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Kirby (series)

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Revision as of 03:31, 19 August 2019 by Samwell (talk | contribs) (Text replacement - "Kirby Squeak Squad" to "Kirby: Squeak Squad")
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Kirby Series Logo.png
The logo for the Kirby series

Kirby is a series of action-platforming video games starring the titular Kirby, a pink puffball-like creature with inhaling and Copy Abilities for trademark attributes. The Kirby series was created by Masahiro Sakurai, and most games are developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo, making Kirby a second-party series of Nintendo. Kirby's Dream Land is the first game in the series, released in 1992.

Gameplay

The main series titles are side-scrolling platformers that involve Kirby having to get from the start of a room to a door or another object. In order to do this, Kirby must overcome or avoid many enemies, many of which will give Kirby a Copy Ability when he Inhales and then swallows them. Kirby has a limited number of lives and a limited amount of stamina; if his health drops to zero, a life is lost and Kirby has to restart at the beginning of the current section, losing his Copy Ability. If Kirby loses some of his health, he can drink an Energy Drink or consume a food item to restore some of it, or eat a Maxim Tomato to get all of it back. In some games, after Kirby finishes a level, he plays a Goal Game which can earn him extra lives.

Most main-series titles feature at least one Sub-Game, which can be played within the main game, or outside it in a menu. Unlike the main game, these can vary wildly in play-style, from quick-time games to racing games. Many of these are competitive, and can be played with more than one player. These also tend to vary wildly in size, with some being minor diversions, and others being practically full-fledged games on their own.

Spin-off titles divert from the main series in a similar manner to Sub-Games, but are much larger in scope and entirely separate titles. These titles often experiment with other genres, and are generally not considered to be canon with the main series. The most prominent spin-off titles include Kirby Air Ride - a full-fledged racing game, Kirby: Canvas Curse - a 'touch platformer' where Kirby has to be guided using the Nintendo DS stylus, and Kirby's Epic Yarn - a more traditional platformer, but with fundamentally different mechanics to that of the main series.

Games

Main series

Boxart Title Console Original release date Notes
File:Kirbys Dream Land Box.jpg Kirby's Dream Land Game Boy Japan April 27, 1992
NA August 1, 1992
-
File:Kirby's Adventure Box.jpg Kirby's Adventure Nintendo Entertainment System Japan March 23, 1993
NA May 1993
-
File:Kirby's Dream Land 2 original box.jpg Kirby's Dream Land 2 Game Boy Japan March 21, 1995
NA May 1995
-
File:KSS Box NA.jpeg [[Kirby Super Star|Template:KSS KFP]] Super Nintendo Entertainment System Japan March 21, 1996
NA September 23, 1996
Known as Kirby's Fun Pak in Europe and Australia.
File:Kirbys dream land 3 frontcover.jpg Kirby's Dream Land 3 Super Nintendo Entertainment System NA November 27, 1997
Japan March 27, 1998
Never saw an original release on the Super Nintendo in Europe and Australia.
File:TheCrystalShards.jpg Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards Nintendo 64 Japan March 24, 2000
NA June 26, 2000
-
KatAM cover art.jpg Kirby & The Amazing Mirror Game Boy Advance Japan April 15, 2004
NA October 18, 2004
-
File:USCover KSS.jpg [[Kirby: Squeak Squad|Template:KSS KMA]] Nintendo DS Japan November 2, 2006
NA December 6, 2006
Known as Kirby Mouse Attack in Europe.
KRtDL Boxart L.jpg [[Kirby's Return to Dream Land|Template:KRDL KAW]] Wii NA October 24, 2011
Japan October 27, 2011
Known as Kirby's Adventure Wii in Europe and Australia.
File:TD Boxart NA.jpg Kirby: Triple Deluxe Nintendo 3DS Japan January 11, 2014
NA May 2, 2014
-
File:Kirby Planet Robobot box art.png Kirby: Planet Robobot Nintendo 3DS Japan April 28, 2016
NA June 10, 2016
-
File:Star Allies Cover.jpg Kirby Star Allies Nintendo Switch Japan March 16, 2018
NA March 16, 2018
This is the first main series title to be released on the same day in all regions.

Spinoff games

These are games that are not directly connected to the main series.

Boxart Title Console Original release date Notes
File:Pinballcover.jpg Kirby's Pinball Land Game Boy Japan November 27, 1993
NA November 30, 1993
-
KDC Cover.jpg Kirby's Dream Course Super Nintendo Entertainment System Japan September 21, 1994
NA February 1995
-
File:Kirby's Avalanche Coverart.png Kirby's Avalanche Super Nintendo Entertainment System NA April 25, 1995
Known as Kirby's Ghost Trap in Europe and Australia. Based on Super Puyo Puyo. Not released in Japan.
File:Kirby's Block Ball Cover.jpg Kirby's Block Ball Game Boy Japan December 14, 1995
NA May 1996
-
File:StarStacker.jpg Kirby's Star Stacker Game Boy Japan January 25, 1997
NA April 5, 1997
-
File:Kirby TnT.jpg Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble Game Boy Color Japan August 23, 2000
NA April 11, 2001
Not released in Europe and Australia.
Kirby Air Ride boxart.png Kirby Air Ride Nintendo GameCube Japan July 11, 2003
NA October 13, 2003
-
File:Canvascursebox.jpg Kirby: Canvas Curse Nintendo DS Japan March 24, 2005
NA June 13, 2005
Known as Kirby: Power Paintbrush in Europe and Australia.
File:Kirby's Epic Yarn NA box art.png Kirby's Epic Yarn Wii Japan October 14, 2010
NA October 17, 2010
-
File:Kirby Mass Attack box art.jpg Kirby Mass Attack Nintendo DS Japan August 4, 2011
NA September 19, 2011
-
File:Kirby Fighters Deluxe logo.png Kirby Fighters Deluxe Nintendo 3DS (eShop) Japan July 23, 2014
NA August 29, 2014
Based on Kirby Fighters from Kirby: Triple Deluxe.
File:Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe logo.png Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe Nintendo 3DS (eShop) Japan July 23, 2014
NA August 29, 2014
Based on Dedede's Drum Dash from Kirby: Triple Deluxe.
File:Kirby and the Rainbow Curse boxart.jpeg Kirby and the Rainbow Curse Wii U Japan January 22, 2015
NA February 20, 2015
A spiritual successor to Kirby: Canvas Curse. Called Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush in Europe and Australia.
File:Team Kirby Clash Deluxe logo.png Team Kirby Clash Deluxe Nintendo 3DS (eShop) Japan April 12, 2017
NA April 12, 2017
Based on Team Kirby Clash from Kirby: Planet Robobot.
File:Kirby's Blowout Blast title.png Kirby's Blowout Blast Nintendo 3DS (eShop) Japan July 4, 2017
NA July 6, 2017
Based on Kirby 3D Rumble from Kirby: Planet Robobot.
File:Kirby Battle Royale box art.png Kirby: Battle Royale Nintendo 3DS Japan November 30, 2017
NA January 19, 2018
This is the first game in the series to feature full online multiplayer.

Remakes and compilations

Boxart Title Console Original release date Notes
File:Super Star Stacker Cover.jpg Kirby's Super Star Stacker Super Famicom Japan June 25, 1999
A remake of Kirby's Star Stacker. Only released in Japan.
File:Kirby NiDL box art.jpg Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land Game Boy Advance Japan October 25, 2002
NA December 2, 2002
A remake of Kirby's Adventure
File:Kirby Super Star Ultra box art.jpg Kirby Super Star Ultra Nintendo DS NA September 22, 2008
Japan November 6, 2008
A remake of Kirby Super Star.
File:Kirby's Adventure 3DS logo.png 3D Classics: Kirby's Adventure Nintendo 3DS Japan April 25, 2012
NA November 17, 2011
A port of Kirby's Adventure.
Kirby's Dream Collection box art.png Kirby's Dream Collection Wii Japan July 19, 2012
NA September 16, 2012
Compilation of 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 to celebrate Kirby's 20th anniversary. Includes an original game mode called New Challenge Stages, a soundtrack CD and 45 page book containing artwork and other behind-the-scenes information covering Kirby's history. Never released in Europe and Australia.
File:Extra Epic Yarn Cover.jpeg Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn Nintendo 3DS Japan March 7, 2019
NA March 8, 2019
A remake of Kirby's Epic Yarn

Other games

Title Console Original release date Notes
Kirby no Omochabako Super Famicom
(Satellaview)
Japan February 8, 1996
A collection of mini-games broadcast over the St.GIGA network, exclusive to Japan.
Kirby Slide Game Boy Advance (e-Reader card) NA Late 2003
A Kirby-themed puzzle slider mini-game.

Canceled games

There are five known Kirby games were under development at some point but were never released. They are regarded as cancelled games.

Title Console Notes
Kid Kirby Super Nintendo -
Kirby's Air Ride Nintendo 64 Eventually released on the Nintendo GameCube.
Kirby Family Game Boy Color Planned as the Kirby equivalent of Mario Family.
Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble 2 Nintendo GameCube A planned follow-up title to Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble before eventually dropping the Kirby name and becoming Roll-O-Rama. Had it been released, it would have been the first title to demonstrate the connectivity between the Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance.
Kirby Nintendo GameCube Went through several different builds before eventually becoming Kirby's Return to Dream Land.

Main characters

Artwork Name Description
Kirby Allies.png Kirby Kirby is the hero of the franchise and the primary playable character in each game. His powers, which are vital to the gameplay of most Template:Installments, include inhaling objects and creatures in order to either spit them out again or steal their ability, as well as inflating himself, enabling him to fly. In most games, he must use his unique powers to save his homeland Dream Land, the planet Pop Star on which it is located or even the entire galaxy from the respective game's main antagonist.
File:Dedede Allies.png King Dedede King Dedede is the self-proclaimed king of Dream Land and Kirby's archrival, though rarely the main antagonist. Although portrayed as greedy and selfish primarily in Kirby's Dream Land, where he steals all of Dream Land's food for himself, he often means well throughout the series, but ends up antagonizing Kirby due to a misunderstanding or being mind-controlled by the true villain. Once the misunderstanding has been resolved or the mind-control has been broken, however, he often ends up helping Kirby, most notably in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards and Kirby's Return to Dream Land, where he is one of the game's main heroes.
File:Meta Knight Allies.png Meta Knight An enigmatic character of ambiguous allegiance, Meta Knight repeatedly confronts Kirby during the latter's journeys, often challenging him to a duel. Although mainly antagonistic towards Kirby, he does not normally assist the respective game's main villain either, seemingly following his own, often secret motives. He does come to the aid of the pink hero on occasion, however, and is portrayed as an honorable duelist, usually providing Kirby with a sword whenever he challenges him in order to force a fair fight. He is the leader of a group of warriors known as the Meta-Knights, who Kirby has to battle at some point in most games he appears in.
File:Bandana Friend Allies.png Bandana Waddle Dee A Waddle Dee who is distinguished only by his blue bandana, Bandana Waddle Dee is one of King Dedede's most loyal subjects. However, he is also very good friends with Kirby, forcing him to sometimes choose between the two. He can wield both a Spear and a Parasol in combat with good efficacy, but he usually avoids fighting unless necessary, aiming to help the main characters by tossing them Assist Stars instead. He got his first starring role in Kirby's Return to Dream Land, and he went on to become a recurring major character in the Kirby franchise.

Minor characters

Spoilers! Notice: Stop right there, stubby little pink thing!
Spoilers abound! If you do not wish to read them, skip ahead to the next heading or find a different article.

Lesser-known characters who have made more than one plot-significant appearance in the series include the following:

Notable minor characters in the Kirby series  
Character Picture Games Role(s) Description Notes
Kirby's Animal Friends File:Animal Friends Allies.png Kirby's Dream Land 2, Kirby's Dream Land 3, Kirby Star Allies, many smaller cameos in other titles Serve as Kirby's companions, and can pair up with him for combination attacks. Several large animals help Kirby out during some of his adventures, letting him ride them and putting their own spin on his Copy Ability attacks. While they have seemingly retired since the events of Kirby's Dream Land 3, they can often be seen in the background or as cameos in more recent titles, most recently appearing as Dream Friends and as part of the Cleaning move-set in Kirby Star Allies. Chuchu, Nago, and Pitch are not shown in the image.
Gooey File:Gooey Allies.png Kirby's Dream Land 2, Kirby's Dream Land 3, Kirby Star Allies One of Kirby's companions, who operates separately from him. Gooey is a blue blob creature with a long tongue and beady eyes which tend to wander. He is made of the same stuff as Dark Matter, but is not evil, instead becoming good friends with Kirby and being somewhat goofy in character. Gooey can grab enemies with his tongue and copy their abilities like Kirby, and he can also transform into a 'Mock Matter' form in order to fly about and fire dark lasers like his evil counterparts.
Dark Matter K64 S DarkMatter.png Kirby's Dream Land 2, Kirby's Dream Land 3, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, other forms appear in other titles Consistent villain throughout all of its appearances. An evil entity which often takes the form of a circular cloud of black energy with a single large eye and sometimes frills on its sides. Its main characteristic is its ability to engulf worlds and possess their inhabitants. Kirby often has to battle possessed characters in order to free them from Dark Matter's grasp. To actually drive off Dark Matter, Kirby often needs to use a special weapon or ability to pierce its core and defeat it from within. Other beings associated with Dark Matter include Zero, , Miracle Matter, Dark Matter Clone, Dark Nebula, Dark Mind, King D-Mind, and Void Termina.
Adeleine KSA Adeleine.png Kirby's Dream Land 3, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Kirby Star Allies A supporting ally for Kirby, as well as a Boss-like opponent when possessed. A young painter girl who came to Popstar from another world to study art. She befriends Kirby and paints items for him to use on his adventures, but she is also possessed by the villainous Dark Matter, and forced to fight her pink friend. Adeleine is a very talented painter, as her paintings will often pop out of the frame becoming the genuine objects, including food and other helpful items. Adeleine also appears in Kirby's Dream Land 3 as a boss, under the name Ado, but she has a different design from her later appearances.
Ribbon KSA Ribbon.png Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Kirby Star Allies Supporting ally for Kirby. Ribbon is a young fairy girl who hails from Ripple Star. She is assaulted by Dark Matter while trying to usher the great crystal to safety, which leads to Kirby helping her get the shattered crystal pieces back. Ribbon directly assists Kirby in the final battle against . Ribbon appears alongside Adeleine in Kirby Star Allies, with the two serving together as a Dream Friend.
Marx File:Marx Allies.png Kirby Super Star (Ultra), Kirby Star Allies A final boss who betrays Kirby, as well as a Dream Friend who helps him. An unassuming jester who can be seen balancing on a ball. He tasks Kirby to stop the sun and moon from fighting by calling upon the Galactic Nova to grant him a wish to do so, but betrays Kirby by stealing the wish and using it to grant himself immense power. Kirby then has to defeat him by disabling Galactic Nova, then engaging Marx in combat, causing both to be destroyed in the end. Marx also appears in Kirby Star Allies as a playable Dream Friend where he retains characteristics from his normal form and his mutated boss form. It is debatable whether or not Dream Friend Marx is the same as Super Star Marx, as many presumed the latter to be dead at the end of Milky Way Wishes.
Dark Meta Knight File:DMK ArtworkKSA.png Kirby & The Amazing Mirror, Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Kirby Star Allies A villain who appears once as an ally. An evil Mirror World counterpart to Meta Knight who acts as an agent of Dark Mind. He was responsible for sealing Meta Knight away in Kirby & The Amazing Mirror, and also split Kirby into four nearly-identical copies (a questionable tactic). As the series progressed, Dark Meta Knight gradually gained more and more distinguishing features, such as the slash mark on his mask and his tattered wings, along with his Mirror Galaxia sword.
Daroach File:Daroach Allies.png Kirby: Squeak Squad, Kirby Mass Attack, Kirby Star Allies An enemy and ally to Kirby. A wily magician mouse who leads the thieving band known as the Squeaks. He causes trouble for Kirby the first time they meet, but they later become allies. He possesses the Triple Star Cane, a powerful weapon which can be used to destroy evil entities like Dark Nebula.
Magolor File:KRTDL Captain.png Kirby's Return to Dream Land, Kirby's Dream Collection, Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe, Team Kirby Clash Deluxe, Kirby Star Allies A final boss who betrays Kirby, but also acts as support. An alien wizard and known fibber from the planet Halcandra. He pilots the Lor Starcutter, an ancient starship capable of traveling across dimensions. Kirby and co. agree to help him when his ruined ship comes crashing down to Popstar by collecting the pieces, but why he crashed in the first place is a bit of a mystery. In Team Kirby Clash Deluxe, he runs the Gem Apple Shoppe, selling Team Kirby everything they need for their adventure.
Taranza File:Taranza.png Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Team Kirby Clash Deluxe, Kirby Star Allies A villain who eventually turns to Kirby's side. An arachnid mage from Floralia, who sought nothing else but to please his gracious queen. When she desired to take over the land, Taranza supported her by capturing the hero of Dream Land, though he didn't quite get the right man. When this became apparent, the queen, mad with power, struck him away, causing him to doubt his loyalty, and join forces with Kirby and King Dedede to put her out of her misery.
Susie File:Susie.png Kirby: Planet Robobot, Kirby Star Allies A villain who eventually turns to Kirby's side. Once the Executive Assistant of the Haltmann Works Company, Susie is heavily armed with advanced alien technology, including a blaster, a rotor-based transporter, and most notoriously, her giant mechanical business suit. She was an enemy to Kirby during the occupation of Planet Popstar, but reluctantly turned to his side after her father was taken by Star Dream.

Trivia

  • In Japan, only the titles of main series games begin with 星のカービィ (Hoshi no Kābii, "Kirby of the Stars").
  • So far, the platform to feature the most original Kirby games is the Nintendo 3DS, with seven entries.
  • At least one Kirby game has appeared on every major Nintendo console and handheld device (except for the Game & Watch).

External links