Kirby's Dream Land 3

Kirby's Dream Land 3 North American box artJapanese box art Box art for Kirby's Dream Land 3 in various regions. Details Developer(s) HAL Laboratory Publisher(s) Nintendo Designer(s) Shinichi Shimomura Release date(s) SNES November 27, 1997 March 27, 1998 Virtual Console (Wii) January 5, 2009 April 28, 2009 July 24, 2009 July 24, 2009 Virtual Console (Wii U) May 8, 2013 May 8, 2013 July 25, 2013 July 25, 2013 SNES: Nintendo Switch Online September 6, 2019 September 5, 2019 September 6, 2019 September 6, 2019 Platform(s) Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Wii (Virtual Console, Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition), Wii U (Virtual Console), Nintendo Switch (SNES: Nintendo Switch Online) Supported languages Japanese, American English Rating(s) ESRB: / PEGI: CERO:

Game chronology ← Kirby's Star Stacker (Game Boy) Kirby's Star Stacker (Super Famicom) →

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Kirby's Dream Land 3 is a video game released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in the year 1997. This game is the direct sequel to Kirby's Dream Land 2, adapting many mechanics of that game and continuing the story of Dark Matter. This game was followed by Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards in 2000, which expanded further upon the ideas introduced in this game and its predecessor. In 2009, the game was re-released via the Wii's Virtual Console service. It was later re-released in 2012 with other Kirby games in Kirby's Dream Collection, and again in 2013 as part of the Wii U's Virtual Console service. It would also be released in 2019 on the Nintendo Switch as part of Nintendo Switch Online.

Kirby's Dream Land 3 continues the central concept of its predecessor by featuring only eight basic copy abilities for Kirby to acquire, but allowing him to pair these abilities with one of his Animal Friends for a different effect. Instead of just three friends, however, Kirby has access to a total of six, with each one offering a different set of strengths and drawbacks, as well as providing unique combinations when paired with an ability. Kirby also has access to an expanded move-set, which includes the Slide technique, the Headbutt, and the Dash. In addition, a second player can join in as Gooey, who can be called forth from inside Kirby's mouth at any time, and has nearly all of the same skills, including the copy ability and the ability to pair with animals. If no second player is available, Gooey can be directed by the CPU to act as a helper similar to the ones in Kirby Super Star.

Story

In Kirby's Dream Land 3, Dark Matter invades Popstar and implants itself in the center of the planet, as shown in this illustration from the manual.

The setting of Kirby's Dream Land 3 is Popstar, Kirby's home planet. During the introduction scene, Kirby and Gooey are seen having fun during a fishing trip.

However, while they enjoy the seemingly peaceful day, a black cloud appears in the sky. The black mass enters Popstar's atmosphere, thereby shattering its rings, and quickly spreads over the whole planet. Those who come in contact with the cloud get possessed by it, a fate that befalls many of Popstar's denizens, even including King Dedede.

As the cloud's activity commences, Coo the owl arrives and hastily notifies Kirby and Gooey of what is going on. The two can only watch from a nearby hill as the cloud conquers Popstar. Together with his friends from Kirby's Dream Land 2 (Rick, Kine and Coo) and three new friends (Nago, ChuChu and Pitch), Kirby sets out on a journey to free their home from the clutches of the intruder.

Kirby and his friends travel through the five main areas of Popstar, helping many citizens along the way, and fighting to free those under the cloud's possession, gaining a Heart Star through every deed. When they liberate the last area of Popstar, the planet is saved, but the origin of the intruder's power still remains and hangs in the sky, gazing down upon the heroes.

When Kirby has collected all 30 Heart Stars, he enters the Hyper Zone and fights Dark Matter, who was controlling the clouds. The Heart Stars all combine together to create the Love-Love Stick, which Kirby wields during the combat. The two of them engage in a battle as Dark Matter's master reveals itself: Zero. Kirby manages to defeat Zero and expel Dark Matter and the dark clouds from his home.

Gameplay

The stage selection screen for Grass Land, the first level of the game.

Kirby's Dream Land 3 is a two-dimensional platformer game, which can be played by two players simultaneously. The game begins on the map screen showing Popstar taken over by Dark Matter. From the map screen, the player can choose one of the five levels to enter. In the beginning, only level one is available, and every following level is unlocked after the boss of the preceding level is defeated. The levels themselves are displayed on their own map screens and are divided into six regular stages and a boss stage, again played and unlocked in sequence.

At the end of every stage someone is waiting for Kirby.

To complete a level, the player needs to play through all the stages and defeat the boss at the end, causing the next level to be available. Additionally, each stage Kirby visits contains a Dream Lander waiting at the end and a specific errand that needs to be completed. If Kirby manages to complete whatever errand has to be done in the stage, the character at the end will reward him with a Heart Star. Heart Stars are not needed to complete the game, but if Kirby manages to collect all of the Heart Stars of every level, the final boss and the true ending to the story will be unlocked.

Kirby and Gooey.

While playing a stage, Kirby can be controlled and moved around via the +Control Pad. The B Button causes him to jump, while consecutively pressing the button in the air makes him hover. The Y Button can be used to inhale enemies and to spit them out again. An inhaled enemy can be gulped down by pressing down on the +Control Pad after inhaling. If the enemy possesses an ability, then Kirby will obtain this Copy Ability after gulping the enemy down. The Copy Ability can then be used with the Y Button, or ditched with the Select Button. Eight such Copy Abilities are available for Kirby to use.

A press of the A Button lets Kirby summon his friend Gooey to assist him during stages. Gooey possesses skills very similar to those of Kirby, and he too can copy abilities. If any button on a second controller is pressed, a second player will gain control of Gooey. The second player can use the X Button to return to where Kirby is standing. Summoning Gooey costs Kirby some of his health, however, but he can regain this by inhaling Gooey and gulping him down again, which removes Gooey from play until called again.

Rick and Kirby using Fire.

Kirby's life energy consists of ten life points, represented as five bars which can appear in half increments. When Gooey is summoned, the maximum capacity of the health meter shrinks down to four bars to make room for Gooey's health meter, which also consists of four bars. Whenever a character gets hit by an enemy or an environmental hazard, his health goes down by half a bar. Kirby and Gooey can replenish lost health by eating food or Maxim Tomatoes. Kirby may also swallow Gooey to regain one life bar. When Kirby falls into a bottomless pit, or when his life meter drops to zero, he loses a life and his current Copy Ability. If he runs out of extra lives, the game ends.

Kirby and Gooey can only copy eight different abilities, a relatively small number when compared to other games of the Kirby series. This is augmented by Kirby's various animal friends, who can be picked up while traversing stages and be ferried between them. Each of these six friends can accompany Kirby and/or Gooey and help him with their specific skills. The animal helpers also modify the protagonists' Copy Abilities, thus creating a new ability. When including these augmented abilities, there are 56 different methods of attack in the game, not counting the special ability Kirby and Gooey obtain during the final fight in Hyper Zone.

Controls

Kirby's moveset
Move	Image	Controls
Walk		← or ⁠→
Dash		← or ⁠→ (tap twice & hold)
Duck		↓
Drop down		↓
Enter a door		↑
Inhale		Y
Grab a friend/Release a friend		X
Inhale and copy		A or ↓
Basic Attack		Y
Copy		Y
Unite		Y
Unite & Copy		Y
Release ability		SELECT button or take damage
Call Gooey		A
Jump		B
Hover		B (Press the B button repeatedly to fly)
Slide		↓ + B

Gooey has most of the same moves as Kirby with the addition of the following:

Gooey's moveset
Move	Image	Controls
Get rid of Gooey!		A (Press the A button repeatedly)
Space Jump		A

Protagonists

Image	Name	Description	Manual quote
	Kirby	The main protagonist and titular character of Kirby's Dream Land 3, famous for his appetite. He already saved his homeland in the past and has to protect it again from the clutches of Dark Matter. To do so, he can jump, float by inflating himself, inhale enemies, and copy their abilities. In this game, Kirby tags along with six of his friends to help him battle the forces that took control of Popstar.	Hi, I'm Kirby! PopStar[sic] is in BIG trouble. Gooey and I are going to get to the bottom of this. Wish us luck!
	Gooey	Kirby's friend, Gooey is a blob-like creature made from Dark Matter. Despite his origin, he seems to get along with Kirby and his friends quite well, and doesn't appear to inherit any of his creator's malevolent tendencies. Gooey can be summoned by Kirby to accompany him. He possesses abilities similar to those of Kirby, and can even float in the air like him. Though he does not possess a powerful suction attack like Kirby, he can cast out his long tongue to grab enemies and swallow them to steal their abilities.	I can use the same attacks as Kirby!
	ChuChu	ChuChu the octopus is also one of Kirby's three new friends. When Kirby travels with her, ChuChu stays atop of Kirby's head. While being accompanied by ChuChu, Kirby cannot use his inhale attack. Instead, ChuChu will extend one of her tentacles and pull an enemy it reaches into Kirby's mouth, much how like Gooey can. ChuChu takes control when Kirby flies, but her gain of height will decrease with every button press until she cannot gain any height and eventually touching the ground. Another trait of ChuChu is her ability to stick to ceilings and travel along them. When another animal friend is chosen over her, she adopts a saddened expression.	I can stick to ceilings! I can also fly, but not very well.
	Coo	Coo is an owl and also one of Kirby's friends from the previous game. When Kirby takes him along, Coo sits on top of his head. Coo is specialized in aerial travel and can fly the fastest of all of Kirby's friends, being able to fly fast enough to travel through strong winds. Whenever another animal friend is chosen over him, he lowers his head and looks disappointed. Coo also is the one to inform Kirby and Gooey about Dark Matter's attack.	In the air, it's Coo to the rescue. Storms and strong winds are a piece of cake! Coo can fly like an eagle.
	Kine	Kine is a blue fish with yellow fins and a big mouth. He is one of Kirby's friends from the previous game. Kirby travels in his mouth when he tags Kine along. While he performs acceptably on land, Kine's true advantages come into play when he has to travel underwater. Kine is a supreme swimmer and can even battle his way through currents. What's unique is the fact that Kirby can inhale underwater when traveling with Kine. On land, he can also defeat enemies by jumping on them. Whenever Kirby prefers another animal friend over him, he gets watery eyes and looks genuinely saddened.	Under water, Kine can get the job done. Strong currents are no problem! Kine's a great swimmer.
	Nago	Nago is a tall, vaguely anthropomorphic cat sporting a fur pattern of white, orange, and brown spots. Official artwork and his in-game sprites often depict him grinning. When Kirby chooses him as his animal helper, Nago tags Kirby along by forming him into a ball and rolling him around. With Nago, Kirby loses the ability to fly, but Nago is capable to jump in mid-air up to two times, giving him a triple jump. When another animal helper is chosen over Nago, he stretches out his front paws and adopts an envious expression.	I can perform a triple jump. Hop on me!
	Pitch	Pitch is a small green bird. His lack of size and his almost spherical shape is often reflected by the variations he makes out of Kirby's abilities. When traveling together, Kirby carries Pitch in front of him. Pitch can fly like Coo, although he is not as fast and cannot fly through strong winds; his flight abilities are more similar to those of Kirby. When another animal helper is preferred over Pitch, he adopts a furious expression and can be seen bickering angrily.	Don't forget me! I can make some copied abilities better!
	Rick	Rick is a round, plump hamster having white fur with large orange spots. He is one of Kirby's friends that appeared in the precursor to Kirby's Dream Land 3, Kirby's Dream Land 2. Kirby rides on Rick's back when they travel together. With Rick, Kirby cannot inhale enemies, but Rick can swallow them by catching them with his mouth, even while walking around. In addition, Kirby cannot fly when traveling with Rick but instead can climb walls. Other traits of Rick include his ability to stomp on enemies and to walk on slippery surfaces without problems. When another Animal Friend is chosen in his presence, he lowers his head and looks slightly sad, not unlike how he does in the Grass Land cutscene.	On the ground, Rick's the best. He won't slide on ice! Hop on Rick and get cruisin'!

Levels

Level	Name	Stages	Boss	Description
1	Grass Land	7	Whispy Woods	An area featuring pleasant green plains and forests.
2	Ripple Field	7	Acro	A tropical region featuring shallow lagoons, deep seas, and white marble ruins.
3	Sand Canyon	7	Pon Con	A desert realm with many caves and ruins, also containing a black pyramid full of advanced technology.
4	Cloudy Park	7	Ado	A region set above the clouds, featuring cloud tunnels, high mountain pillars, and a fancy castle.
5	Iceberg	7	King Dedede	A frigid zone featuring snowy environs, ice floes in a chilly sea, and two separate building complexes, along with one of King Dedede's spare castles.
6	Hyper Zone	1	Dark Matter, Zero	The inside of the giant dark cloud that fell upon Popstar, home to Dark Matter and Zero. This level is only accessible if all the Heart Stars are collected before defeating King Dedede in Iceberg.

Copy Abilities

There are 9 Copy Abilities in Kirby's Dream Land 3. Each ability (with the exception of Love-Love Stick) can combine with an Animal Friend, like in Kirby's Dream Land 2.

Copy Ability	Icon	Appearance	Damage	Description	Obtained from
Burning			32	Kirby or Gooey becomes an invincible fireball and dashes forward. The distance he travels shortens with repeated uses.	Galbo Bobo Magoo Boboo (mid-boss) Bukiset (Burning variant)
Clean			48	Kirby or Gooey sweeps enemies at close range with his broom. He can also aim the dust slightly upward.	Broom Hatter KeKe Haboki (mid-boss) Bukiset (Clean variant)
Cutter			16	Kirby or Gooey throws a mid-ranged cutter boomerang that can also be curved upward.	Sir Kibble Kapar Bukiset (Cutter variant)
Ice			32	Kirby or Gooey breathes close-ranged icy wind to freeze enemies that can be aimed upward.	Chilly Wappa Yuki (mid-boss) Bukiset (Ice variant)
Needle			48	Kirby or Gooey pokes close-ranged needles from his body.	Togezo Tick Boten Captain Stitch (mid-boss) Bukiset (Needle variant)
Parasol			48	Kirby or Gooey swings his parasol as a weapon. He can also drift in the air, and shield himself by crouching.	Sasuke Klinko Jumper Shoot (mid-boss) Bukiset (Parasol variant)
Spark			32	Kirby or Gooey generates a small electric barrier around himself.	Sparky Bobin Bukiset (Spark variant)
Stone			32	Kirby or Gooey transforms into an invincible stone, smashing down when used in midair.	Rocky Gansan Blocky (mid-boss) Bukiset (Stone variant)
Love-Love Stick			32	Kirby shoots Heart Stars in front of him. This ability is used against the final boss. When Gooey is called during this battle, he becomes "Mock Matter," which is aesthetically unique but otherwise functions identically.	N/A

Damage of Animal Friend Copy Abilities
Animal Friend	Burning	Clean	Cutter	Ice	Needle	Parasol	Spark	Stone
Rick	32	48	32	32	64	64	32	32
Kine	32	32	32	32	48	32	32	32
Coo	32	48	32	32	48	24	16	32
ChuChu	48	64	32	32	32	32	32	64
Nago	16	32	32	32	32	32	32	64 (stone) 32 (shockwave)
Pitch	32	32	32	32	32	32	32	32

Antagonists

Neutral enemies

These enemies appear littered throughout stages, and provide no Copy Ability if swallowed by Kirby or Gooey.

Name	Appearance	Description
Apolo		These cone-shaped enemies can be seen swinging around trees and pillars and will hurt Kirby if he comes in contact while they are in the foreground. Inhaling and swallowing an Apolo heals Kirby by one HP.
Babut		A vampiric bat-like creature that can be seen hanging from ceilings. It will fly in Kirby's general direction if disturbed and will bite him if they make contact. Babut is one of the few neutral enemies who does not attack by collision.
Batamon		A pink rotund foe who looks a lot like Kirby. Batamon tends to lurk in places where Kirby cannot reach him and may wander off-stage. Apart from this, he behaves like a Waddle Dee.
Big Kabu		A large stone head which will hop out of crevices and spit out smaller Kabus until defeated. Referred to in this game as "Dekabu".
Blipper		A fish who wears goggles and can be commonly found underwater. It moves lazily about and will hurt Kirby by collision.
Boulder		This hazard can be found in a few stages, either rolling down slopes or falling in from above. It cannot be destroyed and must be avoided.
Bouncy		A spring-based foe who can bounce in place or while moving. It attacks by collision. Also comes in drawing form.
Bronto Burt		This stubborn flyer can move in all sorts of patterns and is highly aggressive. Also comes in drawing form.
Cappy		This mushroom-like enemy can throw its cap above itself. If Kirby attempts to inhale Cappy while its cap is on, the cap will fly into his mouth first.
Coconut		This hazardous object can typically be found hanging from palm trees and will attempt to fall on Kirby's head and explode if he passes underneath.
Como		These spider-like enemies can be seen hanging from strings and will drop down when Kirby approaches. They will try to spit webs at Kirby but can be defeated with by direct attack or by cutting their string with an attack.
Corori		A penguin-like foe who pushes large snowballs down hills at Kirby. They are otherwise defenseless.
Dogon		These caveman-like foes use their clubs to nullify projectiles thrown at them. They can be easily defeated using copy abilities though.
Doka		Shovel-wielding baddies who try to fling dirt at Kirby.
Gabon		Skull-wearers who will try to throw bones at Kirby. They are defenseless once unmasked.
Glunk		Anemone-like foes who stay put and shoot projectiles out of their tops.
Gordo		Spiky hazards that cannot be defeated. They may move back and forth.
Icicle		A ceiling-hanging hazard which will attempt to fall on Kirby should he pass beneath it.
Joe		Shark-like foes who patrol the water and will try to bite Kirby.
Kabu		Small stone head statues which will spin toward Kirby to try and hit him.
Kany		Crab-like enemies that can extend their claws to attack.
Loud		An elusive cloud enemy that will try to rain on Kirby.
Madoo		A floating wizard-like foe who will shoot dark orbs down at Kirby. These orbs can break certain blocks.
Mariel		A four-legged spider who unfurls its legs when approached. Will harm Kirby if he inhales it.
Metroid		Parasitic jellyfish which can only be encountered in one stage. Cannot actually harm Kirby.
Mopoo		Icy sphere enemies which erupt from the ground and fly in arcs or straight ahead.
Mumbies		Bandage-wrapped floating orbs which cannot be inhaled and will slowly pursue Kirby.
Mony		Aquatic foes that slowly pursue Kirby.
Nidoo		Dark blobs which disguise themselves as doorways.
Nruff		Charging pig-like creatures that can leap over gaps. Waddle Dees sometimes ride them.
Oro		A slug-like enemy that conceals itself until Kirby approaches. It can be defeated by jumping on it.
Pacto		A floating yellow creature with a huge maw that will try to eat Kirby if he approaches. Cannot be inhaled.
Pasara		Floating cotton-like enemies that will break into smaller copies if attacked or if Kirby tries to inhale them.
Peloo		Faces that appear on walls which will try to lap up Kirby with their tongues. Cannot be defeated.
Peran		Bulbous enemies that peek in from a peel in the background and throw projectiles at Kirby. Can be knocked out by Headbutting them.
Polof		A rabbit-like creature that does not appear to want to attack Kirby at all. Only one exists in the game.
Popon		A green slimy creature that can grow taller, becoming up to 5 segments tall. It can only be defeated when it is down to one segment.
Poppy Bros. Jr.		Small jesters who can be seen balancing on apples.
Propeller		Flying enemies of various color who will pursue Kirby's Animal Friends depending on which friend Kirby is riding. They often are seen hatching from eggs.
Pteran		High-flying foes who often travel in packs and move slowly downward.
Raft Waddle Dee		Waddle Dees riding rafts that can float on water. If hit will lose their rafts.
Scarfy		Flying enemies who appear cute until Kirby tries to inhale them, upon which they become angry and chase him.
Shotzo		Invulnerable cannon enemies who will shoot continuous volleys and may be able to re-aim themselves.
Squishy		Aquatic squid-like enemies that move in quick spurts.
Waddle Dee		Small brown creatures similar in physique to Kirby who pose little threat. They can be found in a number of different situations. Also comes in drawing form.
Wapod		An ornate jug which continuously emits ghostly Waddle Dees that float upward. The jug must be destroyed to stop the ghosts from spawning.
Yaban		A jungle boy who jumps and fires an arrow from his bow.
Zebon		A green orb which acts as a Cannon. Does not actually harm Kirby.

Ability-yielding enemies

These somewhat less-common enemies provide Copy Abilities, which can be used in tandem with the Animal Friends for even more possible attacks, as well as to solve puzzles.

Name	Appearance	Copy Ability	Description
Bobin		Spark	An electric pufferfish found in underwater areas. It fires electric shots in a straight line when it sees Kirby, and can do this even if on land.
Bobo		Burning	A walking ember of fire with beady eyes. It is not actually any more dangerous than a typical enemy and relies on collision to harm Kirby.
Boten		Needle	This foe disguises itself as part of a cactus until Kirby gets near, then springs its thorns in defense. It is capable of limited movement.
Broom Hatter		Clean	This modest foe sweeps the ground with her broom in a fixed pattern, usually not venturing far from where she is spotted.
Bukiset		(depends on type)	These white knights come in eight different varieties. The type of weapon they wield determines what ability Kirby will get from them.
Chilly		Ice	This snowman enemy typically holds in place and dances back and forth, occasionally conjuring a freezing aura around itself to attack Kirby with.
Galbo		Burning	This compact ball-dragon attacks by breathing a cone of fire at Kirby.
Gansan		Stone	A creature consisting of three covalent stones which can roll down hills.
Kapar		Cutter	A green amphibious foe who throws its razor-sharp hat like a boomerang at Kirby.
KeKe		Clean	A witch with cat ears who floats lazily through the air on a flying broom. Can be knocked off their broom and sent tumbling.
Klinko		Parasol	A creature wearing a straw umbrella that hops around.
Magoo		Burning	A round fiery foe who hops in and out of lava.
Rocky		Stone	A rock with eyes and feet which will fall quickly after walking off a ledge.
Sasuke		Parasol	A hat-wearing round creature which will drift slowly to the ground when falling.
Sir Kibble		Cutter	A suit of armor that throws a bladed boomerang at Kirby.
Sparky		Spark	A green blob with hands capable of conducting electricity.
Tick		Needle	A blob-like enemy that can shoot its top up in a huge spike when threatened.
Togezo		Needle	A small enemy wearing a spiny shell. It moves back and forth slowly.
Wappa		Ice	A yeti-like enemy that can roll into a ball and travel down slopes.

Mid-Bosses

Each mid-boss has 128 HP. For reference, a Star Bullet deals 32 damage, and a Blaster Bullet (at least 2 stars swallowed) deals 64 damage in this game.

In addition, mid-bosses have resistance (damage ×0.75) and/or weakness (damage ×1.25). Do note, as well, that mid-bosses take more damage from Animal Friends (damage x1.50).

Name	Appearance	Copy Ability	Resistance	Weakness	Description
Blocky		Stone		Star Bullet Stone	A heavy stone enemy that attacks by tackling and jumping around and crashing into Kirby. The impacts create boulders that can be inhaled and spat out to deal damage.
Boboo		Burning	Burning		A bigger and stronger version of the regular enemy Bobo. It attacks by using flaming tackles and can be defeated with the cinder its attacks create.
Captain Stitch		Needle	Needle		A larger version of the regular enemy Gordo. It attacks by launching its needles which can be inhaled. Captain Stitch is invulnerable as long as it is protected by its needles.
Haboki		Clean	Clean		A giant broom. It attacks Kirby by sweeping dust at him and trying to squish him with a jump. The jumps create stars that can be inhaled.
Jumper Shoot		Parasol	Parasol		An umbrella enemy with one eye. It attacks by spinning rapidly and by throwing its sandal at Kirby. The sandal can be used to attack and defeat the enemy.
Yuki		Ice	Ice		An enemy resembling a snowman. It attacks by throwing its head and replicas of it at Kirby. It cannot be damaged as long as the head is separated from the body.

Bosses

Name		Appearance	HP	Description
Whispy Woods			256	Whispy is a sentient tree and the possessed boss of Grass Land. He attacks by exhaling air pellets and spitting vegetables and has a pointy nose that can damage Kirby. The vegetables he spits out can be inhaled and used as projectiles. After having his life meter depleted by half, Whispy begins to move around angrily, spitting more food at Kirby. If Kirby moves too close to him, he will kick him away like a ball.
Acro			256	Acro is a killer whale that lives at Ripple Field and was possessed by Dark Matter. Kirby fights this boss in two phases: A phase on dry land and an underwater phase. On land, Acro tries to attack Kirby by ramming him. When it crashes into a wall, Kirby can use the debris to attack Acro. In the second phase, Acro swims around while spitting various objects at Kirby. Kirby can throw these objects back at Acro with his water gun, or another ability.
Pon & Con			Pon: 160 Con: 160	Pon the raccoon and Con the fox are two animals of Sand Canyon that got corrupted by Dark Matter. They walk around the stage in colonies, accompanied by many smaller members of their species. Kirby can inhale the smaller animals and spit them back at the duo. While the fight commences, bombs steadily drop from the top of the screen. The bombs need to be avoided, or they will cause Kirby damage. Notably, the Blaster Bullet only deals 32 damage to Pon & Con.
Ado			1	Ado is a young artist who was in Cloudy Park when Dark Matter attacked. She is very similar to Adeleine from Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. The artist attacks by painting enemies on a giant easel and making them come to life. Kirby then needs to defeat the paintings before he can take on Ado. Four of these paintings need to be defeated, all of which are bosses from Kirby's Dream Land 2.
	Ice Dragon		96	A painted version of Ice Dragon. It attacks by using its breath to move around rapidly and by spitting out ice cubes. The ice cubes can be inhaled and launched back at the beast to defeat it.
	Sweet Stuff		128	A painting of Sweet Stuff. It attacks by firing lightning orbs at Kirby. Sometimes it releases a starfish that can be inhaled and spat back at the boss, which will damage it.
	Mr. Shine and Mr. Bright		Mr. Shine: 96 Mr. Bright: 96	Mr. Shine the moon, and Mr. Bright the sun, two bosses painted by Ado. During the fight, Mr. Bright constantly drops fireballs which can be used as projectiles to defeat the duo. Mr. Shine also drops cutter-shaped objects as well.
	Kracko		256	A painting of a cloud creature, drawn by Ado. It attacks by shooting lightning bolts at Kirby. Sometimes it drops a smaller version of itself, called Co-Kracko. The Co-Krackos can be used to defeat this boss.
King Dedede			1st phase: 256 2nd phase: 256	Kirby's arch-frenemy who got possessed by Dark Matter. He is fought at the end of Iceberg and attacks in two phases: A battle on the ground and a battle in the air. When on the ground he tries to smack Kirby with his hammer or flatten him by jumping on him. Some of his attacks leave stars behind that can be inhaled and spat out to damage Dedede. During the air battle that follows, King Dedede hovers in the air and attacks by transforming his stomach into a maw or by shooting dark orbs from an eye in his belly. The dark orbs can be used to damage him.
Dark Matter			1024	A manifestation of Dark Matter and the penultimate boss of the game that must be defeated before Kirby can take on the final boss. It appears like a black orb of dark energy with several orange spheres encircling its back. It attacks by sending out the orange spheres located at its back and by shooting energy beams at Kirby, similar to its second phase in Kirby's Dream Land 2.
Zero			1st phase: 4080 2nd phase: 256	The master of Dark Matter and final boss of the game. Zero looks like a giant white sphere with a single glaring red eye. Its eye can be seen before the boss fight on several occasions, for example during the introduction cutscene. It attacks by tackling Kirby, creating small manifestations of Dark Matter as projectiles and by squirting blood. If Kirby manages to deplete its life points, its eye will burst out of the body and try to attack Kirby on its own. To defeat Zero, Kirby must destroy the eye.

Staff

The following is a list of staff who have worked on Kirby's Dream Land 3:

Staff of Kirby's Dream Land 3
Position	Developer(s)
Director	Shinichi Shimomura
Chief Programmer	Teruyuki Gunji
Programmer	Tetsuya Abe Isao Takahashi Katsuhiro Sakoda
Chief Designer	Shigeru Hashiguchi
Designer	Sanae Kubota Junsuke Sigiura Kenichiro Kita Satoko Nakamura Yoshiko Ohmura
Mapper	Tomomi Minami
Sound Composer	Jun Ishikawa
Illustrator	Tetsuya Notoya
Special Thanks	Satoshi Ishida Chieko Obikane Takahiro Harada Noriyuki Sato Jim Wornell Super Mario Club HAL Debug Team
Project Manager	Ryuki Kuraoka
Producer	Hiroaki Suga
Chief Producer	Satoru Iwata
General Manager	Takehiro Izushi
Executive Producer	Hiroshi Yamauchi
Nintendo HAL Laboratory

References to other games

• Kirby's Dream Land 2 - Every enemy Ado paints during the boss fight in Cloudy Park is taken from this game.
• Gyromite / Stack-Up - Sand Canyon - Stage 6 features R.O.B. and Professor Hector.
• Metroid - Iceberg - Stage 2 features six Metroids and the protagonist Samus Aran herself.
• Shin Onigashima - Donbe & Hikari, the two protagonists of this game, appear in Sand Canyon - Stage 4.
• Yūyūki - Chao, the female protagonist of this game, and Goku the monkey makes an appearance in Grass Land - Stage 4.
• Mario's Picross - The clients of Ripple Field - Stage 6 and Cloudy Park - Stage 6 are references to the Easy Picross B-2 level "Diamond" and B-7 level "Wine Glass" (Japanese version, replaced by "Silk Hat" in other languages), respectively.

References in later games

• Kirby's Star Stacker (Super Famicom) - The graphical style in this game is based on that of Kirby's Dream Land 3, reusing many of its sprites. Additionally, Kirby uses the Love-Love Stick to attack opponents and add extra layers of blocks to their boards.
• Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards - All of Kirby's helpers from this game make a cameo appearance in form of the Stone-Cutter ability in this game. Additionally, the final boss of this game is an alternative form of Kirby's Dream Land 3's final boss, called 0².
• Kirby: Squeak Squad - The theme for the third stage of Grass Land is remixed and extended to serve as the first stage theme for Prism Plains.
• Kirby's Return to Dream Land - Some enemies from Kirby's Dream Land 3 return in this title.
• Kirby: Triple Deluxe - Various Keychains featuring sprites of Kirby and some enemies from Kirby's Dream Land 3 appear in this title. The Coo's Forest battle stage from the Kirby Fighters sub-game appears to be based on Grass Land - Stage 5.
• Kirby Fighters Deluxe - Coo's Forest returns in this standalone title.
• Kirby: Planet Robobot - Some enemies and music from Kirby's Dream Land 3 return in this title. Stickers featuring official artwork of some characters from the title also appear.
• Team Kirby Clash Deluxe - One of the Doctor Healmore equipment sets resembles Chuchu.
• Kirby Star Allies - The Clean ability (now referred to as Cleaning) returns in this game, and includes moves which cause Nago, ChuChu and Pitch to appear briefly.
  • Additionally, Gooey appears as a Dream Friend representing this entry in the series, especially in his moveset. Adeleine's move 'Ado's Painter' is also a reference to Ado.
  • Finally, many references to the final boss Zero are present in the Wave 1 version of The Divine Terminus (from Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go!) and the final boss of The Ultimate Choice.
• Super Kirby Clash - The "Chuchu Cap" armor for Doctor Healmore returns in this game, and Gooey also makes a cameo appearance in the Castle Village after clearing the Toughest Ordeal against Venom Kracko.
• Kirby Fighters 2 - Gooey appears as a playable fighter, using his Dream Friend moveset from Kirby Star Allies. Coo's Forest returns once again in this title.
• Kirby and the Forgotten Land - Corori, an enemy whose only other appearance was in Kirby's Dream Land 3, returns in this title.

Descriptions

Nintendo eShop

Kirby, Dream Land's resident hero (and everyone's favorite puffball), must once again save the day when the mischievous King Dedede starts causing trouble. Kirby must travel through an assortment of levels, battling an exotic array of enemies (both new and familiar) determined to stop him from completing his mission. Always armed with his trusty ability to swallow enemies and gain special attacks, Kirby can also unite with some of his animal friends and make use of their particular talents. Featuring detailed graphics, challenging boss battles, and the distinct charm of a Kirby game, it's no wonder this title is considered a classic.

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

Special version from Nintendo Switch Online

Set difficulty to Easy Breezy!

Glide along, smoothly and easily!

In this special version of Kirby's Dream Land 3, all secret modes are unlocked. When the original version was released in Japan in 1998, the Japanese website read, "Games these days are difficult. Wouldn't you like to glide along smoothly and easily? The wait is over, because Kirby is back, and he's ready to play with anyone and everyone!"

Kirby and his friends are on a mission to save PopStar, but in this special version, Kirby's already glided in to save PopStar and has easily achieved a 100% completion rate. All of the stages are available, but that's not all. You can also listen to all the songs from the game in SOUND TEST under OPTION, or you can play Super NES MG5 (in which you play the five mini-games in a row, one after another), Jumping, and Boss Butch! With everything cleared, you can even view all of the event scenes and each of the three endings.

Trivia

• The original Super Nintendo Entertainment System release of Kirby's Dream Land 3 did not release worldwide, only appearing in the Americas and Japan. Back then the Nintendo 64 was already released and Nintendo was focused on the latest console. The game itself pokes fun at this in the Japanese version, where Boss Butch features a "Nintendo 16" logo (referring to the 16-bit hardware of the SNES, compared to the 64-bit hardware of the N64).
• The North American and Japanese ROM images for the game are nearly identical, with a difference of only 41 bytes. Both versions of the game include the data for both English and Japanese languages; the regional differences are loaded based on a single byte. A North American English copy of the game can be made to run in Japanese by changing the region byte, and vice versa.
• According to the game's entry in the Kirby's History section of Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition, Kirby's Dream Land 3 was "the last [game] that Nintendo published in the USA for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System."
• This game's original North American release was rated K-A (Kids to Adults), the contemporary equivalent to a modern E rating, by the ESRB. However Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition was rated E10+ (a rating that did not exist at the time of this game's release, having been introduced in 2005), possibly because of the blood from both the Zero battle in this game and the 0² battle in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, as the description of the game says that "One boss character (a giant eyeball) fires red droplets at Kirby; additional red-damage effects appear as its health decreases."
• Kirby's Dream Land 3 is the only main-series Kirby game to feature the Parasol ability without a corresponding parasol entity held by enemies.

Gallery

Main article: Kirby's Dream Land 3/gallery

• 

  English title screen

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  Pause screen

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	星ほしのカービィ３ Hoshi no Kābyi 3	Kirby of the Stars 3
Chinese	Kirby's Dream Land 3 星之卡比３ xīng zhī kǎ bǐ 3	- Kirby of the Stars 3
Dutch	Kirby's Dream Land 3	-
French	Kirby's Dream Land 3	-
German	Kirby's Dream Land 3	-
Italian	Kirby's Dream Land 3	-
Korean	Kirby's Dream Land 3	-
Portuguese	Kirby's Dream Land 3	-
Russian	Kirby's Dream Land 3	-
Spanish	Kirby's Dream Land 3	-

External links

• Japanese website
• Kirby's Dream Land 3 on Nintendo.com (Wayback Machine)
• Kirby's Dream Land 3 on Kirby Informer
• English manual (external archive) (second archive)