Tsuyoi hoshi no senshi Kaabii!
(Strong Star Warrior Kirby!)

Speed Run Rules:
* Segmented Speed Run
* Best Ending
* Takes Damage to Save Time
* No Deaths (Gooey doesn't count)

Kirby's Dream Land 3 is one of the last SNES games released and one I enjoyed very much. I've been wanting to do a "best ending" speed run for a while, but due to 3 mini game levels (3-3, 4-3, 5-3) and due to the fact that the game has auto-saving with NO file copy/backup, I chose not to attempt this. That is, until it showed up on the Wii's Virtual Console. With this, I was able to backup and restore save files, making doing a segmented run of this considerably easier!

The game is similar in style to Dream Land 2, in that you have your basic powers, plus your animal friends to help you. Besides Kine, Rick, and Coo, you have 3 new friends: Nago (the cat), Chuchu (the octopus), and Pitch (the bird). Each animal is unique with their skills and how your regular powers work with them. This allows for some very interesting pairings and power usage to complete your tasks in game.

In order to achieve the "best ending", you have to complete a task in every level. While you're never directly told the task, most are pretty easy to figure out due to the game's chime, to notify you that HEY YOUR TASK IS HERE! Tasks range from not stepping on the flowers, to collecting the parts of R.O.B., to helping the janitor sweep floors, and everything in between. When you complete the level's task, you'll get a heart piece. Collect all 6 before fighting the level boss and the boss's level will be cleansed. By doing this in all 5 levels, you'll unlock the 6th level, Hyper Zone. Going into this level will give Kirby the Heart Rod, allowing you to defeat Dark Matter and save Pop Star.

One thing I must point out is a special trick I used twice in the run, in 2-5 and 3-5. In Kirby's Dream Land 3, when you press A on the controller, you call out Kirby's partner, Gooey, to assist. Gooey can either run by AI, or be controlled by player 2's controller. Gooey can have his own power, as well as control a partner friend (however, Kirby and Gooey can NOT control a partner friend at the same time). By taking advantage of this, I could call upon Gooey to either use a power or control an animal friend to achieve a shortcut impossible to do alone. There is NO second person involved - I am controlling BOTH controllers alone. I mean, this should be painfully obvious when you watch the video, but I am putting this text in for the purpose of full disclosure.

Saving is automatic and occurs some point after the jump mini-game. Whenever you reset, or load a new game, your health is restored to full, your star count is reset to 0, your lives reset to 2, and any power or animal friend you or Gooey had is negated. Since there is no in-game timer, the only thing that can be used to show continuity is map revealing and in-game percentage. Outside of this, I can (and did) do segments in random order after my practice run.

And now, enjoy information about each segment, which will also include what the task is for each level.

Segment 01 (Level 1-1 & 1-2)

Level 1-1 is a nice intro level. The task is simple - in the last section of the level, do NOT step on any flowers. I use Nego to allow for triple jumping, making the level considerably easier.

Level 1-2's task is to get Chuchu, take her to a hidden room, and then, uh, kiss the poor green monster? Poor guy never gets the girl, I guess. Once I'm done with that task, I ditch Chuchu, since she kinda slows down jumping late in the level.

Overall: This segment was excellent. I had a couple of minor slip ups, most of them in 1-2.

Segment 02 (Level 1-3, 1-4, and 1-5)

Level 1-3 is the first of the "mini game" levels. In this game, the objective is to identify the face on a Gordo when it appears between 2 walls. You have 6 faces to choose from. There are 3 rounds, with each round being faster then the last. Good luck! Coo makes his appearance here, being really fast (especially if you're a button masher).

Level 1-4's task is to find the girl's monkey doll and bring it back to her. To do this, you must collect stone, take a special route, and beat the mini-boss.

Level 1-5's task is simple, in theory - find Kine and ride him all the way to the exit. Girl fish gets happy. Hurrah?

Overall: 1-4 is a hard level to pull off well. I got WAY to aggressive here. Luckily 1-5 is a fairly easy level and went pretty cleanly. One thing that sucks that's beyond my control is that they cripple Coo's ability to fly after the mini-games. You just kinda flutter out.

Segment 03 (Level 1-6, 1-Boss, and 2-1)

Level 1-6's task is to return 3 juggling blocks to the clown at the end of the level. Boy, does he love to juggle!

Level 1-Boss, much like the rest of the bosses, can only be "cured" by getting the 6 hearts in the prior 6 levels. Once you've done that, simply beat him. Level cured!

Level 2-1 requires you to get Pitch + Broom, then seeking out 6 flowers in 3 different rooms. Using Broom, you...water the flowers? What?! Ok, whatever. One usage blooms them. Use it again, and they go flat!

Overall: Initially, I thought using Rick in 1-6 would be faster. It's not! But having to flutter Kirby back and forth does kinda kill the momentum. Coo + Broom makes Wispy Woods too damn easy. As for 2-1, trying to use Pitch is a pain in the rear. He's horribly slow and clumsy to use. But it's funny to watch Kirby ride him like a horse with stick legs. Some of the flower watering could have been a little better, but nothing was killed in the end. I blame it on the game's lack of precision in there. Sometimes I'm a mile away and it connects, sometimes it hits right next to it and misses. Weird.

Segment 04 (Level 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, & 2-5)

Phew, the longest segment in this run!

Level 2-2 requires you to take Kine and Umbrella, then go to a room, and use umbrella, turning Kine into well, a top. Kinda. It impresses the monster and makes him happy, ok? Man, describing some of this stuff is tougher then I thought...

Level 2-3 is the second mini-game level. 5 pots, 1 snake. Can you keep an eye on him?

Level 2-4 continues the Kine portion of this game. You must find the hidden door (visible if you have spark), fight the mini-boss, take his power, and then save the chocolate frog. Wait, I knew it! Harry Potter ripped off Kirby 3! DAMN YOU J.K. ROWLING!

Level 2-5 requires the use of two animal friends. First you must use Kine until you get to one section where you must battle the currents. Taking an outcropping helps you find Pitch. You must then guide him to the end of the level where you find, uh, his mommy? Mommy's happy now. Time to go home. Or at least end the segment.

Overall: Not much to say on 2-2. I intentionally fire the one enemy backwards to avoid hitting the umbrella enemy, since I HAVE to have it for the level quest. Wish I could use needle instead for the water section. 2-3 wasn't as slick as I would like, but I didn't lose too much time from the mistakes I made. 2-4 went very well, only a couple of very minor mistakes. 2-5 features the first Gooey Trick, where I have Gooey controlled by the 2nd controller. In this case, I have Gooey take Kine, so I can take a shortcut through the wall, avoiding a 30 second sequence (about) in order to get Kine around that spot. Yes, I am controlling the 2nd controller at that time. Once I get Pitch, well, it's straight forward, but I still hate having to use him.

Segment 05 (Level 2-6)

Level 2-6 has an interesting puzzle - find a bunch of blocks, then blow away the portions to make it look like a certain creature. It's pretty simple - take 2 off of each end on the top and bottom rows, then the end ones on the 2nd and 4th rows on both ends. Don't break too many!

Overall: You have to constantly jump in the initial sand sections, as it slows you down otherwise. While Kine might save some time in the water sections, having Nego's triple jump saves massive time in the final section. Wait, I thought cats hated water?

Segment 06 (Level 2-Boss, 3-1)

Level 2-Boss - Battle Acro, save the day! What, you expected detail? No, seriously, go read 1-Boss if you want it.

Level 3-1 is similar to 1-1, only you have to SQUISH the flowers. But save the mushrooms! Do I sense a rivalry? A desire to 1-up something else in nature? Hmmm...

Overall: Acro's fight is a bit tricky to do with Kine + Cutter, due to the nature of the fight. Kine + Stone is considerably easier (and does as much damage), but getting stone takes WAY too much time in comparison to Cutter. I go back for Nego in 2-6 because having him for 3-1 makes the level go quicker (and is much easier) then having Kine, or by going alone. I could have saved some time in the cannon section by not making silly mistakes.

Segment 07 (Level 3-2)

Level 3-2's task is simple. SWEEP THE FLOORS, YOU DIRTY PIGS. Man, didn't your mother ever teach you kids manners? You know, take your shoes off when you enter the house? Wash your hands? Please and Thank You? Damn kids these days...

Overall: The dusting section could have gone a little better, but the level overall was good.

Segment 08 (Level 3-3)

Level 3-3 is the first of the 3 most obnoxious levels in the game. You have to play another mini-game, with some egg monster. It will pop its gum which makes faces appear on some of the 10 Gordos. They appear for a short time, and then disappear. How many faces were there? Yeah, but while he asks for 1 face, sometimes there's TWO different faces. With 10 Gordos to look at, the 3rd round being EXTREMELY fast (and sometimes stuttered), this is a tough mini-game! See why this level is by itself?

Overall: I HATE THIS LEVEL. Hate. HATE. HATE!!!!!

Segment 09 (Level 3-4, 3-5)

Level 3-4 is another one like 1-4. Find the doll, bring it back to the little girl. This time, you have to go through a water labyrinth in the proper paths (down, up, middle) in order to reach the mini boss.

Level 3-5 requires you to find Chuchu, and then take her to the end of the level. Normally, in the last section, you'd have to use her sticky arms to walk on the ceiling. But thanks to a trick I use with Gooey, I save time by just having her float up using Chuchu + Fire. I'm riding in my hot air ballooooon!

Overall: The 3-4 mini-boss fight was great. Only way it could be better is if he did 3 jump sequences in a row, but I'll take 2. The last section drives me nuts, since it's hard to triple jump off the sand, and using fire also kills your jumps when you use it. 3-5 features the 2nd usage of the Gooey trick. This time, I need to keep fire in order to use a shortcut with Chuchu, but I have to have cutter to get through the level. So Gooey takes cutter and creates the path, and Kirby does the rest. Losing fire was stupid, but didn't cost any time.

Segment 10 (Level 3-6, 3-Boss)

Level 3-6's quest is to some, the hardest. Honestly, it's not people! It's REALLY easy. It just takes a bit of thought. You have to enter a pyramid and find the 5 pieces of R.O.B. so he can be assembled. Then they'll blow up the world in Brawl. Geezus, look what Kirby started!

Level 3-Boss is a simple fight against Pon and Con. Beat them both to win!

Overall: 3-6 is a surprisingly long level, but isn't as hard as some of the FAQ makers out to be. 3/5ths of it is done Kirby solo, and the last two I HAVE to use Coo and Kine on. I do the Coo sequence last, since he's needed for the boss fight. BTW, for the dark room section (section 3), the sequence is pre-set. You can learn the sequence by using Kine + Spark, but I don't need it. If you go into the wrong doors, even just once, the door needed to get to the part is fake. And no, you can't come in from the top - red blocks can't be gone through from above, only below. As for the boss fight, it didn't go to plan...but it works!

Segment 11 (Level 4-1, 4-2)

Level 4-1's trick is to take Coo into last section of the level with Broom. Once ready, dust off the Fire Flowers so Mario can power up later.

Level 4-2's catch is probably one of the silliest ones. Save the chicken from the balloon by popping it with needle. Why can't he just fall down like normal chickens? But then again, they're obviously not too smart if they continually try to cross the road...

Overall: Doing the dusting section wouldn't be so bad, if it wasn't for the frontal clouds. But I guess that's the point. Can't make it too easy! 4-2 is pretty boring. Little mistakes here and there, but nothing major.

Segment 12 (Level 4-3)

Level 4-3 gets its own segment, since the mini game is the same type of torture that 3-3 has. This time, you must identify how many of a particular color (red, blue, or yellow) there were. And for giggles, they throw in grey ones. JOY. Not.

Overall: I hate this level too.

Segment 13 (Level 4-4, 4-5)

Level 4-4 has probably the SILLIEST quest of them all. Rescue...an orange? Are you kidding me?

Level 4-5 is a heartwarming one. Take Rick to the end of the level to meet up with the girl hamster. AWWWWWW.

Overall: I goofed the mini-boss on the first hit. I can't hit him too fast or he moves right. However this time I hit him too late and missed. Overall both levels went as expected, with must a few minor mistakes.

Segment 14 (Level 4-6, 4-Boss)

Level 4-6's quest is another block puzzle, much like 2-6. But they throw an interesting twist in there. The monster they show is on his head. You have to hit the blocks so he's right side up. Still pretty easy to do though.

Level 4-Boss is probably my favorite boss fight in the game. You battle Ado, the painter girl. In the level, she draws various monsters to attack you. The cool thing is that they're all composed of past bosses from prior Kirby games. Hell, they all showed up in Kirby's Dream Land 2. Then after you beat them all, Ado attacks you in a mad rush, paintbrush flailing. Too bad she fails horribly. HAHA.

Overall: No complaints here. Easy boss fight.

Segment 15 (Level 5-1)

Now things are starting to get tough.

Level 5-1 - much like 4-1, this time instead of dusting them, you're unfreezing them. But don't squish the...oops too late.

Overall: ROCKS CAN'T JUMP! Just like bats aren't bugs.

Segment 16 (Level 5-2)

Level 5-2 takes me from Pop Star into the world of...Tourian? Kirby: Metroid Hunter 6. And hi to you, Samus Aran! See you next mission!

Overall: There's so much damn autoscroll in this level, it's not even funny.

Segment 17 (Level 5-3)

Level 5-3 is probably the worst mission in the game. You get to hear 5 sound effects come from the Gordos. Then you hear the one the chef wants. Pick the right one! Yeah, right...

Overall: Ugh, don't get me going on how much this level sucks.

Segment 18 (Level 5-4)

Level 5-4 is a bit tricky, if you don't know what you're doing. You have to use fire power with Coo and later Chuchu. Once you take the proper path, you'll find the snail's shell. Don't miss it on the fall!

Overall: Overall the level went pretty well. There are things here and there that could be done a little cleaner though.

Segment 19 (Level 5-5)

Level 5-5 is the most interesting mission. While the task is simple (Bring Nego up to the cute white kitty!), it's interesting in one aspect. In every other mission, you can ALWAYS get what you need in the level itself, whether it requires a partner or a power. This is the only level that doesn't do that. You have to find Nego in another level. I take him from 5-3.

Overall: This is a hard level to do fast. I probably was a little too cautious at times.

Segment 20 (Level 5-6)

Ah, the ultimate challenge - MINI-BOSS RUSH. Can you master all of the powers, find all the feathers, and help the angel reach heaven once again? I hope you can!

Overall: Constantly having to switch powers is annoying. You have to use your powers on the boss to take them out quickly, but you have to be careful ejecting it so you don't accidently take both the power and the boss in. You do so, and the old power will override what you want...segment over! That's why I take some caution at bosses the way I do. Dear angel, you can finally return to the heavens. Me, I'm still here...fighting the good fight!

Segment 21 (Level 5-Boss)

Finally, it's not a Kirby game without a battle against King Dedede! (Yes, I'm fully aware he didn't show up in Amazing Mirror. That didn't take place on Pop Star though, so he's excused from there.) Coo + Feather takes him out really easily. And then we see that he's been possessed by Dark Matter!

Overall: I return to the levels I do for my favorite feather duster, then take Dedede out in quick fashion. Probably can save a second or so by better battling, though he does move very erratically in the 2nd half of the fight.

Segment 22 (Level 6)

With the help of all of Kirby's animal friends (plus King Dedede), the heart pieces all gather and form the Heart Rod! Time to head alone into the skies and square off with Dark Matter. Well, ok, Gooey is along for the ride. One thing I must say, the change from 2nd to final form really is kinda gruesome for a kids game!

Overall: I probably could have skipped calling Gooey after he died in the 2nd part of the fight. I did it because I figured it would either create an extra target for Dark Matter to go after, or have a better change of being hit with two things attacking at once. To my knowledge, hitting Dark Matter with the Heart Rod or the projectiles does the same damage. Unlike 2-5 and 3-5, Gooey here is AI controlled.

And with this, the end is here. Kirby's defeat of Dark Matter causes the darkness surrounding Pop Star to vanish! And now it's time for fun in the sun! END!

This run is Copyright (C) 2009 Nicholas "Sir VG" Hoppe and IMAMYTH Colosseum (http://www.imamyth.com/ and http://www.youtube.com/user/SirVG) and is allowed for downloading and private viewing. Permissions for hosting this run have been granted to Radix and Speed Demos Archive. Public viewing of this run is prohibited without prior permission from the creator. The selling or distribution of this run for profit in any way, shape, or form including (but not limited to) selling on eBay and television for profit is prohibited without prior permission from the author. Video hosting sites (i.e. YouTube, etc) may host this video in part or in full, as long as full permission is granted by the author. Any violation of the above listed may result in legal action. Kirby's Dream Land 3 is Copyright (C) 1997 HAL Laboratory, Inc.

Sir VG, signing out.

"We came. We saw. We speed ran."

FIN