This is a multi-feature randomizer for the Japanese release of Kirby & The Amazing Mirror. It currently allows for the randomization of rooms, items and chests, spray paint palettes, ability stands, and the music.
Here is what you need in order to play a randomized KatAM ROM:
- This randomizer, which comes with a folder of JSON files, the readme (this!), credits, and the licence info.
- A Gameboy Advance emulator of your choice.
- A Japanese version of Kirby & The Amazing Mirror (This randomizer will eventually be updated to work with all three releases of the game, but currently only the Japanese version works because each version stores data in the ROM in different spots).
After you've got what you need, simply start the EXE, set the paths to your ROM and where you want the randomized ROM to be created, select your settings, and hit generate!
Currently you're able to randomize these settings:
- Seed number: This number sets the RNG seed. The RNG seed gets reset to this number after every task of the randomizer, so if you randomize mirros and items with seed number 12, you'll have the same randomized item layout if you make another ROM with seed 12 and just randomize the items and leave the mirrors alone.
- Randomize the mirrors: Randomizes where the mirrors take you. The mirrors are randomized in a way so you can beat all 8 bosses and get to the credits. There are two-modes: Normal, and Total Random.
- Total Random mode: By default, mirror are only randomized with mirrors of a similar type, e.g. two-way mirrors (mirrors that have a big star above them) and one-way mirrors (mirros that have a smaller star above them). Enabing Total Random turns this off, and shuffles everything together.
- Randomize items and chests: This makes it so all the overworld 1UP, health items, batteries, candies, and chests are scrambled with one another. This mode changes all big chests to small chests (they'll still have the same contents, it's just an aesthetic change). Picking "shuffle" will maintain the non-chest item distribution in the vanilla game (e.g. there's 46 cherries, 87 pep drinks, etc.). Randomize simply picks random items. Either mode will shuffle the chests as well.
- Randomize minibosses: Exactly what it says on the tin. Also has "shuffle" and "randomize" options.
- Randomize ability stands: Feel like having wheel and smash in the first Peppermint Palace switch room? You might if you're lucky enough. Also has "shuffle" and "randomize" options.
- Randomize spray palletes: This changes how each of the spray paint colours look. It can lead to some particularily...funky looks for Kirby.
- Randomize music: Nothing screams "final boss showdown" louder than the main menu loop. Or, you can turn the music off and listen to your own jams without having to mute the game.
Once you've checked off what you want to randomize, hit the Generate button, and play your ROM!
Randomized mirrors:
- General tips:
- Unsure whether you've gone through a mirror before? Mirrors you've never entered have a glow around their star.
- Abilities like Rock, Burning, and Smash are great to have on hand because you'll never know when you'll need to break a wooden peg or a metal block.
- The anger of finding a goal mirror can be offset by pressing A+B+Start+Select and trying on a new spray paint.
- Normal Mode:
- Two-way mirrors have a big star, whereas one-way mirrors have a small star. If you're hunting for hub mirrors, you'll find them through two-ways. Looking to find bosses? Hunt for one-ways.
- Try to not rush ahead. Comb over each area you've been to so you don't miss anything and later forget about it.
- If you hit a hub mirror, go back the way you came and check if you've missed anything before continuing on.
Randomized items:
- Looking for chests? Use your map screen. Areas that have chests in them don't glow until they've all been opened (even if you don't have the area map).
If you enounter any problems running the randomizer, please please please report it to the Randomizer GitHub page (either the master branch if you're using a release version, or the test-branch if you're testing out one of the new features slated for next release). It can't be fixed if I don't know about it!
If you wish to contact me, you can do so by hitting me up on Discord (TG#7181) or on Twitter (@ThatGuy4878) for a question or comment. I also share a lot of my progress on the Kirby Speedrunning discord in the #romhacks channel there (https://discord.gg/H46jaZY).
I hope you have fun playing!