Kirby's Dream Course

Kirby's Dream Course American box artJapanese box art Box art of Kirby's Dream Course in various regions. Details Developer(s) HAL Laboratory Publisher(s) Nintendo Release date(s) Super Nintendo Entertainment System: September 21, 1994 February 1, 1995 August 24, 1995 August 24, 1995 Virtual Console (Wii): April 24, 2007 June 29, 2007 June 29, 2007 July 23, 2007 February 24, 2009 Virtual Console (Wii U): May 8, 2013 May 23, 2013 May 23, 2013 Virtual Console (New 3DS): June 7, 2016 June 9, 2016 June 9, 2016 July 28, 2016 SNES: Nintendo Switch Online: September 6, 2019 September 5, 2019 September 6, 2019 September 6, 2019 Platform(s) Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Virtual Console (Wii, Wii U, New 3DS), Super Nintendo Entertainment System Classic Edition, Nintendo Switch (SNES: Nintendo Switch Online) Supported languages Japanese, American English Rating(s) ESRB: / PEGI: CERO:

Game chronology ← Kirby's Pinball Land Kirby's Avalanche →

On affiliated sites Switcher.gg Find Kirby's Dream Course friends online StrategyWiki Walkthrough

"KDC" redirects here. For information about the Wii game celebrating Kirby's 20th anniversary, see Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition.

Kirby's Dream Course is a spinoff game released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was first released in Japan in 1994 and saw an overseas release a year later, in 1995. It is the fourth game released in the Kirby series and is the first to be released on a 16-bit console.

The game does not feature traditional Kirby gameplay but instead casts the pink hero as the ball in a golf or miniature golf simulation with numerous Kirby elements and themes. This makes it the second game to focus on utilizing Kirby as a ball, the first being its immediate predecessor, Kirby's Pinball Land.

In 2007, Kirby's Dream Course was ported to the Wii's Virtual Console at a price of 800 Wii Points. In 2013, the game was ported on the Wii U's Virtual Console, and in 2016, the game was ported as a Virtual Console title for New Nintendo 3DS units. Kirby's Dream Course is priced at $7.99 (USD) on both the Wii U and New 3DS eShops. It is also included as one of the games on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System Classic Edition and can be accessed through the Nintendo Switch Online Super Nintendo Entertainment System emulator.

Story

King Dedede stealing the stars, as depicted in the instruction booklet.

“

One night, the inhabitants said to one another, "Let's gaze at the star-lit sky and have wonderful dreams tonight." However, when they gazed up into the sky they noticed something was different. The sky was black. There wasn't a single star in sight!

”

— Kirby's Dream Course Instruction Booklet (North American print), page 3

The story of Kirby's Dream Course is contained entirely within the instruction booklet, where the premise is set for Kirby to go on his latest journey. This is not the case in the Japanese version, where the plot is described in-game.
Some time after the events of Kirby's Adventure (referred to as the "Dream Spring incident" in the booklet), the inhabitants of Dream Land decide to gaze up into the night sky to admire the stars that decorate it. However, they soon realize that all of the stars have gone missing. Night after night, they look again in hopes the stars will return, but they do not, causing the Dream Landers to sink into a deep depression. Soon, suspicions are raised that King Dedede is once again responsible for stealing all of Dream Land's stars and hoarding them in his floating castle. Kirby, once more "arriving with the spring breeze," comes in to save Dream Land by retrieving its stolen stars from King Dedede.

Gameplay

Kirby's Dream Course revolves around guiding Kirby through hazardous golf-like stages to defeat enemies, using Copy Abilities to help traverse the terrain.

Kirby's Dream Course is a miniature golf-like game set in an isometric 2.5-dimensional environment. Kirby serves as the ball, and the goal of the game is to get him into the cup at the end of each hole in as few strokes as possible. Unlike in traditional golf, the cup is not initially on the field, as it only appears in place of the last enemy remaining once all the others have been defeated, adding an extra level of strategy to each hole. As such, Kirby must defeat all but one standard enemy on the hole before he can finish, which is done by bumping into them during shots. To complicate this task, most of the courses are littered with various hazards and other obstacles which can be overcome with deft use of Kirby's controls and/or the ten Copy Abilities which can be obtained from certain enemies.

Instead of there being a specific par for each course, Kirby operates on an energy meter which depletes every time he makes a shot and replenishes whenever he defeats an enemy or makes it into a cup. His meter is represented by up to four "Energy Tomatoes", and if he runs out during a course or falls OB (out of bounds), he will lose a life. Running out of lives results in a Game Over, and the course will have to be replayed from the first hole. The only way to gain more lives is to score a hole-in-one on a course or reach a new course with less than two extra lives (at which the lives will be reset to two).

Basic controls

As the ball, Kirby has many different options for movement along the holes that a normal golf ball would not have access to. As might be expected, he does not "cheat" by walking around the course, but he does have other ways of altering his trajectory while being shot. The following table goes over each of his basic movement options and how they are executed (details on Copy Abilities can be found in the "Copy Abilities" section):

Kirby's Dream Course controls

Movement Button execution Description Notes Direction ← / → Kirby can adjust the direction that he will move in when he is shot. Pressing L or R will adjust the direction by 45 degree increments. Change Guide ↓ / ↑ Allows the player to select between the standard Grounder shot or a Fly shot. Also used to change between the short and long guide for the grounder shots. Choosing the short or long guide will not affect the launch power. For fly and curved shots, Kirby will only follow the guide if he is hit at max power. Shot Panel A The Shot Panel opens. This can be closed by pressing B. Another meter representing Kirby's spin direction will move and can be set if preparing a fly shot. Power Meter A during Shot Panel The power meter begins to move. The shot can no longer be canceled once this begins. Unlike other meters, this one will not loop once it has moved up and down once, instead forcing Kirby to shoot at low power if no choice is made. Shot A during Power Meter After lining up the desired shot strength, Kirby is launched on his chosen trajectory. This action costs one tomato. Spin Panel Hold B Opens up a different panel where the player can set which direction Kirby should curve during grounder shots using the Control Pad. This panel can also be used to set a guide bar for Kirby's spin bounce direction during Fly shots. Spin A during Shot Panel (fly shots) While preparing a fly shot, the player can set Kirby's spin direction using the vertical meter before moving on to the Power Meter. Setting it high will cause Kirby to bounce forward when he lands after his first bounce, and setting it low causes him to bounce backward. Bounce A during a Shot While in motion, Kirby can bounce himself to gain a little extra height or distance if A is pressed upon hitting the ground or a pond during fly shots. This can also be used when hitting a bumper to bounce a little harder. Holding the A button while rolling will cause Kirby to move a little further than usual. Ability B during a Shot While in motion, Kirby can use a Copy Ability if he has one to activate its power. Each ability can only be used once per shot, but collecting a new ability during a shot will allow Kirby to use it, even if he's already used another one that turn. Scroll Hold Y + a direction Allows the player to scroll the camera away from Kirby to see the rest of the map. Handy for planning moves.

2P Game

Players roll dice to determine the starting order, then select handicaps before starting the 2P Game.

Kirby's Dream Course also features an extensive two-player competitive game (the first game in the Kirby series to feature Multiplayer), where the goal is to earn more points than the other player by claiming as many of the Point Stars on the board as possible. Player 1 controls Kirby, while player 2 controls a yellow Kirby (officially named Keeby), and the two play in turns on one of the four courses built specifically for the 2P Game. Before starting the course, players can set handicaps for their characters, including how far shots will travel, how long the guide line is while preparing shots, and how quickly the meters scroll. The order in which the players go depends on a dice roll prior to game start for the first hole, and thereafter is determined by whoever gets into the cup on the preceding board.

While on a board, Kirby and Keeby enter sequentially to take their turns, starting each course with 6 HP. This HP is not replenished between holes, however. HP can be lost or regained in the following ways:

• Loss
  • Taking a shot costs 1 HP
  • Colliding with Gordo, Kracko's lightning, or a Danger Zone costs 1 HP
  • Being hit by the opponent costs 1 HP (and also forces a swap of Copy Abilities if applicable)
    • Being hit by an opponent using a Copy Ability attack costs 2 HP, and results in no ability swap
  • Falling OB costs 2 HP
  • Running into the opponent while he has Needle activated costs 4 HP
• Gain
  • Defeating an enemy restores 1 HP
  • After taking a turn to nap at 0 HP, 4 HP is restored for the next round
  • Entering the cup restores 2 HP

Once HP drops to 0, the contestant in question is forced to take a nap and skip the next turn. Taking further damage during this nap will not stop HP from recovering the next round, even if the napping contestant is knocked OB or frozen.

In order to win the 2P Game, one player has to score more points than the other. Unlike in the 1P Game, score is not related at all to how many shots were needed to finish the course. Instead, points are gained by claiming Point Stars that emerge from defeated enemies. Each enemy releases one star upon defeat, and when the cup emerges, two more stars appear in orbit above it. To claim the stars, a contestant simply has to roll over them, and the stars will adopt the color of that contestant. Stars can then be taken by the other contestant when they touch it, and when one of the two enters the cup, all stars are then counted and added to the total. As such, the typical strategy to win is to enter the cup (or force the opponent to) with the majority share of the stars. Once all eight holes of a course are complete, all the points are added up, with the winner being the one who collected the most. It is also possible to draw at the end.

A few more gameplay notes can be made regarding the 2P Game, as follows:

• When running out of HP, contestants do not lose their Copy Abilities if they had them. Instead, they can only lose the ability if it is taken by the opponent, or the contestant goes OB.
• When going OB, contestants will be placed back where they were before making the shot that sent them out on the following turn.
• While napping at 0 HP, contestants will dream of a piece of candy, a slice of shortcake, or an ice cream cone.
• While one contestant is moving, the other will turn to keep eyes on him.
• The Stone and Needle abilities, if activated, will be held during the opponent's turn.
• Using Freeze on the opponent turns him into a solid block of ice, forcing him to lose a turn in order to defrost (this turn skip does not work on a napping opponent, despite still being frozen).

Levels and stages

Single-player

The single-player mode consists of eight courses, each with eight holes, for a total of sixty-four holes in addition to the stage for the final boss, Robo Dedede. If all the courses are cleared with a silver medal or better, the Extra Game is unlocked, which has separate score tracking and places enemies and other objects in different locations. If all the courses are cleared with gold medals in a given mode (Main or Extra game), the player will unlock the option to freely select any hole in any course for that mode:

1P Courses in Kirby's Dream Course

Course Medal thresholds Extra Game Medal thresholds Course 1 Gold = 14 or lower Silver = 15-19 Bronze = 20-26 Gold = 13 or lower Silver = 14-18 Bronze = 19-25 Course 2 Gold = 14 or lower Silver = 15-19 Bronze = 20-26 Gold = 15 or lower Silver = 16-20 Bronze = 21-27 Course 3 Gold = 17 or lower Silver = 18-22 Bronze = 23-29 Course 4 Gold = 17 or lower Silver = 18-22 Bronze = 23-29 Course 5 Gold = 18 or lower Silver = 19-23 Bronze = 24-30 Gold = 15 or lower Silver = 16-20 Bronze = 21-27 Course 6 Gold = 16 or lower Silver = 17-21 Bronze = 22-28 Course 7 Gold = 14 or lower Silver = 15-19 Bronze = 20-26 Gold = 16 or lower Silver = 17-21 Bronze = 22-28 Course 8 Gold = 18 or lower Silver = 19-23 Bronze = 24-30 Gold = 15 or lower Silver = 16-20 Bronze = 21-27 Dedede N/A

Two-player

The course menu for 2P Game.

The two-player mode has four themed courses with eight holes each, for a total of thirty-two holes. These courses are named after their main enemy, which prevails throughout much of the level. As with the single-player mode, Extra Game versions of each of these courses are also available, unlocked when a bronze medal or better is attained on all single-player courses in the main game:

2P Courses in Kirby's Dream Course
Course Name Image Enemy Image Whispy Woods Course Mr. Shine & Mr. Bright Course Kracko Course Gordo Course

Copy Abilities

Kirby can obtain various Copy Abilities (known as Special Powers in this game) by colliding with (and thus defeating) certain enemies. These powers can be used once per shot — starting with the same shot during which they are acquired — by activating them with the B button. If Kirby has already used an ability and collides with an enemy that provides the ability he has, he can use his ability again. In 2-player mode, Kirby and Keeby will swap abilities if they collide with each other.

Kirby keeps his ability until he loses a life, falls off the course (in 2-player mode), completes the course, or replaces it with a different ability; this means that abilities can (and sometimes need to) be carried from one hole to the next.

Copy Abilities in Kirby's Dream Course

Name Appearance Icon Acquired from Description Fireball Flamer Transforms Kirby into a living fireball, making him rocket forward at a high speed for a short time and ignore gravity. He may keep his increased speed for a limited time even after the transformation ends. Freeze Chilly Surrounds Kirby with a freezing aura when activated, enabling him to turn water into ice and slide across it instead of falling in. This ability also causes him to not bounce off of the ground. Hi-Jump Starman Kirby makes a spontaneous jump in a tall arc. This can also be done in midair. Needle Togezo Causes Kirby to stop moving if he is touching the ground, even while on a slope, as spikes grow from his body. Parasol Waddle Doo Slows down Kirby's fall and makes him decelerate faster when activated, as well as letting the player directly influence his movements with the D-pad while he is falling. For some reason, his parasol is green instead of red. Spark Sparky Surrounds Kirby with electricity until he stops moving, which lets him destroy Whispy Woods and Krackos in his path and makes him immune to Kracko's lightning. Stone Rocky Kirby assumes the shape of a rock and spontaneously grinds to a halt, even in the air, but may still slide down slopes. Tornado Twister For a limited time, Kirby becomes a fast whirlwind that moves in a normally straight line. Holding right or left on the D-pad causes his path to curve clockwise or counter-clockwise, respectively. Moving down slopes slightly refreshes the duration. UFO UFO Kirby turns into a U.F.O. for ten seconds or until he collides with a bumper. In this form, Kirby can move freely in any horizontal direction for up to 10 seconds; pushing right or left on the D-pad turns him clockwise or counter-clockwise by 90 degrees, respectively. Pressing the B button again promptly cancels the transformation. Wheel Wheelie Transforms Kirby into a wheel, causing him to dash into the direction he is currently traveling in at a high speed, traveling over water and stopping only when he collides with an obstacle. If this ability is used in the air, Kirby will immediately fall.

Enemies

Unlike in other Kirby games, most enemies in Kirby's Dream Course cannot harm Kirby, instead, they act as stationary targets that must be eliminated simply by making the pink hero touch them. Some enemies may grant Kirby a Copy Ability when he defeats them; this happens automatically and overrides his current ability. Once all but one of the enemies that must be destroyed are gone, the sole remaining one is replaced by a hole in the ground that Kirby has to fall into in order to finish the Hole.

Enemies in Kirby's Dream Course

Name Appearance Must be destroyed? Notes Broom Hatter 1 - Chilly 1 Yields Freeze. Flamer 1 Yields Fireball. Gaspar 1 Floats high above the ground. Gordo 3 Moves on a set path, sometimes floating, and harms Kirby on touch, making him lose a tomato. Indestructible. Kabu 1 - Kracko 1 Floats at medium height and is harmful to touch. Periodically sends lightning downwards, which can likewise hurt Kirby. Can be destroyed with the Spark ability. Mr. P. Umpkin 1 Floats at medium height. Rocky 1 Yields Stone. Sparky 1 Yields Spark. Squishy 1 - Starman 1 Yields Hi-Jump. Togezo 1 Yields Needle. Transformer 1 Triggers an ability roulette, which grants Kirby the ability it is stopped on. Can only be found in 2-player mode. Twister 1 Yields Tornado. UFO 1 Floats above the ground and yields U.F.O. Waddle Dee 1 - Parasol Waddle Doo 1 Yields Parasol. Wheelie 1 Yields Wheel. Whispy Woods 3 Stationary obstacle. Can be destroyed with the Spark ability.

Obstacles

In addition to enemies, there are other course obstacles, objects, and hazards that must be contended with. They are as follows (all names are taken from the Kirby's Dream Course instruction booklet (North American print) unless otherwise noted):

Course obstacles in Kirby's Dream Course

Obstacle Effect Notes Air Curtain A field of air currents that causes Kirby to rise into the air when he passes over it. Bumper A wall consisting of a thin green line. Kirby will bounce off of this if he hits it, potentially increasing his momentum if timing a bounce correctly. Bunker A sand bunker that will severely reduce Kirby's momentum if he falls into it. Conveyor Belt A panel that moves Kirby along in a given direction if he enters it, which can carry him up hills. Cup The goal of each hole. The last standard enemy on a given hole will transform into this, and Kirby must then fall into it to complete the hole. This name is taken from in-game. Danger Zone A bed of spikes that will cause Kirby to lose a tomato and be kicked out if he falls into it. Dash Panel A panel that causes Kirby to quickly gain velocity in the direction the panel points. Day and Night Switch Pressing this switch changes the time of day on the course, and causes P1 and P2 to swap stars for that hole. This can only be used 3 times per hole. Only appears in the 2P Game. Kick Panel This panel causes Kirby to roll in the direction shown, regardless of where he enters it from. Lawn A field of grass with arrows on it which cause Kirby to turn in that direction if he enters it, but does not affect his momentum. OB Anywhere off a board is considered "OB" (out of bounds). If Kirby falls in, he will immediately lose a life and reappear wherever he was last shot from. In the 2P Game, entering OB costs 2 HP and forces a loss of Copy Abilities. This name is taken from in-game. Pond Pools of water on the course that are difficult to shoot out of if Kirby sinks in. Kirby can skip across the surface of these with the right kinds of shots. These can be frozen solid using the Freeze ability or ridden over using Wheel. There are two different types of switches that cause the water to vanish and appear respectively. Trampoline A panel that allows Kirby to bounce higher if he lands on it during a fly shot. Turntable A rotating piece of floor that will alter Kirby's trajectory if he rolls over it. Two different switches are available that affect these: one makes the turntables activate, and the other makes them stop. Warp Panel This panel will cause Kirby to be teleported to a different Warp Panel on the hole, maintaining his momentum when entering. There are two types: one is marked with an arrow on one side and will cause Kirby to move in that direction when he exits, and the other has no arrow, causing Kirby to maintain whatever direction he had before.

Staff

The following is a list of staff who have worked on Kirby's Dream Course:

Staff of Kirby's Dream Course
Position	Developer(s)
Director	Takashi Saito
Programmer	Tetsuya Abe Teruyuki Gunji Seiji Otoguro Yoshimi Takahashi Makoto Kanai Satoshi Mitsuhara Kei Nakajima
Map Cad Programmer	Hiroaki Suga Takumi Kawagoe
C. G. Designers	Shigeru Hashiguchi Tadashi Hashikura Kazuya Miura
Map Designer	Shinichi Shimomura Kensuke Tanabe Hideki Fujii
Music Composer	Hirokazu Ando
Originally Designed By	Tatsuya Hishida Shinya Takahashi
Special Thanks	Satoshi Ishida Chieko Obikane Hironobu Kakui Shigeki Yamashiro Takaaki Kazuno Senji Hirose Masaya Akiyama Shane C Allala Jim Wornell Dan Owsen
Producer	Shigeru Miyamoto Satoru Iwata
Co-Producer	Yasuhiro Sakai Takao Shimizu
Executive Producer	Hiroshi Yamauchi

Descriptions

Nintendo eShop (3DS)

Scan the course and check out the obstacles ahead. Get ready for the most surprising game play imaginable in Kirby's battle against King Dedede! This checkerboard challenge brings outrageous hazards and bizarre surfaces. Gordo, Kracko, Whispy Woods and a cast of zany characters await you. Gain special powers including Fireball, Freeze, and Spark. Transform your enemies into stars revealing eight hidden cups. Control the force and angle of your shot and sink Kirby for a hole-in-one!

(This description was reused for the game on the My Nintendo Store.)

Nintendo eShop (Wii U)

Step up to the tee for the wackiest golf game of your life. This one- or two-player game features a floating golf course in the sky. High above Dream Land, players can pitch and putt the ever-popular puffball, Kirby, through a maze of obstacles on a zany checkerboard course. Players must aim for the multitude of enemies that are spread throughout each fairway. Kirby's Copy Abilities return in this installment, and these must be put to good use in order to complete a level objective. Hit all of the enemies to make them disappear, and the last one becomes the hole. Sink Kirby into the hole to advance to the next stage as you clear all eight courses—64 holes in all.

(This description was reused for the game on Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online.)

Special version from Nintendo Switch Online

Dance along with Kirby!

Think you can copy Kirby's moves?

In this special version of Kirby's Dream Course, all the secret modes have been unlocked! With everything opened up, you have a few different options available you can choose from that aren't available otherwise. These new options include PLAY EXTRA COURSE (both under 1PLAY GAME and under 2PLAY GAME), NORMAL COURSE and EXTRA COURSE (under MAP SELECT), and even the DANCE SELECT option inside the SOUND ROOM. It's time to dance!

Trivia

Early box art for Special Tee Shot, the game that eventually became Kirby's Dream Course.

• A working title for the game was Kirby's Tee Shot. Furthermore, the game started as an unrelated title, Special Tee Shot, which was under development in 1992. Special Tee Shot was eventually released as a Satellaview-exclusive title in January of 1996.
• This game marked the first external appearance of Kirby's dome-shaped house (in the manual and the Japanese-exclusive intro cutscene), which would reappear in several subsequent games in the series more-or-less unchanged (as well as the anime). Kirby's house had been seen previously in the manual of Kirby's Adventure, but only from the inside.
• If Kirby or Keeby sinks in the cup while using the Needle or Freeze abilities, a lighter "twinkle" sound effect plays. Likewise, if they sink in while using the Stone ability, a heavier "thud" sound effect plays.
• The instruction booklet reuses a large amount of artwork from Kirby's Dream Land and Kirby's Adventure, sometimes with slight alterations or used in conjunction with other artwork to illustrate specific situations.
• The Kirby's 20th Anniversary Celebration Book claims that it is possible to get a hole-in-one on every hole in Kirby's Dream Course, instructing the reader to "play very strategically". So far, this has not been documented to be achievable in practice, with a theoretically-perfect tool-assisted speedrun requiring more than one shot on some holes in Course 3 and Course 5 (in the main game).

Gallery

Main article: Kirby's Dream Course/gallery

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  English logo

• 

  Japanese logo

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  Artwork of Kirby holding two flags

• 

  Japanese group artwork

• 

  Title screen

• 

  Using Parasol to gently float down from a cliff

• 

  Skipping by hazards on the course

• 

  Using a trampoline to bounce from one platform to the next

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  Using the UFO ability to cross a chasm

• 

  Keeby struggling in the Gordo Course

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	カービィボウル Kābyi Bouru	Kirby Ball Written as such in the official Japanese guidebook and many other official sources. The spelling of "Ball" is nonstandard; it is normally ボール. It can alternatively be translated as "Kirby Bowl".
Chinese	Kirby's Dream Course	-
Dutch	Kirby's Dream Course	-
French	Kirby's Dream Course	-
German	Kirby's Dream Course	-
Italian	Kirby's Dream Course	-
Korean	커비 볼 keobi bol	Kirby Ball
Portuguese	Kirby's Dream Course	-
Russian	Kirby's Dream Course	-
Spanish	Kirby's Dream Course	-

External links

• Kirby's Dream Course on Kirby Informer
• English manual (official archive)
• Japanese manual (external archive)