Kirby's Dream Course facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kirby's Dream Course |
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North American cover art
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| Developer(s) | HAL Laboratory Nintendo EAD |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Director(s) | Takashi Saito |
| Producer(s) | Satoru Iwata Shigeru Miyamoto |
| Designer(s) | Shinichi Shimomura Kensuke Tanabe Hideki Fujii |
| Composer(s) | Hirokazu Ando |
| Series | Kirby |
| Platform(s) | Super Nintendo Entertainment System |
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| Genre(s) | Sports (mini golf) |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Kirby's Dream Course is a fun miniature golf video game released in 1994 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It's part of the popular Kirby series and was the first Kirby game made for the SNES. In this game, you control the adorable pink hero, Kirby. Your goal is to launch him across different courses to reach the special hole at the end. Along the way, Kirby can bump into enemies to gain cool power-ups. These power-ups give him special abilities, like being able to fly or break certain obstacles in his path.
Did you know that Kirby's Dream Course actually started as a different game called Special Tee Shot? The creators at HAL Laboratory first designed it with unique characters. But because the Kirby games were so popular on the Game Boy, they decided to change the game to feature Kirby and his friends! Special Tee Shot was later released separately in Japan.
When Kirby's Dream Course first came out, many people really liked its unique style and fun gameplay. Some players found it a bit challenging to control Kirby or thought some levels were hard. Over the years, the game has been re-released on newer systems like the Wii and Wii U Virtual Console. It's also included in the Super NES Classic Edition, a mini version of the original console. There was even a plan for a sequel on the Nintendo 64, but it was never released.
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How to Play Kirby's Dream Course
Kirby's Dream Course is a miniature golf game with a cool angled view, similar to classic games like Marble Madness (1984). The story begins when Kirby's rival, King Dedede, causes trouble by stealing all the stars from the night sky. Kirby must go on an adventure to get them back!
Single-Player Adventure
In the single-player mode, you guide Kirby through different mini-golf courses. You need to launch Kirby carefully, aiming for specific spots on the field. Each course has a limited number of tries, called "strokes." You control how much power Kirby uses, the angle he flies, and even how he spins.
As Kirby rolls around, he can hit enemies on the course. Every enemy he defeats gives him a star! When only one enemy is left, it magically turns into the goal hole. If Kirby bumps into certain enemies, he can also gain a special "Copy ability." These abilities help him clear courses faster. For example, Kirby can turn into a fast tornado, a sparking ball that destroys obstacles, or even a UFO that lets him float freely for a short time.
The game has eight main single-player courses, and each course has eight holes. When you finish a course, you earn medals. The better you play, the better the medal you get, with gold being the best! These medals can unlock cool extra features, like different versions of the courses.
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Competing with Friends
You can also play Kirby's Dream Course with a friend! In multiplayer, players take turns trying to collect the most stars on special courses. The second player controls a yellow version of Kirby named Keeby (キービィ, Kībī). Keeby has all the same awesome abilities as Kirby!
When a player hits a star, it changes to their color (pink for Kirby, yellow for Keeby). But watch out! Your friend can "steal" your stars by hitting them and changing their color. Players can even use their Copy abilities to attack each other, which might make your friend miss a turn! The goal hole is worth two stars. When someone reaches the goal, the round ends, and all the stars are counted. The player with the most stars after eight rounds wins!
How Kirby's Dream Course Was Made
Kirby's Dream Course was created by HAL Laboratory and Nintendo EAD, and published by Nintendo. It was made for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).
From Special Tee Shot to Kirby
Did you know this game almost wasn't a Kirby game? Back in 1992, HAL Laboratory first designed it as a game called Special Tee Shot. It had its own unique characters and art. Even though it was shown in magazines and on the SNES console packaging, the creators decided to change it. Why? Because the Kirby games were super popular on the Game Boy! So, they reworked Special Tee Shot to include Kirby characters and added fun features like the power-up system to fit the Kirby universe.
Special Tee Shot was later released on its own in 1996 for a special device called the Satellaview in Japan. The Satellaview was a cool add-on for the Super Famicom (the Japanese SNES) that let players download games using satellite broadcasts!
The Story of Keeby
When the first Kirby game, Kirby's Dream Land, was being made, the famous game designer Shigeru Miyamoto thought Kirby was yellow. This was because there wasn't any color artwork of Kirby available yet. Even though Kirby was always meant to be pink, the creators of Kirby's Dream Course thought it would be a fun idea to use Miyamoto's yellow choice for the second player's character! That's how Keeby, the yellow Kirby, was born. His name is a mix of the Japanese word for "yellow" (kīro) and "Kirby."
Since then, a yellow Kirby has often appeared as an extra player in other Kirby games and even in the Super Smash Bros. fighting games. Sometimes this yellow color is even called "Keeby Yellow," like in Kirby's Dream Buffet (2022).
Game Releases and a Canceled Sequel
Kirby's Dream Course was first released in Japan on September 21, 1994, under the name Kirby Ball. It came out in North America on February 1, 1995, and in Europe later that year.
The game has been made available again for newer generations of players. It was released digitally on the Wii Virtual Console in 2007 and on the Wii U Virtual Console in Japan in 2013. You can also find it as one of the thirty games included in the Super NES Classic Edition mini-console.
In 1995, Nintendo and HAL Laboratory started working on a sequel for the Nintendo 64 console, which was called Kirby Ball 64 or Kirby Bowl 64. They even showed a playable demo at a big Nintendo event! This sequel was designed to use the Nintendo 64's special analog stick for more precise movement and featured cool new graphics. It even had an extra game mode where Kirby could snowboard! Sadly, this sequel was never released. However, some of its ideas later appeared in another game called Kirby Air Ride (2003).
See also
In Spanish: Kirby's Dream Course para niños
