Level 7: Rainbow Resort

Level 7-1

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When you reach this room full of Star Blocks, you can find a hidden Switch if you know what to look for. Start this room by making your way toward the Sparky and Hot Head, then grab one to speed up the Star Block-destroying process. When you see a Waddle Doo, suck it up for Beam power; this makes fast work of destroying the Star Blocks.

Near the end of the area, you come across a trio of Waddle Dees in a small alcove on top of the Star Blocks. If you jump up and use Beam in their alcove, you actually destroy some of the deep blue blocks that make up the area. You can clear a path in the blue blocks all the way up to the door in the top-right corner of the area.

Two blue blocks keep you from reaching the door, but those aren’t a problem. Head back until you find a Flamer enemy, then absorb it for Fireball power. Head back up to the door and use Fireball to break the blue blocks to the right of the upper right door. What’s through the door? A hidden Switch that unlocks Rainbow Resort’s Crane Fever Minigame.

Level 7-2

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Welcome to the Tower of Minibosses! This place is positively packed with Minibosses—in fact, you face every Miniboss you’ve fought throughout the game in this stage. The same strategies work, but we give you a brief refresher for each enemy you encounter. It’s a tough climb, but you can do it!

Miniboss: Poppy Bro Sr.

The first challenger is Poppy Bro Sr., whom you should be all too familiar with. Stand in the middle and watch out for his jump attacks. Suck up his bombs and throw them right back. Once he’s defeated, absorb him for Crash power, which makes the next Miniboss that much easier.

Miniboss: Mr. Tick-Tock

Tick-Tock isn’t particularly fast, but he still charges at you. Wait for him to release music notes while ringing his bells, but watch out for the sound waves he produces.

Once Tick-Tock is down, absorb him for Mike power, which makes the next Miniboss easier.

Miniboss: Mr. Frosty

Mr. Frosty is slow and easy to defeat. Wait for him to throw an ice block at you, suck it up, then shoot it right back at him. It’s that simple.

After beating him, absorb him for Freeze power.

Miniboss: Bonkers

Bonkers produces a star when he slams his hammer down, but you can also use his coconuts against him. He’s not too challenging, and absorbing him gains you Hammer power. However, we advise against using it for the next Miniboss.

Miniboss: Rolling Turtle

Stay away from Rolling Turtle at all costs and wait for him to throw out a boulder. Suck up those boulders and shoot them back at him, which is your primary method of attack against this challenging foe.

Absorbing Rolling Turtle nets you Throw, but we suggest you don’t use it for the next Miniboss.

Miniboss: Bugzzy

Just like Rolling Turtle, stay away from Bugzzy at all times. Wait for him to send out his little beetles, suck them up, then shoot them back at this beastly bug.

Bugzzy grants Back Drop when absorbed, but that’s not very useful for the next Miniboss.

Miniboss: Fire Lion

To wrap things up, you fight Fire Lion. You likely remember how tough Fire Lion is, so be ready for the worst. Watch out for his face-plants, so you can grab a star and spit it back at him.

Level 7-3

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This level is short and sweet to make up for that fantastically challenging Miniboss tower. Nothing significant troubles you in this stage. Head on through at a leisurely pace to catch your breath before the next level.

Level 7-4

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The Twizzies in the starting area of this stage are out for Kirby and persistently chase him until Kirby defeats them or they make contact with the pink puff. Take it slow through this area to avoid getting overwhelmed by several Twizzies at once.

This first area is a veritable zoo of Copy Ability enemies. You have plenty of options to choose from.

Level 7-5

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Bombers litter the first area in this stage. You have no hope of defeating them all before they hit the ground, so employ a different strategy. Bombers damage everything that touches the ground or a platform, but Kirby doesn’t have to worry about being hurt by their explosions if he’s in the air. Fly on through this first area.

A challenging fuse-and-cannon section lies near the end of the stage. In order to light the fuse and successfully make it into the cannon, absorb one of these Bombers and carry Crash all the way to the fuse. That’s no simple task, but it must be done to reach that cannon!

Miniboss: Grand Wheelie

One more Grand Wheelie fight for the road! Wait for Grand Wheelie to shoot out smaller Wheelies, suck them up, and shoot them back.

If you’re carrying Crash to the fuse, this fight presents more of a challenge. Press Select to release Crash every time Grand Wheelie shoots out smaller Wheelies. Suck up the Wheelie, shoot it back, then quickly reabsorb Crash. Repeat this until Grand Wheelie is defeated.

Pay close attention to the background to get through this area safely. Whatever direction the shooting-star emblems point toward reflects the direction the invisible wind tunnel pushes Kirby as he crosses them. If a star points up, Kirby launches up. If it points down, he’s forced down. This can make getting over pits quite tricky. Add to that the Sparkys and Flamers waiting across several of the pits, and you’ve got a deadly obstacle course.

Take it slow and jump toward the Flamers to bait them into attacking Kirby, then immediately pull back.

Now to the main event: the cannon and fuse. If you brought Crash all the way over here, this is the easy part. Line Kirby up with the fuse as close to the left side of the screen as possible, use Crash, then immediately hop into the cannon.

For your trouble, you net four 1-Ups. Not a bad haul for all that effort!

Level 7-6

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This stage is a real treat for Kirby’s Dream Land fans, because it acts as a sort of abridged version of that game, taking Kirby back through his old haunts.

The hidden Switch in this stage is pretty tricky to find. When you reach the door to finish the stage, instead of heading through, fly up to the moon. The moon is actually a secret passage that leads to the Switch. Hitting the Switch unlocks the Star Station for Rainbow Resort.

Rainbow Resort Boss: King Dedede

Dedede looks simple enough, but don’t underestimate him; he’s a real challenger! Several of his attacks drop stars, but he attacks so fast and furiously that it can be hard to reach them. He also has a ton of health, so this fight requires careful health management as well as skill. Every bar is precious, so don’t make any risky moves if you want to see this fight through to the end.

Keep your distance at all times, because Dedede has a habit of springing toward you unexpectedly. He also sucks things up just like Kirby—or in this case, he sucks KIRBY up!—and if you’re near him when he starts inhaling, you’re definitely going into his belly.

He also inflates like Kirby and flies around the stage. Don’t fly when he does this. He is faster than an air-filled Kirby, and he almost always hits you. Instead, stay on the ground and wait for him to hit the ground. He bounces back up a little bit, which gives you a chance to run past him to the other side of the screen.