Kirby's Return to Dream Land/Unused Music & Audio

This is a sub-page of Kirby's Return to Dream Land.

Cut Songs

• fanfare_GCK

An unused fanfare with an extremely noticeable Super Smash Bros. Melee and Kirby Air Ride feel to it. This gives credence to the idea that it came from early in the development of the GameCube project. In addition, GCK (GameCube Kirby, perhaps) is likely a reference to the game's project name when it was being developed for the GameCube before it was reworked for the Wii.

This theme was built upon and, as a result, other variations of the theme are used within the final. Notably, this version of the theme would be reused in all of the 3DS Kirby games, as well as in Kirby Star Allies. It is officially named "Kirby Perfection!" in the Kirby Star Allies: The Original Soundtrack.

• IUK_LP_DEDEDE3

This song is actually from the Japanese Super Famicom version of Kirby's Star Stacker. It was likely a candidate theme for the Robo Dedede battle in Scope Shot.

• KbyW_HEITI1

An extremely upbeat unused song with similarities to "Prism Plains" from Kirby Squeak Squad and "Perfect Sledding Weather" (KbyW_CACTUS1/ST_KBYW_CACTUS1) from this game. It also quotes "Beyond the Hill" (KbyW_CANYON1/ST_IUK_KBYW_CANYON1) and "Green Greens". "Heiti" is another spelling of 平地 heichi, meaning "plains" or "flatlands".

• SuperCcopy_Break

A very ominous, foreboding fanfare. The filename implies it may have been an early fanfare for entering a hidden dimension portal, but it's much louder and has a far more foreboding composition than the theme used in-game... almost too dark for merely entering a portal, which may have been why it was scrapped.

• SuperCcopy_Break3

Grouped next to the above fanfare, this much more cheerful variant was likely intended for the same situation, and sounds very similar to the variant used in-game, only with similar instrumentation to "fanfare_GCK" above.

Unused Versions

Several songs from the game have earlier, lower-quality versions hidden in the files, usually under the heading "KbyW". As "KbyW" is not the codename for Kirby's Return to Dream Land, most of these versions and KbyW_HEITI1 are likely lifted from the third cancelled Kirby game with the popup and cel-shaded style, which appears to have been for the Wii.

Unused (KBYCLEAR1SH)	Used (Kirby Dance (Long) / KBYCLEAR1)
Unused (KbyW_BOSS_TYU_M_2)	Used (VS Sphere Doomer / KBYW_BOSS_TYU_M)
Unused (KbyW_CACTUS1)	Used (Perfect Sledding Weather / ST_KBYW_CACTUS1)
Unused (KbyW_CANYON1)	Used (Beyond the Hill / ST_IUK_KBYW_CANYON1)
Unused (KbyW_CAVE1)	Used (Water Sliders / ST_KbyW_CAVE1)
Unused (KbyW_COLD1_forstrm)	Used (Nutty Noon / ST_KbyW_COLD1)
Unused (KbyW_COLD2)	Used (Snowball Scuffle / ST_KbyW_COLD2)
Unused (KbyW_CONGA1)	Used (Another Dimension / ST_KbyW_CONGA1)
Unused (KbyW_FISH1)	Used (Raisin Ruins / IUK_FISH1)
Unused (KbyW_FUNK1)	Used (Rush on the Railway Coaster / ST_KbyW_FUNK1)
Unused (KbyW_HEN1)	Used (Tumbling Ice / IUK_HEN1)
Unused (KbyW_MINE1)	Used (Vestiges of the Ancients / IUK_LP_MINE1)
Unused (KbyW_MIZU1)	Used (Summer Sands and Cool Waves / ST_IUK_KBYW_MIZU1)
Unused (KbyW_RAIN1)	Used (A Stroll on the Ocean Floor / ST_KBYW_RAIN1)
Unused (KbyW_REGG1)	Used (Exotic Pyramid / ST_KBYW_REGG1)
Unused (KbyW_ROCK1)	Used (Time for a Challenge! / IUK_LP_ROCK1)
Unused (KbyW_SAMBA1)	Used (Onion Ocean / ST_KbyW_SAMBA1)
Unused (KbyW_TECH1)	Used (Techno Factory / IUK_LP_TECH1)
Unused (KbyW_TOUT1)	Used (Freezing Temple / ST_IUK_TOUT1)
Unused (KbyW_TRAINING1)	Used (Challenge Guide / IUK_LP_TRAINING1)
Unused (ST_KbyW_BOSSMAE2)	Used (The Long-Desired Land / KbyW_BOSSMAE2)
Unused (DecisiveNormal01_32k)	Used (Final Battle / DecisiveNormal02)
Unused (DecisiveEx01_32k)	Used (Final Battle EX / DecisiveEx02)
Unused (funegattai1)	Used (Lor Restored! / funegattai3)
Unused (funegattai2wav)	Used (The Lor Starcutter Reborn / funelast3)

These two are more notably distinct from their final variations, as they use the same "retro" instrumentation as the other songs. In the final game and the first iteration, Kirby for Nintendo GameCube, they are composed with more realistic instruments. This may suggest that more of the soundtrack was planned to be in the same "retro" style at some point in development.

Unused (st_castle2)	Used (Sky Tower / st_castle)

The unused version for "Sky Tower" is named "st_castle2" while the final version is simply named "st_castle", which may suggest that the used iteration is actually the older version rather than the unused one. Composer Hirokazu Ando has stated that "Sky Tower" was written around the same time as "Road to Victory", which features more realistic instruments and is confirmed to be from Kirby for Nintendo GameCube. This means that "Sky Tower" (most likely the variation used in-game, "st_castle") is a relic from the first GameCube incarnation before Kirby's Return to Dream Land.

(Source: Kirby Wii Music Selection Card, translated by Gigi9714)

Unused (st_wado02)	Used (Crystal Dungeons / st_doukutu)

Despite those 2 songs being composed by Hirokazu Ando, the instrumentation and general tones of "st_castle2" and "st_wado02" suggest they were arranged by Jun Ishikawa.

Unused (gunshooting01)	Used (Challenging the True Arena / LOBY)

There is an unused version of "Challenging the True Arena" that is identical to the final, except the unused version has an extra section before the loop.

Unused Magolor Death Screams

M2_Danmatu01

Two rather unsettling death screams. The filenames (and the harsh ethereal sound heard from the 13 second point for M2_Danmatu01) indicate they were intended to be used after defeating Magolor's first and second forms respectively, as the death screams used for Magolor in-game (M#Dm1_32k) use the exact same filename abbreviations (M1 for Magolor's first form, M2 for Magolor's second form, and M4 for Magolor Soul).

Alternate Super Ability Themes

SuperCopyBoss06

Three variations of "Ultra Super Boss Battle", the theme which plays when you use Ultra Sword in the Grand Doomer fight and the last stage of Dangerous Dinner. The first of the three uses an older, plunkier soundfont, and all three variations include more distinctive string instruments that aren't included in the variation used in-game ("SuperCopyBoss07").

super_a06

Early version of the standard Super Ability theme. There are slight differences in mixing, such as a louder glockenspiel at 30 seconds. The version used in-game is "super_a08".

Intro-Less Challenge Stages Themes

IUK_LP_ROCK1isogi1noi1

Both of the Challenge Stages themes have an unused variation that removes their intro.

Other Notables:

• Menu02 is simply a quieter version of "Magolor, the Far-Flung Traveler" with a tad bit more reverb.
• Harukandora05 and harukandora07 are versions of "Halcandra: A New Enemy", used when Kirby and the gang leave for Halcandra. 05 is quieter while 07 is much louder, and both lack the slight fade-in the final stream uses.
• "Each to his Own World", the ending cutscene theme, has an unused, quieter version, ending4.
• "Kirby Master!", used for the 100% completion cutscene, has a quieter version, cdance03.
• The Mecha Kawasaki theme has an alternate version, sub_kawasaki1, with slightly different reverb.
• "Notification Fanfare" has a quieter version, unlock_fanf.
• Staffroll_0614 and Staffroll_0616 are both unused versions of "Returning to Dream Land", the credits theme. Much like harukandora, 0614 is quieter and 0616 is louder. The final version is called Staffroll_0622. Assuming these are timestamps, they would likely be dated to June 14th, June 16th, and June 22nd of 2011.
• "Let Me Explain Everything", which plays in the cutscene where Magolor reveals his true intentions, has a quieter version, mahoroayabou3. The final version is mahoroayabou4.
• "C-R-O-W-N-E-D", the theme for Magolor's second phase, has a quieter variation with less reverb that loops 6 seconds earlier, titled LassBoss2_0419. The final version is called LastBoss2_0422. Assuming these are timestamps, they would likely be dated to April 19th and April 22nd of 2011.

To do: Investigate M1, M2, and M4 boss SFX.