It was released in Japan on March 21, 1995, in North America on May 1, 1995,[1] in Europe on July 31, 1995, and in Australia on November 22, 1995.

The game was re-released on the 3DS's Virtual Console in Japan on February 15, 2012,[2] in PAL regions on May 17, 2012, and in North America on August 1, 2013.

Kirby sets out to defeat Dark Matter, accompanied by three new animal friends, Rick the hamster, Kine the fish, and Coo the owl.

After traveling through across the Rainbow Islands, Kirby reaches the possessed King Dedede and defeats him.

Holding the mystic object, Kirby follows Dark Matter in a final showdown.

He defeats Dark Matter and uses the sword to create a new rainbow, thus restoring peace to Dream Land.

The player starts the game with three lives, one of which is lost each time Kirby's health is depleted or he falls off the bottom of the screen.

Kirby's basic abilities include running, jumping, flight, swimming, and inhaling.

At this point, Kirby can shoot them out as a star (causing damage to anything in its path), or simply swallow them.

However, when played on the Super Game Boy, there is a special border with Kirby's animal friends, and the graphics are drawn in limited color.

For example, each stage has a color theme, such as "Grass Land" being yellowscale, "Big Forest" being greenscale, etc.