It's almost 2025, and while the biggest announcements for the Switch's successor are still shrouded in mystery, there's already a lot we know about what's coming for Kirby next year. In this episode, Sean and Gigi break down what for sure is coming, what is likely coming based on our best estimates, and even a few more wild predictions toward the end. Want to reach out? You can email us at [email protected] and we may read your letter on a future episode. We will also now be...

Did you know Kirby's Avalanche is the only Kirby game never to release in Japan? That's because it's the Western version of Super Puyo Puyo, redesigned with Kirby characters instead of the usual Puyo Puyo crowd. (This also explains why Kirby is a little sassier in this one, as his personality is modeled after Puyo Puyo protagonist Arle Nadja.) For this episode of Kirby Conversations, Sean, Bridget, and Gigi are going through the history of this classic Kirby puzzle game, with an avalanche of...

With Halloween approaching for our staff and listeners in the U.S., for this episode we decided to explore our favorite scarier or high-tension moments from Kirby games. From frightening final bosses to surprisingly sophisticated moments that explore themes like death or colonialism, the Kirby series is no stranger to going to some darker places. (Lest this sound like a heavy episode, we have plenty of fun with this topic along the way, and in fact this interplay between Kirby games' lighter...

For this episode, we're flashing back to the original Kirby's Return to Dream Land on Wii with Gooey and McKenna of the Nintendo 64 podcast Flashback 64. Even with the KRtDL remake out on Switch, the original still holds up with its distinct art style, motion controls, and even some unique content. And for fans of retro Kirby games, it may come the closest of any of them to capturing that spirit of the lost GameCube game once shown in trailers so many years ago. Some of us from Kirby...

Gigi has been translating Japanese developer interviews from the Kirby Star Allies artbook, and with it she's discovered some intriguing new insights about the history of KSA's extensive DLC. So for this episode, we're talking all about KSA's final DLC mode Heroes in Another Dimension and all the character additions the game received throughout 2018. How do we feel about DLC in Kirby games, and how did the developers' plans change (drastically) from what they originally had in mind? And what...

In this episode, Bridget, Ky, Sean, and our new team member Gigi share their picks for other games we think Kirby fans would like. From games that involve copying enemy abilities to inclusive platformers with similar vibes and themes, we cover more than a dozen games in this episode—including some pretty deep cuts you may not have heard of before. What unexpected or lesser-known non-Kirby games would you recommend to a Kirby fan? Let us know at [email protected] and we may read your...

Hi everyone. There's no regular episode this week, but we've got a few updates about the show to share. Most importantly, we are happy to announce that we will now be joined by Gigi, WiKirby Editor-in-Chief and avid translator of non-English Kirby content, as a new official member of the Kirby Conversations team! Welcome Gigi! And among other news, we also have a new giveaway running, where you can win a $50 Nintendo eShop gift card! You can enter at this Gleam giveaway page. We hope everyone...

If you've ever read an English translation of a Kirby article or developer interview that was originally published in Japanese, chances are you've encountered the work of Gigi. We've cited her work several times on this podcast in the past and also refer frequently to WiKirby, the massive Kirby wiki for which she serves as editor-in-chief. So it's an honor to have her join us on this episode for a wide-ranging interview, where we cover topics like how she become such a prolific Kirby...

There are so many ways to approach the Magolor Epilogue in Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe. Along with completing the story, you can earn medals, speedrun it, or even take advantage of its brilliant combo system to go for amazing, triple-digit runs through each level. So for this episode, Sean and Bridget are breaking down all the gameplay possibilities for this ambitious subgame. Sean played through it the traditional way, maxing out Magolor's skills to earn platinum metals, but Bridget...

Part Time UFO arrived in 2017 as the first game from HAL Laboratory's new mobile gaming brand HAL Egg. Clever, funny, and full of inventive crane game-inspired puzzles, it's an easy recommendation for anyone interested in what other recent games have come from Kirby's longtime developer. So for this episode, we're discussing the history, gameplay, and some of our favorite animal-balancing, cheerleader-stacking moments from Part Time UFO, across the mobile version and its expanded Switch port....

Today we're talking about Kirby in esports new and old. In Act 1, Bridget tells us about the Kirby's Adventure speedrunning challenges in Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition. Then for Act 2, Sean is back from Evo, the major Las Vegas fighting game tournament and convention, to talk about the surprising presence of Kirby at an event partially owned by Sony. What are your thoughts on Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition? And are there any games, just in general, that you enjoy...

Happy Friday! Here's a podcast recommendation for your weekend: an episode of Flashback 64 about Treasure's cult classic Mischief Makers. If you liked Kirby 64, we think you'll really dig Mischief Makers, a 2.5D platformer that follows robot maid Marina on an adventure to rescue the kidnapped Prof. Theo. Marina can grab, throw, and shake most of the enemies and objects she encounters, so if you enjoy the way Kirby games let you use enemies' weapons and projectiles against them, you'll find...

Exploding shurikens. Fireworks. A...refrigerator. The Power Combo system in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards lets you combine Kirby's copy abilities with dozens of inspired and hilarious results. So in this episode, we're looking back at some of our favorite abilities from Kirby's Nintendo 64 outing, while also exploring some abilities and originally playable characters that didn't make the final cut of the game. Then for Act 2, we play a game where take abilities that weren't in Kirby 64 and...

Today we're discussing Kid Kirby, a canceled Kirby title from the 90s developed by DMA Design Limited, the Scottish company that would go on to become Rock Star North of Grand Theft Auto fame. While Kid Kirby was never finished, many assets from this unique Angry Birds-esque platformer can still be found, and they show a strikingly different take on Kirby from anything you might've seen in his official released games. After digging through Kid Kirby's history for Act 1, we then check in with...

Over the past two episodes, we've been covering the thriving competitive scene around Kirby Air Ride's City Trial mode--a community of over 11,000 members. This episode is part two of our two-part interview series, and Sean and Bridget continue to speak with our guests drcKARGaming, one of the top Kirby Air Ride players, and Protag, a community leader and developer on updates to the game's competitive mod. In Act 1, drcKARGaming shares a sort of oral history of the Air Ride community. It's a...

Over the past few years, a loyal group of players have built a thriving competitive scene around Kirby Air Ride's City Trial mode. Featuring regular tournaments for significant cash prizes and a Discord with over 11,000 members, it's a prime example of how dedicated fans can revive a classic game for a modern audience. So for a two-episode interview series, we're speaking with master Air Ride competitor drcKarGaming and community leader Protag to get an inside look at Kirby Air Ride netplay....

Delivery Waddle Dee has just dropped off a fresh stack of listener mail, so for this episode we're responding to your comments and questions. We cover a range of topics, from Kirby's 3D future to whether Masahiro Sakurai, Kirby's creator, would ever return to direct a new game for the series. (Apparently this could be a slightly controversial topic, so for what it's worth Kirby Conversations is a big fan of both Sakurai's games and Shinya Kumazaki's current work on the series, so this isn't...

So Nintendo's hired you for a merchandise shoot and they've sent you a big plush Kirby. Now what? In this episode, Ky takes us inside her work as a photographer for Nintendo, going behind the scenes of some of our favorite photos involving Kirby, Zelda, and more. Then for Act 2, we're playing a game where we imagine new photo assignments for Ky by combining random themes, moods, and game series, with absurd and hilarious results. For Act 3, found only on Patreon, we're going inside more...

At Space World 2001, Shigeru Miyamoto presented a showcase for Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble 2, a cutting-edge Kirby title that demonstrated the power of the upcoming GameCube and its connectivity with the Game Boy Advance. Crowds flocked to the play the game at the convention, press covered it widely alongside other key GameCube fixtures like Luigi's Mansion or Super Smash Bros. Melee, and then it...never got released. What happened to the mysterious Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble 2? That's the main subject...

Today we're looking back at Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble, a groundbreaking game that was the first handheld console software to include an accelerometer. While moving Kirby by tilting the Game Boy Color was novel at the time, we consider how it holds up in 2024 and which of the many methods to play it today works best. (If you're a speedrunner, that might even be the GameCube?!) As usual, we also cover history and trivia for the game, and Ky shares her unique childhood strategy for keeping the...

In this episode of Kirby Conversations, we're getting nostalgic with Kirby's Dream Land 2—or at least Sean and Bridget are, as Ky's playing this one for the first time. We consider how well this nearly 30-year-old title holds up today, from its introduction of Kirby's animal friends Rick, Kine, and Coo to its satisfying (and challenging) puzzle design. KDL2 was also a game designed for the Super Game Boy, a 1994 peripheral that used the Super Nintendo to bring Game Boy games to your TV with...

In 2022, Jake "Button Masher" Silverman and Charlie Rosen won the Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella. Their song was a new arrangement, performed by Button Masher and Rosen's 8-Bit Big Bang, of "Meta Knight's Revenge" from Kirby Super Star. In our episode today, Button Masher joins us to reflect on how this update of a classic Kirby song—the only Grammy-winning video game cover ever—came together, his experiences at the Grammys, and the technical brilliance of...

The Kirby series often strives to be accessible for children and newcomers to video games. But are they too easy for everyone else? In this episode, Sean and Bridget discuss this classic question of Kirby difficulty and consider the intentional layers and inclusivity that Masahiro Sakurai and Shinya Kumazaki bring to the games they design. Then for Act 2, it's time for a funny and insightful reflection on difficulty in a different light with our new game Retirement Party, where Bridget has to...

Kirby Fighters 2 had humble beginnings as a lower-priced Kirby title released in the middle of a pandemic. But a community of dedicated players have embraced the game, continuing to hold tournaments, explore its deep meta, and even refine the game in a new Community Edition. One of those players is Lucy "Winters" Hayes, a co-owner of the Kirby Fighters 2 Discord, and in this episode she sits down with Sean and Bridget to describe the game's current competitive scene, how new players of all...