Route summary
The main difference between Any% and Best Ending / 100% are the Rainbow Drops. Each world has one Rainbow Drop and collecting all 7 and defeating King DeDeDe at the end will unlock the game's real final boss, Dark Matter. 100% involves doing the Best Ending route while also completing all 6 Bonus Games found in Worlds 1 through 6, as well as collecting one Gooey Girl throughout the run.
Best Ending Timing
Timing starts by selecting a file. Timing ends on final hit on Dark Matter.
Best Ending Route Overview
(_____) indicates what Animal Friend and/or Ability you should have entering a level.
1-1
1-2
Grab fire at start of level.
Midboss - Efreeti
You can use your Fire ability star to KO the boss and re-inhale it for Fire.
Ignore Rick from Animal Bag.
Grab Parasol at end of 3rd room.
1-3 (Parasol)
Use Parasol to break blocks for Rainbow Drop 1 in 3rd room.
Whispy Woods (Parasol)
Use Parasol to damage Whispy if apples don't spawn, otherwise use Parasol ability star as an attack.
2-1
Grab Coo from Animal Bag in 2nd room.
2-2 (Coo)
Grab Needle from enemy in 2nd room.
After completing 2-2 and after unlocking 2-3, re-enter 2-2.
Fly downwards to the bottom-left corner of the 1st room, enter door.
Use Coo + Needle to break blocks, grab Rainbow Drop 2.
Exit 2-2.
2-3 (Coo)
Grab Cutter on the door at the end of the 1st room.
Midboss - Jumper Shoot
Nruff & Nelly (Coo + Cutter)
3-1 (Coo + Cutter)
Grab Coo and ability at the end of the 1st room and inhale Stone.
Alternate route - keep Coo (Stone optional) through 3-1 and into 3-2 until you get Kine.
3-2 (Stone)
Enter the 1st door in the 2nd room.
Midboss - Master Green
Grab Kine from Animal Bag.
Finish level with Kine + Stone, or use Kine + Spark.
3-3 (Kine + Stone/Spark)
If using Kine + Spark, grab Stone at the end of the 2nd room and backtrack to the 1st door.
Go into the 1st door and then into the hidden door on the right in the dark room.
Use Kine + Stone to get Rainbow Drop 3.
Finish level with Kine + Stone.
Sweet Stuff (Kine + Stone)
4-1 (Kine + Stone)
Discard Kine and Stone before entering 4-1.
Grab Fire in the 1st room.
Midboss - Blocky
4-2 (Fire)
In the 1st room, use a precise jump to enter the 1st door and skip the 2nd door.
If you miss the door, you can use Fire as a back-up to re-enter.
If you do not have Fire, either reset the level or enter the 2nd room to fight Jumpershoot and grab Coo.
Keep Fire through the icicle room to skip having to re-grab in the Ice Block room.
If you lose Fire, enter the door in the Ice Block room to grab Fire.
4-3 (Fire)
Midboss - Mr. Frosty
Use Fire ability star to KO Frosty, make sure to inhale Frosty after the fight.
Grab Kine from Animal Bag, you should now have Kine + Ice.
At the end of the 4th room before the Goal door, drop Ice and inhale Fire.
4-4 (Kine + Fire)
Midboss - Efreeti
Recycle Fire to inhale the blocks underwater in the 3rd room.
If you lose Fire, you will have to reset the level.
Enter the door and use Kine + Fire to melt the Ice Blocks and get Rainbow Drop 4.
Finish the level with Kine + Fire, do not drop either.
Ice Dragon (Kine + Fire)
5-1 (Kine + Fire)
After Ice Dragon and before entering 5-1, drop Fire and Kine, then re-inhale Fire as Kirby.
Enter 5-1 with Kirby + Fire.
5-2 (Fire)
Midboss - Waiu
Grab Cutter after beating Waiu then finish the level with Cutter.
5-3 (Cutter)
In the 1st room, take the middle door and grab Coo from the Animal Bag for Coo + Cutter.
5-4 (Coo + Cutter)
Midboss - Captain Stitch
In the 3rd room after Captain Stitch, drop Coo and Cutter and inhale Fire.
Finish the level as base Kirby + Fire.
5-5 (Fire)
Beginner Route: Re-enter 5-3 and go through the right door and gab Rick from the Animal Bag.
Enter 5-4 and grab Spark at the end of the 1st room with Rick.
Keep Rick + Spark through the 2nd room (autoscroller) until the very end, take the topmost door.
Use Rick + Spark to break the blocks, then discard Spark and Rick to grab Rainbow Drop 5.
Grab either Stone or Needle in the final room before finishing.
Fastest Route: Enter 5-5 as Kirby + Fire, discard Fire to inhale blocks.
Grab Spark at the end of the 1st room, keep Spark into the Rainbow Drop room.
Use a precise jump with Kirby + Spark to break the blocks and grab Rainbow Drop 5.
Discard Spark and grab either Stone or Needle in the final room before finishing.
Shine & Bright (Stone / Needle)
If using Needle, grab Rick from 5-3 (right room) and enter Boss as Rick + Needle
After Shine & Bright, re-enter 5-3 and get Kine (left room).
If using Stone, grab Kine from 5-3 (left room) and enter Boss as Kine + Stone.
6-1
Make sure you have Kine before entering 6-1.
Grab Spark in the 2nd room. Make sure to finish the level as Kine.
6-2 (Kine + Spark)
Discard Spark for Ice to break the Ice Blocks at the end of the 1st room.
Enter the 1st door in the 2nd room with Kine + Ice.
Swim to the left door to enter the midboss.
Midboss - Master Green
Discard Ice and Kine, then re-inhale Ice to use for Master Green (discard ability star to KO).
Get Spark from Master Green, exit the room then enter the 2nd door of room two.
Use Spark to break the metal blocks, grab Coo from the Animal Bag.
Use Coo to fly right in the next room and enter the door.
Midboss - Waiu
Use the Spark ability star to KO Waiu, grab Cutter from Waiu afterwards.
Enter the 1st room when flying left with Coo + Cutter and break the blocks for Rainbow Drop 6.
Finish the level with Coo + Cutter.
6-3 (Coo + Cutter)
Keep Cutter for the 1st room, discard Cutter for Fire in the 2nd room.
Discard Fire for Stone in the 3rd room, finish with Coo + Stone.
6-4 (Coo + Stone)
Midboss - Captain Stitch
Use Coo + Stone to 1-cycle Captain Stitch, or drop ability star for a 2-cycle.
If needed, re-grab Stone in the 3rd room (1st autoscroller).
Finish the level with Coo (Stone not needed).
6-5 (Coo)
Grab Cutter at the end of the 1st room.
Enter the 2nd door from the left in the 3rd room.
6-6 (Coo + Cutter)
Midboss - Master Green
Finish the level as Coo + Cutter
Kracko (Coo + Cutter)
7-1 (Coo + Cutter)
Midboss - Efreeti
7-2 (Coo + Cutter)
Midboss - Master Green
7-3 (Coo + Cutter)
Midboss - Mr. Frosty
You can drop Cutter and use the ability star to KO Frosty, then re-grab at the start of 7-4.
7-4 (Coo / Coo + Cutter)
Inhale Cutter at the start if used in 7-3.
Midboss - Waiu
7-5 (Coo + Cutter)
Midboss - Blocky
7-6 (Coo + Cutter)
Midboss - Captain Stitch
7-7 (Coo + Cutter)
Ability Route: Fire -> Stone -> Needle -> Ice -> Cutter
Grab Rainbow Drop 7.
Midboss - Jumpershoot
Finish the level with base Kirby and Cutter.
King DeDeDe + Dark Matter
Grab Cutter from the start of 7-4 if missing.
100%
The basis of the 100% route is the same as the Best Ending route, with a few minor adjustments.
100% Timing
Timing starts by selecting a file. 100% file completion required. Timing ends when the game shows "The End".
100% Route Overview
Bonus 1
Complete after beating Whispy Woods.
2-3
After defeating Jumpershoot in the 3rd room, wait for the Coo Animal Bag to drop.
If Gooey Girl, make sure to grab.
Bonus 2 (Coo + Cutter)
Complete after beating Nruff & Nelly.
Bonus 3 (Kine + Stone)
Complete after beating Sweet Stuff.
Using Kirby is recommended, but using Kine is viable.
4-1 (Kirby)
With Fire, enter the 1st door in the 1st room, break the Ice Blocks and grab Rick.
Re-enter the door to respawn the Rick Animal Bag until a Gooey Girl is spawned.
After you obtain Gooey Girl, drop Fire and Rick, then re-inhale Fire to complete 4-1.
Bonus 5
Complete with Kirby (after dropping Rick) or Kine depending on Best Ending route.
Bonus 6 (Coo + Cutter)
Complete after beating Kracko.