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Haltmann Works Company

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The logo for the Haltmann Works Company, as represented by the sticker.

The Haltmann Works Company is the main antagonist organization in Kirby: Planet Robobot. It is an alien civilization with a corporate hierarchy, which traverses deep space using their giant mothership: the Access Ark. It engages in rapid hostile takeover of any world it can (referred to as the Mechanizing Occupation Project), in order to extract all the resources from it, then move on to the next one, leaving all manner of mechanical desolation in its wake. The company is led by President Haltmann, who in turn tends to the heart of the company, the ancient computer known as Star Dream. Susie is the executive assistant and secretary to the president and Haltworkers are the most common employees. The company publishes a currency called Haltmann, named after the president himself.

The main story of Kirby: Planet Robobot revolves around the company taking root on Planet Popstar using their mothership, the Access Ark. As all other opposition to the takeover was effectively shot down on arrival, it is up to Kirby to save his world from consumption by single-handedly taking out each leg of the ark, then dealing with the president and his computer. After the ark is destroyed, the Haltmann Works Company is also effectively ended as an organization.

In Kirby Star Allies, it is hinted in Susie's pause screen in Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go! that she aims to rebuild the company and continue to mechanize other planets and peoples.

Profile[edit]

Company profile in Japanese

This section is the translation of the company profile on the Japanese official website.

  • Business: Planet mechanizing occupation; effective economy development and resource farming (until resources run dry)
  • Employees: About 860,000 (Hires locally; executives are loyal, high-performance robots.)
  • Headquarters: Access Ark, the giant invader mothership (Moves between planets at certain times.)
  • Philosophy: To achieve infinite prosperity by means of mechanization
  • Anthem: "The Noble Haltmann"

Production[edit]

The Haltmann Works Company is responsible for several creations, including Gigavolt, C.O.G.S., Holo Defense API (possibly modelled after Pix), the D3 Cannon, Security Force (modelled after Metal General), and most recognizably, the Invader Armor (which becomes the Robobot Armor if piloted by Kirby). The company has mechanized several Popstar habitants, notably modifying Whispy Woods into Clanky Woods, and Meta Knight into Mecha Knight.

According to the boss battle Special Pages, these are the costs of some creations:

  • Clanky Woods / Mecha Knight: 2.325 billion Haltmanns
  • Clanky Woods 2.0: 1.1625 billion Haltmanns (half of the previous model)
  • Gigavolt: 4.3 billion Haltmanns
  • Gigavolt 2.0: 8.6 billion Haltmanns (double of the previous model)
  • D3 Cannon: 9.3 billion Haltmanns (four times that of Clanky Woods / Mecha Knight; 5 billion more than Gigavolt)
  • President Haltmann's Executive Suit: 37.2 billion Haltmanns (four times that of the D3 Cannon)

In Team Kirby Clash Deluxe, the Mad Scientist's Flask for Doctor Healmore sold at Magolor's Shoppe has the Haltmann Works Company's logo on it and thus is rumored to be its production.

In Kirby Star Allies, Susie the Dream Friend can use a laser gun made by the company called the H.W.C. Blaster (referred to as a "H.W.C.-Made Laser Gun" in the Japanese version).

Trivia[edit]

  • The name of President Haltmann and his company is somewhat based on HAL Laboratory itself, whose name in turn derives from HAL 9000,[1] the sentient computer featuring throughout the Space Odyssey series of science-fiction works.
    • The number of employees and the cost of Gigavolt 2.0 are also references to HAL (86=ハル).
    • Given its connection to HAL 9000, the name Haltmann also bears a passing resemblance to the name of Halman, a merger of the non-corporeal forms of HAL 9000 and Dave Bowman, appearing in the final Space Odyssey novel.
  • Star Dream's second phase has an attack named "Haltmann Works Company" in which it fires giant letters of H, A, and L, the order of which differs between the normal version and the Soul OS version.

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Japanese ハルトマンワークスカンパニー
Harutoman Wākusu Kanpanī
Haltmann Works Company
Canadian French Société Haltmann Haltmann Company
European French Haltmann SA Haltmann PLC
SA is an abbreviation for "société anonyme" and is the France equivalent of PLC ("public limited company").
German Haltmann OHG Haltmann General Commercial Partnership
Italian Haltmann Works Company -
Korean 할트만 웤스 컴퍼니
Halteuamn Wokseu Keompeoni
Haltmann Works Company
Polish Haltmann Works Company[2] -
Spanish Corporación Haltmann Haltmann Corporation


References

  1. "We worked until midnight or later every night, and that group of friends is what became the company known as HAL today. The name came from the computer in the movie 2001: Space Odyssey.[sic]"Satoru Iwata (GDC 2005 keynote) (IGN transcript and Wayback Machine snapshot of transcript)
  2. Nintendo Polska - Kirby: Planet Robobot