Cookie Country - Stage 3

Cookie Country - Stage 3
Cookie Country - Stage 3 in the level hub.
Details
Level	Cookie Country
Super Ability
Energy Sphere(s)	3
Mid-Boss(es)

Theme music
"Crystal Dungeons" Clip of the theme that primarily plays in Cookie Country - Stage 3.

Stage order
← Cookie Country - Stage 2	Cookie Country - Stage 4 →

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Cookie Country - Stage 3 (simply called Stage 3 or 1-3 in-game) is the third stage of Cookie Country in Kirby's Return to Dream Land and its remake Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, and is the first cave-themed stage in this game. There are three Energy Spheres in this stage. This stage is the first to feature Key Dee.

Overview[edit]

Kirby riding a moving platform in a deep watery cave while carrying a key

The stage starts out with a pretty straightforward path above ground with a lone Sparky defending it that leads to a Bomb Block. Breaking it will open the way to a downward path to the door.

The door leads to an underground chamber, with a ladder going down a shaft. The ladder leads to a snaking cave section, guarded by Shotzos. On the third path across, a Copy Essence for the Spark ability can be found. From there the downward path splits into two paths, one littered with Shotzos, and the other ones with an ample amount of Star Blocks that can be easily passed through using Spark (however the Shotzo path also contains a red Point Star toward the bottom). At the bottom, these two paths converge and then lead to a door sitting atop a thin floor.

The door leads to a deep blue cave, adorned with crystals, stalactites and an azure pool in the background. A Blade Knight guards the path to the right, which repeatedly shifts up and down. As the path continues, bottomless pits must be avoided, and various other enemies, including a Leafan, must be dispatched. At one point, a barrier in the ceiling conceals a 1-Up; this can easily be obtained by breaking the Bomb Block embedded in the barrier. From there, a Super Inhale Block is encountered, which Kirby can spit to break open a nook with some food in it, though he has to be careful not to hit a moving section of ground that may get in the way. Past a Hot Head, a switch will open the way to the door to the next section.

The door leads to a narrow passageway with a Waddle Doo and a Copy Essence for the Beam ability. As this cave progresses, Kirby will encounter Shotzos atop blocks that can be broken to send them falling into bottomless pits. From there, Kirby must traverse through a tunnel with more Shotzos and enemies, where a Bomb Block barrier conceals some food. Then comes a stepped area that with Shotzos on it; this problem can be alleviated by breaking the Bomb Block, causing all the Shotzos to fall, but turning the stepped area to a series of platforms that will lead to the door to the next section.

The door leads to another narrow cave, with numerous pointy spikes on the floor to the right. A switch opens to a larger section of the cave, but a Key Dee is visible in a separate cave below. Activating the switch will start a race with the Key Dee, which Kirby will need to win in order to get its key. After that, Kirby may proceed to the stage exit just beyond. In Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, the exit is guarded by Don Puffle and many other enemies. Kirby clan clear them out easily using Festival.

Energy Sphere Guide[edit]

In the initial brown cave area, the first sphere can be found below the door to the next room by dropping through the thin floor.
The second sphere can be found in the second part of the blue cave zone behind a gate, which can be unlocked using a key on the other side of the chasm.
In the last part of the stage, Key Dee holds a key, and Kirby will have to race it to the end of the path and catch it before it falls into a bottomless pit with the key. From there, the last sphere can be found behind a gate to the right.