| “ | The famous creators of Kirby’s Adventure Wii, HAL Laboratory, have left their mark on the game in more ways than one. Only the most acute observers and meticulous explorers would happen upon them, but there are actually two secret locations where you’ll find the word “HAL” spelled out in blocks. Not only that, these areas also contain Copy Abilities that can come in very handy indeed!” |
| — Description • Nintendo UK support[1] |
A HAL Room[2] is a secret area found in multiple Kirby games. The rooms have Star Blocks arranged to spell out the word HAL, the shorthand name of HAL Laboratory, the company that developed the Kirby series. Usually, a Broom Hatter is seen sweeping and cleaning the letter L.
HAL Rooms have appeared in every Kirby game directed by Shinya Kumazaki.
Games
Kirby's Adventure
Vegetable Valley HAL Room
Kirby's Adventure's HAL Room is a hidden area rather than a complete room. It is located in stage 2 of Vegetable Valley. Once Kirby reaches the point in the beginning of the stage with a Warp Star on top of a small hill, he has to move back from the hill until the star disappears. Once Kirby moves beyond that point, he can access the HAL area. Why exactly this was left in the game is unknown.
Kirby: Canvas Curse
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Blocks spelling out "HAL" can be found in Level 3 of Block Attack. In Stage 11, Kirby can head to the right and defeat a Topper positioned in front of the goal. It is possible to see blue indestructible blocks here, which spell out the name HAL.
Kirby Super Star Ultra
Illusion Islands HAL Room
Kirby Super Star Ultra's HAL Room is located in the Illusion Islands stage in the Revenge of the King sub-game. Kirby must first get any ability that can pound in stakes, preferably the Stone ability from a Rocky a few rooms back, and head to the area with the Mad Apples. Once he finds the stake, he'll have to pound it flat, which will destroy many blocks in the path. Instead of heading right, however, he must head left toward the green square one block away. Kirby can enter this block of color like a door.
After a battle with Mr. Tick-Tock, Kirby will reach the HAL Room, which houses the signature Broom Hatter, a Maxim Tomato, a 1UP and an Invincibility Candy.
Kirby's Return to Dream Land
There are two HAL Rooms in Kirby's Return to Dream Land. There are Copy Essences in the rooms besides the blocks and an assortment of collectible stars. A remix of the Green Greens theme plays in the rooms.
Cookie Country HAL Room
The first HAL Room is located in Cookie Country, within the first room of the fourth level. Kirby must trek through the room and past the door. After touching the right side of the screen, a rainbow will appear, signaling that the HAL Room's door has appeared. Kirby must then head back the way he came. He will discover that some platforms he previously crossed have collapsed and disappeared, revealing a door below.
This room has Hammer, Fighter, Ninja, and Wing Copy Essences, and the customary Broom Hatter. This room has five red stars, three of which are hidden in the letter L, as well as sixteen flowers. This room is shown as one of the adventure snapshots in the credits before VS Lor and Magolor.
Egg Engines HAL Room
The second HAL Room is located in Egg Engines, within the third room of the fifth level. At the end of the room, Kirby must pass the door and traverse through the conveyor belts the Halcandran Waddle Dees were traveling on. At the end of the top conveyor, the pink hero can enter a dark spot and head to the HAL Room.
This room contains Whip, Water, Spear, and Leaf Copy Essences. A Halcandran Waddle Dee is on the L instead of the usual Broom Hatter. There are several cannons in the room, and an assortment of stars, food, and 1UP, some of which are hidden in the blocks. Similarly to the above room, this room is included in the adventure snapshots appearing in the credits. It comes before the image of VS Lor and Magolor EX.
Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition
Last Land HAL Room
The HAL Room is much easier to find in this game. It is located in Last Land's Normal Challenge. Kirby will come across three Gigatzos (all of which are positioned on breakable blocks) and crumbling platforms. He can let the crumbling platforms break or destroy the breakable blocks with any attack to find a switch down below. Hitting that switch will cause a wall to move, revealing a door that leads to the HAL Room.
The music playing in the room is the Green Greens theme from either Kirby's Epic Yarn or Kirby's Return to Dream Land. The room starts out crowded with bricks, but as Kirby hits more switches, the bricks will move (revealing Score Coins and more switches); after the player has hit every switch, an exit door, more Score Coins, and the word HAL will be revealed.
Unlike usual, HAL isn't spelled out with Star Blocks, and no enemy stands on the L. Additionally, the space inside the A is only one block large, not two.
Because it holds numerous Score Coins, visiting the HAL Room is mandatory if the player wishes to get a platinum medal on the Challenge.
Kirby: Triple Deluxe
Fine Fields' HAL Room
There are three HAL Rooms in this game, more than any other before it. The first one is in Stage 3 of Fine Fields. In the second room, Kirby must first find a 3D Warp Star hidden in the bushes. He then must travel to the background and touch the very edge of the screen, then travel back to where he entered to see that a 3D Warp Star has appeared. Upon using it, Kirby must then travel left. The music will suddenly change to the title theme from Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition.
As usual, there is a Broom Hatter sweeping on the L accompanied with Wheel, Wing, Leaf, and Fighter Copy Essences. The Star Blocks contain an 1UP, a keychain, and a few Point Stars, along with a Maxim Tomato on the bottom of the A.
Royal Road's first HAL Room
The second one is located in Stage 1 of Royal Road. After defeating Gigant Edge, Kirby must go to the far right and float upwards. There will be a moon in the background, and he must fly up and enter the secret entrance hidden in the moon, revealing a HAL Room.
The music that plays is the Spring Breeze title music from Kirby Super Star Ultra.
The Star Blocks that spell out HAL are broken up between the foreground and the background, and destroying the blocks in the foreground will reveal three 1UPs, a Maxim Tomato, and a keychain. The big Star Blocks in the background take three hits to destroy, and there is an insect Waddle Dee on the L. The room provides Circus, Archer, Bell, and Beetle Copy Essences.
The third one is in Stage 5 of Royal Road. During the 5x5 portion of the 3D Securitrons, when the player successfully completes the last one, he/she must wait 86 seconds until the blocks disappear. Blocks will then pop up in which they form the letters HAL in that order. A door will then appear in which Kirby must navigate a series of Tilt Gondolas and cannons. At the end, there is a keychain, a Maxim Tomato, a 1UP, and two blue Point Stars (worth 30).
These rooms can be entered with King Dedede in Dededetour as well.
Kirby Fighters Deluxe
The letters of "HAL" written by tiles
The name HAL is spelled out by tiles. It can be found at the fifth stage, VS Kracko, only on Very Hard difficulty.
Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe
The letters of "HAL" formed by Musical Coins
The name HAL is spelled out by Musical Coins. It can be found at the end of Secret Level 7, C-R-O-W-N-E-D, but only on hard difficulty--on normal difficulty, the coins spell out "DDD."
Kirby: Planet Robobot
Patched Plains' HAL Room
There are three HAL Rooms in Kirby: Planet Robobot. There are Copy Essences in the rooms besides the blocks and an assortment of stars. The first room is located near the end of Stage 3 of Patched Plains. After entering a secret area containing three 1UPs (which can be accessed by using the door behind the sleeping Waddle Dee. This can be reached by using the 3D Warp Star near the final Code Cube, which is activated by a switch at the right side of the room), Kirby must float up to a thin passage at the top of the screen, travel through a square tube, pass a Noddy and Waddle Dee, and jump onto a Warp Star. This takes the hero to the first HAL Room.[3] The room contains tubes, a Maxim Tomato, a roulette Copy Essence, and Copy Essences for the Jet, Hammer, and Mirror abilities. The music from Spring Breeze's title screen in Kirby Super Star Ultra plays here.
Access Ark's first HAL Room
The second HAL Room is located at the end of the first area in Stage 1 of Access Ark. It can be accessed by flying into a thin passage near the ceiling and pressing ↑ on a hole in the second President Haltmann portrait. The room contains the Smash Bros., Poison, Doctor, and ESP Copy Essences, as well as a Maxim Tomato and a sticker inside the letters. A Haltworker stands on the letter L in place of a Broom Hatter. The music from Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe plays here.
The letter A forms out of blocks.
The third HAL Room can be reached by waiting for 86 seconds in the last area of Stage 4 of Access Ark. After waiting, a door appears in the foreground plane and a 3D Warp Star appears to take Kirby to it. In the room, the block letters emerge from the background. A 1UP and a Walky appear in here. The music from Kirby 3D Rumble's title screen plays here.
These rooms can be entered with Meta Knight in Meta Knightmare Returns as well.
Team Kirby Clash Deluxe
"HAL" is spelled out on the crates.
If Kirby purchases all weapons and armor from Magolor, the Shoppe changes appearance. The crates beside the cart have the letters H, A, and L engraved on their sides.
Kirby's Blowout Blast
"HAL" is spelled out by Score Coins.
Score Coins appear when Kirby defeats each boss in the Secret Path. The coins that appear after defeating Masher, Kracko's Revenge, and Mega Masher form the letters H, A, and L, respectively.
Trivia
- Kirby's Adventure's HAL Room cannot be accessed in Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land. This may be due to unorthodox NES programming needed for it to behave as a special area inside another room; the game was released almost ten years after the introduction of the NES console, and HAL developers were pushing the system to the limits as to what it could do. Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land's Room is still inside the level's memory, but can only be accessed via codes.[4] Also, in the original NES game, accessing the room requires the use of glitches, and it is not supposed to be normally accessible. Programming differences between ports (NES to GBA) and glitch fixes likely cut out any method to normally access this room.
- The obscure way used to access the Cookie Country HAL Room in Kirby's Return to Dream Land may be a reference to the above fact that in Kirby's Adventure, this room is not normally accessible at all.
- In turn, the way to access Fine Fields' HAL Room is a reference to Cookie Country's HAL Room is accessed.
- The way to access the third HAL Room in Kirby: Planet Robobot is likely a reference to the way the third HAL Room in Kirby: Triple Deluxe is accessed, by waiting for an extended period of time in a room with blocks that pop out of the background.
- Every game in the BOXBOY! series contains at least one HAL Room. This is because HAL Laboratory, specifically team members who have worked on past Kirby games, also developed the BOXBOY! series.
Artwork
