Game:

Kirby's Dream Land 2 (1995)

Duration: 2:45:37

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16

This video contains 100% Rainbow Drop collection and the full ending, as well as the wonderful Super Gameboy rainbow-themed graphics in glorious 60 fps. I am not very good at this one, and at a few times take my sweet time because I was checking to make sure I was taking the correct route through the level. You may notice I have edited out quite a few deaths at the final boss as well. Otherwise, the only editing is to remove some save states for the Iceberg Rainbow Drop and the star-catching minigames. I do not clear the boss rush (it's not necessary for 100% completion).

Kirby’s Dream Land 2 is a good game, and far longer and tougher than Kirby’s Dream Land. However, the title is a bit of a misnomer. This is much more a sequel to Kirby’s Adventure in scope, challenge, and narrative, with its supernatural alien invader and hidden rooms necessary for 100% completion, just here with Rainbow Drops instead of switches. The need to collect certain items to see the true ending is also a recurring feature for the Kirby series that debuted here.

Kirby’s Dream Land 2 is better approached as the beginning of its own series, the Dark Matter trilogy. This series consists of KDL2, the sublime Kirby’s Dream Land 3, and Kirby 64. In my opinion, Kirby’s Dream Land 2, despite the cute rainbow colors of the Super Game Boy , has the least personality of the trilogy. However, it is also definitely the most difficult, and maybe the most difficult Kirby platformer full stop. The games Kirby's Star Stacker and Kirby no Kira Kira Kids also fall more within the Dark Matter trilogy than within the rest of the franchise.

The main difference between the Japanese and international releases of Hoshi no Kirby is the character Chao, a little girl from the Japan-exclusive FDS game Yuuyuuki. In the international version, she was replaced by Blob, a character meant to be the sister of Gooey, a Dark Matter creature who has rebelled against his cruel master. Blob, however, would never appear in any other game, whereas Gooey returned in Kirby's Dream Land 3 and Kirby Star Allies. Chao herself turns up in Kirby's Dream Land 3 as well. Why did HAL change their mind about keeping her?

Some highlights:
0:05:45 – Grass Land Rainbow Drop
0:06:54 – Whispy Woods battle, and the first one with a weird twist
0:11:53 – Big Forest Rainbow Drop
0:15:15 – Nruff and Nelly battle
0:25:06 - Ripple Field Rainbow Drop
0:27:14 – Sweet Stuff battle
0:43:43 – Iceberg Rainbow Drop, the hardest to get of them all
0:46:01 – Ice Dragon battle
1:04:25 – Red Canyon Rainbow Drop
1:05:26 – a room with the Star Blocks arranged into a crudely-drawn naked woman
1:07:11 – Mr. Shine and Mr. Bright battle
1:13:45 – Chao, a human girl from Yuuyuuki
1:21:00 – Cloudy Park Rainbow Drop, finding which is really convoluted
1:35:27 – Kracko battle
2:03:38 – Dark Castle Rainbow Drop
2:10:57 – King Dedede battle
2:14:07 – Final boss (I’ve edited out quite a few failures!)
2:17:04 – Ending
2:31:29 – A quick listen to the Sound Test (having a drink at the bar, I guess)

Calling my Japanese language skills rusty would be generous. But here’s my shot at translating the backstory from the manual scan shown at the beginning of the video:

“Story of the Seven Islands
Kirby and friends live in Pupupu Land (in the Rainbow Islands). The rainbows that connected them all vanished. The culprit, who descended from the infinite darkness beyond the sky, was Dark Matter. The terrifying, fierce Dark Matter, as well as changing that Great King Dedede into a stooge like a puppet, is beginning to transform Pupupu Land into a world of total darkness to serve as a place for it to settle. Come now, to protect Pupupu Land and restore the rainbows, combine your reliable 3 animal friends and your strength and don’t lose, Kirby!”

I expect I got most of the words correct, but got about half the grammar wrong. If you know better, feel free to suggest revisions. In any case, the gist of the story is clear: Kirby and his three animal friends Rick, Coo, and Kine have to save the Rainbow Islands from a horrible alien invader called Dark Matter. Rainbows make sense as a foil to a villain that dwells in darkness.

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