Level 1-1
Copy Abilities
This first stage is perfect for getting the hang of Kirby. It’s a straightforward level without any tricks or real challenges to give you a hard time. Try out each of the Copy Abilities you find to get a feel for them, and you’ll have a strong start for the rest of the game.
Crane Fever
Use the buttons to move the crane and get a Kirby. A big one’s hard to get, but worth it!
Use the A Button to move the crane claw. Position the claw directly over one of the stuffed Kirbys, then release the A Button. A small plush is worth one 1-Up, while the big one is worth two.
We suggest you chase after the big ones at all times. If you get directly over one of them, you pick it up almost every single time. Grabbing one big Kirby is worth as many 1-Ups as two small ones, so there’s really nothing to lose.
Level 1-2
Copy Abilities
There are a lot of new abilities to get and try out here. We explain the new powers as you go along.
You see a lot of the spiky ball enemies called Gordos in the first area of this stage. Handle them in one of two ways: either destroy the Star Blocks above them and let them fly away, or fly over them; either method works. Just don’t touch them—Gordos really pack a punch!
Cannons, known as Shotzos in Dream Land, are devious. In addition to blasting out cannonballs, most Shotzos you encounter track Kirby. Never stay in a Shotzo’s sights for long, and always find a way to put either distance or an obstacle between the Kirby and the cannonballs the Shotzo fires.
Miniboss: Poppy Bro Sr.
Eventually you run into this guy: Poppy Bro Sr., a bouncy, smiley pyrotechnician who specializes in throwing bombs at his enemies. His jumps seem unpredictable and hard to avoid, but if you race to the middle of the screen and duck while he’s not throwing bombs, he’s pretty easy to take down. Wait for him to throw a bomb your way, suck it up, and spit it back at him.
Kirby is a food fanatic. He likes food so much that eating anything he loves refills his health a couple of bars. But there is no food that gives Kirby a bigger health boost than a Maxim Tomato. Eating one of these bulbous fruits refills all of Kirby’s health, which can really come in handy on tougher stages.
Level 1-3
Copy Abilities
This stage begins with a barrage of Shotzos. Thankfully someone was foolish enough to put most of them on Star Blocks. Destroy or suck up the Blocks under a Shotzo, and it plummets into the pit below. This keeps the first part of this level from becoming something of a war zone.
This stage features your first bout of swimming in the game. Swimming can be tricky, as it not only changes how Kirby moves, but it disables almost every available Copy Ability. Though there are a few exceptions (Sword being one of them), most of your underwater attacks involve spitting water at enemies. This requires you to be very close to an enemy to hit it, so be very careful when attempting to attack while underwater.
Find another Maxim Tomato in this stage once you reach its final area. Look for the small hill with the Hot Head at the bottom.
Level 1-4
Copy Abilities
Miniboss: Mr. Frosty
Mr. Frosty is one of the easier Minibosses in the game. He’s slow-moving and telegraphs his attacks thoroughly. His two main modes of attack are to throw ice blocks at you and to charge at you. Suck up the ice blocks and shoot them back, and simply jump over his running attacks.
Once he’s been defeated, suck him up to get the Freeze Copy Ability.
You have your first encounter with the Invincibility Candy in this stage. If Kirby eats this sweet treat, he becomes completely invulnerable to all enemy attacks temporarily. On top of that, just about anything he touches is defeated immediately. Don’t linger! This bonus only lasts a short amount of time.
Vegetable Valley Boss: Whispy Woods
Your first Boss fight of the game is one fans of Kirby’s Dream Land will recognize right away. Whispy Woods definitely isn’t a hard Boss, but if you let him, he can certainly dole out some damage.
Whispy Woods only has two attacks: dropping fruit from his branches and blowing out puffs of air. Getting hit by either of these damages Kirby, but you can easily reverse Whispy’s fruit attack. Simply suck up one of the pieces of fruit that fall from his branches and spit it back at him.
His other attack can’t be used against him, unfortunately. If you see Whispy purse his lips, fly into the air and wait for him to stop spitting. Just don’t stay in the air for too long, or you might get hit by a piece of his fruit, should he decide to attack with it.
It doesn’t take many attacks to defeat Whispy. Once he’s finished fighting, grab the piece of the Star Rod to be transported to Level 2: Ice Cream Island.
