Kirby's Dream Land 2

Overview

Kirby's Dream Land 2 (known in Japan as Hoshi no Kirby 2, translated to "Kirby of the Stars 2") is a side-scrolling platformer developed by HAL and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy on March 21, 1995 (in Japan), May 1, 1995 (in North America), and July 31, 1995 (in Europe).

The third main installment in the Kirby series (starring the pink puffball of the same name), Kirby's Dream Land 2 builds upon Kirby's Adventure by adding three animal friends that Kirby can ride to aid him on his adventure: Rick the Hamster, Coo the Owl, and Kine the Ocean Sunfish. For Kirby, each ally gives him bonus maneuverability on certain environments (ground for Rick, air for Coo, and water for Kine), allows him to inhale at places where he couldn't (in the air for Coo, in the water for Kine), and alters his abilities (for example, using Spark while riding Rick changes it to the Beam attack from Kirby's Adventure).

Set in Dream Land, the story involves a mysterious and evil force called Dark Matter, who has possessed King Dedede and has destroyed the Rainbow Bridges (connecting the seven Rainbow Islands) with the intent of conquering Dream Land. It's up to Kirby and his three animal friends to restore peace to the Rainbow Islands.

Kirby's Dream Land 2 also features Super Game Boy support, using the power of the SNES to add enhanced color palettes (adding separate color schemes for the background, status bar, etc.), a unique game border (showing Kirby and his three animal friends), and some special sound effects. The enhanced color palette support is also used when played with the Game Boy Color. Initially, an enhanced color re-release of the game was planned for the Game Boy Color (akin to The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX), but was cancelled.

The game was later digitally re-released for the Nintendo 3DS (via Virtual Console) on February 15, 2012 (in Japan), May 17, 2012 (in Europe), and August 1, 2013 (in North America) and was included in the Kirby's Dream Collection compilation for the Wii.

Gameplay

The gameplay of Kirby's Dream Land 2 expands on that of the original Kirby's Dream Land, as well as Kirby's Adventure. For the most part, the game is a traditional side-scrolling platformer. The goal in each level is to reach the final door, by traversing throughout a (sometimes mazelike) level, defeating enemies, gathering items, and dodging obstacles.

Kirby has six health points. Each hit takes away one of these points, which can be replenished by picking up a variety of items, such as the well-known Maxim Tomato. Kirby's other abilities include an indefinite jump (by inhaling air and flying upward), exhalation as an attack (even when Kirby doesn't posses an enemy's ability), as well as swimming and regular jumping.

The key new feature of Kirby's Dream Land 2 is the addition of several animal friends to assist Kirby. There are three allies in Dream Land 2: Rick the Hamster, Kine the Ocean Sunfish, and Coo the Owl. Each specializes in a different mode of travel, which are (respectively) ground, sea, and air. Kirby is still able to use enemy's abilities while riding these creatures, but they may sometimes be modified. It also gives Kirby higher power in terms of speed, attack, and health points.

Levels

There is a total of seven separate worlds Kirby must travel through.

• Level 1 - Grass Land
• Level 2 - Big Forest
• Level 3 - Ripple Field
• Level 4 - Iceberg
• Level 5 - Red Canyon
• Level 6 - Cloudy Park
• Level 7 - Dark Castle

Rainbow Drops

To achieve the true ending and face a final confrontation with the Dark Matter, Kirby must locate seven Rainbow Drops (each located on their own Rainbow Island), which then forms into a Rainbow Sword. Each Rainbow Drop is hidden in a way that requires clever use of his copy abilities.

Abilities

This is a list of the available copy abilities in Kirby's Dream Land 2.

• Cutter - Kirby throws a sharp blade like a boomerang.
• Burning - Kirby turns into a fireball.
• Ice - Kirby breathes a freezing breath.
• Parasol - Kirby swings a parasol like a sword.
• Spark - Kirby stands still and shoots sparks around himself.
• Needle - Kirby sprouts needles like a porcupine.
• Stone - Kirby transforms into an invincible boulder. If used in the air, Kirby will fall on his enemies.