Kirby's Dream Course/Special Tee Shot

Special Tee Shot is a golf game for the Super Famicom, released exclusively for the Satellaview modem peripheral. Though not a part of the Kirby game series, it holds an important connection to it, as it was the basis for Kirby's Dream Course.

Differences between Special Tee Shot and Kirby's Dream Course

 * Though still a whimsical and fantastical take on the sport, Special Tee Shot follows the rules of real golf much more closely than its successor. There are no enemies to defeat, and the hole has a preset location on every map, making for more linear strategy.
 * There is also no health or lives system, as was present in Kirby's Dream Course. The player's performance is entirely determined by a traditional golf score: each hole has its own par, and stroke penalties are given for falling out of bounds. To unlock the next course, the player must earn a low enough overall score on a course to win a trophy (bronze, silver or gold). Failing to sink any hole in nine shots results in an instant game over.
 * The player character is a red ball with eyes, who is significantly smaller than Kirby (except when "inflating" before a shot). He is joined by a red and white "hat" character who marks the placement of the hole, and a yellow ball who displays the number of strokes remaining till par. Also, the red ball morphs into the number of his stroke briefly before each shot, though he will only show a deflated expression after failing to make par.
 * The controls for aiming a shot have a much finer degree of precision, more along the lines of those used in games that try to simulate golf realistically. The ball's physics are also lighter than those of Kirby, and more comparable to a real golf ball.
 * Holding the L or R button when aiming a shot will display the direction and angle of the shot in exact degrees.
 * The game has a completely different set of courses from Kirby's Dream Course. There are four normal courses, four Extra courses, and a very challenging Gold course that is unlocked upon attaining a gold trophy in every other course.
 * Unlike in Kirby's Dream Course, every map in the game has an introduction screen showing the name and number of the hole, the par for the hole, and a simplified miniature representation of the map. Names are often descriptive of the design of the map.
 * Instead of being solid green lines, the barriers commonly found on the edges of maps are made up of purple dots that appear to have lots of empty space in between. Their design was likely altered for Kirby's Dream Course so as to not be unclear.
 * A number of environmental gimmicks found in Special Tee Shot are not present in Kirby's Dream Course, such as an undulating wave of terrain that carries the ball along, suspended net trampolines, giant potted flowers that bloom when hit, and different types of large pinball bumpers. In maps where bumpers are enclosed by barriers, they can cause the ball to ricochet for a far longer time than would ever be possible in Kirby's Dream Course.
 * While Copy Abilities are not present, several types of switches found on the courses will produce different effects when hit by the ball. These effects include the opening of the hole being widened, bridges being raised or lowered, the strength of a shot being increased, and the ball temporarily gaining the ability to teleport inside the hole by passing over it (it does not need to roll inside in this state).
 * When adjusting the curvature of a shot from left to right, the dot representing the direction and strength of the curve on the gauge must be stopped roulette-style, just like the top spin/back spin gauge in Kirby's Dream Course. It cannot be adjusted manually by increments.
 * The score sheet for the entire course being played is displayed on the main HUD, not just after clearing a hole.
 * The soundtrack is made up of original compositions instead of new renditions of existing Kirby series themes. It has a jazz style.
 * There are two different multiplayer modes: 2 Player Stroke and 2 Player Match. While Kirby's Dream Course ' s multiplayer used a selection of four special courses that were not available in the single-player campaign, these modes play out across the same courses used in solo play. The differences between the two modes are mainly reflected in how the final score is tallied. The players' balls cannot bump into each other and push each other around as in Kirby's Dream Course, and are replaced with markers during the other player's turn.
 * Like in real golf, wind is a factor affecting the movement of the ball. It can be set between three levels of strength, or a randomly adjusting level. Wind is normally only present in the game's two-player modes, but after completing the Gold Course, it can be enabled in single-player for an additional challenge.