Kirby's Dream Course

Gameplay

Dream Course is a golf video game which is viewed from an isometric perspective. Instead of a ball, the player tries to hit Kirby around the course and into the hole at the end. Players must set the power, angle, and spin to connect with various enemies found throughout the levels. Once only one enemy remains, that enemy will transform into the hole. The different abilities that Kirby can obtain from many of the enemies make up a large part of the game, often being required for completion of a hole. These abilities include Kirby turning into a tornado (that can be steered), a sparkly ball (that can destroy certain obstacles), and a UFO (which allows Kirby to float and move at will for a short time). Other abilities include Kirby being able to slow down / float with a parasol, as well as stop completely as a stone.

The game has eight single player courses, with eight holes on each. There is a high score board for each level, with medals to be won on each of them. The player can unlock extra features (such as alternative versions of the courses) by winning the medals. There are Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals to be won, which are awarded to Kirby at the end of the course. There are also four two-player courses (again with eight holes).

Kirby loses one of his health points (shown as tomatoes) every time he makes a shot or gets hit by an enemy or an obstacle, and gains one every time he hits an enemy or lands in a hole. In the two-player mode, two health points are awarded for landing in the hole first, and two health points can also be lost if one player's Kirby is "attacked" by the other player's by using an ability (such as the tornado or the stone). In the single-player mode, Kirby loses one life when all his health points are gone or fall off the stage and when he runs out of lives, the game will end. Afterwards, the player can either continue from the beginning of the course or exit it. In the two-player mode, the loss of all health points causes that player to miss a turn, as their Kirby falls asleep. This is referred to colloquially as a 'cake nap', because the animation often depicts Kirby dreaming of a slice of cake with a cherry on top.

Development

Kirby's Dream Course began as a miniature golf game entitled Special Tee Shot, which eventually released in Japan only on the Satellaview add-on. It was only midway through development that the developers retooled it with elements from the Kirby series. The development team comprised a mix of staff from HAL Laboratory and Nintendo EAD. The game was featured on some Super Nintendo packaging featuring a Special Tee Shot logo.

Reception

Kirby's Dream Course received positive reviews, garnering an aggregate score of 77.00% on GameRankings based on seven reviews. In their review, IGN concluded that Kirby's Dream Course is a "quirky, goofy, but all-around satisfying game to play." Nintendo Life offered a similar assessment, awarding the game 8 out of 10. GamePro called Kirby's Dream Course a "wildly amusing game" which "does for golf what NBA Jam did for basketball." They praised the game for adopting a golf theme while faithfully recreating the Kirby style in its gameplay, graphics, and sounds.