Meta Knightmare

Meta Knightmare is a subgame which can be played in Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land. This subgame is almost like a separate mode of the game, as it is just like playing the game normally except the player plays as Meta Knight instead of Kirby. In this mode, Meta Knight wishes to train himself to prove his worthiness - a storyline which would later be refined in another exclusive game in Kirby Super Star Ultra (dubbed "Meta Knightmare Ultra").

Gameplay
Meta Knight has 3 health bars and starts the game with 2 lives. It's the same as if the player were playing the Extra mode with Kirby. Meta Knight's sword does decent damage and cannot be lost or dropped. Meta Knight's dash is faster than Kirby's, but the trade off for this speed is his weight. He is significantly heavier than Kirby, making him harder to move while flying and he will fall quicker while in mid-air. Meta Knight has 6 attacks which are:


 * Meta Chop (B)- Meta Knight slashes with his sword
 * Lunging Slice (B while dashing)- Meta Knight moves forward and performs a lunge with his sword.
 * Up Thrust (Up + B)- Meta Knight performs an uppercut with his sword.
 * Down Thrust (Down + B in midair)- Meta Knight falls to the ground with his sword pointing down to the ground. You can cancel it by holding Up + B.
 * Fly (A (rapidly) in midair)- Meta Knight flies with his wings. It is faster than Kirby, but it can be more difficult to maneuver.
 * Slide (Down + A/B)- Meta Knight slides through the floor, kicking any enemies who get in the way. Kirby has this same exact move.



How to Unlock
To get the Meta Knightmare mode, Extra Mode must be beaten, which is received after beating the game on 100%.

Trivia

 * The player cannot save while playing Meta Knightmare - so he/she must play it all in one go.
 * Ironically, Meta Knight must fight another Meta Knight on the Orange Ocean (level 6) Boss stage, as Kirby did so in the normal game. However, Meta Knight can't fight Nightmare, despite the game being called "Meta Knightmare."
 * Meta Knight's sword can solve all puzzles - it can do things such as pound stakes and light fuses. This attribute would later appear in Kirby & the Amazing Mirror and Kirby Super Star Ultra.
 * When Meta Knight grabs a Warp Star, he doesn't ride it - a sprite of him with his wings stretched is used over the Warp Star effect. In Meta Knightmare Ultra, he at least flaps his wings.
 * This sub-game is not considered canon. It has no part in the story, nor is the second Meta Knight explained.
 * The second Meta Knight may be Nightmare in some sort of disguise, similar to Dark Meta Knight's disguise trait.
 * Meta Knight cannot inhale. As a result, some items cannot be grabbed.
 * When Meta Knight loses a life, he disappears, and only his mask is shown. This is later reused in Kirby: Canvas Curse and Meta Knightmare Ultra.