The greedy King Dedede has stolen all of the food in Dream Land and escaped to his castle on Mt. Dedede. Kirby, a rotund little Dream Lander, sets out across the four lands of Dream Land to face Dedede and return the food.
Kirby has many unique abilities. By sucking in air, he can inflate himself like a balloon and take to the skies, and even dive down to damage enemies. He can exhale puffs of air to break blocks or hurt enemies. He can also suck in blocks or enemies and exhale them as a projectile, or just swallow them to get rid of them.
Kirby also has loads of items to use. The Soda Pop and Maxim Tomato can be used to fill Kirby's health meter. The Lollipop gives him temporary invincibility. The Superspicy Curry allows him to temporarily breathe fire, while the Mint Leaf makes Kirby inflate, and provides him with unlimited puffs of air. If you find a Warp Star you will be transported to the next part of the stage.
Midway through each stage is a miniboss, and at the end of the four stages you have to fight a boss battle. After the four main stages you will move on to Mt. Dedede for the final confrontation.