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Kirby's Dream Land (JP) is a 1992 action-platformer video game for the Game Boy. It is the first title in the Kirby series and the debut of the pink protagonist Kirby. The game was created by series mastermind Masahiro Sakurai, who went on to develop most of the games in the series and other titles such as the Super Smash Bros. series.

The game stars Kirby, a spherical little boy who lives on the far away, star-shaped planet of Pop Star, in the peaceful country of Dream Land. When Dream Land's food supply is stolen by the gluttonous King Dedede and his band of mischievous cronies, Kirby volunteers to go and retrieve the stolen food. Kirby possesses the ability to suck enemies into his mouth and then shoot them out as stars, however, he lacks his Copy Ability from the later titles. The game was intended for people new to gaming, and thus playing its four levels is rather simple.

This game in its entirety, with the exception of Castle Lololo, is included in Kirby Super Star (Kirby's Fun Pak in PAL countries) as Spring Breeze. Kirby's Dream Land was released on the 3DS's Virtual Console in 2011.

Plot[]

Like most video games in the 80's and early 90's Kirby's Dream Land's plot is given to players through the instruction manual. The majority of in-game cutscenes, with the exception of the final one, do not advance the plot in any way and instead feature humorous slapstick scenes of Kirby getting into trouble in the upcoming level.

The game, like all the others in the series, takes place in Dream Land, a small country on the planet Pop Star. One night, the selfish King Dedede and his minions ran down from the distant Mt. Dedede and stole all of the Dream Landers' food and their precious Sparkling Stars.

After this occurred, the people became very hungry and dreaded King Dedede for doing such a thing. As they were debating what should be done, a brave little boy named Kirby stepped forward and said, "Don't worry, I'll get your food and your Sparkling Stars back!" And with this, he headed off toward Mt. Dedede.

Gameplay[]

Dream land

Kirby's Dream Land is a side-scrolling action-platformer. Controlling Kirby, the player can move left or right, crouch, jump and fly by pressing up on the D-pad. Pressing the B button, let's Kirby inhale and suck nearby objects, enemies and items into his mouth. If he sucks up an object, such as a Star Block, or an enemy, he will carry them in his mouth. The player can then crouch to have Kirby swallow what's in his mouth or press B again to spit it out as a star-shaped projectile. This is Kirby's main method of attack and some enemies, like Mumbies and Scarfy, cannot be inhaled, while others like Cappy and Peezer are much easier to defeat with a star. By pressing up on the control pad when Kirby doesn't have an enemy or object in his mouth, he can inhale a gulp of air and fly. This can be done indefinitely; however, Kirby cannot inhale enemies while flying and is rather slow, leaving him vulnerable to flying foes, like Bronto Burt, Gaspar and Cawcun. Pressing the B button while flying will cause Kirby to spit out the air as an air puff which can be used to attack enemies, however this will cancel his flight and send him plummeting so be careful around bottomless pits.

In the levels, the player will sometimes come across power-ups that will temporarily give Kirby with new abilities, such as Superspicy Curry which gives Kirby fire breath; the Mint Leaf/Sweet Potato which allows temporary unlimited flight and rapid fire air puffs, the Bomb which becomes a piercing bullet when spit out, the Mike which clears the screen of enemies and the Invincibility Candy which gives Kirby temporary invulnerability to everything except falling down a hole. At the end of each level is a boss that must be defeated by inhaling the objects they create and spitting them back at them.

Levels[]

  • Green Greens - A simple and verdant grassland stage, with easy to tackle enemies and challenges. Midway through the stage, Kirby enters a forest where the first boss, Whispy Woods awaits.
  • Castle Lololo - A haunted castle owned by the twins Lololo & Lalala. Kirby must stay on his toes to avoid ghostly foes and navigate the branching pathways within.
  • Float Islands - A series of tropical islands floating in the vast ocean. Enemies will attack Kirby from above and below the waves, while he explores flooded caves and dangerous pirate ships. The end of the level will send Kirby above the clouds to battle the robotic zeppelin Kabula.
  • Bubbly Clouds - A floating palace built among the clouds. As Kirby climbs higher and higher the daytime sky eventually gives way to the stars of space. The final Sparkling Star is guarded by the cycloptic thundercloud monster, Kracko.
  • Mt.Dedede - The final level in the game. Kirby is almost ready for his showdown with King Dedede, but first he will have to fight all of the game's previous bosses again in succession.

Enemies[]

Italicized enemies are exclusive to Extra Mode.

  • Benny: A bizarre creature that resembles a legless hand puppet, wearing a fez and bowtie. Benny races out of the clouds at blinding speed, sometimes spinning, and attempts to crash into Kirby. Benny replaces Dizzy in Extra Mode.
  • Blatzy: An automated cannon with a short fat barrel. It fires rapidly, never needing to stop to reload. Some fire continuously in one direction while others fire in random directions, shooting cannon balls all over. Blatzy replaces Shotzo in Extra Mode.
  • Blipper: A red and orange fish that lives in the ocean. Blipper will leap from the water in an attempt to catch Kirby off guard. They don't like to get water in their eyes, despite being fish, so they always wear swimming goggles.
  • Blopper: A bouncing cupcake that erupts with molten frosting making it difficult to approach. If Kirby tries to inhale it, he will suck off the frosting and strawberry, revealing its true form; a purple, jellybean-shaped slime. Blopper replaces Cappy in Extra Mode.
  • Booler: A white ghost with a long red tongue. It flies through the air, sometimes flying at Kirby suddenly. Booler can appear and disappear at will.
  • Boomer: A tiny elf clad in pink and yellow clothing and wielding a blue boomerang. Like its cousins the Poppy Bros, Boomer is quite the prankster. Boomers throw two boomerangs rapidly in an arc. Just so you know, these boomerangs will fly over their head and hit anyone unlucky enough to be behind them... ok? Boomer replaces Sir Kibble in Extra Mode.
  • Bronto Burt: A pink, spherical creature with fly-like wings and a scowling face. Bronto Burt are a common sight in the skies of Dream Land, their flying abilities making them useful as messengers and delivery carriers. Though they like to appear tough, they really aren't much stronger than a Waddle Dee. Some fly in a zig-zag pattern, while others sit in one spot and take off when Kirby approaches.
  • Broom Hatter: A little straw witch, wearing a black witch's hat and wielding a broom. Its yellow body is shaped like Waddle Dee and Waddle Doo, but completely lacking any kind of facial features. Broom Hatter is positively mad about cleaning and will sweep up Kirby if he gets in her way.
  • Cappy: A bouncing mushroom with a red cap and white spots. This is just a disguise to hide the shy creature's true self, however. Should Kirby attempts to inhale it, he will remove the mushroom cap, revealing Cappy's true form; a tan haniwa-like creature with hollow eyes and noodly arms.
  • Cawcun: A legless white pelican with bulbous eyes and a bright yellow bill. Cawcun will dive out of the clouds, attempting to eat Kirby. Some can also attack by firing three stars from their mouths that fly at an angle. Cawcun are the highest flying of all of Dream Land's birds and have even been sighted on the edge of the planet's atmosphere. Cawcun replaces Puffy in Extra Mode.
  • Chuckie: A haunted jack-in-the-box found in Castle Lololo. It has a purple face with a queasy expression and a long tongue. Chuckie pops out of blue and pink striped question mark boxes and attack Kirby when he least expects it.
  • Coner: A tiny yellow hermit crab in a swirly green shell. Coner skuttles forward slowly, attempting to pinch Kirby, stopping occasionally to hide in its shell. When it ducks into its shell Kirby is unable to inhale it, so wait until it starts moving, or spit a star at it.
  • Dizzy: A spherical white creature with red feet, a long tongue and a large yellow horn. Dizzy flies through the clouds, sometimes spinning and attempts to crash into Kirby. Despite their small size, they move fairly fast and can easily catch an inattentive player off guard.
  • Flapper: A tiny black bat with grey wings and glowing yellow eyes. It roosts in the darkness of Castle Lololo and flies out when disturbed. Flapper aren't particularly dangerous, though they can sometimes act with other enemies to bar Kirby's path.
  • Flotzo: A red octopus, with an angry expression that lives in the oceans of Float Islands. They leap from the sea to attack Kirby, like Blipper, but unlike Blipper they can also utilize their tentacles to walk and jump on land. They can also fly similar to the Mario enemy Blooper by undulating their tentacles and bodies. Flotzo replaces Squishy in Extra Mode.
  • Gaspar: A white ghost, with rosy, pink cheeks that wears a red nightcap. This not so friendly ghost haunts the halls of Castle Lololo, floating about at high speeds in order to scare unwanted visitors. It can appear and disappear at will often giving Kirby little time to react to its presence and getting attacked by it takes away two vitality instead of one. Gaspar replaces Booler in Extra Mode.
  • Glunk: A greenish-yellow sea anemone with pink tentacles that lives in the moat of Castle Lololo. Glunk sit at the bottom of pools of water and try to sting Kirby as he passes by or cling to the ceiling dropping from above as our pink hero approaches. In Extra Mode, Glunk can fire bubbles that travel horizontally.
  • Gordo: A hovering spiked enemy that cannot be eaten.
  • Grizzo: A stocky yellow bear, with a pink headband. Grizzo seem to be the pets of Poppy Bros. Jr. as the two often appear together. By themselves, Grizzo do two vitality worth of damage to Kirby if they manage to bite him, making them slightly more dangerous than your garden variety enemy and with a Poppy on their back the duo gains an extra hit point.
  • Grumples
  • Hurly: A haunted and broken jack-in-the-box fun located in Lololo & Lalala's playroom. It has a black face with a long tongue and a silly expression. Like Chuckie, Hurly launches out of orange and green striped question mark boxes to attack Kirby, but because its spring is broken it will continue moving through the air before falling off the stage and reappearing inside its box. The boxes never stop launching Hurlies so Kirby can only avoid them. Hurly replaces Chuckie in Extra Mode.
  • Kabu
  • Kookler
  • Koozer: A black spherical creature with fly-like wings, a yellow beak and feet, rosy, pink cheeks and crossed eyes. This goofy relative of Bronto Burt races through the sky, homing in on Kirby's location in an effort to crash into him. Koozer are incredibly fast, often leaving only a few seconds for the player to react, making them one of the more dangerous enemies in the game. Koozer replaces Bronto Burt in Extra Mode.
  • Mr. P. Umpkin: A haunted jack-o-lantern that hangs on the walls of Castle Lololo. Initially, it sports a bored expression as it waits for Kirby to approach. When he does, Mr. P. will turn around, revealing a jack-o-lantern face and fly off the wall at him, dealing 2 vitality worth of damage with a terrifying bite. Mr. P. Umpkin replaces Two Face in Extra Mode.
  • Mumbies: A spherical mummy, covered in white bandages with a single glowing eye. It haunts the halls of Castle Lololo, looking to drive its teeth into any unwanted intruders. Mumbies cannot be inhaled by Kirby and can appear and disappear at will. Some fly in pattern while others chase Kirby.
  • Parasol: Red and white striped parasols that are carried by some enemies. Waddle Dee and Waddle Doo use them to float down slowly from the sky while Shotzo and Blatzy use them to fly in the air as they rain cannonballs below. In extra mode these parasols will begin glowing and chase Kirby if they are separated from their holder, eventually exploding in his face.
  • Peezer: A small red crab with pink claws, four orange legs and a single cycloptic eye. When Peezer covers its eye and ducks down, it becomes resistant to Kirby's inhale. Hit it with a star or air pellet or wait for it to drop its guard the moment before it attacks. Peezer fires an arching beam from its eye, similar to the one used by Waddle Doo. Since its name is Peezer, it's possible that the beam is actually a jet of water, completing the pun it shares with Wizzer. Peezer replaces Wizzer in Extra Mode.
  • Poppy Bros. Jr.: A tiny blue-clad elf, that lives in the forest in Green Greens and the younger siblings of Poppy Bros. Sr. With their big smiles and floppy blue caps, the Poppy Bros. are natural entertainers with a love for circus tricks, though Kirby doesn't have time to stay and watch the show. Some balance on giant apples while others ride on Grizzo bears. They can be sucked off of their ride with Kirby's inhale but if hit with a star, they will instead dismount and continue walking as normal.
  • Puffy: A blue, sunglasses wearing cloud. Puffy floats and flies high above the skies of Dream Land, blending in with the clouds around him. It will dive out of the clouds to attack Kirby, and some will spit three stars at an angle.
  • Scarfy: A cute and cherubic orange creature, with cat-like ears that floats high in the skies above Dream Land. Scarfy are innocent and carefree, generally minding their own business. However, if Kirby tries to inhale one, it will become angry and undergo a demonic transformation, with a single eye and razor-sharp fangs. In their monstrous form they will chase Kirby relentlessly until they explode. Hitting them with a star or air pellet will also cause them to explode so keep your distance if you decide to take one out.
  • Shotzo: An automated cannon with a pear-shaped barrel. It fires cannon balls at set intervals, sometimes three at a time before stopping to reload. Some Shotzo remain stationary, aiming in one direction, while others pivot to follow Kirby's movement. They are almost completely invincible, only able to be destroyed with an Invincibility Candy.
  • Sir Kibble
  • Skuller: A haunted, floating skull with glowing yellow eyes. They bear a strong resemblance to the Skull enemy from Adventures of Lolo. Skuller haunt the halls of Castle Lololo, flying about in various formations and can appear and disappear at will. Some will even chase after Kirby once they take notice of him. They cannot be inhaled by Kirby, but a star or air puff will take them out. Skuller replaces Mumbies in Extra Mode.
  • Squishy: A white squid, that lives in the oceans of Dream Land. Squishy bears a strong resemblance to the Mario enemy Blooper. It is one of the few enemies capable of operating on land or sea. When they come ashore, they walk about on their six smaller tentacles, while the two larger one's act as arms. Squishy can also fly, rocketing out of the water and undulating their bodies and tentacles to do so.
  • Tookey: A round white chicken that lives in the fields of Green Greens. It springs into the air and flies in a half crescent, when Kirby approaches. Some fly in the air, attempting to stay parallel to Kirby so that they crash into him. Tookey may be the adult version of Twizzy. Tookey replaces Twizzy in Extra Mode.
  • Twizzy: A little yellow bird that lives in the fields of Green Greens. Cute and mild mannered, it sits in the grass and when Kirby approaches, hops into the air, attempting to prevent him from jumping over it. Some can also fly, though unlike Bronto Burt who flies in a zig-zag pattern Twizzy moves in a straight line, making them much easier to avoid.
  • Two Face: Haunted masks that hang on the walls of Castle Lololo. Two Face sits in the background, with a bored expression, waiting for Kirby to approach. When he does, it flips around, revealing a jack-o-lantern face and flies at Kirby. They bear a strong resemblance to Phanto from the Mario series.
  • Waddle Dee: Toddling red creatures with no mouth. Waddle Dee are the timid and clumsy, but loyal servants of King Dedede. They are the most basic enemy in the game, capable only of walking and jumping. Some walk back and forth while others continue moving until they hit a wall. In Extra Mode, some Waddle Dee run and jump attempting to intercept Kirby, which can easily catch new players off guard. In Bubbly Clouds there are even Waddle Dee that parashoot down from the sky on parasols.
  • Waddle Doo: A slightly more powerful variant of the Waddle Dee that can shoot a beam from its face.
  • Whiskers
  • Wizzer: A green clam with a single large eye, found on the beaches of Float Islands. It can resist Kirby's inhale by closing its shell tight and locking itself in place, only becoming vulnerable the moment before it attacks. When its shell opens, it fires an arcing beam similar to the one that Waddle Doo uses. Since its name is Wizzer, the beam may, in fact, be a jet of water.

Development[]

Kirby's Dream Land was developed by Masahiro Sakurai of HAL Laboratory. Much of the programming was done on a Twin Famicom, a Nintendo-licensed console produced by Sharp Corporation that combined a Famicom and a Famicom Disk System in one unit. As the Twin Famicom did not have keyboard support, a trackball was used in tandem with an on-screen keyboard to input values; Sakurai described the process, which he assumed was "the way [game programming] was done" at the time, as similar to "using a lunchbox to make lunch."

Kirby initially was a dummy character that the developers used until they could define a more sophisticated image. However the designers grew to like Kirby so much that they decided to keep him instead of using a more advanced character. At the time he was to be named Popopo (ポポポ), and Kirby's Dream Land was titled Twinkle Popo (ティンクル・ポポ, Tinkuru Popo). Eventually, he was renamed Kirby and the game was renamed Hoshi no Kirby; Kirby of the Stars, also the name of the Japanese version of the Kirby anime.

During the development of what was referred to as Twinkle Popo, there was some initial confusion over the color scheme of Popopo/Kirby. Sakurai had always intended him to be pink, and the concept art reflects this, but Kirby was not pink in the game itself, as the Game Boy system had a monochrome display. Other members of the development team were unaware of Kirby's coloration; in particular, Shigeru Miyamoto initially thought that he was yellow. Although pink is still Kirby's main color, later games have used a yellow Kirby to represent the second player in multiplayer. When Kirby of the Stars was released in Japan, it featured a pink Kirby. However, Nintendo of America designed the North American box art and advertisements with a white Kirby based on the game's grey-scale visuals.

The music was composed by Jun Ishikawa. He has been a regular composer in the Kirby series. His most recent work was on Kirby: Star Allies in 2018. Certain songs were also reused in the Super Smash Bros. series as the background music of the Dream Land stage in Super Smash Bros. and the Green Greens stage in Super Smash Bros. Melee.

Reception[]

In Japan, Hoshi no Kirby topped the Famitsu sales charts from May 1992 to June 1992. In the United States, Kirby's Dream Land topped Babbage's Game Boy sales chart in October 1992. The game sold more than 1 million units worldwide by March 1993.

Kirby's Dream Land has received a generally positive reception. Upon release, Nintendo Power editors George and Bob shared generally positive opinions of the game; George stated that it is a really fun game, owing its quality to its excellent play control and well thought out concept, while Bob stated that it is deceptively simple looking, when it in fact features a decent challenge for more experienced gamers.

In the Super Power Club bonus supplement in Nintendo Power V44, the game was ranked #8 in the Top 10 Game Boy Games of 1992.

By May 28, 1994, Kirby's Dream Land had sold 1.3 million copies. By 1997, 4.6 million units had been sold. As of 2010, it has sold in excess of 5 million copies worldwide; Gamasutra cited its new style of gameplay for its success. At the time, it was HAL Laboratory's most successful game. Gamasutra's Osamu Inoue attributed the game's success to Satoru Iwata, formerly an employee of HAL Laboratory. Inoue comments that Iwata had a "simple-minded passion for creating games".

Credits[]

Gallery[]

  Main article: Kirby's Dream Land/gallery

External links[]

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