<s>
Kirby	B-Application
’s	O
Block	O
Ball	O
,	O
known	O
in	O
Japan	O
as	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
1995	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
TOSE	O
and	O
Nintendo	O
R&D1	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
for	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
portable	B-Device
console	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
a	O
spin-off	O
of	O
the	O
Kirby	B-Application
video	O
game	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
a	O
Breakout	B-Application
clone	I-Application
;	O
the	O
player	O
controls	O
paddles	O
along	O
the	O
screen	O
's	O
edge	O
to	O
knock	O
a	O
bouncing	O
ball	O
,	O
Kirby	B-Application
,	O
into	O
destructible	O
bricks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
spent	O
half	O
a	O
year	O
revising	O
the	O
gameplay	O
to	O
match	O
Kirby	B-Application
's	O
signature	O
characteristics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kirby	B-Application
's	I-Application
Block	I-Application
Ball	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
December	O
14	O
,	O
1995	O
,	O
later	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
May	O
13	O
,	O
1996	O
and	O
finally	O
in	O
Europe	O
on	O
August	O
29	O
,	O
1996	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewers	O
considered	O
the	O
game	O
an	O
improvement	O
on	O
the	O
Breakout	B-Application
formula	O
and	O
praised	O
its	O
gameplay	O
craftsmanship	O
and	O
incorporation	O
of	O
the	O
Kirby	B-Application
series	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
included	O
in	O
multiple	O
top	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
game	O
lists	O
and	O
was	O
later	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
3DS	I-Operating_System
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
controls	O
paddles	O
along	O
the	O
screen	O
's	O
edges	O
to	O
knock	O
a	O
bouncing	O
ball	O
,	O
Kirby	B-Application
,	O
into	O
destructible	O
bricks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
loses	O
a	O
life	O
if	O
Kirby	B-Application
hits	O
a	O
spike-covered	O
edge	O
of	O
the	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
eleven	O
stages	O
include	O
five	O
rounds	O
of	O
increasingly	O
complex	O
block	O
patterns	O
for	O
Kirby	B-Application
to	O
clear	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
well-timed	O
hit	O
of	O
the	O
paddle	O
gives	O
Kirby	B-Application
a	O
powerful	O
bounce	O
to	O
break	O
through	O
harder	O
blocks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
stone	O
,	O
needle	O
,	O
flame	O
,	O
and	O
spark	O
power-ups	O
,	O
Kirby	B-Application
can	O
transform	O
to	O
interact	O
with	O
blocks	O
differently	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
instance	O
,	O
the	O
spark	O
power-up	O
lets	O
Kirby	B-Application
break	O
through	O
otherwise	O
indestructible	O
blocks	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
needle	O
allows	O
Kirby	B-Application
to	O
stick	O
back	O
to	O
a	O
paddle	O
to	O
launch	O
again	O
from	O
a	O
more	O
advantageous	O
position	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
has	O
a	O
themed	O
frame	O
and	O
uses	O
a	O
wide	O
palette	O
of	O
colors	O
in-game	O
when	O
played	O
with	O
the	O
Super	B-Device
Game	I-Device
Boy	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
one	O
point	O
in	O
development	O
,	O
HAL	O
decided	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
did	O
not	O
feel	O
like	O
a	O
Kirby	B-Application
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
spent	O
six	O
months	O
completely	O
revising	O
the	O
game	O
under	O
explicit	O
instructions	O
on	O
how	O
Kirby	B-Application
should	O
move	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kirby	B-Application
games	O
contain	O
elements	O
of	O
unrestricted	O
,	O
creative	O
movement	O
as	O
a	O
general	O
theme	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kirby	B-Application
's	I-Application
Block	I-Application
Ball	I-Application
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
first	O
in	O
Japan	O
in	O
1995	O
and	O
later	O
in	O
Europe	O
(	O
1995	O
)	O
and	O
North	O
America	O
(	O
May	O
1996	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
later	O
emulated	O
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
3DS	I-Operating_System
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
,	O
and	O
released	O
first	O
in	O
Japan	O
(	O
October	O
2011	O
)	O
and	O
later	O
in	O
Europe	O
(	O
February	O
2012	O
)	O
and	O
North	O
America	O
(	O
May	O
2012	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
release	O
,	O
the	O
four	O
reviewers	O
of	O
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
applauded	O
Kirby	B-Application
's	I-Application
Block	I-Application
Ball	I-Application
for	O
modifying	O
the	O
Breakout	B-Application
formula	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
new	O
and	O
enjoyable	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
later	O
a	O
runner	O
up	O
for	O
their	O
Hand-Held	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
(	O
behind	O
Tetris	B-Application
Attack	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	B-Application
Power	I-Application
said	O
they	O
enjoyed	O
Block	O
Ball	O
and	O
its	O
number	O
of	O
stages	O
,	O
but	O
wondered	O
how	O
its	O
eight	O
megabits	O
of	O
memory	O
were	O
being	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
magazine	O
found	O
the	O
parts	O
where	O
Kirby	B-Application
eats	O
the	O
unbreakable	O
blocks	O
to	O
be	O
innovative	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
wrote	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
primarily	O
remembered	O
as	O
"	O
an	O
Arkanoid	B-Device
or	O
Breakout	B-Application
clone	I-Application
skinned	O
with	O
the	O
Kirby	B-Application
franchise	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Kirby	B-Application
series	I-Application
became	O
known	O
for	O
its	O
number	O
of	O
non-platformer	O
spin-offs	O
,	O
of	O
which	O
Block	O
Ball	O
was	O
one	O
,	O
like	O
Kirby	B-Application
's	I-Application
Pinball	I-Application
Land	I-Application
and	O
Kirby	B-Application
's	I-Application
Dream	I-Application
Course	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kirby	B-Application
's	O
spherical	O
shape	O
lent	O
itself	O
towards	O
ball-like	O
roles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
wrote	O
that	O
Block	O
Ball	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
"	O
truly	O
out	O
there	O
"	O
Kirby	B-Application
spin-off	O
,	O
but	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
too	O
short	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Planet	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
called	O
it	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
original	B-Device
Game	I-Device
Boy	I-Device
's	O
ten	O
"	O
all-time	O
classics	O
"	O
and	O
GamesRadar	O
placed	O
it	O
among	O
the	O
top	O
25	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
games	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
considered	O
Kirby	B-Application
's	I-Application
Block	I-Application
Ball	I-Application
an	O
improvement	O
upon	O
Alleyway	B-Application
,	O
a	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
launch	O
title	O
and	O
Breakout	B-Application
clone	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
recommended	O
the	O
game	O
upon	O
its	O
3DS	B-Operating_System
rerelease	O
both	O
in	O
general	O
and	O
for	O
Breakout	B-Application
fans	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
World	O
Report	O
recommended	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
players	O
who	O
like	O
score	O
attack	O
games	O
and	O
called	O
it	O
the	O
best	O
version	O
of	O
Breakout	B-Application
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Retrospective	O
reviewers	O
found	O
the	O
game	O
enjoyable	O
and	O
praised	O
the	O
craft	O
behind	O
the	O
gameplay	O
and	O
Kirby	B-Application
themes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Alternatively	O
,	O
Kirby	B-Application
's	I-Application
Block	I-Application
Ball	I-Application
received	O
the	O
lowest	O
rating	O
on	O
Tim	O
Rogers	O
's	O
2004	O
"	O
Yamanote	O
Scoring	O
System	O
for	O
Portable	O
Games	O
"	O
(	O
a	O
metric	O
by	O
which	O
he	O
played	O
a	O
game	O
while	O
counting	O
stops	O
on	O
the	O
circular	O
Yamanote	O
train	O
line	O
until	O
he	O
lost	O
interest	O
)	O
with	O
a	O
score	O
of	O
"	O
one	O
"	O
stop	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
also	O
found	O
the	O
music	O
excellent	O
in	O
comparison	O
to	O
the	O
annoying	O
and	O
repetitive	O
soundtrack	O
of	O
most	O
Breakout	B-Application
clones	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
magazine	O
also	O
liked	O
how	O
the	O
game	O
fit	O
the	O
Kirby	B-Application
universe	O
,	O
apart	O
from	O
its	O
increased	O
difficulty	O
—	O
Jeuxvideo.com	O
occasionally	O
had	O
trouble	O
hitting	O
the	O
slow-paced	O
ball	O
with	O
precision	O
.	O
</s>
