Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land

Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land North American EnglishEuropean EnglishJapanese Box art for Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land from various regions. Details Developer(s) HAL Laboratory Publisher(s) Nintendo Designer(s) Masahiro Sakurai Release date(s) Game Boy Advance October 25, 2002 December 2, 2002 September 26, 2003 January 27, 2004 Virtual Console (Wii U) April 30, 2014 July 17, 2014 October 30, 2014 Platform(s) Game Boy Advance, Virtual Console (Wii U) Rating(s) ESRB: PEGI: CERO:

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Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land is a remake of Kirby's Adventure for the Game Boy Advance. It was developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo in 2002 by HAL Laboratory and Nintendo, and would later be ported to the Wii U's Virtual Console in 2014. The game features new and redesigned Sub-Games, all of which have up to 4-player support through multiplayer. A new Extra Game starring Meta Knight was also added as an unlockable mode, Meta Knightmare. Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land was released around the debut of the anime Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, which is reflected by the art style used on the North American commercial and its box art. This game also introduced the modern logo.

Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land is a full overhaul of Kirby's Adventure, with a new engine and entirely re-done 16 bit graphics, music, and sound. The art style is also heavily modified, focusing on more vivid photorealistic scenery and backgrounds when compared to the NES original. Regardless, the enemies, copy abilities, music, and stage layouts are (for the most part) the same as they were before, just updated in fidelity. The story is also largely the same, though it has been reworded from the original version.

Story

“

It all began when the Nightmares appeared in the fountain. The Nightmares rode the currents of the Fountain of Dreams, wreaking havoc and tormenting the residents of Dream Land.

”

— Portion of the ending narration from Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land

Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land shares the same basic premise and story as Kirby's Adventure. It begins when Kirby wakes up one day to realiTemplate:Ze he has not had any dreams. Suspecting something to be wrong with the Fountain of Dreams, he heads there to find the Star Rod missing from its rightful place at the crest of the fountain. Shortly thereafter, he discovers that his old rival King DeDeDe had stolen the Star Rod and broke it into seven pieces, each then given to one of DeDeDe's friends (the bosses of each level). While not knowing the reason for this, Kirby nonetheless resolves to get the pieces and reassemble the Star Rod so he can return it to where it belongs.

After traversing Dream Land and retrieving the first six pieces of the Star Rod, Kirby returns to the Fountain of Dreams and battles King DeDeDe for the last piece. Kirby resoundingly trounces the king, and - after reassembling the Star Rod - places it back onto the fountain as DeDeDe desperately drags on Kirby's heels begging him not to do it. Kirby quickly figures out why, as - upon placing the Star Rod on the fountain - a great darkness emerges and is freed upon the world. Kirby must then use the Star Rod to battle the Nightmares, defeating him and blowing a massive hole in the Moon in the process. With this deed done, Kirby finally returns the Star Rod to the fountain without further issue and forgives King DeDeDe for what he had done, knowing he was only trying to safeguard the kingdom.

Gameplay

Kirby battling Whispy Woods.

Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land is an action platformer where the player takes control of Kirby: the powerful little pink hero of Dream Land whose main claim to fame is his ability to inhale his enemies and gain their powers. The main goal of the game is to traverse each of the levels and their stages in order, maneuvering through tricky terrain and battling enemies along the way. Due to the wide variety of abilities that Kirby has access to, there are many different ways to clear the obstacles in each stage, including going without abilities at all and using Kirby's ability to spit out Star Bullets to deal damage. In addition, Kirby's ability to hover through the air and breathe underwater - along with his generous health bar - make the environmental elements very forgiving when compared to other classic platformers. Overall, the game is catered to easy and accessible play, with more challenging elements being optional for the most part.

While the main goal of the game is to reach and defeat each level's boss, there are a number of optional objectives to meet as well. This mainly takes the form of hunting down Big Switches in stages, which unlock additional doors in the hubs of the levels they are found in. There are also optional Sub-Games and other rooms which can be visited in each level in order to earn 1-Ups or gain extra abilities. If the main game is completed after pressing down all of these switches, an Extra Game will open up that lets Kirby play again under more challenging circumstances. Should that be cleared too, Meta Knightmare becomes available as well as the Boss Endurance mode, creating an additional level of challenge for the player to undertake.

Changes from Kirby's Adventure

Aside from the more obvious changes to the graphic and audio fidelity, there are a number of more subtle differences between Kirby's Adventure and Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, as follows:

• It is possible to hover by tapping A repeatedly instead of holding up on the Control Pad as was previously done.
• Some stages have had their layouts changed slightly (more details on the stage pages themselves).
  • Most notably, the rotating towers in Butter Building have been removed, and replaced by a fog that gradually clears as Kirby runs forward.
• The enemies Bounder, Togezo, and Rolling Turtle have been replaced by Gip, Needlous, and Phan Phan respectively, but act more-or-less the same way.
• Copy Abilities now provide hats for Kirby.
• The Fireball ability has been renamed to Burning, which matches its Japanese name.
• The pause descriptions of each Copy Ability have been changed.
• The Dream Spring is now consistently referred to as the Fountain of Dreams.
• Meta Knight no longer appears at certain points in stages to toss Kirby an item (the item is instead already there).
• Many bosses and mid-bosses have been made physically larger, which also makes them easier to hit and be hit by.
• The Sub-Games Crane Fever and Egg Catcher have been replaced with Bomb Rally and Kirby's Air Grind.
  • Additionally, the aesthetic of Quick Draw has been changed to match Samurai Kirby from [[Template:KSS KFP]].
• A new piece of music plays in the main menu of the game.
• The Green Greens theme that plays in Rainbow Resort - Stage 6 is now in the proper key.
• The music that plays during the battle with King DeDeDe has been changed to match the version of the Gourmet Race theme used on the Fountain of Dreams stage in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
• King DeDeDe's Theme, which was not present in the original game, plays in the Tower of Mid-Bosses.
• The ending narration is worded differently.
• It is now possible to save in the Extra Game.
• There is an additional Extra Game mode, Meta Knightmare, which features Meta Knight as a playable character and does not allow saving.
• The HAL Room is no longer accessible by normal means (but still technically in the game).

Game modes

File:KNiDL game select.png

The main menu of Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land after selecting a file, with 100% completion.

The following are all of the options available from the main menu after selecting a file (though some need to be unlocked first):

• Start Game - Starts the main game (or the Extra Game) of Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, in whichever level Kirby was last left in if applicable.
• Sub-Games - Allows the player to freely select and play the three main Sub-Games, with up to four other players through local wired play.
  • Additionally, Meta Knightmare and Boss Endurance are accessible from this sub-menu once they are unlocked.
• Sound Test - Allows the player to listen to the music used in the game.
• Erase a File - Allows the player to delete save data for the game to start fresh.

Levels

The main game of Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land takes place in eight distinct levels which are played in order, as follows:

Levels in Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
Level	Stage count	Boss	Notes
Vegetable Valley	5	Whispy Woods	This level features no Big Switches.
Ice Cream Island	6	Paint Roller	This level features no Big Switches.
Butter Building	7	Mr. Shine & Mr. Bright
Grape Garden	7	Kracko (and Kracko Jr.)
Yogurt Yard	7	Heavy Mole
Orange Ocean	7	Meta Knight	This level features a Big Switch in every stage (except the boss stage).
Rainbow Resort	7	King DeDeDe
The Fountain of Dreams	1	Nightmare	This level has no hub, and is instead accessed by defeating King DeDeDe in Rainbow Resort. Clearing this level ends the game.

Sub-Games and other rooms

Screenshot from Kirby's Air Grind, one of the new Sub-Games.

The levels of Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land feature optional doorways (many unlocked using Big Switches in regular stages) that lead to Sub-Games and other areas. These are as follows:

• Bomb Rally - A game where four Kirbys bat a bomb at each-other using frying pans. The last un-exploded Kirby wins.
• Kirby's Air Grind - A game where four Kirbys ride rails on Warp Stars to get to the end of the course as fast as possible.
• Quick Draw - A game where Kirby tests his reflexes against other opponents by defeating them in a single strike.
  • In multiplayer mode, Kirbys face each-other instead of pre-programmed opponents.
• Arena - A flat area where Kirby must battle a Mid-Boss in order to gain a Maxim Tomato and the opportunity to get a new ability.
• Museum - A room where Kirby has free pick of one or two different abilities.

In addition, there are two extra modes available only from the main menu as follows (these need to be unlocked first):

• Meta Knightmare - An Extra Game where the player rushes through the main game as Meta Knight as quickly as possible, ending with the fight against King DeDeDe.
• Boss Endurance - A challenge where Kirby is pitted against all eight of the game's bosses in order with no recovery items in-between fights and no prior choice of ability.

Copy Abilities

Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land retains all of the same Copy Abilities that first debuted in Kirby's Adventure, with the same basic powers and controls. The following table lists each of them:

Copy Abilities in Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
Name	Appearance	Icon	In-game description
Backdrop			Whoo-HAAH! Once I grab a foe, throw him with +!
Ball			Change form and Hold the A Button! BOUNCE! BOING! BONK!
Beam			This Beam's like a whip! Whaa-pssssshh! Beam it!
Burning			Flaming tackle time! Who's gonna stop me?
Crash			Warning! Use only as a last resort!
Cutter			The Cutter Boomerang is coming right back at ya!
Fire			Fire! Hot! So hot! Too hot to touch!
Freeze			Stop! Come no closer! I'll chill you to the bone!
Hammer			Pound 'em to the ground! Pound pegs and break open new areas!
Hi-Jump			Big jump = BIG TACKLE!
Ice			First I'll freeze 'em, then I'll kick 'em along! Brrrr!
Laser			-Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation- And it ricochets off hills, too!
Light			Brighten those dark corners! * Can only be used once.
Mike			Uwaaahhh! Oooooh yeahhhh! Un-hunhhh! Baaaaby! Rock on! *Can only be used three times.
Needle			Hands off! Here: pointy spikes! There: pokey spikes!
Parasol			The sun shines on this Parasol of mine. Where I walk, enemies balk, and I float gently down...
Sleep			-DO NOT DISTURB- I need my beauty rest.
Spark			BZZT! BRRRRZZZT! BRRRZZPPP! ZZZT!
Star Rod			This suddenly appeared at the Fountain of Dreams. Use it in your final battle against the Nightmares!
Stone			No one can hurt me! Look out below!
Sword			I can't lose with this sword! If they zig, I cut 'em! (If they zag, I cut 'em, too!)
Throw			Try throwing enemies straight! Press Up or Down to change the direction!
Tornado			Spin spin spin spin spin Spinspinspinspin Spinspinspin AAAAAUGGHH!
UFO			Wow! I'm so lucky I copied a UFO! I can do four different moves. It all depends on how long you hold B!
Wheel			I ride like the wind! Fast! Too fast!

Enemies

Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land features most of the same enemies as the original Kirby's Adventure, though a few have been changed (see "Changes from Kirby's Adventure" section above). The enemies in this game are as follows:

Regular Enemies

Regular enemies in Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
Name	Appearance	Copy Abilities	Description
Blade Knight	File:KNiD E BladeKnight.png	Sword	Walks back and forth in a small area and attacks with a sword. Can deflect laser attacks.
Blipper	File:KNiD E Blipper.png	None	Generally found in water areas. Attacks by following Kirby and bumping into him.
Bomber	File:KNiD E Bomber.png	Crash	A walking bomb that falls from cliffs and explodes. The explosion is dangerous and has a high radius.
Bronto Burt	File:KNiD E BrontoBurt.png	None	Flying enemies. Some home in on Kirby while others fly on a set path.
Broom Hatter	File:KNiD E BroomHatter.png	None	Can generally be seen cleaning a specific place while sweeping from side to side. It doesn't pay attention to Kirby and focuses on cleaning.
Bubbles	File:KNiD E Bubbles.png	Ball	A ball-shaped enemy which attacks by bouncing from walls.
Cappy	File:KNiD E Cappy.png	None	A walking mushroom that walks around without minding Kirby. Its cap detaches from its body when Kirby tries to inhale it.
Chilly	File:KNiD E Chilly.png	Freeze	A snowman that attacks by creating a cold force field around it.
Coconut	File:KNiD E Coconut.png	None	An explosive fruit that drops when Kirby walks underneath it. Can be deflected with a Parasol.
Coner	File:KNiD E Coner.png	None	An enemy in a shell. It is able to survive in water.
Cool Spook	File:KNiD E CoolSpook.png	Light	A ghostly enemy that can only be found in dark rooms. It provides Kirby with the Light ability.
Flamer	File:KNiD E Flamer.png	Burning	A foe that clings to the walls of an environment. When Kirby gets in range, it attacks by flame-tackling him.
Gip	File:KNiD E Gip.png	None	A pig with wings that sticks to a wall. Attacks by shooting tiny stars at Kirby.
Glunk	File:KNiD E Glunk.png	None	An anemone that is attached to the ground. It attacks with projectiles and can be found both in and out of the water.
Gordo	File:KNiD E Gordo.png	None	A spiky foe that is completely invincible. Some of them move around, while others stay in one place.
Hot Head	File:KNiD E HotHead.png	Fire	A fiery enemy that walks around and attacks either with its flame breath or one single fire blast.
Kabu	File:KNiD E Kabu.png	None	An enemy that looks like the head of a totem-pole. Attacks by jumping, rapid movement, or teleporting.
Laser Ball	File:KNiD E LaserBall.png	Laser	A spherical enemy that floats down quietly until it has a clear sight of Kirby, then it unleashes three laser beams at him.
Needlous	File:KNiD E Needlous.png	Needle	An enemy covered in spikes that attacks by curling up into a ball and rolling around furiously.
Noddy	File:KNiD E Noddy.png	Sleep	Quietly walks around and doesn't attack at all. Sometimes it falls asleep while walking.
Parasol	File:KNiD E Parasol.png	Parasol	Objects that often carry Waddle Dees, Waddle Doos, and Shotzos. Sometimes, when the Parasol gets separated from its holder, it homes in on Kirby and tries to damage him.
Pengy	File:KNiD E Pengi.png	Ice	A penguin that walks around and attacks Kirby with its icy breath.
Poppy Bros. Jr.	File:KNiD E PoppyBrosJr.png	None	An enemy that walks around without minding Kirby. Sometimes it rides on balls or tomatoes.
Rocky	File:KNiD E Rocky.png	Stone	A heavy enemy that sometimes drops from a higher place in order to crush Kirby.
Scarfy	File:KNiD E Scarfy.png	None	A floating enemy that looks harmless at first glance, but turns into a one-eyed beast when being inhaled. It sometimes launches surprise attacks from off-screen.
Shotzo	File:KNiD E Shotzo.png	None	A stationary enemy that cannot be defeated directly. It shoots one to three projectiles in set intervals. Some of them can adjust the direction they are facing.
Sir Kibble	File:KNiD E SirKibble.png	Cutter	A knight enemy who attacks by throwing the blade on his head like a boomerang.
Slippy	File:KNiD E SirSlippy.png	None	A frog that often jumps around unpredictably. Can survive in water.
Sparky	File:KNiD E Sparky.png	Spark	An enemy that hops around and creates an electric force field around itself for an attack.
Squishy	File:KNiD E Squishy.png	None	A squid-like enemy that attacks by jumping around. It can survive in water.
Starman	File:KNiD E Starman.png	Hi-Jump	A rare cape-wearing enemy that walks around and practices its jump.
Sword Knight	File:KNiD E SwordKnight.png	Sword	Walks back and forth in a small area and attacks with a sword. Can deflect laser attacks.
Twister	File:KNiD E Twister.png	Tornado	A spinning enemy that attacks by transforming into a tornado and following Kirby around.
Twizzy	File:KNiD E Twizzy.png	None	A flying creature that either follows Kirby around or does not mind him at all.
UFO	File:KNiD E UFO.png	U.F.O.	A rare enemy that appears in locations close to space. It attacks by shooting laser beams.
Waddle Dee		None	A common creature that walks around and does not mind Kirby at all. Can sometimes be seen jumping around.
Waddle Doo	File:KNiD E WaddleDoo.png	Beam	An enemy that walks around, jumps, and attacks Kirby with a beam attack from its eye.
Wheelie	File:KNiD E Wheelie.png	Wheel	A foe resembling a tire that tries to run over Kirby. Moves very fast.

Mid Bosses

Mid-Bosses in Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
Name	Appearance	Copy Ability	Description
Bonkers		Hammer	This simian attacks Kirby by swinging his giant hammer, which resembles Dedede's hammer.
Bugzzy		Backdrop	A large bug that can grab Kirby and slam him into the ground.
Fire Lion		Burning	A large feline opponent with a mane and tail tip made of flames. It attacks by pouncing, scratching, and turning into a fireball.
Grand Wheelie		Wheel	A big version of Wheelie that rolls around and shoots small Wheelies.
Meta-Knights		None	Four knights - Axe Knight, Javelin Knight, Mace Knight and Trident Knight. Kirby encounters these knights in various number during ambushes. These foes can be inhaled.
Mr. Frosty		Freeze	A walrus that wears overalls. He throws blocks of ice.
Mr. Tick-Tock		Mike	A walking clock that uses musical notes to attack.
Phan Phan		Throw	A bipedal elephant that rolls around and tries to grab Kirby with its trunk. It replaces Rolling Turtle.
Poppy Bros. Sr.		Crash	A large version of Poppy Bros. Jr that hops around and throws bombs.

Bosses

Bosses in Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
Name	Appearance	Location	Copy Abilities	Description
Whispy Woods		Vegetable Valley - Stage 5	None.	Whispy fights in a similar manner to his appearance in Kirby's Dream Land, doing nothing but dropping Apples and shooting Air Bullets from his mouth.
Paint Roller	File:KNiDL Paintroll sprite.png	Ice Cream Island - Stage 6	Ball, Crash, Mike, Parasol, Spark, Wheel (various implements)	A small ball-shaped creature with stick arms and legs, wearing a hat and roller blades and carrying a crayon. He rolls around the arena, drawing things on one of four canvases which then come to life and attack Kirby. These can be swallowed for various Copy Abilities or spat back.
Mr. Shine & Mr. Bright		Butter Building - Stage 7	None.	Anthropomorphized versions of the sun and moon who attack in tag-team format. Kirby has to deal with one on the ground while the other hangs in the air, dodging and parrying both of their attacks. Defeating one of them will force that one to remain in the sky until the other is also defeated.
Kracko Jr. / Kracko		Grape Garden - Stage 7	Hi-Jump (from Starmen summoned)	This cloudy eyeball begins the fight by chasing Kirby in its Junior form, then transforms into its regular form at the top of a series of cloud layers. It fights by shooting out beams from its eye, swooping around the stage, and shooting lighting below itself. It also sometimes drops Starmen, which can be spat back at it or swallowed for the Hi-Jump ability.
Heavy Mole		Yogurt Yard - Stage 7	Hammer (yellow missile), Sleep (red missile)	A large machine with two digging arms that continuously digs a tunnel to the right. Kirby has to chase it while the boss shoots out missiles of two varieties from behind.
Meta Knight		Orange Ocean - Stage 7	Sword (required)	A fearsome blue masked swordsman who commands the Meta-Knights. He tosses Kirby a sword, and will not fight until Kirby picks it up. From there, the two engage in a sword duel, where Meta Knight reacts to Kirby's movements, and attacks using several different sword techniques. When defeated, his mask breaks, and he flees the scene.
King DeDeDe		Rainbow Resort - Stage 7	None.	King DeDeDe fights in a similar manner to his appearance in Kirby's Dream Land, though he has some new moves, including the ability to puff up and chase Kirby through the air. Older moves include his hammer swings, his Super Dedede Jump, and his inhale attack.
Nightmare		The Fountain of Dreams	Star Rod	Kirby fights this menace in two phases using the Star Rod. The first is a chase through the sky as Kirby fires at the Nightmare Power Orb. After that, the battle changes location to a large moon, where Kirby battles Nightmare in his wizard form. To damage Nightmare in this form, Kirby must hit his torso underneath the cloak. Defeating this boss completes the game.

Legacy

Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land would go on to influence several future games in the Kirby series as follows:

• Many pieces of music from this game would be used directly in later games.
  • This is most prominent in [[Kirby: Canvas Curse|Template:KCC KPP]] where the option exists to play music from this game almost exclusively.
• The Sub-Game Kirby's Air Grind can be seen as a precursor of sorts to Kirby Air Ride, which was in development at the same time as this title.
• The subsequent games Kirby & The Amazing Mirror and [[Template:KSqS KMoA]] would use the same engine and graphical style as this title.
• Meta Knight's prominence as a playable character in this game would arguably help lead to him being playable and/or an ally to Kirby in later games.
• Many of the modern looks of characters, enemies, and Copy Ability hats first appeared in this game.
• The Fountain of Dreams stage from Kirby Fighters Deluxe and Kirby Fighters 2 has its style taken directly from this title.
• The ending narration of Super Kirby Clash's story mode was inspired by the narration in this game.

Trivia

• Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land debuted at number 6 on the list of Top-selling Game Boy Games in the March 2003 issue of Nintendo Power magazine.

Gallery

Main article: Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land/gallery

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	星のカービィ 夢の泉デラックス Hoshi no Kaabii: Yume no Izumi Derakkusu	Kirby of the Stars: The Fountain of Dreams Deluxe
Chinese	星之卡比——梦幻大陆 Xīngzhī Kǎbǐ--Mènghuàn Dàlù	Kirby of the Stars--Dream Land
French	Kirby: Cauchemar au Pays des Rêves	Kirby: Nightmare in the Land of Dreams
German	Kirby: Schatten bedrohen Traumland	Kirby: Shadows threaten Dream Land
Italian	Kirby: Incubo nella Terra dei Sogni	Kirby: Nightmare in the Land of Dreams
Spanish	Kirby: Pesadilla en Dream Land	Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land

External links

• Official Japanese website
• Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land on Kirby Informer
• English manual (USA print) (EU print - German, French, Dutch, Spanish, Italian)