Kirby's Dream Course
| ||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
|
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 utiliTemplate:Sing 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 SNES Classic Edition.
Story
King Dedede has taken the stars from the skies of Dream Land and is keeping them for himself,[1] causing a wave of depression among the inhabitants.[2] Kirby, as the only hero who can save the stars,[3] sets out for Dedede's floating castle to take them back from the king's servants and face the monarch himself to teach him a lesson.[4]
Gameplay
Levels and stages
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.
Kirby keeps his ability until he loses a life, 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.
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. | ||
Hi-Jump | Starman | Kirby makes a spontaneous jump in a tall arc. | ||
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. | ||
Spark | Sparky | Surrounds Kirby with electricity until he stops moving, letting him destroy Whispy Woods and Krackos in his path. | ||
Stone | Rocky | Kirby assumes the shape of a rock and spontaneously grinds to a halt, even in the air, but may still roll 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. | ||
U.F.O. | UFO | Kirby turns into a U.F.O. for ten seconds or until he collides with a bumper. In this form, Kirby automatically flies in a straight line, taking out enemies; 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 currently travelling in at a high speed, stopping only when he collides with an obstacle. |
Enemies
Unlike in other Kirby games, most enemies in Kirby's Dream Course cannot harm Kirby, instead acting 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.
Name | Appearance | Must be destroyed? | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Broomhatter[5] | - | ||
Chilly | Yields Freeze. | ||
Flamer | Yields Fireball. | ||
Gaspar | Floats high above the ground. | ||
Gordo | Moves on a set path, sometimes floating, and harms Kirby on touch, making him lose a tomato. Indestructible. | ||
Kabu | - | ||
Kracko | 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 | Floats at medium height. | ||
Rocky | Yields Stone. | ||
Sparky | Yields Spark. | ||
Squishy | - | ||
Starman | Yields Hi-Jump. | ||
Togezo | Yields Needle. | ||
Transformer | Triggers an ability roulette, which grants Kirby the ability it is stopped on. Can only be found in 2-player mode. | ||
Twister | Yields Tornado. | ||
UFO | Floats above the ground and yields U.F.O. | ||
Waddle Dee | - | ||
Waddle Doo | Yields Parasol. | ||
Wheelie | Yields Wheel. | ||
Whispy Woods | Stationary obstacle. Can be destroyed with the Spark ability. |
Gallery
- Kirbydreamcoursesnap9.png
The starting cutscene of Course 3
- Kirbydreamcoursesnap19.png
Kirby using the U.F.O. ability
- Kirbydreamcoursesnap23.png
King Dedede boss battle
Names in other languages
Language | Name | Meaning |
---|---|---|
Japanese | カービィボウル Kābī Bouru |
Kirby Bowl |
Trivia
- This game marked the first external appearance of Kirby's dome-shaped house (in the manual), which would reappear in several subsequent games in the series more-or-less unchanged (as well as the anime).
- Kirby's house has been seen previously in the manual of Kirby's Adventure, but only from the inside.
- The manual mentions that Kirby "comes in with the spring breeze and saves Dream Land in times of crisis",[6] which may be where the name of the Spring Breeze section of Kirby Super Star originates.
- 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.
External links
References
- ↑ "'It looks like King Dedede is behind this.' 'I bet he's hogging all those beautiful stars for himself!'" –Kirby's Dream Course instruction manual (page 4)
- ↑ "Their spirits were sinking fast. Eventually, laughter ceased in Dream Land, and everyone stopped smiling." –Kirby's Dream Course instruction manual (page 4)
- ↑ "If it's true, there's only one hero that can save the stars. Yes, that young hero is Kirby." –Kirby's Dream Course instruction manual (page 5)
- ↑ "Kirby sets out [...] to punish King Dedede once again and take back the stolen stars. Kirby heads for King Dedede's floating castle. [...] His servants each have a star and they wait for Kirby's arrival at the castle." –Kirby's Dream Course instruction manual (page 5)
- ↑ Kirby's Dream Course manual, p. 47
- ↑ Kirby's Dream Course manual, p. 5