Games

Spring Breeze

Kirby Super Star’s intended introductory game is an enhanced remake of Kirby’s Dream Land, and is a perfect example of the value on offer in this compilation. Players could experience Kirby’s debut adventure but with all the bells and whistles of Super Star, including 16-bit audio/visuals, Copy Abilities, and Helpers, not to mention alongside a friend. The game was shortened slightly, with the removal of Castle Lololo and the boss rush originally featured upon arriving at Castle Dedede, as Kirby Super Star’s Arena game would fill this role on a much grander scale.

Dyna Blade

Dyna Blade requires Kirby to trek across four levels before facing off against the giant bird for which this game was named. There are two secret areas and a challenging mini-boss that moves across the world map, similar to the Hammer Bros. in Super Mario Bros. 3. Turns out Dyna Blade’s actions were all just a ruse to make Kirby raise her baby chicks.

Gourmet Race

Whereas most of Kirby Super Star’s games are relatively grandiose excursions, Gourmet Race offers a more light-hearted showdown with Kirby’s nemesis, King Dedede. Like all civilized gentlemen, Kirby and Dedede attempt to settle their differences with a footrace across three different courses. Naturally, each stage is filled with spikes, water pits, and other obstacles. Thankfully, Kirby runs much more quickly than normal in this game, but some of his other abilities, like floating and sliding, are slower. Kirby can also grab one of five abilities (Jet, Parasol, Ninja, Wing, or Wheel) to help him through the final course.

Food items are scattered throughout each course, granting Kirby and Dedede one point each when collected. Winning the race grants a bonus 30 points, and the final winner is whoever has the most points at the end of the Grand Prix.

Players can opt to race against a ghost of their best lap times instead of King Dedede. Likewise, each course can also be played on its own as a time trial.

The Great Cave Offensive

We saved the best for fourth! Instead of standalone levels, the Great Cave Offensive mixed a Metroid-style non-linear adventure with the Kirby formula to great success. Hidden throughout the cave’s four areas are 60 treasure chests, each holding a unique item worth various amounts of gold, with a maximum possible score of 9999990. Most of the treasure is hidden behind Blocks or puzzles, and each area has a unique boss. Did we mention there are mine carts?

The Great Cave Offensive features one of the most memorable songs in Kirby history, coupled with nods to numerous other Nintendo games. Treasures found in the Great Cave Offensive include Gold Coin and Turtle Shell (Super Mario Bros.), Mr. Saturn (EarthBound), Screw Attack (Metroid), and Triforce (The Legend of Zelda), among others.

One of the four bosses, Computer Virus, plays out as a quasi-turn-based battle similar to those found in many role-playing games. The bizarre entity even narrates the action, and this is the sole method of measuring the power of each Copy Ability. For instance, Hammer deals 80 points of damage, while Crash deals twice that. When Computer Virus is defeated, Kirby gains various RPG-style stat increases, such as Humor, Honesty, and Love points. These don’t actually do anything, however.

Revenge of Meta Knight

Meta Knight’s on a mission to conquer Dream Land and Kirby plans to destroy his airship, the Halberd. However, each time Kirby attempts to board the Halberd, he is blown off or shot down, sending the player through a series of brief platforming stages. Finally, with the help of none other than Dyna Blade, Kirby is able to board the Halberd, destroy the ship’s canon and reactor, and confront Meta Knight in a duel. Upon victory, Kirby uses the Wheelie ability to escape while being chased by Meta Knight, who stays behind as the ship crashes into the sea.

Although Revenge of Meta Knight plays very much like the rest of Kirby Super Star, it is particularly unique for a couple of reasons. First, stages are timed—one of the only such instances in the entire Kirby franchise. If time runs out, Kirby loses a life. Second, this game has a notable amount of dialogue from Meta Knight and the crew of the Halberd,providing plenty of color commentary on Kirby’s exploits.

Milky Way Wishes

Milky Way Wishes is not only the largest game in Kirby Super Star, but also throws an interesting curveball into the mix. In this game only, Kirby cannot copy abilities by swallowing enemies. Instead, throughout the game’s nine different planets are collectibles called Deluxe Copy Abilities, each of which permanently unlocks its associated ability as part of Kirby’s arsenal. Unlocked abilities can be selected at any time, allowing players to choose the right tool for any given situation.

Like Revenge of Meta Knight, Milky Way Wishes has a detailed plot. The Sun and Moon are quarreling, so Kirby—at the behest of a small ball-riding jester named Marx—gathers star power from the planets around Popstar, Kirby’s home planet. Gathering enough star power allows him to summon a giant comet named Nova, who grants a single wish. However, Marx betrays Kirby and uses the wish to become a giant monster and send Nova on a collision course with Popstar.

The Sun and Moon aid Kirby in entering the comet. Gameplay takes the form of a side-scrolling shooter, where Kirby must destroy Nova’s heart before facing the transformed Marx. Defeating both Nova and Marx results in a massive explosion. The Sun and Moon then happily circle Planet Popstar a few times at roughly 12.5 trillion miles per hour before going their separate ways. No big deal, though—just another day in the life of Kirby.

The Arena

The Arena opens once all other games have been completed. Here, Kirby must defeat all 26 Kirby Super Star bosses spread across 19 rounds. Losing even once ends Kirby’s run as a galactic gladiator. Between rounds, five Maxim Tomatoes help restore Kirby’s health, but they don’t replenish after being eaten. There are also two random Copy Ability pedestals, and Kirby can choose a specific ability at the start of the game.

Megaton Punch

The second mini-game also revolves around proper timing, but with three steps instead of one. Kirby faces off against three challengers—Waddle Dee, Knuckle Joe, and Iron Mam—in an attempt to demonstrate the strongest punch possible. Each punch cracks the planet, and a perfect punch of 201 Megatons will crack the planet in half. Don’t try that at home!

Samurai Kirby

Inspired by the cowboy-themed Quick Draw mini-game from Kirby’s Adventure, Samurai Kirby is all about fast reflexes. Honor, however, takes a backseat, as Kirby fights his various foes—Wheelie, King Dedede, and Meta Knight among them—with different weapons, including a pie, toy hammer, and a party popper. Should Kirby’s opposition be faster, they’ll return in kind, hitting Kirby over the head with a frying pan or even running him over!

The Super Famicom version of Kirby Super Star has more grass in the foreground, but it was removed for international versions to make the subtitles legible.

Unlocking the Features