Kirby Super Star (Kirby's Fun Pak in Europe, and Hoshi no Kirby Super Deluxe in Japan) is a SNES game in the Kirby series. It was released in the US on March 20, 1996; in Japan on March 21, 1996; and in Europe long afterwards on January 23, 1997. The game is advertised as a Kirby collection with 8 games in 1 cartridge. The first category of games is the platformers - the player starts out with Spring Breeze and Dyna Blade, then, after beating either one, unlocks The Great Cave Offensive. After that, Revenge of Meta-Knight becomes available, and subsequently Milky Way Wishes is unlocked. The other type of game is the minigame, of which there are originally three - Gourmet Race, Samurai Kirby and Megaton Punch. After one beats Milky Way Wishes, The Arena is revealed.

One of the unique features of this Kirby game is the addition of a "Helper." The Helper is an enemy-turned-friend who follows Kirby around and helps fight other enemies. A second player can use a controller to control the helper, making a solo experience into a two-player adventure. Most of the mini-games have two-player modes as well.

Games

The five platforming games are:

• Spring Breeze - A major remake of the original Kirby's Dream Land, using Kirby Super Star's gameplay and enhanced graphics. Kirby must make his way to the castle to challenge King Dedede and recapture the food that was stolen from the denizens of Dream Land.
• Dyna Blade - This game is the one and only game in Kirby Super Star to use an overworld map. It has two secret levels. Kirby must journey to the top of a mountain where a giant evil bird, Dyna Blade, lives.
• The Great Cave Offensive - A large game in which the player must collect many treasure chests strewn throughout a mysterious cave. There are many different rooms, containing hidden treasure chests with prizes that raise the player's score and completion rate. As the player moves forward, there is often no way to go back to the previous room. However, the cave is cyclic and will return Kirby to its mouth, so that he can either make another pass at the cave to complete his inventory, or escape the cave with his loot.
• Revenge of Meta-Knight - In this game, Kirby attempts to destroy Meta-Knight's ship, the 'Halberd', before Meta-Knight can take over Dream Land. Along the way, the crew comments on Kirby's ongoing destruction of their ship with rising alarm.
• Milky Way Wishes - This is the last major part of the game. Unlike all of the other platforming games, Kirby can't copy the abilities of enemies that he inhales, but instead collects "Deluxe Ability Pedestals". These are platforms with abilities on them that, once in his possession, Kirby can recall at will. In this way, the player can adapt to most situations by switching to a useful ability - hence it is important to gather as many Deluxe Ability Pedestals as possible. In this game, the Sun and Moon around planet Popstar are fighting, and Kirby must travel to different planets and defeat the boss at the end of each one in order to reach the giant machine NOVA, who Kirby hopes will help stop the unfortunate quarrel.

Minigames

• Gourmet Race - A race against King Dedede that incorporates platforming elements. The player has to beat King Dedede to the finish line, using any means necessary, including abilities, while also consuming more food than Dedede along the way.
• Samurai Kirby - A timing minigame. In the single player mode, there are five opponents, and as the player climbs to the fifth one, the game gets harder and harder. In the multiplayer mode, one can select the number of rounds to be played. Human players are required to quickly react to a symbol that appears on the screen, and the opponent with the lowest response time wins the round. Computer players always respond with set intervals based on the game difficulty chosen and the character the AI represents.
• Megaton Punch - Another timing minigame. In this game, one must attempt to perfectly match the peak of an oscillating meter, the superimposition of two floating crosshairs, and the downstroke of a pendulum to the press of a button on the controller. Points are awarded based on the accuracy of one's timing.
• The Arena - An endurance challenge. The player must go through nineteen battles with only one life, a couple of random abilities that are offered between battles, and five Maxim Tomatoes which can restore Kirby's health. These battles include one ridiculously easy, no-resistance battle against a Waddle Dee, two battles against teams of minibosses, and sixteen boss battles. Beating The Arena unlocks a sound test option in the main menu, which can be used to listen to sound effects and music from the game. The Arena is scored by how long it took the player to win all nineteen battles.