Lurchin
- This article is about a species in the Donkey Kong franchise. For an enemy in the Wario franchise, see Lurchin (Wario: Master of Disguise).
| Lurchin | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Artwork of a Lurchin from Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! | |||
| First appearance | Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (1996) | ||
| Latest appearance | Donkey Kong Country 3 (GBA) (2005) | ||
| |||
Lurchins are sea urchin-like enemies that appear in the underwater levels of Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! and Donkey Kong Land III, along with some riverside and boardwalk levels. Lurchins have two yellow-spiked, green outer shells, on the top and bottom respectively, and a thin, squishy pink segment connecting both shells. Lurchin's face is on the squishy segment, and they have large eyes with bulging, red veins.
In both games, Enguarde fights a large Lurchin boss known as Barbos.
History
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
In Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, Lurchins first appear in two Bonus Areas, but their first appearance outside a Bonus Area is in Fish Food Frenzy.
Lurchins do not directly attack Dixie or Kiddy Kong directly. Instead, they remain stationary or travel up and down in a set path, opening and closing their shell. Some Lurchins move at a faster pace than others. The Kongs must avoid contact with a Lurchin, else it injures the lead Kong.
Like many other underwater enemies, Enguarde can defeat a Lurchin by stabbing it. However, Enguarde can only stab a Lurchin in its squishy center, because if he touches Lurchin's spiky shell, Enguarde gets injured. In Fish Food Frenzy, Nibbla is also capable of defeating Lurchins by eating them. However, doing so worsens Nibbla's mood, in contrast to Kocos, which keep Nibbla at ease. However, there is one Lurchin that Nibbla must eat to reveal the path to a Bonus Barrel.
In Dixie Kong's Photo Album during the end credits, a Lurchin photograph is categorized under the "Aquatic Attackers" enemy class.
In the Game Boy Advance version, during the Pacifica level Ripcurl Reef, there are Lurchins with a yellow shell, purple spikes and a green center. These Lurchins act no different than their normal counterpart.
Donkey Kong Land III
In Donkey Kong Land III, Lurchins retain their behavior from Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!. Lurchins act different in the boss level, Barbos Bastion, than in other parts of the game. In the boss level, Barbos's battle strategy involves it sending a few Lurchins after Enguarde; one of the Lurchins moves slowly before stopping, and once the Lurchin opens its shell, Enguarde must stab the Lurchin back into Barbos. The Lurchin can even bounce off the walls.
Levels
Donkey Kong Country 3
- Tidal Trouble (Bonus Level only)
- Bazza's Blockade (Bonus Level only)
- Fish Food Frenzy
- Floodlit Fish
- Pot Hole Panic
- Poisonous Pipeline
- Dingy Drain-Pipe (Game Boy Advance version only)
- Stormy Seas (Game Boy Advance version only)
- Sunken Spruce (Game Boy Advance version only)
- Ripcurl Reef (Game Boy Advance version only)
Donkey Kong Land III
- Seabed Shanty
- Coral Quarrel
- Jetty Jitters
- Riverbank Riot
- Surface Tension
- Deep Reef Grief
- Ugly Ducting
- Haunted Hollows
Gallery
Sprite from Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
Sprite from Donkey Kong Land III
Sprite from Donkey Kong GB: Dinky Kong & Dixie Kong
Sprite from Donkey Kong Country 3 (GBA)
Sprite of the golden variant from Donkey Kong Country 3 (GBA)
An unused color variant of Lurchin in Donkey Kong Country 3 (GBA), later replaced by the golden variant
A Lurchin alongside a Nibbla and Koco in 4koma Gag Battle
_GBA_Sprite.png){kind=icon}
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | リラーチ[?] Rirāchi |
No specific meaning |
