Difficulty

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Difficulty is a term that typically refers to adjustable levels of challenge in video games. Difficulty usually comes in terms of defined parameters (such as "Easy", "Normal", "Hard", etc.), as a number rating, or as a gradual meter that can be moved up and down. Basic elements of gameplay typically affected by difficulty include the durability and/or number of enemies, the amount of damage enemies can do, the speed and behavior of enemy attacks and/or stage hazards, and the durability of the playable character(s). Difficulty can also be applied indirectly, by imposing stricter or more lenient requirements on players, such as time limits or score thresholds, or could involve setting entirely new restrictions. Another indirect means of enforcing difficulty involves encouraging players to aim for 100% completion of the game, which usually involves performing optional tasks that are often more difficult than the required sections of gameplay. Players also frequently opt to apply self-imposed restrictions on their gameplay which - while not strictly enforced by the games - can significantly increase the difficulty nonetheless, with popular examples being 'no-damage runs' or speedruns.

In the Kirby series, difficulty is handled in a variety of different ways. While the series in general is catered toward ease of play, there are often many options, Sub-Games or other modes and restrictions that allow for much more difficult gameplay. The most common example of this is the inclusion of Extra Modes and Boss Endurances which are unlocked after the Story Mode is completed. Many Sub-Games also come with rigid difficulty options which the player can select before playing, and often need to be unlocked. Whenever a Computer Player is involved, the player can often opt to change its difficulty level, which will influence its speed and decision-making.

Difficulty by game[edit]

The following goes over how notable games in the Kirby series handle difficulty selections in their main game modes. For examples of how difficulty is handled in Sub-Games, check each individual Sub-game article.

Kirby's Dream Land[edit]

Main article: Extra Mode

When the main game of Kirby's Dream Land is completed, the player is presented with a special code consisting of a combination of button inputs (↑, A, and Select) which activates a different version of the game on the title screen called 'Extra Game'. This version of the game plays much like the original, but replaces a lot of enemies with more aggressive versions and changes enemy behavior in general to be more unforgiving. Bosses and Mid-Bosses in particular have revised attack patterns which are generally tougher to avoid.

Additionally, there is a hidden configuration mode that allows the player to specify how much health Kirby has, in addition to how many extra lives he can have at maximum. This makes it possible to specify a game where the player can get a Game Over from a single hit.

Kirby's Adventure[edit]

Much like its predecessor, Kirby's Adventure features an Extra Game, which can only be unlocked by attaining 100% completion in the main game. However, the only differences are that Kirby only has three bars of health as opposed to the full six, the difficulty of all sub-games is raised to Level 3, and the player's progress cannot be saved.

Kirby's Dream Course[edit]

In the single-player courses in Kirby's Dream Course, difficulty can depend on which medal the player is aiming for, as earning a higher medal requires fewer overall shots in each course.

In the 2P Game, players can choose handicap settings for themselves to adjust how difficult it is to accurately make shots.

Kirby's Avalanche[edit]

In the Competition Mode of Kirby's Avalanche, there are three difficulty levels, listed as "Easy", "Normal", and "Hard". Each difficulty selection determines which opponents Kirby will face and how skilled they will be, and only by playing Normal or Hard mode can the final boss (King Dedede) be faced and the game completed.

In 1P vs. 2P and Practice Mode, a handicap can be set for each player, which increases the speed at which Puyos fall. 1P vs. 2P features Mild, Medium, Spicy, Hot, and Cajun as the difficulty options. In Practice Mode, there is only Mild, Spicy, and Cajun; selecting Spicy difficulty will add 40,000 points to the player's total score, and selecting Cajun will add 90,000 points.

Kirby's Dream Land 2 / Kirby's Dream Land 3 / Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards[edit]

Main article: Bad ending

All three of these games take a slightly different approach to difficulty from the rest of the series. While not featuring extra games, they each have a special requirement which must be met, or the adventure will end prematurely with a bad ending. To avoid this, Kirby must locate all of the special collectable items in the regular stages, which are usually either well-hidden or require completing a specific task to obtain before defeating the 'last' boss. This will allow Kirby to proceed to the real final level and face the true final boss to get the good ending.

Kirby's Block Ball[edit]

Each regular stage has a score threshold called the 'Borderline score'. The player is challenged to exceed this score on each stage in order to access the final stage and complete the game.

Kirby Super Star / Kirby Super Star Ultra[edit]

Each game on the main corkboard menu is given a difficulty rating which ranges from one star to seven. While there is little variable difficulty in the games themselves, this distinction does afford the player an understanding of which games are considered more difficult than others.

Kirby's Star Stacker[edit]

In the Game Boy version of Kirby's Star Stacker, there are five different levels of difficulty, which affect the starting gameplay speed and the initial block formation. (In the Round Clear mode, the initial block formation is fixed for each round instead). These are, in ascending order, Normal, Hard, Very Hard, Super Hard, and Insane. Initially, only the first four levels of difficulty are available and Insane needs to be unlocked individually in each mode. The Japanese difficulties have slightly different names: やさしい (Easy), ふつう (Normal), たいへん (Hard), すごい！ (Very Hard, or literally "Cool!"), and めちゃすご！ (Insane, or literally "Super Cool!")

In the Super Famicom version, these are simplified to only four levels of difficulty: ふつう (Normal), たいへん (Hard), すごい (Very Hard), and めちゃすご (Insane). The main story mode initially has one level of difficulty, but upon defeating Gryll, "Pro Mode" opens up, which makes the opponents more difficult.

Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble[edit]

The extra game present in this title allows the player to play through the stages again on a tighter time limit and with faster enemies and hazards to contend with.

Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land[edit]

In Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, Extra Game reprises its role from the original game, but it is possible to save one's progress during it this time. However, the addition of Meta Knightmare adds a timed run-through of the game with similar difficulty and the inability to save.

Kirby Air Ride[edit]

While there are no difficulty selections for game modes, the CPU can have their difficulty adjusted to make them more or less aggressive. In addition, several of the Checklist objectives encourage the player to perform certain challenging feats, which often involve beating various times on courses.

Kirby: Canvas Curse[edit]

Main article: Medal Swap

Kirby: Canvas Curse offers a number of different unlockable characters who the player can choose from in addition to Kirby. These characters often come with their own restrictions, such as increased size, decreased stamina, or decreased utility.

Kirby: Squeak Squad[edit]

Kirby: Squeak Squad's Extra Mode presents an optional challenge to the player - collecting all the Treasure Chests in the game in the fastest time possible.

Kirby's Epic Yarn / Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn[edit]