatively, use the Game Genie code to start in the debug menu.
 * Boss is boss "viewer". It will show the boss appearance demo, but you can't actually fight him. The value is selectable from 01-12, but selecting 12 will crash the game.
 * Dance is stage-completed demo viewer. Your score is always set to 0. The value is selectable from 01-12, but selecting 12 will freeze the game.
 * Demo is pre-stage demo viewer, and can be used as stage selector too. But unfortunately, you can't select individual level. The value is selectable from 01-12. 12 is "Border line cleared" screen.
 * The lives icon will modify your amount of lives. Pressing A button on this option will start the boss viewer.
 * The star icon will modify your amount of stars. Pressing A button on this option will start the boss viewer.
 * Bonus is bonus game selector. 01 is air hockey game, 02 is cloud game, 03 is up/down game, and 04 is star catcher game. For some reason, only air hockey and star catcher games are playable; all other games will stop working when Kirby lands on a paddle.
 * Level is bonus game difficulty. The value is selectable from 00-04. 00 is easiest, 04 is hardest. Pressing A button on this option will start the currently selected bonus game.
 * Ending is ending viewer. 00 is Good Ending, 01 is Bad Ending, 02 is Hi-Score Present/Award.
 * Title freezes the game.

Unused Enemies
Two enemies listed in the instruction booklet are unused in the game, but are fully coded.

Pengi


Everyone's favorite Kirby related penguin appears in the ROM, but is never used. Its graphics are loaded in Stage 7-2, so that's probably where it was supposed to be used.

Waddle Doo


Waddle Doo is never loaded in any level, but maybe that's for the best, given the death animation. Yikes.

Unused Enemy Animations
Several enemies have unused animations indicative of different movement patterns.

Kaboola Jr.


Unused animations: Moving up and down.

Actual movement in game: Left to right.

Kracko Jr.


Unused animations: Moving left to right.

Actual movement in game: Up and down.

Poppy Bros. Jr.


Unused animations: Moving left to right.

Actual movement in game: Up and down.

Sir Slippy


Unused animations: Stationary.

Actual movement in game: Left to right.

Sue-Robot


Unused animations: Moving left to right.

Actual movement in game: Up and down.

Whispy Shrub


Unused animations: Moving up and down.

Actual movement in game: None. It's a tree.

Unused Music
One track is unused; a short but sinister piece with an unknown purpose.

Unused Tiles
All of the level tilesets follow a template: Stage borders, thin horizontal and vertical borders, slopes, and a 2x2 block. Each tile is present, even if it isn't used in the level, which leads to a lot of unused tiles.

General


This question block is found with the standard breakable block graphics. This question block is used to generate Chuckies in Kirby's Dream Land. Its purpose here on the other hand is unknown.

Stage 1


Thin horizontal and vertical borders, slopes, and a 2x2 block.

Stage 2


Hey, it's the same as Stage 1! The stage designs haven't become complicated yet.

Stage 3


The thin vertical borders get used here, everything else is still unused.

Stage 3 Boss


A few of the boss tilesets follow the standard template, but most don't. This one does. Thin horizontal borders are used, but only in 2x1 segments.

Stage 4


Stage designs finally get complicated. Long thin horizontal and vertical borders aren't used, neither is the 2x2 block.

Stage 5


Bottom slopes aren't used, nor are long thin vertical borders.

Notice a pattern yet? Yeah, those 2x2 blocks are never going to get used in a level.

Stage 6


Ceiling slopes? Nope. 2x2 block? Still nope.

Stage 6 Boss


There's nothing interesting to say about this.

Stage 7


Ceiling slopes, long horizontal borders, and that damn 2x2 block.

Stage 8


Thin vertical borders and long thin horizontal borders. And that 2x2 block again.

Stage 9


Oh come on! It's not like there weren't any opportunities to use the 2x2 block graphics. Why?

Stage 9 Boss


Really now.

Stage 10


Vertical borders are unused, along with that other thing.

Stage 10 Boss


In a shocking display, the designers decided to actually include the 2x2 blocks the artists have been drawing for the past 10 levels! This time the normal stage borders are unused.

Stage 11


Then they forgot about it again. Oh well.

Stage 12?


This tileset is completely unused. Unfortunately half of it is missing, having been overwritten by the Stage 1 Boss tileset.

Miscellaneous Unused Graphics
Other unused graphics unrelated to the above categories.

Flag


This flag is found with the rest of the Up Down bonus game graphics.

Scratch Area


There's an area in the ROM used as a scratch pad by the artists. This is found in the middle of the enemy graphic blocks.

This scratch area also has an alternate version of the Power Block's reflection.

Regional Differences
More graphical alterations and text touch-ups.

Title Screen
The game intro and title screen were completely redone. In the Japanese version, Kirby comes in from the background and bounces onto the game title. Once he lands, he starts spinning around.

In the international release, Kirby floats in on a cloud, then jumps down onto the title. (And gets angry, of course.)

In addition to the more obvious graphical changes, the copyright text was also updated. It's also worth noting that the Japanese game does not have any gameplay demos; as such, the background music comes to a stop in the international version right before it would loop in the Japanese game.

Air Hockey
"Game Set" changed to "Game Score". The point total was pluralized, and the exclamation point removed.

Stage Intros
Text from the stage intros were rewritten to sound less like Engrish. "Burning" was changed to "Flame", contradicting the earlier localization of "Fireball" from Kirby's Adventure.

Hi Score Table
Another instance of text polishing. There's no space between the stage text and stage number in the Japanese version, and there's some additional Engrish in there as well.

Hi Score Bonus
One version's present is another version's award.

SGB Border
In the Japanese version, the game's title appears at the bottom of the Super Game Boy border. The title was removed completely in the international version.