Kirby's Dream Land 3
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| Kirby's Dream Land 3 | |
| Developer | HAL Laboratory |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| System | Super NES, Virtual Console (Wii, Wii U) |
| Release Date | Super NES JP March 26, 1997 US November 27, 1997 Wii Virtual Console US January 9, 2009 JP April 28, 2009 EU/AU July 23, 2009 Wii U Virtual Console JP May 8, 2013 US May 23, 2013 PAL July 25, 2013 |
| Gallery | GH Gallery |
| Rating | ESRB: K-A |
Kirby's Dream Land 3 is the Super NES follow-up of the Dream Land platformers of the Kirby series. This game is known for being one of the last Nintendo games released on the Super NES in America.
Story[edit]
Dark Matter has taken over Popstar and possessed a number of inhabitants, including King Dedede. Kirby and Gooey enlist the aid of a number of their animal friends for help in defeating Dark Matter and saving the world.
Gameplay[edit]
Kirby's Dream Land followed the established Kirby formula from past platforming adventures. Kirby runs, jump, floats through the air, and inhales enemies to copy their abilities while navigating through levels and taking on enemies. This game features the return of Kirby's animal friends from Kirby's Dream Land 2 (Rick, Coo and Kine) and adds some new ones (Nago, ChuChu and Pitch). As in the previous game, Kirby can ride these animals which each have special properties that can be useful in navigating certain environments and solving some puzzles. Kirby's abilities also have different variations when used with an animal buddy.
One new feature revolves around Gooey, who only made a minor appearance in Dream Land 2. By pressing the A button, Gooey can be produced as a second character who can be controlled by a CPU or a second player, similar to the partner characters from Kirby Super Star. Gooey has the same abilities as Kirby (aside from using his tongue instead of inhaling enemies). Each level also a has a Heart Star, which is unlocked by completing a certain task in the level. The Heart Stars are needed to unlock the game's final boss.
Legacy[edit]
Ports/Remakes[edit]
- It was made available as a downloadable game for the Wii through its Virtual Console in 2009 and for the Wii U through its Virtual Console in 2013. The former release marked the first time that the game was made available for Europe and Australia.
- In 2012, it was compiled in the Kirby anniversary compilation for the Wii known as Kirby's Dream Collection.
- In September 2019, it was among the first wave of Super NES games that were made available to play on the Nintendo Switch for subscribers of the Nintendo Switch Online service. This version included local and online support for the game's two-player option. In June 2022, an SP edition was made available in which all the game's modes were unlocked from the start.
Sequels[edit]
The next Kirby platformer was Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, which followed Dream Land 3 in a number of ways, including the presence of Dark Matter. Otherwise, Kirby's Dream Land 3 was the last original game published under the Dream Land moniker until Kirby's Return to Dream Land in 2011.