Kirby's Dream Land 2
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Kirby's Dream Land 2 is a platforming game for the Game Boy and the third game in the main Kirby series, as well as a direct sequel to Kirby's Dream Land. Like its predecessors, it was developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo. It is notable for introducing three of Kirby's Animal Friends: Rick, Kine and Coo.
Although released for the same system as the original Kirby's Dream Land, Kirby's Dream Land 2 was designed with the Super Game Boy adapter cartridge for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in mind. When played using this hardware, the game makes use of the Super Game Boy's features to provide select enhancements to the game's presentation. Certain scenes appear in more colors than is normally possible, unique palettes are assigned to all the areas explored by Kirby, the title screen and the map for Dark Castle respectively feature applause and wind sound effects via the SNES's S-SMP audio chip, and a custom border is added around the screen depicting Kirby and the animal friends on a green and white checkerboard pattern.
Compared to more famous titles in the series, re-releases of Kirby's Dream Land 2 are much more limited in scope. It has only been re-released three times: twice in 2012, as one of the games in Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition and via the Nintendo 3DS' Virtual Console, then in 2023 as part of Nintendo Switch Online. It has sold 1.49 million copies in Japan, making it more successful than the original Kirby's Dream Land in that country.[1]
Story
Prior to the start of Kirby's journey, the rainbows that connect the Rainbow Islands of Dream Land have been stolen by Dark Matter, who wants to turn the land into a dark world. He has taken control of King Dedede in order to realize his plans. Thus, Kirby and his friends set out to save Dream Land.[2] In order to do so, they must not only overcome the mind-controlled king and his henchmen but also recover the Rainbow Drops hidden on each island.
If Kirby fails to collect the Rainbow Drops, he walks back home in the rain after the climactic battle with Dedede, his Animal Friends following close behind. Kine eventually stops to cast a troubled look towards the sky, hinting at the fact that Dark Matter's presence is still in the air above and that Dream Land is not yet saved from the cosmic menace.
If Kirby succeeds in finding all of the Rainbow Drops and beats Dedede in battle on the roof of his Dark Castle, the drops combine to form the Rainbow Sword as Dark Matter escapes from the defeated king's body. Using the powerful sword, Kirby is able to fly high into the sky for a duel with Dark Matter himself. After emerging victorious, he briefly loses the weapon and starts plummeting to the ground in exhaustion as his friends and King Dedede watch him. However, he soon becomes fully awake again and regains the Rainbow Sword, using it to restore the rainbows that Dark Matter had stolen.
Gameplay
Like the original Kirby's Dream Land, Kirby's Dream Land 2 is a traditional side-scrolling platformer. Kirby can walk, jump, swim and, by puffing himself up, fly through the levels, as well as using his trademark inhaling ability (which, under normal conditions, does not work while flying or swimming) to suck in weak opponents. Upon doing so, he can either spit them out in the form of stars to cause damage to other enemies or crouch to swallow them. Like in Kirby's Adventure and most future games of the Kirby series, swallowing certain foes lets Kirby copy their abilities; his current ability being displayed in the bottom-right corner of the Heads-up display. Kirby cannot inhale while possessing an ability, and he keeps it until he takes damage or discards it. If this happens, the ability can be recovered by inhaling and swallowing the Ability Star that appears when it is lost. Unlike in most other games of the series, Kirby may use any of his copied abilities underwater.
Defeating enemies, as well as inhaling Star Blocks, adds to the player's score, which is displayed at the bottom of the screen but does not influence gameplay. Touching something harmful reduces Kirby's health (or that of his Animal Friend), which can be restored by collecting certain items. Losing all of his health makes Kirby lose a life, forcing him to restart at the beginning of the section. Once he runs out of lives, he has to restart from the last saved game.
The game is divided into seven levels in the form of islands, which can be reached from the Island Selection screen by using a Warp Star. Each island itself is divided into different stages accessible by entering the doors in the level's Stage Selection screen, which, like in Kirby's Adventure, is presented in a side-scrolling environment. Levels, as well as individual stages, have to be completed in a set order, but Kirby may return to them as many times as he wishes even after their completion. When Kirby is in a stage he has already completed, he may leave at any time by pausing the game with the Start button and selecting "EXIT". Once all the numbered stages are completed, the level's boss door opens up, leading to a room that contains a strong opponent. Emerging victorious from the ensuing battle makes the next level appear on the world map, granting Kirby access to it. Unlike regular stages, boss doors can only be re-entered once per game session, which lets Kirby play a bonus game. The nature of this game varies between levels, but always involves collecting small stars and ends when Kirby takes damage or after a set amount of time. Finishing the bonus chance with all the small stars and without taking damage awards Kirby a 1-Up and adds to the overall completion of the game.
In addition to finishing all of the game's levels, Kirby also has to recover the Rainbow Drops hidden away in each of them. Every island contains one Rainbow Drop, which is located in a special room in one of the stages and always requires a certain Copy Ability to obtain. As levels can be re-entered at any given time, it is not necessary to collect all of the drops in a single run; however, Kirby cannot fight Dark Matter and complete the game without them. Rainbow Drops that have already been collected are shown on top of the island's picture on the Island Selection screen.[3]
A major addition to Kirby's Dream Land 2 not seen in previous games are Kirby's Animal Friends: Rick the hamster, Coo the owl and Kine the sunfish. They can be found in certain locations and always start out trapped in a large bag hanging from the ceiling, which knocks Kirby back if he collides with it. To free the friend, Kirby has to clear the screen of enemies or defeat a Mid-Boss. When he touches a rescued Animal Friend, he automatically hops on and takes a ride, allowing the player to take control of the animal buddy. Each Animal Friend possesses unique strengths and drawbacks, and combining Copy Abilities with friends allows for completely new attacks. Kirby's friend accompanies him until his life meter, which is separate from Kirby's, hits zero, or Kirby chooses to send him away. Touching a Propeller Bomb enemy also causes the friend to disappear. Once lost, a friend cannot be reacquired except by freeing him from a bag once more.
Kirby's progress is saved automatically after completing a stage, using one of three save slots that can be selected using the File Select menu accessed from the title screen. Unlike in previous games, Kirby's score, health meter, number of lives, Copy Ability, and current friend are stored in addition to the status of completion. Once the player achieves a 100% percentage of completion,a sound test and Boss Endurance mode become available from the File Select screen, as well as a mode that allows the player to replay all of the bonus chances in the order they appear in the game.
Controls
Friends' moveset | ||
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Move | Image | Controls |
Walk (Rick) | ← or → | |
Swim (Kine) | ←, ↓, →, or ↑ | |
Fly (Coo) | ←, ↓, →, or ↑ | |
Special power | B |
Levels
The game takes place on the Rainbow Islands, a group of seven islands which each consist of several stages, as well as a boss. Kirby has to defeat the boss at the end of each island in order to continue to the next one. All the islands have to be tackled in the order given below; it is not possible to access them in any other order.
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Kirby's friends
Kirby encounters various friends during his journey, which are initially trapped inside bags and normally have to be rescued by defeating the enemy or Mid-Boss guarding them. The three Animal Friends are able to carry Kirby around, enabling him to use their special strengths as well as upgrading his Copy Abilities; different ability/friend combinations result in different powers. While paired up with a friend, the background music changes to that particular character's theme music outside of level hubs, boss battles, and Rainbow Drop chambers. Kirby's friends possess a separate health meter from himself; once all their health is lost, Kirby loses the friend but may continue by himself as long as his own health remains above zero.
Kirby's Animal Friends and others | ||||||||||||||||||
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Items
Throughout the game, Kirby may come across several items that can help him if he picks them up. In addition to being found in various levels, all of the items mentioned below, apart from the Rainbow Drops, can be acquired during the short bonus game that follows the completion of a stage.
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Copy Abilities
Base Abilities
Kirby can acquire special powers by inhaling and swallowing certain enemies and Mid-Bosses. When he possesses an ability, the B button lets him attack with it instead of causing him to inhale. Certain types of blocks can only be destroyed by using a particular power.
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Combinations
When Kirby teams up with an Animal Friend while possessing an ability, he receives a new power, based on the nature of the Copy Ability as well as the friend he picks. Sometimes, certain combinations are necessary to destroy the blocks keeping Kirby from acquiring a Rainbow Drop.
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Antagonists
Enemies
Enemies make up the bulk of the opponents Kirby encounters on his journey. Most of them can be defeated in one hit, as well as inhaled and either spat out or swallowed. Swallowing certain types grants Kirby a Copy Ability. On rare instances, an enemy may be seen guarding an Animal Friend; Kirby has to defeat it in order to free the friend.
Destroying an enemy awards the player a number of points that differs depending on the enemy type. If Kirby defeats the enemy by inhaling it, the resulting points are cut in half. Common enemies have only 1 HP each except invincible ones.
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Mid-Bosses
Mid-Bosses are strong foes that are always encountered in separate rooms containing no other opponents besides them. They possess their own life meter, which is displayed at the bottom of the screen, replacing the score display for the duration of the fight. They are usually found guarding one of Kirby's Animal Friends; defeating the Mid-Boss frees the friend from captivity, as well as enabling Kirby to inhale and swallow the Mid-Boss to gain its Copy Ability. All Mid-Bosses have 30 HP each and are worth 3000 points.
Mid-Bosses in Kirby's Dream Land 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Bosses
Behind the final door of every island, a boss is waiting for Kirby. Like Mid-Bosses, bosses also possess a health meter. They do not guard helpers or yield abilities, but defeating them is required in order to progress to the next island. After a boss is beaten, Kirby may re-enter its door to play a bonus chance that lets him acquire extra lives. All bosses can be refought in the Boss Endurance mode unlocked by achieving 100% completion; here, they are faced in the same order as in the main game.
Bosses in Kirby's Dream Land 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Staff
The following is a list of staff who have worked on Kirby's Dream Land 2:
Staff of Kirby's Dream Land 2 | ||
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Position | Developer(s) | |
Executive Producer | Hiroshi Yamauchi | |
Producer | Satoru Iwata Shigeru Miyamoto | |
Project Manager | Atsushi Kakuta | |
Director | Shinichi Shimomura | |
Programmer | Yoshiki Suzuki Shimei Tei Masashi Yamane | |
C. G. Designer | Shigeru Hashiguchi Kazuya Miura Yoshiko Ohkubo | |
Composer | Hirokazu Ando Tadashi Ikegami | |
E. S. Designer | Atsushi Kakuta | |
Map Designer | Shinichi Shimomura Kensuke Tanabe Hideki Fujii | |
Tool Programmer | Seiji Otoguro Yoshimi Takahashi | |
Special Thanks | Satoshi Ishida Chieko Obikane |
References in later games
- Kirby's Dream Land 3 - Rick, Kine, and Coo return alongside three new Animal Friends (Nago, Pitch, and ChuChu). Additionally, Gooey returns, albeit as a playable character. Several level names from this game are reused. Dark Matter returns as the main villain.
- Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards - Rick, Kine, and Coo cameo alongside the three Kirby's Dream Land 3 Animal Friends in the Cutter-Stone ability. Additionally, Dark Matter returns as the main villain.
- Kirby Mass Attack - Dark Matter appears as the final boss of Kirby Quest. Rick, Kine, and Coo also cameo in various sub-games.
- Kirby's Return to Dream Land - The music on some Onion Ocean stages is a remix of Kine's theme, titled Happy Mambo in the Kirby Wii Music Selection soundtrack.
- Kirby: Triple Deluxe - There are Keychains depicting various sprites of characters and bosses from this game. Happy Mambo returns as a song in one of the extra stages. Kirby Fighters also features Rick, Kine & Coo in the Coo's Forest stage, alongside with a remix of Coo and Rick's themes.
- Kirby Fighters Deluxe - Rick, Kine & Coo once again appear in Coo's Forest.
- Kirby and the Rainbow Curse - While transforming into the Kirby Tank, Kirby Submarine, or Kirby Rocket, Kirby will temporarily take on the appearance of Rick, Kine, and Coo, respectively. Additionally, Coo and Kine's themes are remixed for this game.
- Kirby: Planet Robobot - There are Stickers depicting official art of characters from this game. A clone of Dark Matter also appears as one of the bosses in Meta Knightmare Returns and The True Arena.
- Team Kirby Clash Deluxe - Rick, Kine, and Coo make cameos in the village. Additionally, one set of gear for Sword Hero Kirby is based on Dark Matter Blade.
- Kirby Battle Royale - The Rainbow Islands can be seen underneath the Obstacle Arena in Slam Hockey. Rick, Kine, and Coo also make cameo appearances in the same battle type.
- Kirby Star Allies - Rick, Kine, and Coo return as Dream Friends in version 2.0.0., representing this game. Their run in Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go! feature areas and music from this game.
- Super Kirby Clash - Rick, Kine, and Coo once again make cameos in the Port Village after clearing the first three Ordeals, and the Dark Matter Gear for Sword Hero appears again.
- Kirby Fighters 2 - Rick, Kine, and Coo once again appear in Coo's Forest, which now also has a new, unlockable remix of its theme.
- Kirby's Dream Buffet - Some of the Character Treats in this game depict characters from Kirby's Dream Land 2.
- Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe - Dress-up Masks of Rick, Kine, Coo, and Dark Matter Blade appear in this game.
Descriptions
Nintendo eShop (3DS)
Original Release Date: May 1995
Kirby™ returns and has joined forces with new friends in this thrilling sequel!
The Rainbow Bridges that connect the seven Rainbow Islands have disappeared! Help Kirby solve the mystery! Search through the different islands while battling King DeDeDe and his horde of evil minions.
Along the way, meet Rick the Hamster, Kine the Fish, and Coo the Owl. Each possesses important abilities that can multiply the magnitude of Kirby's powers! Earn the mysterious Rainbow Sword, and prepare to face Kirby's most menacing rival ever--the evil Dark Matter!
(This description was reused for the game on the My Nintendo Store.)[4]
Nintendo Switch Online
Kirby returns and has joined forces with new friends!
The Rainbow Bridges that connect the seven Rainbow Islands have disappeared! Help Kirby solve the mystery! Search through the different islands while battling King Dedede and his horde of evil minions. Along the way, meet Rick, Kine, and Coo, who look like a hamster, a fish, and an owl, respectively. Each possesses important abilities that can multiply the magnitude of Kirby's powers! Earn the mysterious Rainbow Sword, and prepare to face Kirby's most menacing rival ever—the evil Dark Matter!
(The description in Version 1.0.0 of Game Boy - Nintendo Switch Online originally read "Along the way, meet Rick the Hamster, Kine the Fish, and Coo the Owl," like the Nintendo 3DS eShop description, but this was altered in Version 1.1.1.[5])
Trivia
- In the "Controlling the Game" section of the game's English manual, the Start button is erroneously referred to as "SELECT" below its image.[6] Additionally, when listing Coo's strengths, the manual claims that Kirby "can't swallow and fly at the same time" with him, while he actually can.[7] Both of these have been corrected in later translations.
- The game's false ending triggered by defeating King Dedede without having collected all Rainbow Drops is the only ending that shows the antagonists' names. Once all Rainbow Drops have been found, this ending cannot be viewed anymore, making it impossible to see the names at all without starting anew if the true ending is achieved right away.
- Kirby was originally planned to ride a tank, but the development team later replaced the tank with Animal Friends. Acro was also designed during Kirby's Dream Land 2's development.[8]
- Kirby is also shown in (or as) a tank in early concept art allegedly brainstorming 113 different Copy Abilities (although noting that they would really want about seven all in all, as in the final game). Tank Kirby is shown alongside Rocket Kirby and Deep Sea Kirby; these three ideas together resemble Kirby and the Rainbow Curse's Kirby Tank, Kirby Rocket, and Kirby Submarine, which collectively paid homage 20 years later to the Animal Friends that supplanted these early concepts in Kirby's Dream Land 2.
- The same "113 abilities" concept art also suggested Mole Kirby (featuring diggers that resemble Heavy Mole's attachments, but also somewhat resembling the later abilities of Animal and Drill), UFO Kirby (a pre-existing Copy Ability since Kirby's Adventure), and Scooter Kirby (as a joke).
- Official emulations of this game (Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition, the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console and Nintendo Switch Online) don't account for Super Game Boy features, making the physical SGB and unofficial emulators the only way to play it with color graphics and added sound effects.
Gallery
- Main article: Kirby's Dream Land 2/gallery
Names in other languages
Language | Name | Meaning |
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Japanese | 星のカービィ2 Hoshi no Kābyi Tsū |
Kirby of the Stars 2 |
Chinese | Kirby's Dream Land 2 星之卡比2[9] xīng zhī kǎ bǐ 2 |
- Kirby of the Stars 2 |
Dutch | Kirby's Dream Land 2 | - |
French | Kirby's Dream Land 2 | - |
German | Kirby's Dream Land 2 | - |
Italian | Kirby's Dream Land 2 | - |
Korean | Kirby's Dream Land 2 |
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Portuguese | Kirby's Dream Land 2 | - |
Spanish | Kirby's Dream Land 2 | - |
External links
- Japanese website (Wayback Machine)
- Kirby's Dream Land 2 on Kirby Informer
- English manual (external archive) (second archive)
References
- ↑ Japan Platinum Chart Games, The Magic Box
- ↑ "The rainbows that connect the [rainbow] islands have been stolen by the evil Dark Matter! Dark Matter has taken control of King Dedede and wants to turn Dream Land into a dark world. With the help of three friends, Kirby sets out on his latest quest to save Dream Land." –Kirby's Dream Land 2 instruction manual (page 5)
- ↑ "To fight Dark Matter, Kirby must find a rainbow drop hidden on each island. As Kirby finds the rainbow drops, a mark will appear on the island letting him know that the drop for that island has been found." –Kirby's Dream Land 2 instruction manual (page 18)
- ↑ Kirby's Dream Land 2 on the My Nintendo Store
- ↑ https://twitter.com/OatmealDome/status/1638767764411396096
- ↑ Kirby's Dream Land 2 instruction manual (page 7)
- ↑ "While with Coo, Kirby can't swallow and fly at the same time." –Kirby's Dream Land 2 instruction manual (page 13)
- ↑ "Giving Kirby a tank to ride was one of our early ideas, but we got feedback that riding animals would fit Kirby better." –Kirby's Dream Collection Celebration Book instruction manual (page 11)
- ↑ From the Chinese versions of Game Boy - Nintendo Switch Online
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