A1-Up,[1][2][3] also formatted as1 Up[4][5] or1UP,[6] is a high-value item in theKirby series which appears in all main-series titles (sansKirby and the Forgotten Land) and many of the spin-offs. When picked up, the player is rewarded an extra life, which will be used up in exchange for another try if the player's character is defeated.
In all of its appearances, the 1-Up resembles or otherwise contains bold white text which reads "1UP". Starting withKirby Super Star and consistently sinceKirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, its current appearance also includes a glowing aura and a replica ofKirby (or sometimes another character) behind the text.
1-Ups can be obtained in a variety of ways which can differ between games, or may simply be found out in the open in stages, though they are often tucked away in difficult-to-reach or hidden places. 1-Ups are also rewarded by collecting a prerequisite number ofPoint Stars (100 in modern titles) in games which feature them. They are also usually found hidden behindStar Blocks inHAL Rooms. MostKirby games tend to be fairly generous with 1-Ups, to the point where a skilled player can amass many tens or hundreds throughout a playthrough. This is usually counterbalanced by the fact that the number of extra lives is reset when the main game is exited (though this does not happen inKirby and the Rainbow Curse,Kirby Star Allies andKirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe). For details on what happens when the player runs out of extra lives, see theGame Over page.
InKirby's Dream Land, Kirby begins the game with the extra life counter reading "04" (00 counts as a life), meaning he starts with five lives. Despite the double-digit counter, it cannot go higher than "09" in this game. The only way to obtain more extra lives in this game is to find them in stages or to adjust the number in the Configuration Mode (which can also be used to give Kirby less lives to start with).
Kirby's Adventure /Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land[edit]
InKirby's Adventure and its remakeKirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, Kirby begins the game with five lives. Unlike in the previous title, the extra life counter can go into the double digits. In addition to finding 1-Ups in stages, Kirby can also obtain them by reaching the highest platform in theGoal Game, and completing the variousSub-Games (details on thresholds for 1-Up bonuses can be found on theCrane Fever,Quick Draw,Egg Catcher,Quick Draw,Kirby's Air Grind, andBomb Rally pages). If Kirby lands on all platforms from lowest to highest in consecutive Goal Games, he will earn 30 1-Ups as a secret bonus. This secret has been retained in many subsequent games.
Starting inKirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, 1-Ups use their look fromKirby Super Star consistently. InMeta Knightmare, the 1-Ups are modified to resembleMeta Knight instead of Kirby. Unlike in the main game, Meta Knight only starts with three extra lives in this mode and cannot make use of Goal Games or Sub-Games to get more.
InKirby's Pinball Land, Kirby starts with three lives, which are represented by small Kirby icons in the top-left corner of the screen. The maximum number of lives Kirby can have is nine (represented as eight of the aforementioned icons, since zero counts). 1-Ups in this game do not appear as items, but are instead rewarded for getting a sufficiently high score in the bonus boards or by hitting all the letters that spell out "EXTRA" on the level hub board. Unlike in other titles, it is expected for the player to eventually run out of lives in order to finish the game and submit their high score, as otherwise the game loops indefinitely.
1-Ups are awarded inKirby's Dream Course by scoring holes-in-one.
InKirby's Dream Course, Kirby starts the main game with three lives. Additional lives can be earned by scoring a hole-in-one. If Kirby completes a course with less than three lives, he will be restored to three when starting the next course.
InKirby's Dream Land 2, Kirby starts the main game with three lives. Aside from finding 1-Ups scattered through stages, they can also be earned by reaching the top platform in theGoal Game, by collecting sevenPoint Stars, and by earning a perfect score inBonus Chances. In addition, reaching the maximum possiblescore of 9,999,990 points will cause every action that gives points to instead give a 1-Up.[7]
InKirby's Block Ball, Kirby starts each level with five extra lives. More can be earned for every 50,000 points obtained in the level, by hitting every Star Block in the Target-Shooting stages or by playing theSub-Games accessible viaWarp Star in each level (details on thresholds for 1-Up bonuses can be found on theUp Cloud,Up Down,Star Catcher, andAir Hockey pages). Unlike most other titles, Kirby does not keep any extra lives after completing a level, instead exchanging each one for 1,000 extra points.
InKirby's Dream Land 3, Kirby begins the main game with three lives. More can be earned by obtaining 30 Point Stars or by collecting 1-Ups in stages. They can also be earned in theGoal Game.
InKirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Kirby begins the main game with three lives. More can be earned by obtaining 30 Point Stars or by collecting 1-Ups in stages. They can also be earned in theBonus Game.
InKirby Tilt 'n' Tumble, Kirby begins with five extra lives. The 1-Up reward forStar Pieces depends on their colors and conditions required. 50 Yellow Star Pieces grant a 1up, 7 Red Star Pieces will grant a 1up and turn the rest of the Red Star Pieces into rainbow-colored variants that also grant 1-Ups, and collecting all Blue Star Pieces after flipping four or moreWaddle Dees over will also grant a 1-Up.
Performing eight bounces in a row on enemies and objects likeBumpers will also grant Kirby invincibility and give him a 1-Up. While invincible, Kirby can slam Bumpers and enemies off the stage to earn 1-Ups, before the effects wear off. Landing in the center of the stage goal will also grant Kirby a 1-Up. Playing theSub-Games on the Bonus Star can also grant 1-Ups, with up to three being rewarded based on the score earned in the game.
InKirby & The Amazing Mirror, Kirby begins with three extra lives. More can be earned by finding them scattered throughout stages, opening specificTreasure Chests, catching them inGoal Game rooms, or occasionally getting them as a gift from other Kirbys when calling them on theCell Phone. Kirby can also get a 1-Up if he lands on it on theMagicCopy Ability's roulette wheel.
InKirby: Canvas Curse, Kirby begins with four extra lives. More can be collected in stages or by collecting 100 Point Stars. More Point Stars (and thus 1-Ups) can be awarded inDash! Jump! based on the distance traveled.
The design of the 1-Ups also change to resemble the character being played as. For example, playing with theWaddle Doo ball changes the 1-Up sprite to resemble Waddle Doo, and playing with theKing Dedede ball will change the 1-Up sprite to resemble the king's likenesses.
InKirby: Squeak Squad, Kirby begins with three extra lives. More can be collected in stages or through theGoal Game. Additionally, combining three Kirby icons together in theCopy Palette yields a 1-Up.
Kirby's Return to Dream Land and subsequent 2D main-series games untilKirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe[edit]
InKirby's Return to Dream Land andKirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, when another player joins the game, an extra life is subtracted from the total (unless it is currently zero, in which the chosen character starts with half of their health). In those games'Extra Mode, 1-Ups get a small crown added onto the head of the Kirby figurine.
InKirby Star Allies andKirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, the extra life counter in Story Mode does not reset with the game. Obtaining the max number of lives (999 and 99, respectively) places a crown on Kirby's stock icon.
InKirby and the Rainbow Curse, Kirby begins with six extra lives. More can be collected in stages, by collecting 100 Point Stars, or through theGoal Game. Collecting a 1-Up in a stage also awards 500 points.
The extra life counter in Story Mode does not reset with the game.
An aspect unique to this title is that players have the option to skip stages they are having too much trouble with. This can be done if four or more lives are lost on the stage in question.
1-Ups themselves do not feature inKirby Fighters 2, nor is there an extra life system for most of the game's content. However, the fighters are given three lives in the Final Chapter ofStory Mode: The Destined Rivals. Unlike in other games, there is no way to increase the number of lives in this case, meaning that the Final Chapter must be completed within three tries, else progress is reset.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land (this is the first main-series game not to utilize 1-Ups. The jingle for collecting one, however, is incorporated into the track "A Quick Nap".)
Instruction manual bio (page 15): "This handy item increases the number of chances Kirby has by 1. You might not need these extra chances now, but wait till we meet up with King Dedede. You'll wish you had as many as you could get!"
https://wikirby.com/wiki/File:Eggerland_FDS_Power_Earned_sound_effect.mp3An example of the sound effect that plays in theEggerland series when gaining a power, here taken from the 1987 Famicom Disk System port ofEggerland 2. Later versions of the sound effect were transposed to essentially the same pitch as theKirby 1-Up jingle.
The 1-Up jingle strongly resembles a sound effect that plays in theEggerland series of games, from the Famicom Disk System port ofEggerland 2 onwards, whenLolo or Lala gains a Power after obtaining a certain number of Heart Framers. TheEggerland sound effect begins more elaborately but ends in the same way as theKirby jingle.
The version of the 1-Up jingle used inKirby Mass Attack (for adding a Kirby to the team) follows a separate jingle for obtaining 100fruit points, which repeatedly rolls up a major chord in the same key as the 1-Up jingle. The combination of the two strengthens the resemblance to theEggerland sound effect.
The principal sound composer for theEggerland games was Hideki Kanazashi, a key figure in defining the sound of HAL Laboratory's games as they began to flourish on the Famicom/NES. Kanazashi left the company sometime around 1990, after a handful of overlapping projects with his junior,Jun Ishikawa.
InKirby Super Star, 1-Ups use the same sprite palette as Kirby. This means that if he observes a 1-Up closely while possessing a Copy Ability that changes hiscolor, the 1-Up changes to match.
InKirby's Dream Land, Kirby begins the game with the extra life counter reading "04" (00 counts as a life), meaning he starts with five lives. Despite the double-digit counter, it cannot go higher than "09" in this game. The only way to obtain more extra lives in this game is to find them in stages or to adjust the number in the Configuration Mode (which can also be used to give Kirby less lives to start with).
The modern look of 1-Ups first manifested inKirby Super Star. In both the original andKirby Super Star Ultra, 1-Ups can be found throughout stages as normal, and can also be awarded in one of theGoal Games. Each main game starts Kirby (orMeta Knight) with four lives.Gourmet Race,The Arena, andThe True Arena do not utilize extra lives.
Artwork fromKirby: Squeak Squad
A 1-Up inKirby's Return to Dream Land
A 1-Up inExtra Mode fromKirby's Return to Dream Land
Model fromKirby: Triple Deluxe andKirby: Planet Robobot
Model fromDededetour inKirby: Triple Deluxe
Model fromMeta Knightmare Returns inKirby: Planet Robobot
A 1-Up inKirby Star Allies
Illustration from theKirby JP Twitter featuring theWaddle Dee Report Crew interviewing a 1-Up, mistaking it for Kirby
