Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

Gameplay

Kirby 64 is a side-scrolling platformer similar to previous games in the Kirby series. Its story begins when Dark Matter invades Ripple Star, a planet populated by fairies. The fairy Ribbon flees with a sacred crystal, but Dark Matter shatters it into 100 shards and scatters them across the galaxy. Ribbon, holding one of the shards, plummets into Pop Star and befriends the titular character Kirby, who agrees to help retrieve the remaining 98 shards across six planets and defeat Dark Matter. Along the way, they enlist the help of artist Adeleine, King Dedede, and Dedede's minion Waddle Dee, after each of them stumble upon a crystal shard and end up being possessed by Dark Matter, forcing Kirby to battle each of them to free them from the Dark Matter's influence.

Similar to contemporary platformers such as Pandemonium! (1996) and Klonoa: Door to Phantomile (1997), Kirby 64 is a 2.5D platformer; although environments and characters are rendered in 3D computer graphics, gameplay is restricted to a 2D plane. Players control Kirby using the Nintendo 64 controller's D-pad. Like earlier Kirby games, Kirby can walk or run, crouch, jump, and inhale enemies or objects to spit them out as bullets. He can fly for a limited time by inflating himself; while flying, Kirby cannot attack or use his other abilities, though he can release a weak puff of air. By eating certain enemies, Kirby can gain one of seven copy abilities, power-ups allowing him to take on the properties the enemy possessed. In certain levels, Kirby will ride on King Dedede's back, allowing him to clear certain obstacles with Dedede's hammer; in other levels, Kirby rides a minecart or log flume piloted by Waddle Dee.

Kirby 64 introduces Power Combos, the option to combine Kirby's copy abilities. Power Combos can be created by inhaling two enemies at once, by throwing one ability at another, or by spitting an enemy at another. The latter two methods create a colored star that can be collected to obtain the Power Combo. There are 28 possible combinations, which are stronger than normal copy abilities or have added effects. For instance, by combining the "Burn" and "Needle" abilities, Kirby can shoot fire arrows. Players can also mix two of the same abilities, which will increase their power.

The game takes place across six worlds, which are split into several levels. After the player selects a level, they must navigate it while avoiding enemies and obstacles. If Kirby or King Dedede touches an enemy or hazard, he loses health. Health can be replenished by eating food scattered across levels. If the character loses all their health, falls off the bottom of the screen, or gets crushed, the player loses a life. Losing all lives results in a game over. Players can earn lives by collecting stars or 1-ups. Shards of the crystal are scattered about levels, and while Power Combos are optional, they are required to collect several of the shards. At the end of each level, players play a bonus game to collect food, stars, or cards with information about enemies. Certain levels feature bosses that the player must defeat to proceed. Players must collect all of the crystal shards to reach the game's final boss and true ending.

Outside the single-player platforming, a multiplayer game mode can be accessed from the main menu. Here, up to four players can compete in three minigames: 100-Yard Hop, a race to the finish line; Bumper Crop Bump, a competition to collect food; and Checkerboard Chase, a last man standing game. Players can adjust the difficulty level and control Kirby, King Dedede, Adeleine, or Waddle Dee.

Development

Kirby 64 was developed by HAL Laboratory as the first game in its Kirby series to feature 3D graphics. Development began in September 1997, shortly before Kirby's Dream Land 3 was released. At the time, 3D graphics were becoming common, so HAL wanted to create a 3D Kirby game. According to project manager Takashi Saito, keeping the project on schedule was challenging due to HAL's close attention to detail, so he had to balance creating a quality game with releasing it on time. The development team had to be careful transitioning the series' art style to 3D as they did not want to disappoint Kirby devotees. The game was initially developed for the 64DD, a disk-drive add-on for the Nintendo 64 (N64), but became a standard N64 Game Pak after the add-on failed commercially.

By October 1997, HAL had created a prototype to experiment with Kirby in 3D. The studio worked this prototype, which used the N64 controller's analog stick to control Kirby, until about a year before release. Saito said the prototype was nearly finished and "was pretty good," but the team felt they could do better. HAL changed the control configuration from the analog stick to the D-pad because the game was played on a 2.5D plane rather than a 3D one. At Space World in 1999, the developers observed children play with the original setup. They noticed the children would leave the N64 controller on the promotional stand when using the analog stick, and had trouble using the Z shoulder button that was essential in the configuration. Coming up with a new control scheme led to debate since HAL used the Z button prominently in Super Smash Bros. (1999). The team settled on the D-pad configuration after a successful test with elementary school students.

Kirby 64 was directed by Shinichi Shimomura, who had previously directed Kirby's Dream Land 2 and Kirby's Dream Land 3. It is thematically similar to those games; Adeleine, a supporting character, and 02, the final boss, are reinterpretations of characters from Kirby's Dream Land 3. Series creator Masahiro Sakurai had little involvement with the project and avoided playing it during development, as he feared any comments he made would conflict with HAL's vision. The Power Combo game mechanic was conceived to enhance Kirby's abilities and experiment what would happen if copy abilities were mixed. Saito noted the game is designed for all ages and either easy or hard depending on playstyle. If the player relies on Power Combos too much, the game becomes challenging, but is easier if they do not. Originally, there were going to be several playable characters (including Waddle Dee, whose gameplay focused on picking up objects), but only Kirby and King Dedede remained playable in the final game. Ribbon the fairy was conceived as a means to switch the player's character. The N64's technology also made four-player minigames possible.

Reception

Kirby 64 received "generally favorable reviews", according to the review aggregator Metacritic. Critics likened it to other 2.5D platformers on the N64 including Goemon's Great Adventure (1998) and Yoshi's Story (1997), Some felt its gameplay and visuals were reminiscent of older platform games for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super NES. Edge viewed this as a detriment, writing that the game suffered from a lack of innovation in the midst of other Nintendo franchises establishing themselves within the growing 3D game market. They explained, writing: "There is simply not enough originality or longevity on offer for Kirby 64 to stand out among the wealth of inventive platformers already on the N64." GameFan wrote that while it was a nice break from 3D games, Kirby 64's graphics resembled Super NES games and it would soon appear antiquated.

Critics believed Kirby 64 lacked in longevity and difficulty. N64 Magazine felt the early levels were enjoyable but that later stages became stale, and opined that the game would have benefited from more complex level design. They believed Kirby 64 had wasted potential and described it as "short-lived and repetitive." Nintendo Life says the game suffers from all-too-familiar tendency of being disappointingly short. Electronic Gaming Monthly wrote that "the game's slower pace and low difficulty made it hard to stay interested after a while." Both magazines agreed that attempting to find all the shards added some challenge, but GameSpot wrote that even this content could be completed within a three-day rental period. IGN and Hyper also recommended the game as a rental to older gamers, and only as a purchase for children. The game's "cute" graphics and story elements also influenced critics to recommend the game for children. The minigames were also criticized for adding little to the game's longevity, though they did draw some positive comparisons to Mario Party.

Although the graphics were criticized for their simplicity and cuteness, they also received significant praise. N64 Magazine called the graphics the best aspect of the game and praised the scenery and environments. Electronic Gaming Monthly called the colors "bright" and "clean", and Hyper wrote that it looked like a picture book with its pastel-like shading. Nintendo Power compared the game's cute and colorful look to Yoshi's Story. IGN wrote that Kirby 64 was "Simple. Cartoony. Colorful. [...] It's a Kirby game, and it looks exactly as you'd expect it would." Several critics commended the character animations. GameSpot wrote that the characters were lifelike, and Hyper felt there was personality in all the characters and enemies.