Level hub

Screenshot from the level hub for Vegetable Valley in Kirby's Adventure.

A Level Hub (also known as a Level Map or Level Select Area) is an image, visual representation, or fully playable space where individual stages can be selected. They are distinguished from World hubs in that they only represent a segmented portion of playable content, as opposed to all of it, and are usually accessible from World Hubs as sub-menus or areas, as opposed to the other way around.

Level hubs typically have a theme to them, such as a grassy area, ruins, tropical sea, volcanic region, or deep space. Stages contained therein therefore will usually follow the theme of the level hub.

Game Appearances

Level hubs debuted in Kirby's Adventure, with a playable area that Kirby can traverse containing doors to each stage which are unlocked one-after-the-other. In this title, there is no world hub from which to access the levels, so instead they are linked to each-other via warp rooms and doors. Other games that utilize full playable level hubs include the following:

• Kirby's Dream Land 2
• Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
• Kirby's (Extra) Epic Yarn
• [[Kirby's Return to Dream Land|Template:KRtDL KAW]]
• New Challenge Stages
• Team Kirby Clash Deluxe
• Kirby's Blowout Blast
• Kirby Battle Royale
• Super Kirby Clash
• Kirby and the Forgotten Land

[[File:KSqS Prism Plains Complete Map.png|thumb|Some games, such as [[Kirby: Squeak Squad|Template:KSqS KMoA]], feature more traditional level select areas in which the player does not have full control of Kirby.]] Games that include partially playable level hubs, or just stage select screens include the following:

• [[Kirby Super Star|Template:KSS KFP]]/Template:KSSU (only in Dyna Blade and Milky Way Wishes)
• Kirby's Dream Land 3
• Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
• [[Kirby: Squeak Squad|Template:KSqS KMoA]]
• Kirby Mass Attack
• Kirby: Triple Deluxe
• Kirby: Planet Robobot
• Kirby Star Allies
• Kirby and the Forgotten Land

In Kirby Star Allies, the Story Mode features a more open explorable series of level hubs, with Kirby and his friends controlled freely (whether on foot or on a Warp Star) with a simplified move-set, rather than just jumping to the next stage like in most other partially playable level hubs. In addition, some of the level hubs feature Point Stars which can be collected to add to the total.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land uniquely features both types of hub: the Waddle Dee Town acts as a fully-playable hub area where Kirby can play sub-games or interact with the local Waddle Dees, while a more traditional level map can be explored via Warp Star, similar to Kirby Star Allies. Kirby can switch between the two hubs at any time.

Trivia

• The only two games in the main Kirby series which make no use of level hubs or stage select screens are Kirby's Dream Land and Kirby & The Amazing Mirror.
  • Despite this, there are still maps of each area in Kirby & The Amazing Mirror which can be obtained by collecting the Area Map in each level. Additionally, Rainbow Route - Central Circle acts as a "pseudo-hub", in that Kirby always spawns there by default, and every other level can eventually be linked back to it by pressing Big Switches.

Gallery

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  An image from the level hub for Grass Land in Kirby's Dream Land 2

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  The level select screen for Aqua Star in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

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  Wide view of the Hot Land level hub from Kirby's Epic Yarn

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  Part of the level hub for Cookie Country in Template:KRtDL KAW

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  The level hub in Fine Fields from Kirby: Triple Deluxe

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  The Patched Plains Level Hub from Kirby: Planet Robobot

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  Kirby standing in front of the amiibo statue in the village in Team Kirby Clash Deluxe

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  The main lobby area of Dedede's Cake Royale in Kirby Battle Royale

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  The level hub for World of Peace - Dream Land in Kirby Star Allies

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  Kirby viewing the quest board in the Port Village in Super Kirby Clash

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  The Waddle Dee Town hub in Kirby and the Forgotten Land

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  The more traditional level-based hub in Kirby and the Forgotten Land