The first two sections are a run to the right. The first one is pretty simple, but the second one is a downward slope interspersed with bats and guys running around in sheets.
The third section has you standing on breakaway blocks, which allow you to drop the door below. Swallow one of the fire dragons, and you'll be able to use the Fire ability to break through the ice blocks and find two more doors at the bottom. You'll find an animal friend in each one. Coo is in the left door, while Rick is in the right door.
The fourth section has spiked columns made of ice that slowly float upwards before pounding the ground.
The fifth section has you outrunning icicles. If you have Coo (from the left door in the third section) and the Fire ability, this is really easy.
The sixth section is an upward climb to the top. It appears that the snowballs can be handled just like the boulders that roll after you from Level 3. Just use Fire to get past them unscathed.
The seventh section has those yellow, toothy fish. Tread with caution. If you have the Fire ability, you can destroy them, believe it or not. You'll just have to hit them at the right time.
For the eighth section, you'll be burning through even more blocks with the Fire ability. The ninth has even more, and you'll be using Chuchu and the Fire ability to go up and break the blocks above you at the same time.
In the ninth section, break through all the blocks to the right of Pitch and enter the door on the other side. You'll find a big snail shell. Move into it to pick it up. You'll be able to get the Heart Star for this stage at the end. It appears you're trying to find a snail's shell. (For some reason, if you ride an animal buddy you haven't ridden in the stage yet, you have to press another button before going Left or Right. It's some sort of glitch that's specific to this room, I'm guessing.)
The door at the bottom here will take you to a mini-boss fight with a featureless snowman, save for the eyes. He'll shoot copies of his head at you, and they will stick to the wall and floor. Spit at least one of these heads back at the mini-boss. Of course, since you probably still have the Fire ability handy for whatever else that includes ice blocks, you'll use that to plow through the snowman. The snowman will move and jump around, but it's really predictable and easy to avoid. This mini-boss will give you the Ice ability if you wish to swallow it.
The next two sections are more or less enemy-filled runs to the right.
World 5-5
The picture here is a white cat. You'll obviously want to complete this world with Nago. (This means that Coo the Owl is the only one without a Stage 5 mission. *insert foreveralone.jpg here as a throwback to 2010 GameTrailers PrinceWatercress here*)
Instead of a bunch of long sections like we're used to, it's a smorgasbord of short "get past all of this one type of enemy in the room and go to the next one" challenges.
You can choose whatever ability in the game that you want in the first section, and you can pick between Rick and Kine in the second.
You'll then deal with Gordos, those sea anemones that shoot stars out of their heads, the little red guys with parasol heads, the Waddle Dee genies, the needle head guys, a flying guy in a red robe (who can help you heal if you're patient and careful enough) and the boulder pile enemies in the next seven sections, respectively.
You'll then be able to choose between Pitch and Chuchu in the next room.
The next part has those crushing blocks. Destroy the Star Blocks to get rid of the big rectangle-shaped crusher blocking your path.
You'll then encounter Poppy Bros. on apples, spiked turtle enemies, Sparkys, a boulder that tries to keep you from getting the 1-Up (unless you're fast enough), snowmen, and Shotzos in the next seven sections respectively.
You'll then get the chance to pick between Coo and Kine. Where is Nago?
The next room has one of those archers, but it also has an easy 1-Up if you need it.
From there, it's those propeller heads (and collectible stars!), the black balls that turn into spiders, Sparkys and spitting fish, another wall enemy that tries to lick you, purple pterodactyls, and another fake Kirby you'll never be able to interact with - again, respectively - for the next six sections. You'll then choose between Rick and Chuchu. Stop teasing me, game.
The next sections are, in this order: fire dragons, spinning rods of doom, fake door monsters, witches on flying brooms, drawings of normal enemies from World 4-6, sharks (and collectible stars!), green Cutter birds, guys that peep out of the wall, spit at you and then hide inside the wall again, mummy balls (and Pep Brews), green slime balls that will let you rocket through white puffballs. You'll then reach the end room, which means you'll have to get Nago from another part of the game, bring him here, and get all the way to the end with him.
Not only has this entry sounded like an Angry Video Game Nerd roll call, but the game has gone from being a step backwards from Kirby's Dream Land 2 and Kirby's Super Star (a bigger step backwards from the former), from being a challenge of both your patience of the game as well as your eyes, to pulling complete dick moves like this. What the fuck is this shit?!?
World 5-6
The first section auto-scrolls upward and is full of Nellys. Depending on what door you choose at the end, you'll get Rick, Coo or Nago. You then pick between one of three doors again, and you'll get one of three useful pickups depending on which door you choose. The middle leads to a 1-Up, while the left leads to a Maxim Tomato. You'll then get a chance to choose between the three other animal friends - Kine, Chuchu and Pitch - and is once again dependent on which door you choose.
From here, enter the left door and swallow one of the Sparkys to get the Spark ability. In the next room, break the Spark blocks to get the feather behind them.
Remember the stone mini-boss from the second game? Well, he returns after this, and he goes down just like last time: avoid him and wait for the guy to hit the ground and create small stone balls that you can spit at him. Swallow him to get the Stone ability and break the Stone blocks in the next room to get the next feather.
You'll then face the parasol boss. Same strategies apply. Swallow him, get the Parasol ability, and use it to break the Parasol blocks to get the feather in the next room.
Next is the ice boss. Same strategies apply. When you beat him, swallow him to get the Ice ability so you can get the feather in the next room. You can definitely notice a pattern here, can't you?
You'll then get a room full of Sir Kibbles. Get rid of the Ice power-up and get Cutter from one of these guys so you can get the feather in the next room.
Next up is the Broom mini-boss. I think it's safe to say you'll need to get the Broom ability before you get the feather in the next room.
You'll take on the Fire mini-boss next. Take his ability and use it to get the next feather.
The last mini-boss is the Needle mini-boss. Take him down, then get the Needle ability from him to get the last feather. This is probably one of the easiest to get, but it's also the easiest - and worst - to screw up.
With the last feather comes the exit, and the last Heart Star in the game.
