KDL:Tech

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.

Floating

Kirby moves slower when floating, but quickly returns to normal speed after exhaling, even if he maintains his height while doing so. Kirby can maintain his exact height after floating if he never traveled downwards at any point during the float. If Kirby did travel downwards while floating, when exhaling he will retain whatever momentum he had right as he exhaled and will immediately be affected by gravity.

Buffered Inputs

The jump button can be held during certain instances where Kirby is unable to jump, such as when going through a door or hitting the ground (without crouch cancelling), and Kirby will jump as soon as he becomes able to.

TAS Spit

Initially having been used in TAS runs in the mid-2000s, it was found to be RTA-viable 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 an object as long as he gets close before inhaling it, 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 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.

Damageless Dedede double hit GIF

Inhale Cancelling

While inhaling, pressing up instead of just letting go of B ends the inhale sooner. This doesn't save time in most cases but is a useful trick for RNG manipulation as it advances RNG a few times in a short amount of time.

Crouch Cancelling

When hitting the ground from the height of a full jump or lower, holding down will cause Kirby to immediately crouch and cancel the normal landing animation. Doing this will prevent the creation of a star sprite upon landing, which can help to reduce lag and can also be useful for RNG manipulation. Additionally, cancelling the landing animation can allow Kirby to perform actions sooner than he otherwise would, such as being able to instantly jump after hitting the ground. The down button should be released as close as possible to the moment Kirby hits the ground so that he can continue moving immediately.

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.

Animation Locking

Changing direction before an animation is completely finished will cause the animation to restart from the beginning. This can be an issue because Kirby can't perform certain actions, such as exhaling a projectile, when stuck in an animation. If turning around is necessary after, for instance, inhaling an enemy (without priming a TAS spit), it's best to do so either after the animation is fully complete, or immediately after the inhale so that the animation resets immediately and not after some time has passed. Be aware that the inhale animation lasts about 12 frames longer than it visually appears to, so changing direction immediately after the animation appears to end will still restart it.

Animation locking GIF
Kirby is unable to exhale until he stops turning.

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.

Gordo damage boost GIFs

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 to 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.

Overhead Gordo skip GIFs

Pausing vs. not pausing GIFs