Kirby's Return to Dream Land/Routes

This page contains details about routes to use for both any% and 100% speedrunning categories. Routes in KRtDL mainly includes when to obtain which abilities, when to discared them, and so on, because level progression itself is linear and cannot be done out of order. Furthermore, since the game auto-saves, whole-game runs should almost always be done single-segmented.

Any% Main Mode

Note: The Any% route is very straightforward and simple, because Wing is the best overall ability in this game for speedrunning purposes, due to it having the best horizontal mobility in the game, second best vertical speed, excellent downward speed, much invincibility, amazing maneuverability, and excellent DPS for defeating bosses and minibosses.

Level 1-1

• Cutter - First Sir Kibble in first room
• Fire - First Hot Head in second room
• Wing - Mix from three Sir Kibbles in third room, past the Ultra Sword Knight

Note: If the player does not wish to mix, then the player can keep Fire until Level 1-4, then obtain Wing from the hidden HAL room.

From here on out, the player should ideally keep Wing for the rest of the game. To keep it through Grand Doomer and Magolor, the Ultra Sword Animation Skip needs to be used.

Due to how overpowered Wing is, and the simplistic nature of any%, it may seem like it is very easy to keep wing the entire game. It is surprisingly difficult to do so, seeing as a small mistake can cost the player the Wing ability, and in the midst of races, the player should have back-up strats.

If Wing is lost, the next best abilities for speedrunning, in order of priority, are: 1. Tornado 2. Fire 3. Water 4. Parasol / Hi-Jump / Ninja

This is not set in stone, and varies depending on the level you are in. For example, if much aerial movement is needed, then water is near useless.

Also, know where there are mixing opportunities. Key mixing opportunities can be found here

100% Main Mode 1-Player

For the sake of simplicity, this route assumes the player roughly knows where each energy sphere (ES) is.

Level 1 - Cookie Country

Level 1-1:

• Cutter - First Sir Kibble
• Fire - Second Room, first Hot Head
• ES1
• Ultra Sword
• Fire - before Sphere Doomer
• ES2, ES3

Level 1-2:

• Fire - Start
• ES4, ES5
• Sword - Gigant Edge, but carry the Fire Ability
• ES6 with Sword, then recycle Fire

Level 1-3:

• Fire - Start, keep the entire level
• ES7, ES8, ES9

Level 1-4:

• Fire - Start
• ES10
• Invincible Candy - Second Room
• ES11
• Monster Flame
• Leaf - Before Sphere Doomer
• ES12, ES13

Level 1 Boss:

• Spark - Start
• Fire - Ability Stand
• Get Ship Part

Level 2 - Raisin Ruins

Level 2-1:

• Fire - Start
• ES14, ES15
• Invincible Candy
• ES16 by plowing through metal blocks with Burn

Level 2-2:

• Fire - Start
• Stone - Second room, Rocky on second downhill-right slope, before the stake
• ES17
• Water - Third room, first Water Galbo
• ES18
• Flare Beam
• Parasol - Before Sphere Doomer
• ES19, ES20

Level 2-3:

• Parasol - Start
• Tornado - Third room, Ability Stand before Energy Sphere
• ES21
• Hi-Jump – Starman after room with ES20
• ES22
• Fire - Ability Stand, after the Hi-Jump room
• Beam - King Doo
• ES23, ES24

Level 2-4:

• Beam - Start
• Fire - Second Room, first Flamer
• ES25 by leaving a Burning Flame on the switch to skip using bomb
• ES26, ES27
• Ultra Sword
• Cutter - Before Sphere Doomer; as the fight starts, discard cutter and use it and the star blocks as projectiles to spit, because cutter and sword are both very weak against air
• ES28, ES29

Level 2 Boss:

• Water - Ability Stand
• Get Ship Part

Level 3 - Onion Ocean

Level 3-1

• Water - Start
• Tornado - Third room, first twister
• ES30
• Snow Bowl
• Tornado - Before Sphere Doomer
• ES31, ES32

Level 3-2:

• Tornado - Start
• Cutter - Kibble Blade, but carry the Tornado Ability
• ES33 by cutting the rope, lose cutter, and recycle Tornado
• Spear – Third Room, from the pierce (bee enemy)
• ES34, ES35
• ES36 by poking the blocks through the wall on the left with Spear

Level 3-3:

• Spear - Start
• Water – Fourth Room, Water Galbo, before Moundo
• Stone - Moundo
• ES37
• ES38
• Monster Flame
• Parasol - Before Sphere Doomer
• ES39, ES40

Level 3-4:

• Parasol - Start
• ES41
• Invincible Candy – Door in Third Room
• ES42
• Spear – Ability Stand in Fourth Main Room (with the spike balls)
• ES43, ES44, ES45

Level 3 Boss:

• Spear - Start
• Parasol - Ability Stand

Level 4 - White Wafers

Level 4-1:

• Parasol - Start
• Fire - First room, first fire galbo
• ES46, ES47, ES48

Level 4-2:

• Fire - Start
• ES49, ES50
• Grand Hammer
• Ninja - Before Sphere Doomer
• ES51, ES52

Level 4-3:

• Ninja - Start
• Spear - Lanzer right before first door
• ES53
• Needle - Third room from Needlous at the top of the first slope
• Fire - Fire Galbo after clear crystal, at the top of the second slope
• ES54
• Cutter - Sir Kibble in start of Fourth Room
• ES55
• Ice - Chilly right after exiting room with ES55
• Water - Water Galboros
• ES56

Level 4-4:

• Water - Start
• ES57, ES58
• Snow Bowl
• Bomb - Before Sphere Doomer
• ES59, ES60

Level 4-5:

• Bomb - Start
• Ice - Chilly right in front of you
• ES61
• Fire - Fire Galbo at end of the room outside ES61
• ES62, ES63, ES64

Level 4 Boss:

• Fire - Start
• Ninja - Ability Stand

Level 5 - Nutty Noon

Level 5-1:

• Ninja - Start
• Wing - Second Room, first Owgulf
• ES65, ES66, ES67, ES68

Level 5-2:

• Wing - Start
• ES69, stand on the switch, wait for the door to fully open, then condor head at low height to skip using bomb
• Stone - Moundo, but carry the Wing Ability
• ES70 by pounding the appropriate stakes, and recycle Wing immediately
• Flare Beam
• Parasol - Before Sphere Doomer
• ES71, ES72

Level 5-3:

• Parasol - Start
• ES73
• ES74, hit the bomb block through the wall with a parasol swing
• Hi-Jump – Starman in Fifth Room
• ES75
• Wing - Last Room
• ES76

Level 5-4:

• Wing - Start
• ES77, ES78
• Grand Hammer
• Spear - Before Sphere Doomer
• ES79, ES80
• Fighter - Knuckle Joe, last room

Level 5-5:

• Fighter - Start
• Sword - Gigant Edge
• ES81
• Stone - Moundo
• ES82
• Beam - Waddle Doo before Water Galboros fight
• Water - Water Galboros
• ES83
• Spark - Dubior
• ES84

Level 5 Boss:

• Spark - Start
• Wing - Ability Stand; use the ultra-sword animation skip to keep Wing

Level 6 - Egg Engines

Level 6-1:

• Wing - Start
• ES85
• Monster Flame
• Ninja - Before Sphere Doomer
• ES86, ES87

Level 6-2:

• Ninja - Start
• Fire – Flamer in Second Room (careful not to accidentally mix)
• Water - Pluid in END of Third Room
• ES88
• Stone - Rocky in Fifth Room, with the cannons
• ES89

Here, there are two ability routes you can take from here on out.

Mix:

• Wing - mix from the three crash enemies the room after ES89
• Spark - Dubior, but recycle Wing
• ES90, eat the recycled Wing.
• ES 91

Non-mix (or backup):

• Mike – Walky in End of Room after Underwater Room
• Spark - Dubior
• ES90, ES91

Level 6-3 (note: If you mixed for wing, keep it the entire level until Flare Beam):

• Spark - Start
• ES92
• Parasol - Parasol Dee in third room, before King Doo & Moundo Fight
• ES93
• Flare Beam
• Hammer - Before Sphere Doomer
• ES94, ES95

Level 6-4:

• Hammer - Start
• ES96, ES97
• Parasol - Ability Stand in third room which has water
• ES98 by firing Kibble Blade's body at the switch
• ES99
• Spark - Sparky in the dark room with the energy sphere, but carry the Parasol
• ES100 then recycle Parasol

Level 6-5:

• Parasol - Start
• Fire - Fire Galbo in first room
• ES101
• Wing - Owgulf in second room
• ES102, ES103, ES104, ES105

Level 6 Boss:

• Wing - Start

Level 7 - Dangerous Dinner

Level 7-1:

• Wing - Start
• ES106
• Water - Water Galboros
• ES107
• Tornado - First twister in the room after E107
• ES108
• Snow Bowl
• Whip - Before Sphere Doomer
• ES109, ES110

Level 7-2:

• Whip - Start
• Crash
• ES111
• Get Ninja if you drop crash in Second Room
• ES112 using Crash
• Hi-Jump – Starman Third Room
• ES113
• Fire - Fire Galboros in room with falling ceiling
• Grand Hammer
• Leaf - Before Sphere Doomer
• ES114, ES115
• Mix (Player should try to go for Wing via home-menu pausing, but if it lands on Fire or Tornado, those will work fine too)

Level 7-3:

• Whatever was Mixed last level - Start (if not Wing/Fire/Tornado, get Fighter from the Knuckle Joe in the first screen)
• ES116
• Stone - Rocky, right after ES116
• Ice - Fourth room, before Dubior
• Parasol - Start of room after Dubior
• Wing - almost right after getting Parasol, at the top of the room
• ES117, ES118
• Ultra Sword
• Water - Before Sphere Doomers
• ES119, ES120, All energy spheres collected!

Challenge Rooms

Order: Water, Bomb, Hi-Jump, Sword, Whip, Item, Wing

The ideal order is listed above, as it minimizes travel time between ability rooms, starts with one of two ability rooms that is closest to the entrance, and ends with Wing which is ideal for fighting the last stretch of bosses. Remember that for 100% main mode completion, challenge room ranks do not matter, so just clear the rooms as quickly as possible and ignore getting the coins.

End-Game

Landia: Fight with Wing.

Alternate Dimension: Auto-Scroller, don't get yourself killed by messing around too much.

Lor: Spam Spiral Dragons (Press 2) for the most consistent strat. Spamming Burst Breaths (Hold 1, then release) is barely faster than Spiral Dragons but is much more difficult and only works if every single star (including the small ones) hits and the shots are timed near frame-perfectly, so it is hardly consistent.

Magolor: Wing, keep it at the end by using the Ultra-Sword Finishing Animation Skip.

Magolor's Soul: Start and Finish the game with Wing.