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The legends of this place tell of a mighty guardian known as the Great Gear. I wonder if it ever really existed?
— Daroach • Kirby Mass Attack

Great Gear is a mid-boss in the Kirby series, debuting in Kirby Mass Attack.

Physical Appearance[]

Great Gear is a vast teal gear with two large eyes with embossed eyelashes, a nose with gold cogs for nostrils, and a rectangular mouth containing a tongue and 12 teeth. He is a metal disc encased in a teal-gray rock shell; the outer shell has a opening in the shape of a rounded trapezoid, while the metal disc has a glass portion of the same shape. His interior contains red and purple gears. Great Gear's body is surrounded by 16 smaller gears that serve as gear teeth.

Games[]

Kirby Mass Attack[]

KMA Great Gear Rolling

The Kirbys push Great Gear.

Great Gear first appears in Stage 6 of Sandy Canyon and reappears in Stage 9 of Volcano Valley, as well as the Survival Rush sub-game. According to ancient legend, he is a guardian of the desert. The Kirbys find him in a dormant state as they explore the ruins. They roll this inanimate gear for a distance, fighting off Mummbons and possibly acquiring medals in the process. The gear rolls down a slope and is grabbed by a mechanism with eyes, which lifts it into the air and channels an electric current through it. It then activates, becoming Great Gear.

KMA Great Gear Hurt

The Kirbys attack Great Gear's weak point.

Great Gear hangs from the ceiling with a chain dangling on either side of him. These are loaded with weights known as Gear Pawns. The mid-boss's only vulnerable part is the glass section in his forehead. His Gear Pawns tilt him so his weak point is unexposed, so the Kirbys must break enough of them that he flips. If the player loses track of how the weights should be distributed to expose the glass, he/she has two alternatives: A group of Kirbys can weigh down a chain by piling on a ring, balancing Great Gear properly while the other heroes attack. The player can also defeat all the weights for the same result. Great Gear produces a guttural sound when he is tilting optimally. The player must the flick Kirbys into the glass until it breaks and pile them onto the internal gears to damage the mid-boss. It is recommended that the player work quickly when he is vulnerable, as he summons new Gear Pawns to tilt him away.

During the second and third phases of the fight, Great Gear begins spitting bouncy spike balls and summoning Gear Spikes. These enemies damage the Kirbys if struck while their spikes are extended. After the third successful strike to Great Gear, the mid-boss is defeated. He spins around limply as his support cogs detach.

Great Gear Sand

Great Gear spits sand.

Great Gear is resurrected in Volcano Valley and dwells in a concealed room below his grave. His regular attacks are unaltered but slightly more intense. After the first phase, the mid-boss spits Mummbons and sand from his mouth, turning the entire floor into quicksand. His weights also drop down faster. When Great Gear is defeated, the right chain locking Buzzybat's door breaks.

Etymology[]

Great Gear's name describes his size and shape.

Great Gear's Japanese name, グルギアント (Gurugianto), comes from the Japanese onomatopoeia for something rolling, グルグル (guruguru); and the word gear, ギア (gia).

Related Quotes[]

Who knew that the gear you carried would turn out to be an enemy? But legend knows him as the Great Gear. It's said that he has a weak spot. That spot is usually covered, but when he's balancing in a certain way, you'll see it exposed.
— Daroach • Kirby Mass Attack

Trivia[]

  • Great Gear's overall design is closely based on the Aztec sun stone.
  • Throughout many of the stages that take place in temples before and after the battle with Great Gear, small images of him can be found in the background elements.
  • Great Gear is the only mid-boss that doesn't get a palette change when returned from the dead in Stage 9 of Volcano Valley.
  • Notes from the ESRB that explain Kirby Mass Attack’s E rating explicitly mention a boss who is "accompanied by belching sounds." The boss in question seems to be Great Gear.[1]

Gallery[]

Sprites[]

References[]

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