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Kirby's Dream Land (Game Boy) box art

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Game Boy

Kirby's Dream Land

Kirby's Dream Land is a 1992 platform game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. It is the first game in the Kirby series and marks the debut of Kirby.

Platform

Update patch
No patch
Time to beat
about 0.8 hours
Plays offline
Yes

Overview

Kirby's Dream Land is a 1992 platform game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. It is the first game in the Kirby series and marks the debut of Kirby. It introduced many conventions that would appear in later games in the series. The game follows Kirby as he goes through five levels to retrieve the Sparkling Stars and food of Dream Land from King Dedede.

Kirby's Dream Land was the debut game of designer Masahiro Sakurai. He intended it to be a simple game that could be easy to pick up and play by those unfamiliar with action games. For more advanced players, he offered additional optional challenges such as a hard mode and the ability to edit Kirby's maximum HP and starting number of lives. Kirby's Dream Land was re-released on the Nintendo 3DS via the Virtual Console in 2011; it is also one of the games included in the compilation game Kirby's Dream Collection for the Wii, released to celebrate the series' 20th anniversary. The game was included as part of the Nintendo Classics service in February 2023. The game was the highest grossing in the series, with 5,130,000 copies sold, until being beaten out 30 years later by Kirby and the Forgotten Land.

Official trailer

Trailer. Watch on YouTube

Gameplay

KIRBY'S DREAM LAND (Game Boy) - Playthrough Longplay Gameplay, lcfreezer. Watch on YouTube

Screenshots

Kirby's Dream Land on Game Boy, screenshotKirby's Dream Land on Game Boy, screenshotKirby's Dream Land on Game Boy, screenshotKirby's Dream Land on Game Boy, screenshotKirby's Dream Land on Game Boy, screenshotKirby's Dream Land on Game Boy, screenshot

Game details

Genres
Platform
Developer
HAL Laboratory
Publisher
Nintendo
Series
Kirby
Platforms
Nintendo 3DS, Game Boy
Age rating
ESRB E
Modes
Single player
Yes
Local multiplayer
No
Online multiplayer
No
Co op
No
Age ratings
PEGI
3
ESRB
E
CERO
A

Release dates

PlatformRegionDate
Game BoyJapan1992-04-27
Game BoyNorth America1992-08-01
Game BoyEurope / PAL1992-08-03

Editions

Standard Edition

Standard

In the box

  • Game Boy cartridge
  • Box with cover art
  • Instruction booklet

Player's Choice

In the box

  • Game Boy cartridge
  • Player's Choice box
  • Instruction booklet

Check out the store

Space and patches

Update patchNo patch

DLC

No DLC. Game Boy games had no downloadable content.

Playable today

Playable offline todayYes

Single player only, with no online features. The cartridge runs on any Game Boy, Game Boy Color or Game Boy Advance, and the game is on Nintendo Switch Online.

QuestionAnswer
Ever released on discYes, on Game Boy cartridge
Ever released in the storeYes, 30 June 2011
On the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console. Later in the Game Boy library of Nintendo Switch Online on 8 February 2023.
In the store to buy todayNo
The 3DS shop has closed. Playable with a Nintendo Switch Online membership.
Can be downloaded again if you already bought itYes
3DS Virtual Console purchases can still be downloaded again. The Nintendo Switch Online version needs an active membership.
Disc runs with no patchYes
Disc runs with the final patchDoes not exist
No patch was ever released.
Has online featuresNo
Online servers running todayDoes not exist
Playable offline today: campaignYes
Playable offline today: local multiplayerDoes not exist
Single player only.
Playable offline today: online multiplayerDoes not exist
No online play.
Playable offline today: DLCDoes not exist
No DLC.

Online

Plays offlineYes

Reception

Critics
OutletScoreScale
Joystick96100
Game Zone80100
Power Play72100
Aktueller Software Markt1012
Famitsu2240

Staff and cast

Staff
RoleName
DeveloperHAL Laboratory
PublisherNintendo
DirectorMasahiro Sakurai
ProducerMakoto Kanai
ArtistMasahiro Sakurai
ComposerJun Ishikawa

Notes for collectors

  • Kirby's first game, directed by Masahiro Sakurai.
  • A hidden extra mode adds a hard mode, and a code lets you set Kirby's health and lives.
  • The North American box shows a white Kirby, as Nintendo of America worked from the grey-scale screen.
  • Sold 5.13 million copies, the series' best seller for 30 years.

Credits

Publisher
Nintendo
Developer
HAL Laboratory
Director
Masahiro Sakurai
Released
1992-08-01
Age rating
Not rated (pre-ESRB, before 1994)
Region
US
Time to beat
about 0.8 hours

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