Kirby's Dream Course TAS by gocha

This is my first run, and first submission.

Essentials

  • Aims for lowest score (primary goal), and fastest time
  • Takes damage to get lower score, or save time
  • Uses a game restart sequence
  • Emulator used is Snes9x 1.43 rerecording v9 (v17 is also supported)
  • Let the ROM run for a few seconds before playing the movie
  • Use WIP1 Timing: ON (IMPORTANT)
  • Allow Left+Right / Up+Down: ON (IMPORTANT)
  • Volume Envelope Height Reading: ON
  • Fake Mute desync workaround: OFF
  • Sync samples with sound CPU: ON

About the game

Kirby's Dream Course (known as カービィボウル in Japan) is a very innovative golf game. The game combines elements from the Kirby series (enemies, environments, and Kirby's ability to absorb skills) with the rules of golf, creating in a unique style of gameplay.
Don't be fooled, this game is harder than it looks.

About the run

My primary goal is to get the lowest score possible with the secondary goal of finishing the game as fast as possible. The following table shows the achieved scores.
CourseScoresTotal
Course 11 1 1 1 1 1 1 18
Course 21 1 1 1 2 1 1 19
Course 32 1 1 1 2 1 1 110
Course 41 1 1 1 1 1 1 18
Course 51 1 2 2 1 1 1 110
Course 61 1 2 1 1 1 1 19
Course 71 1 1 1 1 1 1 18
Course 81 2 1 1 1 1 1 19
Extra 11 1 1 1 1 1 1 18
Extra 21 1 1 1 1 1 1 18
Extra 32 1 1 1 2 1 1 110
Extra 41 1 1 1 2 2 1 110
Extra 51 1 1 1 1 1 1 18
Extra 61 1 2 1 1 1 1 19
Extra 71 1 1 1 1 1 1 18
Extra 81 1 1 1 1 1 1 18
The final battle with Dedede is not necessary to unlock all of the secrets in the game, but it is required to see the ending, so I have included it for completeness sake. Besides, Kirby must defeat Dedede to fulfill his goal of restoring the beautiful starlit sky, right? I fight Dedede in normal mode rather than extra mode. In extra mode, Kirby deals half as much damage to Dedede, which prolongs the battle but makes it none the more interesting.

Improvable Holes

People who can read Japanese can refer to wipe's Kirby's Dream Course page, for the details of the strategies.

Thanks

  • Nanahocha: His beautiful walkthrough movie inspired me. I appreciate it.
  • Revned, wipe, zabon: Great players, who tried to get lowest score. Thank you very much.
  • Friend K.: Ninja, helped me in every respect.
Finally, I hope you enjoy the run!

Truncated: Very interesting show of ingenuity. As some people said, it is quite long, but it seems to be well liked despite that. Accepting for publication.

TASVideoAgent
They/Them
Moderator
Joined: 8/3/2004
Posts: 14772
Location: 127.0.0.1
This topic is for the purpose of discussing #1349: gocha's SNES Kirby's Dream Course in 1:11:36.52
gocha
Any
Emulator Coder
Joined: 6/21/2006
Posts: 401
Location: Japan, Nagoya
Thank you NesVideoAgent. Also, I thank my friend who corrected my awkward English. This run still has possibility of optimization, but I think that the run proves many things. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed :)
I am usually available on Discord server or Twitter.
Joined: 4/6/2006
Posts: 462
Of course I enjoyed it. Good job, gocha.
Emulator Coder, Site Developer
Joined: 11/6/2004
Posts: 833
What sync settings? This thing messes up on the main menu.
Joined: 9/20/2006
Posts: 287
Location: Singapore
Nice! YES vote easily, never knew so many holes could be done in 1 stroke! Well done :)
Truncated wrote:
Truncated is the most fiendish instrument of torture ever devised to bedevil the days of man. -- xoinx
Joined: 8/1/2004
Posts: 2687
Location: Seattle, WA
Yes vote. Some of these holes were too glorious...
hi nitrodon streamline: cyn-chine
JXQ
Experienced player (749)
Joined: 5/6/2005
Posts: 3132
I'm voting yes. This TAS is just all-around very well done.
<Swordless> Go hug a tree, you vegetarian (I bet you really are one)
Twisted_Eye
He/Him
Active player (332)
Joined: 10/17/2005
Posts: 629
Location: Seattle, WA
I loved watching the WIPs for this, awesome stuff sir
Editor, Experienced player (729)
Joined: 6/13/2006
Posts: 3300
Location: Massachussetts, USA
watched it, liked it
Homepage ☣ Retired
Joined: 3/17/2006
Posts: 243
Location: Back to good old Germany
When I first discovered this site about a year ago I made myself familiar with the rules. If I remember correctly one sentence was/is that TASers want to create art. I don't know any movie on this site that could be called more art than this one. Just awesome!
Emulator Coder, Skilled player (1299)
Joined: 12/21/2004
Posts: 2687
I don't know if I would have watched it all without fast-forwarding through the long and numerous transitions, but most of the solutions were incredibly impressive and interesting to watch unfold.
Joined: 8/20/2005
Posts: 643
Location: Mikkeli,Finland
It's fun and well played. Yes vote.
Current Projects: ???
Emulator Coder, Site Developer
Joined: 11/6/2004
Posts: 833
I've tried and failed to get it to playback. It always fails to selected "Play course" after selecting 1P game. I'll have to wait until someone publishes it.
Emulator Coder
Joined: 10/2/2005
Posts: 563
Location: Toronto, Ontario
And to think, I thought this was going to be boring :P Yes vote from me.
Joined: 8/31/2006
Posts: 56
Location: England
I never could complete even the first course in this game...and I found this very impressive... I wish that ALL the holes could of been complete in one shot... I did have to skip the transititons in the later extra courses but it can not be helped. I vote yes.
Joined: 6/9/2006
Posts: 614
Location: Mettmann
yes of (dream)course! watched all your wips before and the final too :)! enjoyed watching it gotcha gambatte :D
Joe
Joined: 6/10/2006
Posts: 152
Location: Wisconsin
Yes vote, despite being over an hour long, it was a very interesting game with a lot of technique involved and many of the holes had very interesting ways in which they were performed.
Joined: 10/16/2006
Posts: 174
nitsuja wrote:
I don't know if I would have watched it all without fast-forwarding through the long and numerous transitions, but most of the solutions were incredibly impressive and interesting to watch unfold.
Couldn't have said it any better myself.
Emulator Coder, Skilled player (1299)
Joined: 12/21/2004
Posts: 2687
DeHackEd wrote:
I've tried and failed to get it to playback. It always fails to selected "Play course" after selecting 1P game.
It's like Umihara Kawase; you need to let the ROM run for a few seconds before playing the movie. I get that same desync if I don't do that.
Joined: 1/22/2006
Posts: 31
The cutscenes between each hole can't be helped. So, judging based on the gameplay... *jaw drops* Yes vote.
Player (70)
Joined: 8/13/2004
Posts: 205
voting meh. It's really good, but WAYYY too long. I started heavily abusing the fast forward button around special course 3
Joined: 2/12/2006
Posts: 432
I'm voting yes since i already watched the wip. I'll wait for the wip to watch the dedede battle.
Experienced player (611)
Joined: 4/24/2005
Posts: 612
I have to say this is a tremendous effort and it seems to be more watchable in segments. Either way it was pretty good although I don't know this game all too well I give it a yes vote.
Joined: 7/28/2005
Posts: 339
yeah spoilers abundant here I played this a lot as a child. That spark-wall boost on 6-5 was the coolest thing I've ever seen done in this game. Also notable: Using the black spiked ball to get the hole in one earlier in the game. I could never figure that hole out. Hole in one on 8-1. Jeez. Voting yes, despite not being done. The rest could be goatse and would still be worth publishing.
Joined: 12/28/2004
Posts: 210
I'm not even gonna ask how.... just gonna vote yes.