Kirby's Dream Course is a 1994 miniature golf video game developed by HAL Laboratory and Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). A spin-off of the Kirby series and the first released for the SNES, players control the pink spherical character Kirby through a series of courses by launching him towards the goal hole at the end. Kirby can hit enemies to collect power-ups that grant him unique abilities, such as those that allow him to destroy certain obstacles or fly around the level.
HAL Laboratory originally designed Dream Course as a standalone game called Special Tee Shot. Though it was previewed in several magazines and displayed on the packaging for the console, HAL replaced the game's original characters with those from the Kirby series following its popularity on the Game Boy. Special Tee Shot was later released for the Satellaview peripheral in Japan. Dream Course received favorable reviews, both at release and retrospectively, for its unique design and absurdity. Some were critical of its high difficulty level and controls. It has been re-released through the Wii and Wii U Virtual Console digital storefronts and the Super NES Classic Edition. A sequel for the Nintendo 64 was in development but later canceled.
Gameplay
thumb|left|The player character [[Kirby (character)|Kirby lines up with an enemy character Kabu on the first hole of the first course.]]
Kirby's Dream Course is a mini golf video game set at an isometric perspective, similar to games such as Marble Madness (1984). Its plot involves Kirby's nemesis King Dedede stealing all of the stars in the night sky. Kirby sets out to stop Dedede and return the stars to the sky. Kirby can knock himself into certain enemies to acquire a Copy ability, which can be used to clear courses in a faster period of time. Though it received several previews from magazines and was displayed prominently on the packaging for the console, the company shelved the project following the success of its Kirby series on the Game Boy. HAL later reworked Special Tee Shot into a Kirby game by replacing many of the original characters with those from the Kirby series, and implementing several mechanics to make it fit into the Kirby universe, such as the power-up system. In reference to this, the developers of Kirby's Dream Course repurposed Miyamoto's color choice as the second player's character, a yellow version of Kirby nicknamed "Keeby". The character's name is a portmanteau of 黄色 kīro "yellow" and カービィ Kābī "Kirby". Following the appearance of an unnamed yellow Kirby in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (2000), a yellow color palette became a recurring colorization for additional players playing as a Kirby in the Kirby and Super Smash Bros. series (often as the second player). This palette was named once as "Keeby Yellow" in Kirby's Dream Buffet (2022).
Kirby's Dream Course was released in Japan on September 21, 1994, as Kirby Ball. It was released in North America on February 1, 1995, and in Europe later in the year. Special Tee Shot was later re-released in 1996 for the Satellaview, a peripheral for the Super Famicom that played games via satellite broadcasts. It also featured an additional gamemode where the player controlled Kirby on a snowboard. The sequel was never released, though some of its concepts were later implemented into Kirby Air Ride (2003).
Reception
Kirby's Dream Course received praise for its wacky nature and innovation. Next Generation and Larry also highlighted Dream Courses complexity, which was uncommon for a golf game at the time. IGN ranked the game 38th on their "Top 100 SNES Games of All Time."