Haltmann Works Company
The Haltmann Works Company is the main antagonist organization in Kirby: Planet Robobot.
Overview
The Haltmann Works Company is an organization with a corporate hierarchy, which also acts as its own civilization. It engages in rapid hostile takeover of any world it can (referred to as the Mechanizing Occupation Project), in order to extract all the resources from it, then move on to the next one, leaving all manner of mechanical desolation in its wake. The company is led by President Haltmann, who in turn tends to the heart of the company, the ancient computer known as Star Dream. Susie is executive assistant / President's secretary and Haltworkers are the most common employees. The company publishes a currency called Haltmann, named after the President himself.
The main story of Kirby: Planet Robobot revolves around the company taking root on Planet Popstar using their mothership, the Access Ark. As all other opposition to the takeover was effectively shot down on arrival, it is up to Kirby to save his world from consumption by single-handedly taking out each leg of the ark, then dealing with the President and his computer. After the ark is destroyed, it can be presumed that the Haltmann Works Company was also effectively ended as an organization.
Profile
This section is the translation of the company profile on the Japanese official website.
- Business: Planet mechanizing occupation; effective economy development and resource farming (until the resources are run out of)
- Employees: About 860,000 (Does local hiring; executives are loyal, high-performance robots.)
- Headquarter: Access Ark, the giant invader mothership (Moves between planets at certain times.)
- Philosophy: To achieve infinite prosperity by means of mechanization
- Anthem: "The Noble Haltmann"
Production
The Haltmann Works Company is responsible for several creations, including Gigavolt, C.O.G.S., Holo Defense API, the D3 Cannon, Security Force (modelled after Metal General), and most recognizably, the Invader Armor (which becomes the Robobot Armor if piloted by Kirby). The company has mechanized several Popstar habitants, notably modifying Whispy Woods into Clanky Woods, and Meta Knight into Mecha Knight.
According to the boss battle Special Pages, these are the costs of some creations:
- Clanky Woods / Mecha Knight: 2.325 billion Haltmanns
- Clanky Woods 2.0: 1.1625 billion Haltmanns (half of the previous model)
- Gigavolt: 4.3 billion Haltmanns
- Gigavolt 2.0: 8.6 billion Haltmanns (double of the previous model)
- D3 Cannon: 9.3 billion Haltmanns (four times of Clanky Woods / Mecha Knight; 5 billion more than Gigavolt)
- President Haltmann's Executive Suit: 37.2 billion Haltmanns (four times of the D3 Cannon)
Trivia
- The name of President Haltmann and his company is somewhat based on HAL Laboratory itself. The number of employees and the cost of Gigavolt 2.0 are also references to HAL (86=ハル).
- Star Dream's second phase has an attack exactly called "Haltmann Works Company" in which it fires giant letters of H, A, and L, the order of which differs between the normal version and the soul version.
- It is possible that the Egg Engines stage in Kirby's Return to Dream Land was a relic left behind by the Haltmann Works Company, along with the factory on Shiver Star.
