Kirby (series)

The logo for the Kirby series, as of Kirby and the Forgotten Land.

Kirby is a series of action-platforming video games starring the titular Kirby, a round pink creature who defeats his foes by inhaling them and gaining their powers. 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. Complementing the cutesy nature of the series characters and settings, the Kirby series was designed to be enjoyed by all ages, with gameplay mechanics generally leaning towards being easy for inexperienced players to understand, while offering lots of modulation of difficulty and depth of mechanics to cater to more seasoned players. This design philosophy is summarized by current series director Shinya Kumazaki as "approachable yet deep". This philosophy arguably extends beyond the gameplay and into the story, setting, and general lore of the games as well, since the surface-level plot of games tend to be very simple, but lots of hidden nuances can be found if the player digs deep enough.

Gameplay

Typical gameplay in the main Kirby series involves Kirby battling opponents using his inhale or various Copy Abilities to make it to the end of the stage and/or level. This particular image is from Green Greens in Kirby Super Star Ultra.

The core Kirby series consists of action/adventure/platformer games broken down into largely linear levels and/or stages, where the main goal in each stage is to either get Kirby or another player character to the end of the stage (typically taking the form of a star-studded doorway) or defeat a large opponent in the way, with some stages requiring both. Kirby's unique abilities - his inhale, hover, and Copy Ability - are what define how the stages and enemies therein are approached and dealt with. In particular, due to Kirby's typically unlimited flight capability, platforming is a lesser focus compared to battling enemies, exploring complex terrain, and solving stage puzzles. There are often many ways to approach any given obstacle, though specific optional tasks often require certain abilities and/or items to perform. While traversing stages, the player needs to be mindful of Kirby's health meter, which decreases whenever he touches or is attacked by an enemy or touches a harmful hazard. Letting the health meter run out causes Kirby to be defeated, and have to restart the area (or stage if no extra lives remain). Health can typically be restored by picking up a food item in the stage.

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 playstyle, 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. In some games, after Kirby finishes a stage, he plays a Goal Game which can earn him extra lives. Up until Kirby and the Forgotten Land, every main series game was a side-scroller played in two dimensions (even if 3-D graphics were used to draw them), though limited 3-D interactions were often present in these games starting with Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards.

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

These are the thirteen main platformers in the Kirby series, with each game's Japanese, Chinese and Korean title beginning with 星のカービィ / 星之卡比 / 별의 커비 (Hoshi no Kābyi / xīng zhī kǎ bǐ / byeol-ui keobi, "Kirby of the Stars"). The games feature Kirby's signature inhale, as well as his Copy Ability (with one exception). These games are also all assumed to be canon.

Boxart	Title	Console	Original release date	Notes
						Kirby's Dream Land	Game Boy	April 27, 1992 August 1, 1992 December 1992 December 1992	–
	Kirby's Adventure	Nintendo Entertainment System	March 23, 1993 May 1, 1993 December 1, 1993 December 1, 1993	–
	Kirby's Dream Land 2	Game Boy	March 21, 1995 May 1, 1995 July 31, 1995 July 31, 1995	–
	Kirby Super Star	Super Nintendo Entertainment System	March 21, 1996 September 3, 1996 January 23, 1997 January 23, 1997	Inconsistently but occasionally known as Kirby's Fun Pak in European languages.
	Kirby's Dream Land 3	Super Nintendo Entertainment System	November 27, 1997 March 27, 1998	Never saw an original release on the SNES in Europe or Australia, but was later released in those regions via Virtual Console and Nintendo Switch Online.
	Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards	Nintendo 64	March 24, 2000 June 26, 2000 June 22, 2001 June 22, 2001	–
	Kirby & The Amazing Mirror	Game Boy Advance	April 15, 2004 July 2, 2004 October 18, 2004 December 23, 2004	–
	Kirby: Squeak Squad	Nintendo DS	November 2, 2006 December 4, 2006 March 1, 2007 June 22, 2007 September 13, 2007	Known as Kirby: Mouse Attack in British English.
	Kirby's Return to Dream Land	Wii	October 24, 2011 October 27, 2011 November 25, 2011 December 1, 2011 September 6, 2012	Known as Kirby's Adventure Wii in European languages.
	Kirby: Triple Deluxe	Nintendo 3DS	January 11, 2014 April 17, 2014 May 2, 2014 May 16, 2014 May 16, 2014	–
	Kirby: Planet Robobot	Nintendo 3DS	April 28, 2016 April 28, 2016 June 10, 2016 June 10, 2016 June 11, 2016	–
	Kirby Star Allies	Nintendo Switch	March 16, 2018 March 16, 2018 March 16, 2018 March 16, 2018 April 26, 2018	This is the first main series title to be released on the same day in most regions.
	Kirby and the Forgotten Land	Nintendo Switch	March 25, 2022	This is the first main series title to be a 3D platformer rather than a 2D one.

Spin-off games

These are games that do not follow the traditional formula of the main series, and take on a wide variety of genres. Many of these have unclear status in canon.

Boxart	Title	Console	Genre	Original release date	Notes
							Kirby's Pinball Land	Game Boy	Pinball	November 27, 1993 November 30, 1993 December 1, 1993 1993	–
	Kirby's Dream Course	Super Nintendo Entertainment System	Sports	September 21, 1994 February 1, 1995 August 24, 1995 August 24, 1995	–
	Kirby's Avalanche	Super Nintendo Entertainment System	Puzzle	February 1, 1995 April 25, 1995	Known as Kirby's Ghost Trap in European languages. Based on Super Puyo Puyo. Never saw a release in Japan.
	Kirby's Block Ball	Game Boy	Action	December 14, 1995 May 13, 1996 August 29, 1996	–
	Kirby's Star Stacker	Game Boy	Puzzle	January 25, 1997 April 7, 1997 October 20, 1997 October 20, 1997	–
	Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble	Game Boy Color	Motion-controlled action	August 23, 2000 April 11, 2001	Never saw an original release on the Game Boy Color in Europe or Australia, but was later released in those regions via Nintendo Switch Online.
	Kirby Air Ride	Nintendo GameCube	Racing	July 11, 2003 October 13, 2003 February 20, 2004 March 30, 2004	–
	Kirby: Canvas Curse	Nintendo DS	Touch-controlled platformer	March 24, 2005 June 13, 2005 November 25, 2005 April 6, 2006	Known as Kirby: Power Paintbrush in British English.
	Kirby's Epic Yarn	Wii	Platformer	October 14, 2010 October 17, 2010 February 24, 2011 February 25, 2011 September 1, 2011	–
	Kirby Mass Attack	Nintendo DS	Touch-controlled platformer	August 4, 2011 September 19, 2011 October 27, 2011 October 28, 2011	–
	Kirby Fighters Deluxe	Nintendo 3DS (eShop)	Fighting	July 23, 2014 August 29, 2014 September 24, 2014 February 13, 2015 February 13, 2015	Based on Kirby Fighters from Kirby: Triple Deluxe.
	Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe	Nintendo 3DS (eShop)	Rhythm/platformer	July 23, 2014 August 29, 2014 September 24, 2014 February 13, 2015 February 13, 2015	Based on Dedede's Drum Dash from Kirby: Triple Deluxe.
	Kirby and the Rainbow Curse	Wii U	Touch-controlled platformer	January 22, 2015 February 20, 2015 May 8, 2015 May 9, 2015	A spiritual successor to Kirby: Canvas Curse. Known as Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush in British English.
	Team Kirby Clash Deluxe	Nintendo 3DS (eShop)	Action/role-playing	April 12, 2017 April 13, 2017 April 13, 2017 April 13, 2017	Based on Team Kirby Clash from Kirby: Planet Robobot.
	Kirby's Blowout Blast	Nintendo 3DS (eShop)	Platformer	July 4, 2017 July 4, 2017 July 6, 2017 July 6, 2017 July 6, 2017	Based on Kirby 3D Rumble from Kirby: Planet Robobot.
	Kirby Battle Royale	Nintendo 3DS	Action/fighting	November 3, 2017 November 4, 2017 November 30, 2017 January 19, 2018 February 1, 2018	This is the first game in the series to feature full online multiplayer.
	Super Kirby Clash	Nintendo Switch (eShop)	Action/role-playing	September 4, 2019 September 5, 2019 September 5, 2019 September 5, 2019 September 5, 2019	A successor to Team Kirby Clash Deluxe.
	Kirby Fighters 2	Nintendo Switch (eShop)	Fighting	September 23, 2020 September 24, 2020 September 24, 2020 September 24, 2020 September 24, 2020	A successor to Kirby Fighters Deluxe.
	Kirby's Dream Buffet	Nintendo Switch (eShop)	Action/racing	August 17, 2022	–

Remakes, compilations, and ports

These games are re-releases of older games for newer systems, often enhancing graphics and adding additional content.

Boxart	Title	Console	Original release date	Notes
						Kirby's Star Stacker	Super Famicom	June 25, 1999	A remake of the Game Boy title of the same name. Never saw an original release on the SNES outside of Japan, but was later released in other regions via Nintendo Switch Online.
	Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land	Game Boy Advance	October 25, 2002 December 2, 2002 September 26, 2003 January 27, 2004	A remake of Kirby's Adventure.
	Kirby Super Star Ultra	Nintendo DS	September 22, 2008 November 6, 2008 November 13, 2008 November 27, 2008 September 18, 2009	A remake of Kirby Super Star.
	3D Classics: Kirby's Adventure	Nintendo 3DS	November 17, 2011 November 17, 2011 November 17, 2011 April 25, 2012	A recreation of Kirby's Adventure, featuring the same spritework and gameplay but with enhanced color, shading, and 3D effects. This version also fixes the frame drops the original version had.
	Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition	Wii	July 19, 2012 September 16, 2012	A 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 that also 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, released to celebrate the Kirby 20th Anniversary. Never saw a release in Europe or Australia.
	Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn	Nintendo 3DS	March 7, 2019 March 8, 2019 March 8, 2019 March 9, 2019 April 12, 2019	An enhanced port of Kirby's Epic Yarn.
	Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe	Nintendo Switch	February 24, 2023	A remake of Kirby's Return to Dream Land.

Other games

The following Kirby games are small spin-off or peripheral titles. They are not considered to be part of the core Kirby series by Nintendo or HAL Laboratory.

Boxart	Title	Console	Genre	Original release date	Notes
							Kirby's Toy Box	Super Famicom (Satellaview)	Various	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)	Puzzle	December 2003	A Kirby-themed puzzle slider mini-game.
	Kirby: Sparkling Medal Land	Arcade machine	Various	March 2006	Includes 15 different minigames based on Kirby: Right Back at Ya!. Licensed medal throwing Kirby game by Atlus.
	Kirby: Magical Tower of Medal Land	Arcade machine	Various	December 2007	Mentioned in the Japanese version of Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition. Licensed Kirby game by Atlus.

Canceled games

There are at least six known Kirby games that were under development at some point but were never released. They are regarded as canceled games.

Title	Console	Notes
			Kid Kirby	Super Nintendo	A point-and-click platformer starring a young Kirby. Canceled due to poor sales of the Super NES Mouse and inability to be played with traditional joypad controls.
Kirby Ball 64	Nintendo 64	The first known 3D Kirby game. A prototype most likely originally meant to be a sequel to Kirby's Dream Course, shortly later retooled into Kirby's Air Ride.
Kirby's Air Ride	Nintendo 64	A 3D racing game. Eventually released as Kirby Air Ride on the Nintendo GameCube.
Kirby Family	Game Boy Color	A set of sewing patterns based on Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, designed to be printed by an embroidery machine that connected to the Game Boy Color. Planned as the Kirby equivalent of Mario Family, but canceled due to a lack of interest.
Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble 2	Nintendo GameCube	A planned follow-up title to Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble, which eventually dropped the Kirby name and became Roll-O-Rama before ultimately being scrapped. Had it been released, it would have been the first title to demonstrate the connectivity between the Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance.
Kirby for Nintendo GameCube	Nintendo GameCube	A 2.5D main-series game for Nintendo GameCube featuring a revamped Helper system based on that of Kirby Super Star, four-player multiplayer, and the camera perspective of Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. It was scrapped due to issues designing levels playable in both single player and multiplayer. Had it released, it would have become the eighth mainline Kirby game. Three more builds followed, with only the last being released as Kirby's Return to Dream Land. The three unreleased builds are collectively referred to by fans as "the three lost Kirby games".

Main characters

Artwork	Name	Description
	Kirby	Kirby is the hero of the franchise and the primary playable character in each game (with one exception). His powers, which are vital to the gameplay of most 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 named Dream Land, the planet Popstar on which it is located or even the entire galaxy from the respective game's main antagonist.
	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.
	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 seemingly antagonistic towards Kirby, he serves as a stalwart ally to the pink puffball more often than not, and any misgivings they may have had over the sinking of the Halberd seem to have been mended. When Meta Knight is inclined to battle with Kirby, no matter the circumstance, he provides Kirby with a sword in order to force a fair fight. He is the leader of a group of warriors known as the Meta-Knights, who Kirby often has to battle against.
	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, but is also very good friends with Kirby. He can wield both a Spear and a Parasol in combat with good efficacy, but he sometimes avoids fighting and aims to help the main characters by tossing them Assist Stars instead. He got his first major role in Kirby's Return to Dream Land, and he went on to become a recurring major character in the Kirby franchise.

The series has many other characters, some of which have rather significant presences in many games. More information can be found on the Character page.

Trivia

• Originally, the English Kirby logo used a proprietary font, which was seen from Kirby's Dream Land to Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble. Kirby: Right Back at Ya! introduced a new English logo based on the Helvetica Rounded Bold typeface, which was adopted with Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land and used for most games up to Kirby Star Allies. Kirby and the Forgotten Land introduced a new English logo, which uses the Seurat Pro EB typeface; it can also be seen in the 30th anniversary logo.
• So far, the platform to feature the most original Kirby games is the Nintendo 3DS, with seven entries.
• Since its debut, at least one Kirby game has appeared on every major Nintendo console and handheld device (except for the Virtual Boy).
• HAL Laboratory keeps a list of every Kirby game they have worked on at their website. Despite being officially part of the Kirby series, Kirby's Avalanche, Kirby's Block Ball, Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble, Kirby's Epic Yarn, and Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn are not present on HAL's list, as they were developed primarily by other companies (Compile, Nintendo R&D1, Nintendo R&D2, and Good-Feel).

Gallery

• 

  The general logo for the Kirby series, used from Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land up until Kirby Star Allies

• 

  General logo for the Kirby series, text only

• 

  A 3D version of the current general logo for the Kirby series, used in Kirby and the Forgotten Land

• 

  Series symbol from Super Smash Bros., which is a model due to the Nintendo 64's inability to display high-resolution sprites

External links

• Kirby Portal - Japanese official series website
• The Official Home of Kirby - English official series website
• Kirby official Twitter (@Kirby_JP)