Sand Canyon

Sand Canyon File:Sand Canyon DL3 Stage Select.jpg The Stage Select screen for Sand Canyon. Details Level Nr. 3 Mini-Game How many of the same face are there? Boss Pon Con

Level Progression ← Ripple Field Cloudy Park →

Sand Canyon is the third level in Kirby's Dream Land 3. It is primarily based on a North American desert, containing vast, rocky wastelands, various stone formations and cacti. It also features a large ominous pyramid in its final stage. The boss fought at the end of it is Pon Con. This level follows Ripple Field and is followed by Cloudy Park.

Cut-scene

Kirby, Rick and Coo are playing a ball game using Gooey as the ball, while ChuChu is admiring a flower. Coo overshoots, causing Gooey to collide with the wall, then fall and squish the flower. ChuChu gets angry at the others, who are watching in dismay as Gooey licks ChuChu, which then results in her punching Gooey very hard into the wall. After this, ChuChu blushes as the others stare at her in fear.

File:Sand Canyon DL3.jpg

The intro cut-scene for Sand Canyon.

Stages

Each stage is unlocked in succession after clearing the previous one. Defeating Pon Con is necessary to move on to Cloudy Park. For more information about a particular stage, click on the link to the stage's page in the table. For a full guide on how to get the Heart Stars in this region, visit the Heart Star page.

Stage	Animal Friends	Notes
Stage 1	Pitch & Rick
Stage 2	ChuChu & Coo
Stage 3	ChuChu, Coo, & Pitch	This stage features the mini-game How many of the same face are there?.
Stage 4	Nago, Pitch, & Rick	This stage features the mid-boss Haboki.
Stage 5	ChuChu & Rick
Stage 6	All six friends
Stage 7	N/A	Completing this stage unlocks Cloudy Park.

Boss: Pon Con

File:Pon Con Fight.jpg

A portion of the battle with Pon and Con.

The battle takes place on a platform with three decks that Kirby can jump up to and down from. The two bosses in question a Racoon and a Fox, start running about the decks with their children in tow. Kirby can inhale then spit back the children at their parents, but will have to mind the movements of the other critters, as well as the occasional large Gordo that falls down to block a path.

When Pon and Con are defeated, the Heart Stars Kirby gathered, assuming he got all six, will purge the area of Dark Matter's influence. From there, he dances, and rides his Warp Star to the next level - Cloudy Park.

Trivia

• Sand Canyon is notable for being the only level in Kirby's Dream Land 3 (besides the Hyper Zone) that did not debut in its predecessor, Kirby's Dream Land 2; the latter does, however, contain a similar level known as Red Canyon, which may have served as the inspiration for this one.
• Stage 2 features a remix of the famous Gourmet Race theme.
• The music from Stage 6 would later feature in Kirby: Planet Robobot, as both a cover piece and as the original.