So I knew the next Kirby game I had to play, Kirby's Dream Course, had a two player mode. I only ever played the single player for a bit years ago but never the multiplayer. I always heard it was more fun to play it that way, so I was excited to find out the NSO version supported online multiplayer. Me and my friend wheatie decided to play together.

This is essentially Kirby golf. Okay it's not quite that simple, it's a little more complex than that. The goal is the same as golf where you have to get it in the hole, and it tracks the amount of moves you do (at least in the single player) but you can change the angle of your shot in many more ways than golf, not to mention Kirby's copy abilities from Adventure are here. In the multiplayer mode, your goal is to have the most stars by the end of all 8 courses. You get a star by killing an enemy, two by getting in the hole at the end, AND you can steal the other persons stars if you're feeling devious. Me and wheatie played all 4 courses (except we sadly could not finish the final one because we disconnected at the very end) and I'd say we were pretty much tied in terms of how good we were at the game. It was chaotic, frustrating and a lot of fun and definitely the best way to play the game.

Going into the single-player though, while fun it definitely got a bit old after a while in comparison. Some of those later courses can have some really rough stages, especially since it's a bit different compared to the two-player mode. Instead of going for the most stars, you go for low par and survival. See, every time you kill an enemy, you get a tomato. You have 4 tomatoes from the start, and each time you make a move, it uses one. If you fall off the stage, automatic death. This can get quite frustrating since if you game over, it sends you back to the beginning of that course. It can be quite annoying if you get stuck on a particular level, but it could easily have been less forgiving and send you back to very beginning. Also that final boss, there's only one boss in the entire game and it feels so undercooked lol. You just spam the A button and Dedede's done. Either way, the single player is still fun, it's just not as fun as multiplayer.

Quick thing on the visuals and ost, they're both alright? Visuals are nice for the most part but the isometric angle can really make some of the stages look awkward. Especially with your line that shows where you're going to make the shot. If you played the game you'll now what I mean. The OST has some nice remixes but I found a chunk of it kinda forgettable which is a shame.

In the end though, I had a fun time (mostly cuz I played with wheatie), and it's definitely a better spinoff than Pinball Land. Next is the last spinoff before another mainline game, Kirby's Avalanche. Knowing it's a Puyo Puyo reskin, just like Mean Bean Machine, has me not looking forward to it because I got filtered hard by Mean Bean Machine lol. Ah well, look forward to that soon!

6.5/10

Kirby’s Dream Course is like a mini-golf or putt-putt sim from an isometric viewpoint. Kirby is the ball and the goal is to knock out the enemies bowling style, the last enemy becomes the hole.

There’s some abilities to play around with and obstacles to keep it fresh, the later courses are real puzzling - finding the right shot to make a hole in one is liberating and genuinely feels great.

My general tips are using the right and left buttons to align Kirby’s shooting angle, pressing down opens up a stronger shot as an option. Curve shots are your friend. Like any golf game it’s a matter of practice and intuition to tackle the game.

I played just the base game, maybe I’ll talk my partner into the multiplayer courses and I can try for Silver… I’m very doubtful that I can get Gold and play through the expert courses but I’m sure I’ll come back to Kirby’s Dream Course for a muck around every now and then.

Back around some time in 1992, HAL Laboratory were working on a game called Special Tee Shot. It was going to be a simple mini golf game that would’ve been released for the SNES, with a goofy art style and colorful cast of characters, similar to other games that they have made in the past, but would ultimately never live to see the light of day... at least, not in any widely known format, anyway. This would be because of a little pink guy called Kirby, who had just had three separate games made for the Game Boy and NES, all of which would go on to being extremely well received and very successful. After some time though, HAL Laboratory would eventually bring back Special Tee Shot, and it would finally be completed after all this time, but now as part of the Kirby franchise rather than being its own original thing (this will soon become a repeating pattern for this series later down the road). This title would then be released exclusively for the SNES, and be known as Kirby’s Dream Course.

As I have mentioned plenty of different times on this website, I am not the biggest fan of golf, and I haven’t been for the longest time. I think it’s boring, it goes on for too long, the people that play it get way too frustrated at it, and there has been nothing out there, game or otherwise, that has convinced me that anyone actually likes the sport to begin with. Now, mini-golf on the other hand… that’s a different story. Back when I was kid, I used to play mini-golf all the time, usually when going on vacation to other places, and I loved it so much because not only does it actually have some life and personality put into it, but also because whenever I played it with my family, we generally didn’t give a shit about points or what have you, and were just there to have a great time. So, with that in mind, when I had first heard about this particular spin-off in the Kirby series, I wasn’t really that eager to jump into it immediately, because golf, but then I saw it was mini golf, and that got me a little more intrigued. Eventually, I decided to give the game a proper shot, and you know what, for being a mini golf game on the SNES, it is actually pretty damn fun. Sure, it can take a bit of getting used to, especially for someone who doesn’t play golf games, but when you properly get into it, it ends up being a great time, especially with a friend to play it with.

The story (yes, there is actually a story in this game) is one that is pretty typical for this series, where King Dedede steals steals all of the stars out of the night sky (I would question how he did this, but it is Kirby, so it is expected at this point), so it is up to Kirby to go beat the fuck out of him and get all of the stars back, which is about as basic and silly of a plot as Kirby games can get, and that is enough for me. The graphics are wonderful, having the distinct charm and colorful nature that any Kirby game should have, while also having aged extremely well after almost 30 years, the music is pretty great, having plenty of catchy, upbeat tracks, along some remixes of old ones that make it sound that much better, the control is… well, it’s a golf game, so there isn’t much that you get, but for what we do get, it is enough to get the job done, and it works pretty great as a whole, and the gameplay is mostly what you would expect from a golf game, but with plenty of twists and changes to the typical formula that make it much more fun in the process.

The game is a variation of mini golf, where you take control of Kirby, or in the case of the second player, a yellow Kirby named Keeby (I love that name), go through a set of eight courses that have eight holes each, adjust the aim, power, and angle of your Kirby ball to make sure you can get the perfect shot for what you are about to do, launch your Kirby ball into whatever direction or obstacle that you wish to make more progress in the stage or against your opponent, and constantly be aiming for hole-in-ones, because going for anything less than that would make you a Kirby CHUMP…. Chumpby… whatever. It functions very similarly to regular golf, while also having the same flair, color, and fun as mini-golf will, so any fans of either variation of the sport should be able to jump in no problem, but for those of you who are Kirby fans and not necessarily too big of golf fans, then they got you covered as well.

While regular golf/mini-golf requires players to try to get their balls into the end hole as quickly as possible with as few hits as possible, Kirby’s Dream Course does change this formula up a little bit, with you now needing to eliminate most of the common enemies that you will see throughout the stages, to where the final enemy will then be transformed into the final hole, which you will then need to reach. It isn’t that much of a big change, but it is the perfect change to mix up the formula, with this feeling much more varied and exciting as a result, especially combined with the many different Kirby enemies and obstacles that you will encounter along the way, as well as all the different course layouts that you can see throughout the game. In addition, since this is a Kirby game, they have also implemented Copy Abilities for you to get along the course, such as Needle, Tornado, Stone, UFO, and so on, with each one being able to help you out considerably in what you want to do in each course, such as Tornado being able to send you even further along a map just in case an enemy or hole is a little out of your reach, or Stone and Needle being able to help you stop on a dime with strict precision just in case you need to go a specific direction or reach a certain goal. Once again, these additions to the formula make the game that much more exciting and strategic, being able to use these copy abilities to your advantage to either help yourself get along further, or even to get the upper hand against your opponent.

And speaking of getting the upper hand against your opponent, that is where this game truly shines above all else: the multiplayer. Sure, there is a single player mode that you can go through, which is fun enough on its own, but ask anyone who has ever played this game before, and they will tell you multiplayer mode is where it is at. The game functions pretty much the same way as before for the most part, except you are now competing against a second player, with each round ending whenever any player goes into the final hole of any course. However, it isn’t just simply a competition about who can reach the end first, but instead, it is something much better. In this mode, whenever you defeat any enemy, you will gain a star that is represented by your Kirby’s color, and by the end of the game, whether you win or lose will be determined by how many stars you have, which is already cool enough, but you also have the opportunity to STEAL an opponent’s stars if you pass by them, which can quickly turn the tides of any match. This single mechanic right here is what makes this mode the best of the bunch, as while it may seem like the same ol’ boring mini-golf game for the most part, planning out your next move to not only get further along on the board, but to also make sure your opponent doesn’t win makes this mode much more fun than it has any right to be.

Overall, while the game isn’t really anything too great that will blow your mind, it manages to be the first truly great spin-off that this franchise has, one that can provide quite a lot of fun for hours on end, especially with a friend along for the ride, and also manages to accomplish the simple task of actually making golf enjoyable! You can’t hate a game that does that. I would definitely recommend it for not only those who are Kirby fans, but also who are fans of golf or golf games as well, because while it may be different from what you are typically used to with golf, it still manages to capture the true spirit and potential of the sport, while also managing to provide a very entertaining time in the process. It’s too bad we never did get a sequel to this at any point though, even though there was going to be one made for the N64. I would say it’s a good thing it never got made, since they would probably ruin the gameplay formula, but at the same time, it’s Kirby! He’s never had a bad game since his inception, so I know they could do it!

Game #490

"Kirby Golf" should not be this fun. This game is genuinely one of the most enjoyable experiences with friends I have ever had. Tons of ridiculous power ups and gimmicks to traverse throughout the numerous holes/levels that truly make this game feel like it belongs in the Kirby franchise. The singleplayer is a bit lackluster and isn't particularly great. The multiplayer though, as said before, is absolutely fantastic. Seriously - if you haven't already - boot this game up on Nintendo Switch Online and play with a friend.