History VideoGame / Kirby64TheCrystalShards

* GirlOfTheWeek: Ribbon, despite being something of a love interest, only appeared in this game before receiving cameos in the Kirby 20th Anniversary art book and ''VideoGame/KirbyPlanetRobobot'' before [[TheBusCameBack returning as a duo with Adeleine]] in VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies.

* BeatThemAtTheirOwnElement: Unlike every other Kirby boss in the series, [[PenultimateBoss Miracle Matter]] cannot be damaged by anything other than the current element it is using. This puts the player in the position where [[ElementalFusion Power Comboes]] are rendered useless and any Copy Abilities used in the fight will have to discarded after damaging the boss's current form due to Miracle Matter [[BarrierChangeBoss changing its elemental forms]] every so often.

** Aqua Star's third stage has a Crystal Shard placed far above Kirby's maximum flight cap. In order to get it, you need to realize that Rick's form from the Stone + Cutter power can WallJump. This is a ContinuityNod to ''VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand3'', but if you've never played that, your only hint is the green-and-brown breakable terrain that stands in your way - and considering Stone + Cutter has six different forms that show up at random, solving the puzzle essentially amounts to trial and error.
** In Neo Star 4-4, one room has a large rock in the center, with molten lava creating cracks in it. It obviously conceals a Crystal Shard, and the red and black pattern suggests that the rock is meant to be destroyed with Burning + Bomb. In reality, the only ability that can break it is Ice, though ''most'' Ice combos will do the trick (Ice+Ice, Ice+Spark, and Ice+Cutter won't work).

* WakeUpCallBoss: Conversely, Possessed Adeleine and Possessed Dedede, at the end of the second and third stages respectively, are mostly unchanged from ''VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand3'', where they were the penultimate and final bosses (without the Heart Stars). The only major difference is that they have less health.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/205ae2e0_cd87_4ec5_a44e_18554ce10818.png]]

* InterfaceSpoiler: The enemy info cards you can win at the end of each stage are entirely randomized, and the pool is static so it doesn't take game progress into account. You're very likely to see cards of enemies or even bosses you haven't encountered yet, and that includes the possibility of getting the card for the TrueFinalBoss at any time.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[AmericanKirbyIsHardcore There's]] [[AvertedTrope that]] [[Webcomic/BrawlInTheFamily smile]]!]]

This game is the third and final part of Shimomura's "[[FanNickname Dark Matter Trilogy]]", the previous entries being ''[[VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand2 Kirby's Dream Land 2]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand3 Kirby's Dream Land 3]]'', and thus inherits their more slow-paced, simplistic gameplay, stars-for-1UP mechanic, and more whimsical, dream-like art direction and music. Like previous Shimomura-directed titles, it was relatively overlooked for not being like the Creator/MasahiroSakurai-directed games (especially ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar''), and like ''Dream Land 3'' suffered from being released late in its system's lifespan (just a year before the release of the Platform/NintendoGameCube). However, like the rest of the Dark Matter Trilogy, it's come to be regarded as a hidden gem within the Kirby catalog in the decades since. Along with its predecessors, it was included as part of ''[[CompilationRerelease Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition]]'', for Kirby's [[MilestoneCelebration 20th anniversary]], and was later added to the Platform/NintendoSwitch Online Expansion Pack in May 2022.

This game is the third and final part of Shimomura's "[[FanNickname Dark Matter Trilogy]]", the previous entries being ''[[VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand2 Kirby's Dream Land 2]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand3 Kirby's Dream Land 3]]'', and thus inherits their more slow-paced, simplistic gameplay, stars-for-1UP mechanic, and more whimsical, dream-like art direction and music. Like previous Shimomura-directed titles, it was relatively overlooked for not being like the Creator/MasahiroSakurai-directed games (especially ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar''), and like ''Dream Land 3'' suffered from being released late in its system's lifespan (just a year before the release of the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube). However, like the rest of the Dark Matter Trilogy, it's come to be regarded as a hidden gem within the Kirby catalog in the decades since. Along with its predecessors, it was included as part of ''[[CompilationRerelease Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition]]'', for Kirby's [[MilestoneCelebration 20th anniversary]], and was later added to the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch Online Expansion Pack in May 2022.

* SuperTitle64Advance: The game's named after the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64, of course. The original Japanese release was simply called ''Hoshi no Kirby 64'', while the English release added a subtitle.

''Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards'' (''Hoshi no Kirby 64'' in Japanese), released in 2000, is the first game in the ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' series to go in a 3D-ish environment, and the only ''Kirby'' game for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64.

* InconsistentSpelling: There have been many inconsistent translations and spellings of [[spoiler:the TrueFinalBoss's name, including Zero Two, [=Zero2=], O[[superscript:2]], and 0[[superscript:2]]]]. The last of these appears to be the most common spelling, and what appears in the [[MonsterCompendium Enemy Card Index]].

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: There have been many inconsistent translations and spellings of [[spoiler:the TrueFinalBoss's name, including Zero Two, [=Zero2=], and 0[[superscript:2]]]].

* BossRush: Boss Battles, available as a bonus mode. Also comes with a twist: even if you manage to swallow things that could give you powers, you won't get any, so you're forced to fight as normal Kirby until the final boss. Even when you can transform against Miracle Matter, the fridge power (Ice + Spark) won't generate food.

* ButThouMust: Your pause screen has two choices, "Continue" or "Try again"; the latter takes you to the map and lets you try on a different stage. During [[spoiler:the battle with the TrueFinalBoss]], they become "Continue" and "Tough it out!". They both do the exact same thing.

* DisasterDominoes: During the "Incomplete" Credits Roll, there's a picture of a Gabon, Galbo, Tick, and Yariko, with the Gabon about to throw a bone at the Galbo. The corresponding picture in the "Complete" Credits Roll shows the aftermath; The bone hits the Galbo, who breathes fire on the Tick, who extends its spike and pierces the Yariko, who launches a spear and breaks Gabon's mask.

* EasterEgg: If you inhale an enemy and push R to hold them above your head -- without digesting them -- many of them have unique effects. Bronto Burts, for example, will carry you into the air, Bumbers will let you slowly drift down after jumping, Pterans let you glide, Glunks will shoot a steady stream of pellets into the air that will take out airborne enemies, Fishbones shoot their heads (forming a steady stream of horizontal projectiles), and Drops and Sandmen will just dissolve. There are also several enemies who do something special if lifted over Kirby's head and then thrown; for example, Mites will be thrown in an arc that quickly descends, burrowing into the ground when they reach it, and Cairn and Chilly are also thrown at an arc, but actually break apart into pieces as they're thrown.

** There are also 81 Enemy Info Cards that contain pictures and names for all of the enemies in the game. They can be randomly obtained during the Goal Game, but they're not required for 100% completion.

** Aqua Star's third stage has a Crystal Shard placed far above Kirby's maximum flight cap. In order to get it, you need to realize that Rick's form from the Stone + Cutter power can WallJump. This is a ContinuityNod to ''VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand3'', but if you've never played that, your only hint is the green-and-brown breakable terrain that stands in your way -- and considering Stone + Cutter has six different forms that show up at random, solving the puzzle essentially amounts to trial and error.

* IdiosyncraticMenuLabels: The pause screen normally has options for "Continue" (continue playing) and "Try Again" (exit stage). In the [[BossRush Boss Battles]] mode, "Try Again" is changed to "Accept Defeat". During the final battle with 02 (outside of the aforementioned Boss Battles mode), the "Try Again" option is disabled and instead reads "Tough It Out!"

* MonsterCompendium: In the form of enemy cards Kirby can earn only in the jump game after stages. They just show the enemies' names, their animated models, and which power (if any) they give Kirby, and there are eighty-one cards in all. Oh yeah, and the card that Kirby gets is random every time, meaning it's possible to get duplicates. [[FakeLongevity Good luck trying to]] [[GottaCatchThemAll get them all]] (though there's a bit of humor to be found in this, as the fact that the card you get is randomized means that it's possible for you to get [[spoiler:0[[superscript:2]]]] as your first card).

* ObviousRulePatch: The optional Boss Rush mode disables the use of copy abilities, likely to prevent Kirby from making the Ice-Spark refrigerator to heal himself during Miracle Matter's battle.

** A minor example, but Kirby never does his signature HappyDance at any point in the game.

* SortingAlgorithmOfThreateningGeography: Played with. The stages go, grassland, desert, ocean, jungle/volcano, ice world, but then Ripple Star, the final (regular) level, ''was'' a scenic, calm, peaceful place. The first level in that world is actually a palette swap of the game's first level. However, the furthur you go in the world, the more dangerous things become, as Dark Matter consumes more and more of the stage.

* VileVillainSaccharineShow: As with many of Kirby's games. [[spoiler:We get 0[[superscript:2]], a previous villain that was defeated, apparently coming back from death, and it bleeds whenever it is hit.]]
* VillainPossessedBystander: The first three bosses Kirby encounters are friends that will help him along the game. All of them were too close to one of Dark Matter's pieces and got possessed to attack Kirby.

* LaterInstallmentWeirdness:
** This game notably gives the formula of Shimomura-directed titles a complete overhaul. The animal friends are dropped in favor of the ability to combine Copy Abilities, the visual presentation switches from a [=2D=] format to a [=2.5D=] one, the setting covers multiple planets rather than being limited to Popstar, and the game's cast is much more diverse and sees more elaborate characterizations due to the game putting a greater focus on storytelling.
** The game differentiates itself from virtually every other ''Kirby'' platformer with the absence of a signature mechanic: Doors. Instead, all rooms transition into another by going offscreen at certain points, lending the game a more straightforward feel than other ''Kirby'' titles.
** A minor example, but Kirby never does his signature HappyDance at any point in the game.
** Kirby can only fly for a short period of time, compared to other games where he can fly infinitely.
** Mid-bosses, unlike the past few games, are [[GiantMook just giant versions of enemies that generally spawn other mini variants]] (borrowing a bit from ''VideoGame/KirbysAdventure''). However, these mooks are generally far easier to take on, as their size makes them a much bigger target, and they share more or less the same moves as their smaller counterparts.

...Meanwhile, Kirby is watching a meteor shower when Ribbon [[CrashIntoHello lands on him]] holding what's left of the Crystal. A shard falls on Kirby shortly thereafter; when he offers it to Ribbon, the shards recombine. The "shooting stars" that Kirby saw are actually the other Crystal Shards raining down on Pop Star and its surrounding planets. Ribbon realizes that she must collect all of the shards to repair the Crystal and save Ripple Star. Kirby is more than happy to help, so he sets off with Ribbon on a quest across the galaxy, meeting up with his friends along the way.

One day, the fairy planet of [[SugarBowl Ripple Star]] is overshadowed by a great darkness--specifically, a mass of [[EldritchAbomination Dark Matter]]. To prevent Ripple Star's [[PowerCrystal Crystal]] from falling into the wrong hands, the queen launches it into outer space with one of her fairies, Ribbon. But Dark Matter sends three small orbs of itself in space to chase and attack the crystal, causing it to shatter into several pieces.

...Meanwhile, Kirby is watching a meteor shower when Ribbon [[CrashIntoHello lands on him]] holding what's left of the Crystal. A second shard falls on Kirby shortly thereafter; when he offers it to Ribbon, the Crystals recombine. The "shooting stars" that Kirby saw are actually the other Crystal Shards raining down on Pop Star and its surrounding planets. Ribbon realizes that she must collect all of the shards to repair the Crystal and save Ripple Star; Kirby is more than happy to help, so he sets off with Ribbon on a quest across the galaxy, meeting up with his friends along the way.

...Meanwhile, Kirby is watching a meteor shower when Ribbon [[CrashIntoHello lands on him]] holding what's left of the Crystal. A second shard falls on Kirby shortly thereafter; when he offers it to Ribbon, the Crystals recombine. These shooting stars are the other Crystal Shards, which must be collected in order to save Ripple Star. Kirby is more than happy to help, so he sets off with Ribbon on a quest across several planets, meeting up with his friends along the way.

* InvincibilityPowerUp: Invincible Candy, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seJTdXLOu4o now with a unique theme tune.]]

* UnexpectedShmupLevel: [[spoiler:The TrueFinalBoss plays rather like ''VideoGame/StarFox''. Although considering [[VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand how many of]] [[VideoGame/KirbysAdventure these things we've]] [[VideoGame/KirbySuperStar been through already]], it's hardly "unexpected".]]

* WhenTreesAttack: The first boss of the game, recurring boss character Whispy Woods.

* EverythingIsAnInstrument: "Studying the Factory" (the theme for the stage "Factory Tour") incorporates the sound of a starting car and an electric guitar prepared with a set of reading glasses as instruments.

* BreakingOldTrends: ''Crystal Shards'' is the first mainline entry in the series to not feature Kirby's victory HappyDance upon completing a level or a boss. Despite this, the victory music is still present in the sound test, which indicates that the dance was planned to appear in the game at some point, but was scrapped for unknown reasons.

* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Dark Matter is capable of possessing people and turning them evil.