Kirby's Dream Land (Extra Game) -- Stage 3: Float Islands

Well, now we've gotten a taste for how this game can be expected to progress... it's harsh and relentless, but it remains fair and straightforward in its attempts to thwart you. Well, I guess. Past trauma dictates that I not be so forgiving towards those earlier thwartings, but it's not like it wasn't something I could never hope to get past. (Apparently, somehow I did get past them, anyway... maybe. I think?) I guess all it does is highlight this game as that much more interesting and worth sharing, particularly with those who would logically not have had the chance or wanted to relive a simpler (and arguably more sadistic) era from days past. --- Stage 3: Float Islands Well, the first stage of the game was about learning what Kirby's Dream Land was all about. The first extra stage was about learning what Extra Game is about... namely lots of enemies trying to kill you, including usually-docile Whispy Woods. The second stage in both cases is a little slower than the first, emphasizing navigating a series of hazards while likewise navigating the stage itself in a rather less straightforwardly linear fashion. Now we're here on the third stage... if the last time around is of any indication... oh boy... Float Islands makes up for its straight-shooting level design by... well, shooting at you. A lot. The Extra Game's version will be similarly direct... and several times more hazardous to Kirby's health. So... out of curiosity, what is it about this game that equates having one eye with the ability to spray whiplike lasers around? One-eyed... uh... Wadle Doos, clams, spiky clouds, and now... crabs? Oh well, not much can be said for that besides the mere observation, so I guess we'd better move along on that note. One thing I definitely "miss" (because of its having not yet been invented) in this game: the multi-enemy star projectile. If you inhale two or more targets at once, letting you exhale an enemy-piercing attack that would certainly prove useful against the more densely-packed formations of attackers. At the very least, you are allowed to gulp down multiple enemies at the same time, otherwise an attack by numbers would probably all to often result in unfairly guaranteed damage on our heroic puffball. In honor of the impending onslaught and in order to ensure its ultimate effectiveness, certain curves have been set to keep Kirby from getting too comfortable along his way... a coconut at the top of a vertical shaft that's switched sides, a Gordo in the secret 1up chamber, another Gordo waiting on a previously safe platform, a Pep Brew instead of a Maxim Tomato (and that's all within one room!) ...you get the idea, anyway. Well, if our first encounter with Kabula was an unexpected shift in genre, this time around is a sub-genre hop further... instead of being an auto-scrolling shooter, we've landed in full-on bullet hell... which is a really bad thing, since Kirby's not maneuverable or compact enough to be a player craft in one of those! He does have the uncanny ability to avoid taking damage even when it looks like he's been hit for sure, but I'll attribute that more to a generously small hurtbox and the erratic motions of the cannonballs. An unexpected similarity for those of you who might be interested to know, holding down the fire button will indeed let Kirby exhale a continuous stream of air pellets... so there's that, I guess. Kabula is still the hardest boss in the game for me, and now she's even harder than before... I'd take on an army of Gordo-infested Whispy Woods (..."Woodses"?) before willingly inflicting this fight on myself. At least it's over now and she can't hurt... oh... right... curses. I'm not looking forward to that... --- I have a license to use Nintendo’s content in this video through the Nintendo Creators Program. This video is not sponsored or endorsed by Nintendo, but any advertising revenue from this video will be shared with Nintendo.