A Forgotten Hero
Despite being at the center of Super Smash Bros: Ultimate’s storyline, Kirby is often overshadowed by his Nintendo brethren. Behind titans like Mario, Link, Donkey Kong, and Samus, Kirby often finds himself(?) searching for an identifying gaming genre.
Mario is the king of platformers. Link has a firm grasp on action-rpg games while Pokemon holds the turn-based rpg mantel. Donkey Kong, Samus, and even Fox each have become unique by distinguished franchises.
What’s worse, despite debuting in 1992 in Kirby’s Dream Land, Kirby hasn’t received invites to some of Nintendo’s biggest collabs not named Smash Bros. Mario Party, Mario Kart, Mario Tennis, and Mario Golf are all missing the loveable pink alien.
Looking through Kirby’s catalog you will find a hodgepodge of games. From platformers to racing games.
Perhaps his best departure has been a weird take on golf. Kirby’s Dream Course is a gem.
Appearing in top 100 and sometimes even top 25 SNES games of all time, it’s a mystery as to why this game has not seen a sequel. Game Grumps, a very popular gaming channel, has a long history with this game. They even had a fan develop a rom hack with extra custom made levels for them to continue playing.
Kirby-styled Golf
Imagine teeing up on the golf course. Instead of holding a golf club and looking at a golf club, you are Kirby preparing to launch yourself from the tee.
Also, you are not aiming for a hole a few hundred yards away. Instead, you are aiming to run over enemies for stars with the last yielding two stars.
Each enemy has the chance to give you a power-up to better traverse the stage. Avoiding enemies like Kracko or Gordo along the way will prevent you from falling asleep early and losing a turn. Makes sense, right? Well, if you haven’t played this game this probably sounds like the most ridiculous game possible. If you have played this game, you know it probably is.
Images and video can’t do Kirby’s Dream Course the justice it deserves. This is a game best experienced first-hand. I’ve played with several people who despise golf and have enjoyed this.
It is an easy(ish)-to-learn and hard-to-master game. Additionally, it has settings to make it competitive no matter the disparity in skill level between competitors.
Kirby’s Dream Course 2
How good does that sound? I’m actually surprised there has been no sequel to this game. It is an incredibly creative game with, as far as I know, no similar titles since.
Kirby’s Dream Course would be a perfect installment for the Nintendo Switch. It’s light, bright and would work as well on the go as it would in your living room.
If Nintendo does get around to developing a sequel, it should consider some of these enhancements.
Expanded Multiplayer
Let’s get the most obvious addition out of the way. Up to 4-player online operability would be a must. The first game was only 2-player but with the power of the Switch, 4 players could compete in free-for-all or on teams.
Bigger Levels
With more players, we would need bigger levels. Some of the first course’s holes are entirely too small even for 2 players. Getting hole-in-ones are quite possible for even the moderately skilled player. Having an ability to zoom in and out to explore bigger stages would make each more interesting.
More Characters
Kirby’s Dream Course not surprisingly features Kirby, and only Kirby. A pink one and a yellow one. King DeDeDe and Meta-Knight have grown in popularity through Super Smash Bros. Now would be the time to include them in this conceptual game.
Rather than just have a skin swap, each character should play differently. An introduction of traits like power, accuracy, spin, etc. could be a good start.
More Power-ups
Power-ups made Kirby’s Dream Course great. And there was a plethora of them!
From harnassing an umbrella to turning into a fireball, Kirby gained several abilities to get around the stage safely or quickly. My favorites were the ability to turn yourself into a protective spiked rock or go on the offensive as a tornado.
All of these power-ups would need to return with a ton more introduced. This area can not be skimped on as it is, again, the heart of what makes this game so fun!
Level Creator
If there is ever a chance for creating your own levels, I’ll vote for 100% of the time. Creating your own levels would add infinite replayability. Following the trends of Mario Maker and Zelda Maker, having a level creator could lead to a ton of community engagement. Creating, sharing, rating, and playing levels created by people around the world would never get old!
The rom-hack Kirby’s Dream Course Editor is a good start for what we could expect for a sequel!
Thoughts?
Are you old enough to have played Kirby’s Dream Course? Or have you at least tried it out on the recent release of the SNES Classic? Would you buy a Kirby’s Dream Course 2 if it were announced for Nintendo Switch? If so, what else would you want to be included in the Kirby flavored golf simulator?
Let us know in the comments below!
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