Kirby (series of games)

All games feature a young spherical pink creature named Kirby (or Kirby ) as the main character and hero. He lives on a peaceful star planet called Pop Star . However, the peaceful existence of the planet is often disrupted by terrestrial and extraterrestrial threats, and Kirby must assume the role of a brave warrior in order to save his home. The main character has the ability to inhale enemies and objects using his elastic mouth and spit them out with tremendous force. He can also use the abilities of swallowed enemies or objects and transform into a certain form of using abilities, such as fire breathing, holding a sword, launching sparks in all directions, or hand-to-hand combat.

Many of the frequently encountered characters can be both enemies and allies. The most illustrative example is King Dedede , the voracious blue bird and the self-proclaimed king of the Land of Dreams ( English Dreamland ) (Pop Star region). King Dee Dee appears in every game in the series, with the exception of Kirby & the Amazing Mirror . While he and Kirby constantly clash with each other, King Dee Dee is not always an enemy and can act as an ally to Kirby and a playable character in some games. Another notable character is Meta Knight , a mysterious masked warrior who often helps Kirby, but depending on his interests, may engage in battle with him.

Games of the main series are side-scrolling platformers . Kirby is able to run, jump and fight enemies, traveling around the countries, solving puzzles and fighting along the way with bosses. One feature seriously sets off a series in the platformer genre - the ability of Kirby to inflate herself with a stream of air and fly through the level. In most games, this can be done for an unlimited time, but the options for attacking the hero are limited.

In games of the series, hidden objects are often found, which are both objects unlocking levels and an incentive for collecting and passing the game 100%. Special items are usually associated with the plot of the game, for example, these are items for collecting special weapons for the battle with the final boss. In some games, specials. the item is optional and can be reused after defeating the final boss. These elements remained unchanged throughout the series, with each game having its own interesting twist to influence the gameplay.

In the fictional game world Pop Star, there are many regions with different climates and landscapes, in which various creatures live. Each game has uniquely named areas, but there are also typical places, such as mountains of fire, open meadows filled with water or underwater areas, icy snow fields and similar places associated with nature.

The series of games has spin-offs of various genres, such as pinball , puzzle, racing , beat 'em up, and even a game based on motion transmission technology. In some games, a ball-like appearance of Kirby is played out.

1990s

The first game in the series, Kirby's Dream Land, was released in Japan in April 1992 and in the United States in August of that year for the Game Boy handheld console. A simple game consisting of 5 levels was the main character of Kirby, the main antagonist - King DiDiDi and Kirby's ability to inhale enemies and objects. The game also features a second mode called “Extra Game”, in which there are more powerful enemies. In the design of the North American packaging, Kirby is shown in white, although in the design of the Japanese packaging it is shown with the correct pink color.

The second game, Kirby's Adventure, first appeared in the United States in May 1993. In this game, the ability to copy the abilities of enemies has appeared. This is also one of the latest games released on the Nintendo Entertainment System . Kirby's Adventure had amazing graphics and sound, using the capabilities of the console to the limit, in particular, pseudo-three-dimensional effects were applied at some levels. Reissued in 2002 on the Game Boy Advance titled Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land , it has improved graphics and sound, the ability to play multiplayer games and the ability to play for Meta Knight.

After the game, Kirby's Adventure released several spin-off games in the series. Kirby's Pinball Land , released in November 1993, was a pinball game featuring Kirby as a ball. Kirby's Dream Course , released in the United States in February 1995, is a golf game using isometric level design. Kirby's Avalanche , released only in the USA and Europe in February 1995, is a puzzle game, a clone of Puyo Puyo .

Kirby's Dream Land 2 , released in Japan and the USA in March 1995, continued to use the main Kirby's Adventure feature - copying the abilities of enemies, but the number of abilities decreased to 7. Three animals were introduced into the game - helpers - Hamster Rick, Owl Ku and Fish Kane. Pairing with any of these three creatures alters Kirby's abilities. Gooey also appeared - a dark creature - a drop that can be found in a bag. Also, the main antagonist - Dark Matter ( English Dark Matter ) was first introduced in the game. The game was supposed to be remade as Kirby's Dream Land 2 DX for release on Game Boy Color , but subsequently development was canceled.

Kirby's Block Ball , released in the United States in November 1995, is a variation of Breakout , including several levels, some abilities, enemies, and unique bosses.

Kirby Super Star , known as “Hoshi no Kirby Super Deluxe” in Japan and “Kirby's Fun Pak” in Europe, was released in the United States in September 1996. Kirby Super Star consists of 8 mini-games, includes characters and abilities that did not appear in subsequent games. There are also “helpers” in the game, appearing if the player sacrifices his ability, helping the main character in the battle with the enemies.

In 1996, there was a mini-game about Kirby called Kirby's Toy Box ( カ ー ビ ィ の お も ち ゃ 箱 Ka: bi: but Omotya Hako ) . It was released through the St.GIGA satellite broadcast system for Nintendo Satellaview . These mini-games were not released at the same time, a unique broadcast date was presented for each. The minigames were: Arrange Ball, Ball Rally, Baseball, Cannonball, Guru Guru Ball, Hoshi Kuzushi, Pachinko, and Pinball ^[1] .

Kirby's Star Stacker is a puzzle released in 1997 that combines two or more identical blocks together. The game featured animal friends Kirby. The game was continued in Japan on the Super Famicom called Kirby no Kirakira Kizzu .

Kirby's Dream Land 3 , released in November 1997 in the United States, is a direct continuation of Kirby's Dream Land 2 , so Rick, Ku and Kain returned, as well as the Nago the Cat , the Pitch Bird Bird ) and Octopus Chuchu ( English Chuchu the Octopus ) As in Kirby's Dream Land 2 , Kirby's Dream Land 3 has the ability to use the abilities of characters - friends, which vary depending on the character selected. A choice of six characters. The game supported the multiplayer mode, with the ability for the second player to take control of Gooey, repeating Kirby's abilities. The main opponent again became Dark Matter, after the victory over which it took its true form - “0” ( Eng. Zero ), which is the final boss. The game is made in a unique pastel style and used smoothing to improve visual performance.

2000s

The first game with 3D styling - Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards was released on the Nintendo 64 in the United States in June 2000. The game has a special ability connection system. One ability can be combined with another, both similar and completely different. So a completely new ability appears. The game also introduced King Dee Dee as a playable character, where at some stages Kirby sat on it, and King Dee Dee attacked enemies with a hammer. The game is a direct continuation of Kirby's Dream Land 3 . Dark Matter reappears as the final boss, but transforms into another form - "02" ( Eng. Zero Two ).

The next game in the series, Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble, was one of the first Nintendo games to use motion sensors to control the hero. It was released in August 2000. A player on the Game Boy Color used the tilt to move Kirby around the screen. Kirby Tilt'n Tumble is the only Kirby game to use a special transparent pink cartridge (in the USA).

The only Nintendo GameCube game about Kirby, Kirby Air Ride was released in the US in October 2003. This is a racing game, which is very different from the main series of games about Kirby, although familiar enemies, abilities and copying capabilities are still used.

During the 2003 holiday season, an electronic Kirby card was released for Game Boy Advance. The card was released under two names, Kirby Slide Rus. Gliding Kirby ) and Kirby Puzzle English. Puzzle Kirby ). Scrolling the map would allow playing a unfolding puzzle game with Kirby. Cards were issued at Toys "R" Us stores and in the December editions of Nintendo Power and Tips & Tricks. The game was released to advertise the animated series Kirby: Right Back at Ya!

Kirby & the Amazing Mirror was released in October 2004 at Game Boy Advance . This is the second game released on this console after Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land . At the player’s service, the gameplay, made in the style of a maze (Metroidvania format), is unique for this series, and all levels are interconnected and can be played in any order. In addition, the game introduced the ability to call by phone to call up to three additional copies of Kirby to fight enemies and solve puzzles.

The next game in the series, Kirby: Canvas Curse , was released on the Nintendo DS in Japan on March 24, 2005, in North America on June 13, 2005, in Europe on November 25, 2005, and in Australia on April 6, 2006. Unlike most previous Kirby games, here the character is a helpless ball, so it is impossible to control it with the joystick and buttons, but only with the stylus, which the player makes a way for Kirby to move on it.

It was followed by the game Kirby: Squeak Squad in October 2006, also on the Nintendo DS , which brings back the traditional style of games about Kirby. It uses the ability to contact the touch screen to create some things or abilities in Kirby’s stomach. There were scrolls that could be used to pump abilities, giving them new or old improved features. Also present was the ability to unlock abilities.

Kirby Super Star Ultra , announced on the Nintendo DS in early fall 2007 ^[2] and released September 22, 2008 ^[3] in North America, is a remake of Kirby Super Star . In addition to the nine games of the original, seven more are added. Players are offered updated graphics, preliminary videos and a map on the touch screen.

2010s

It was planned to release an unnamed Kirby game on the Nintendo GameCube , which was subsequently canceled before being re-released on the Nintendo Wii . Although released in January 2011, Kirby's Epic Yarn is also a Wii project, it is a completely different project that used completely different gameplay and design. ^[4] Kirby's Epic Yarn was previously planned to be called “Fluff of Yarn” at the request of GoodFeel, however, under a Nintendo license, the project was licensed to Kirby.

The fourth Nintendo DS game was released in North America on September 19, 2011, under the name Kirby Mass Attack ^[5] . The game features several copies of Kirby on the touch screen, the gameplay of the game resembles Lemmings . ^[6]

The aforementioned Nintendo Wii game, Kirby's Return to Dream Land (formerly called Kirby Wii) was finally released in North America on October 24, 2011 and returned to the traditional gameplay of the Kirby series of games, also giving the opportunity to play simultaneously for four characters: Kirby, Meta Knight, Waddle Dee Waddle Dee ) and / or King Dee Dee , each of which had individual abilities. It was also possible to play for multi-colored Kirby, who offered the use of abilities and their combination of their capabilities. ^[7]

An anthology disc called Kirby's Dream Collection was released July 19, 2012 in Japan and September 16, 2012 in North America to celebrate Kirby's 20th anniversary. It includes six games from the early history of the series, such as Kirby's Dream Land , Kirby's Adventure , Kirby's Dream Land 2 , Kirby Super Star , Kirby's Dream Land 3 , and Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards . She also uses the new Challenge Stages , which are powered by Kirby's Return to Dream Land (known as Kirby's Adventure Wii in Europe and Australia) and the Kirby story section, which also includes three episodes of the Hoshi no Kirby anime ( Kirby: Right Back at Ya! In North America). ^[8] As in the Super Mario package, released on its 25th anniversary in 2010, a booklet and soundtrack were produced along with the disc.

On October 1, 2013, a new game about Kirby was announced on the Nintendo 3DS console . It is called Kirby: Triple Deluxe . It was released in Japan in January 2014, in North America on May 2, 2014, in Europe on May 16, 2014, in Australasia on May 17, 2014. It presents the ability to travel from front to back of the screen. The game includes a mini-game "Kirby Fighters" in which each player can choose one of ten different abilities and fight each other at different thematic stages until there is only one Kirby left, who is declared the winner. The game also includes a rhythmic music game with King DiDiDi in the title role. Kirby: Triple Deluxe includes 250 trinkets depicting character sprites from early games and some original sprites based on characters from Triple Deluxe. In August 2014, Kirby Fighters Deluxe and Drum Dash Deluxe Dedede (extended minigames in Kirby: Triple Deluxe) were released.

At E3 2014 , a new Kirby game was announced on the Wii U console. The name of the game is Kirby and the Rainbow Curse , it is a continuation of the game Kirby: Canvas Curse and has a similar game style. It was released in Japan on January 22, 2015, in the United States on February 20, 2015. In Europe, the release of the game is scheduled for May 8, 2015, in Australia - May 9, 2015.

In March 2016, a game made on the basis of Kirby: Triple Deluxe called Kirby: Planet Robobot was announced as part of Nintendo Direct. This is the second release from Kirby to Nintendo 3DS. ^[9] She was released along with a set of Amiibo figures, including one announced by Waddle Dee. The game is compatible with other Amiibo. ^[10] The game includes 2 mini-games, under the names Kirby 3D Challenge and Team Kirby Clash . The first is a three-dimensional game, where Kirby in the arena fights with enemies with the help of his breath. The stronger the breath, the more points and the higher the score. The second is a combination of fighting game, platformer and role-playing game. Players who reached level 10 had the opportunity to play with AI or live players. ^{[11] [12]}

As part of Nintendo Direct, in April 2017, three new Kirby games were announced right away. The first game is Team Kirby Clash Deluxe, an improved version of the Team Kirby Clash minigame of the Kirby: Planet Robobot game, announced and released on April 17. The second game is Kirby's Blowout Blast , an improved version of the Kirby 3D Rumble mini-game, released July 4, 2017 in Japan and July 6, 2017 in North America, Europe and Australia. The third game is Kirby Battle Royale , a multiplayer fighting game that will be released November 3, 2017 in Europe, November 30, 2017 in Japan, and January 19, 2018 in North America.

At E3 2017, Nintendo introduced a new game for the Nintendo Switch console, which at that time had the working name Kirby , and in September 2017, during Nintendo Direct, Nintendo announced the official name of the game - Kirby Star Allies with a release date of March 16, 2018. ^[13] In the official trailer visual style similar to that of a traditional platform game series Kirby, rather than the last game for a stationary console. From what has been shown, the game has much in common with the canceled Kirby game shown at E3 2005 for the Nintendo GameCube. Kirby can throw hearts at enemies, turning them into computer-controlled allies, this feature is a local variation of the assistants from Kirby Super Star . In addition to assistants, there is the possibility of combining abilities, as in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards and Kirby: Squeak Squad . In addition, Kirby can summon Dream Friends such as King Dee Dee Dee, Meta Knight, Bandana Waddle Dee, Rick, Kain and Ku (one character), Marx, Guy, Adeline and Ribbon (one character), Dark Meta Knight, Daroach, Magolor, Taranza, Susie and the sisters are magicians ( Francis, Flamberg and Zan Partizann ).

As part of Nintendo Direct in September 2019, Nintendo released a new game in the Kirby series called Super Kirby Clash . The game is available on Nintendo eShop on the Nintendo Switch. ^[fourteen]

Over the course of game releases for the Kirby series, a large universe has been developed. The game takes place in the Land of Dreams ( Japanese プ プ プ ラ ン ド Pupupurando , Russian Country Pupupu) , which is positioned as the country of the planet Pop Star , starting with Kirby Super Star Pop Star resembles a five-pointed star (and not a sphere) surrounded by two diagonal rings (three in some games).

Although most of Kirby's adventures take place on the planet Pop Star, his travels sometimes take place on an interplanetary scale; for example, in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards , the mini-game Milky Way Wishes in Kirby Super Star , and Kirby's Return to Dream Land .

Kirby is a small, pink, spherical creature with red legs, small arms and pink cheeks. He is mentioned in the male series in the animated series and is described as a young creature in the instructions for the game Kirby's Dream Land . His body is soft and flexible, which allows him to stretch his mouth inhaling the enemy or breathing air into himself for flight. According to the instructions for the game Super Smash Bros, his height is 8 inches in height. This contradicts the events in Kirby's Dream Land 3 and Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards , which mentions that Kirby’s growth at the knee level of Samus Aran from the Metroid series of games, and in the Nintendo 64 game, Kirby is several inches shorter than Adeline’s human girl.

Kirby hails from the Land of Dreams of the planet Pop Star, where he lives in a domed house. His appearance changed over the years, Kirby became more rounded, especially in the face and eyes. The new design is used in all subsequent games.

Kirby does not talk often, mostly confining himself to wordless exclamations and the word “hi” in games like Super Smash Bros , Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards . However, he often appears in the instructions for the games. He rarely speaks in games, the only exception is Kirby's Avalanche . He talks about the ability features in Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land , Kirby & the Amazing Mirror, and Kirby: Squeak Squad . Most of the time, Kirby talks in Kirby's Star Stacker , in which Kirby explains the rules of the game and the gameplay. Kirby has a dialogue at Kirby's Epic Yarn , but there he spoke through the narrator in the game.

Anime

An anime, originally called Hoshi no Kaabii , produced by Warpstar Inc., a joint venture of Nintendo and HAL Laboratory , was released on a series of Kirby games on October 6, 2001. Anime licensed in North America to 4Kids Entertainment titled Kirby: Right Back At Ya! and was shown on 4Kids TV and distributed by 20th Century Fox , Nelvana Enterprises , and HAL Laboratory . The anime was completed in Japan in 2003 with 100 episodes.

The show talked about the adventures of Kirby and his friends - Tiff and Tuff, after the main character crashed in the Land of Dreams, on the planet Pop Star. He is the Legendary Star Warrior whose purpose is to save the planet from the attack of the intergalactic conqueror Nightmare. However, Kirby was woken up 500 years ahead of schedule, so he is in a state of childhood. The Ruler of the Dreamland, King Dee Dee, orders the monsters in the company of Nightmare - Nightmare Enterprises, which attack Kirby and the inhabitants of Dreamland. Not yet ready for the fulfillment of his fate, Kirby must feel his incredible abilities, including with the support of the mysterious Meta Knight. Although he claims to be loyal to King Dee Dee, Meta Knight often helps Kirby and teaches him how to use his abilities.

The show is based on a series of games (especially the games Kirby's Dream Land , Kirby's Adventure , and Kirby Super Star ), but does not repeat it exactly, but uses some characters and concepts to advance its story.

Manga

The Kirby manga series has never been released outside of Japan. The oldest of these is Kirby of the Stars (a rough English translation of Hoshi no Kirby), written by Hirokazu Hikawa. The release of anime in the U.S. was announced by VIZ Media , but the manga was never released.

Another manga about Kirby is usually a one-time game-based enkom comedy in which several new characters appear. They are a kind of joke using repeating themes.

Kirby also appears in some German comics as a detective with his friend King Dee Dee. His animal friends appear in the comic as the pets of a female Kirby double with red glass slippers. In one of the comics, he meets Lolo, Lala, and Lulu, the protagonists of the Adventures of Lolo series of games. German comics were released to let German Kirby fans know about the series of games that will be released there.

Canceled Games

In the life of a series of games about Kirby there were games, the development of which was subsequently phased out. This includes Kirby's Air Ride 64 (also known as Kirby Bowl 64 ) on the Nintendo 64 , which later appeared on the Nintendo GameCube as Kirby Air Ride .

Kirby's Tilt 'n' Tumble 2 on a Nintendo GameCube that was supposed to use a combination of motion sensor technology and connect the Game Boy Advance to the Game Cube via a Game Boy Advance cable. ^[fifteen]

There was also planned a game called Kid Kirby ( Rus. Baby Kirby ), which was supposed to appear on SNES . ^[16] The game would be a prequel to the series and use the SNES mouse. The game was canceled due to lower sales of mice, however, early screenshots from the canceled game were posted on the Internet. The unreleased game was developed by DMA Design for Nintendo and was scheduled for 1995.

Despite the release of Kirby's Return to Dream Land , there was originally a version of the game for the Nintendo Gamecube , originally called Kirby Adventure . It was shown at E3 2005, but was canceled due to problems with multi-user mechanics, subsequently used in Kirby's Return to Dream Land (where all players sit on top of each other while holding button “A” and simultaneously move). Most of the concept of the game was revised, for example, in the game before its cancellation there were assistants by analogy with Kirby Super Star and a similar quick gameplay.

Kirby in other video games

Kirby appeared in the Super Smash Bros game for the Nintendo 64 , as a lightweight fighter with a quick recovery and fighting style that uses his copy abilities. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl is joined by Meta Knight, King Dee Dee Dee, and Knuckle Joe , an enemy in the Kirby game series, who appears as a trophy assistant. They also appear in Super Smash Bros. games for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. Nightmare - the main antagonist of the series appears as a trophy helper in Super Smash Bros games for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. Kirby has a cameo in the games Zelda: Link's Awakening, EarthBound , Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and Stunt Race FX.

• Official American Series Website
• Official Japanese site series
• Kirby's Rainbow Resort - Kirby's most famous fan site and community
• WiKirby - Independent Kirby Wiki
• The Kirby Wiki on the Wikia Platform
• Kirby 20th Anniversary Art Tribute