Meta Knightmare Returns
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“ | Fight new bosses and tougher enemies while Kirby takes a nap! | ” | — Meta Knightmare Returns intro text |
Meta Knightmare Returns is an Extra Game which is unlocked after completing the Story Mode in Kirby: Planet Robobot. It stars Meta Knight, having him run through all the stages of the main game in a continuous time attack with limited recovery items and enhanced foes.
This is the third title of the "Meta Knightmare" speedrun series, the first two being Meta Knightmare from Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land and Meta Knightmare Ultra from Kirby Super Star Ultra.
Story
The story is effectively an alternate version of the main game story, where Meta Knight leads the attack on the invading Haltmann Works Company instead of Kirby, who the unknown reader is informed is still taking his nap. Meta Knight battles through all the areas, damaging the legs of the Access Ark, then climbing inside to deal with its president. Once this is done, Meta Knight poses in triumph, presuming his task complete, when he is spotted by the Mother Computer, who was observing the battle, and now declares Meta Knight to be the new admin. As part of the initiation, Star Dream pits Meta Knight against two of its most powerful clones. When those are defeated, Star Dream summons Galacta Knight from across dimensions to challenge its new admin, but Galacta Knight deals a decisive slash to the computer as soon as he is freed. With difficulty, Meta Knight defeats his magenta rival, and seals him away once more.
Gameplay Differences
Meta Knight runs through a continuous stream of the stages in each level, with no overworld map to use, and few recovery items to be found along the way. Many of the areas that feature the Robobot Armor in the main game are skipped, though Meta Knight is capable of destroying a lot of obstacles with his sword that in the main game only the armor would be able to, such as Iron Balls and giant metal blocks.
In-between each level, Meta Knight can find rest areas in the docking bay of the Halberd which will save the unknown reader's progress and fully heal Meta Knight. Continuing a game will place Meta Knight back at the last save point used. When a level is complete, the time taken to complete it will be shown to the unknown reader with the overall time kept in a top time scoreboard once the game is finished.
Bosses
Enhanced versions of all Bosses and Mid-Bosses previously encountered in the Main Game are re-fought in this mode (though only up to President Haltmann, also excluding Mecha Knight+ and the ones faced using the Robobot Armor). After Meta Knight defeats President Haltmann 2.0, he is given a triad of new bosses to face.
Meta Knight encounters the following Bosses through his run:
- Clanky Woods 2.0 (including chase sequence)
- Holo Defense API 2.0
- Susie 2.0
- Stock Mecha Knight
- Dedede Clone 2.0
- Dedede Clones & D3 2.0
- President Haltmann 2.0
- Dark Matter Clone
- Sectonia Clone
- Galacta Knight Returns
Moveset
The following table lists Meta Knight's standard move-set in Meta Knightmare Returns:
Meta Knight's Moveset in Kirby: Planet Robobot | |||
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Skill | Button Execution | Skill | Button Execution |
Overhead Slash | Up Thrust | ||
Knight Beam | Meta Spin Slash | ||
Meta Triple Slash | Mach Tornado | ||
Meta Multithrust | Sky Knight Sword | ||
Piercing Slash | Underwater Spin | ||
Knight Spin | Meta Condor Dive | ||
Meta Chop and Thrust | Shuttle Loop | ||
Down Thrust | Hover |
Meta Points
When Meta Knight defeats foes, he will get spheres of energy called Meta Points from them, which automatically fly to him. Gaining a certain amount of points is necessary to perform special moves (detailed below). Meta Knight can also find bubbles containing large quantities of points inside them, usually from side-chambers, or as a gift from Bandana Waddle Dee. Meta Knight can hold up to 50 meta points, which will not reset unless the game is quit and continued from a save point.
Meta Knight's Special Moves | ||
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Move | Description | Meta Points Needed |
Meta Quick | Meta Knight speeds up for a short amount of time. Does not stack with Invincible Candy. | 8 |
Heal | Meta Knight recovers all of his stamina. | 10 |
Galaxia Darkness | Time stops as Meta Knight sweeps his cape forward and the screen goes dark. After a short time, a flash of light sweeps across the screen in a horizontal line across Meta Knight's position, dealing large damage to all foes in its path. This is directly taken from his same Final Smash in Super Smash Bros. series. | 18 |
Meta Knightmares | Time stops and Meta Knight jumps off of the screen. His four Meta-Knights swoop across the stage, then all five land in the foreground and do a triumphant pose, with an explosion in the background. This deals severe damage to all foes on screen, with power similar to the fully charged Crash ability. | 35 |
Trivia
- Instead of fighting himself in Gigabyte Grounds, Meta Knight fights a fully robotic duplicate of himself called Stock Mecha Knight.
- Meta Knight has never fought either Dark Matter or Queen Sectonia before due to his absence in the Dark Matter Trilogy and Kirby: Triple Deluxe. He fights their clones instead in Meta Knightmare Returns.