As the first Kirby game ever, this game doesn't have any copy abilities. The movement is relatively simple compared to most other mainline Kirby games, but there are still some mechanics that are worth pointing out.
Jumping
Like other Kirby games, jumping is a better option than floating for upward movement, unless the latter is required. Unlike some later games in the series, jumping itself doesn't provide a speed boost compared to walking - in other words, bunny hopping doesn't exist in this game.
TAS Spit
Initially having been used in TAS runs in the mid-2000s, it was found to be RTA-viable as well around 2018. This glitch will enable Kirby to instantly exhale the next object he inhales. A TAS spit can be primed by swallowing an object, pressing right or left and down quickly after exhaling an object, or entering a door while floating. After the TAS spit is primed, Kirby can instantly exhale objects as long as he gets close before inhaling them, and will even exhale the first enemy automatically if there are multiple enemies within his inhale range. TAS spits are helpful to save small amounts of time in some boss fights and can save notably more time by enabling double hits on King Dedede. TAS spits also enable doing double hits in the Kracko fight in Extra Mode (the TAS is even able to do a triple hit by hitting all 3 bombs in 1 cycle and can also do a double hit on Kracko Jr.)
Dedede Double Hits
After priming a TAS spit, when Dedede does his jump attack, Kirby can stand to one side of where he will land and jump, then start moving towards Dedede and inhaling around the time the stars appear. This will cause one star to instantly shoot out and hit Dedede while Kirby stores the other one and can use it to do damage as well, and can even prime another TAS spit when exhaling that star. It's even possible to do Dedede double hits damageless if Kirby is positioned precisely enough. Right or left must still be tapped in order to do the TAS spit, but they must be let go of immediately for Kirby to not collide with Dedede. For a video explanation of double hits, watch Speedman's guide here.
Inhale Cancelling
While inhaling, pressing up instead of letting go of B ends the inhale sooner. This doesn't save time but is a useful trick for RNG manipulation as it advances RNG a few times in a short amount of time.
Lag Reduction & Damage Boosting
Like many older games, when too many sprites appear on the same screen, they can create significant lag. Runners try to eliminate certain enemies to keep the game running smoothly, sometimes even by damage boosting. Usually damage boosting is the same speed as walking. It saves notably more time, however, if there is a door or a warpstar at the end of the boost.
Gordo Skips
In the Castle Dedede stage, Gordos block the entry to each of the boss re-fights. These Gordos will instantly KO Kirby if they damage him, and it is intended for the player to collect the impostor Kirby in each section to destroy the Gordos. It is, however, possible to skip past these Gordos in 2 ways.
Damage boosting
For the Whispy and Kracko sections, there are enemies close enough to the Gordo that Kirby can take damage on them and then enter the door while he still has invincibility frames. Damage boosting can also be used with the spikes in Kabula's section, although this is less viable as they will take half of Kirby's health instead of dealing 1 damage.
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Damageless
Because of the Gordos' up-and-down movement and their hitbox relative to the door, it's possible for Kirby to squeeze into the door during certain small windows of time. Kirby can fall into the door from above while the Gordo is at its lowest point, or he can crouch to slide beneath the Gordo when it's near the top of the door, then switch to pressing up the frame after releasing down to enter the door. Due to the difficulty of switching directions in a single frame, it's recommended to either use a controller with multiple D-pads/analog sticks (such as a GameCube controller), or quickly pause while holding down, then hold up while unpausing. Due to their difficulty and danger, damageless Gordo skips are not recommended unless a runner has no other timesaves left to implement.
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