Kirby

64 is my first Kirby game, but it did have flaws. Generally that while most of the combinations were fun, it was easy to get complacent and use the same six good abilities over and over again unless you needed to solve a Crystal puzzle.

Also it was very easy, and yes I know I say that in a series where you can just hover over large sections of stages in this series and rip through enemies like paper with sword.

Also it made jumping to another level, grabbing the best combo, then going back to roflstomp the boss extremely easy. Ideally the maps could be grayed out and you're stuck using pre-established powerups that could be dropped.

I wish there was a romhacking scene for the game, because there's a lot of untapped potential that could've made for a longer and slightly more balanced experience. I mean, just imagine a modern true arena with altered bosses that drop powers after fights you have to hold on to or risk fusing or discarding in hopes of getting a better one later. Also during specific events, Adeleine can paint you a health item you have to quickly eat or it will disappear.

And one of the final rounds could have two alternating Miracle Matters with different abilities where you have to pick up a power they drop and spit it at another to wrack up damage or wait until the first gets to the same form.

MM is an ingenius concept, but once you figure out the attack patterns it becomes a pushover where you can beat a form no longer than with two appearances. And the better you do the less forms it has to mix you up. It'd be more challenging to do the opposite, the better you do, the faster it cycles and swaps through forms and in mid attack.

Speaking of, someone did a simple but effective version of Miracle's theme in the style of Robobot.

edited 14th Dec '16 7:37:59 AM by darkabomination

"No will to break."

Awesome.

"YOU SHALL FEEL THE FLOWER'S WRATH"

The Japanese website for the 25th anniversary is up!

Looks like there's gonna be a concert!

I do lots of stuff. The real question is am I any good at that stuff.

Alright! Though I won't be able to hear all these awesome soundtracks in action because they're all in Japan...

"YOU SHALL FEEL THE FLOWER'S WRATH"

Remember when Escargoon made a cameo in Kirby Mass Attack?

What other anime-exclusive characters do you want to see in the games?

Customer Service also already appeared in Mass Attack, but him.

He's the best.

You cannot firmly grasp the true form of Squidward's technique!

Customer Service was easily one of the best characters in the show. Given that it's Dan Green.

I'd be also cool to see Sirica in a Kirby game.

So the Japanese behind the scenes page for Planet Robobot updated and it has some neat things in it. Some unused variations of Haltmann's theme, the storyboard for the final blow of Star Dream, and concept art that shows that Arco was considered as a boss for the game at some point.

Edit: The winners of the screenshot challenge were announced as well. Like usual, there tends to be commentary that points out some the interesting, but overall minor, things that have happened in the games.

edited 25th Dec '16 2:19:41 AM by MachThreeSlug

I do lots of stuff. The real question is am I any good at that stuff.

Could you link us to the concept art?

Here you go.

I do lots of stuff. The real question is am I any good at that stuff.

So am I the only one elated to see Adeleine, Chu Chu, and Ribbon back (albeit in artwork)?

https://twitter.com/Kirby25thJP/status/831337181666910208

edited 14th Feb '17 10:27:41 AM by TimG5

Cute.

... Man, that really is the series' entire female cast, isn't it?

I sure said that!

Except for Dyna Blade, it seems.

Stella ~Part 3 (Atelier Shallie)

Apparently. Also, the artwork is adorable!

"YOU SHALL FEEL THE FLOWER'S WRATH"

I guess what I mean us- Huh. As cute as this series is it's also kind of a sausagefest. I've never really stepped back and thought on it until it was just kinda shoved into my face.

edited 14th Feb '17 3:32:21 PM by Pulse

I sure said that!

Apparently Drawcia wasn't worth being included in that artwork...how rude.

Of recurring characters...there's really only 3 males, Bonkers, and Mr. Flosty.

edited 14th Feb '17 3:34:01 PM by randomness4

YO. Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie.

Drawcia's there though?

Well, a few are missing, like Paintra, Kabula, Dyna Blade (mentioned), and Gryll, the latter of whom was actually the first female final boss character of the franchise before Drawcia (and even got a sticker in Robobot, so it's not like they hadn't remembered her recently). But yeah, those are most of the major ones barring anyone from the anime like Tiff or Sirica. I'm always happy to see Drawcia and Ado/deline though.

Also, they have a Bouncy there, and there's a lot of mooks (both with and without Tertiary Sexual Characteristics) like her such as Big Beanbon from Mass Attack. What's odd to me, however, along with the lack of Kabula (even having it just be visible in the skyline), is that Broom Hatter's left out despite being one of the oldest recurring female mooks in the series.

...It's kind of amusing to think that this cutesy series has more recurring generic (and major) female enemies than "bigger" games like Mario, Zelda, and Sonic. Granted, a lot of them lack obvious tells (a lot—or at least more than I expected—of the Dream Land 3 characters were female apparently), so the majority of the playerbase wouldn't realize this.

edited 14th Feb '17 3:45:14 PM by Customer

Yeah, Paintra...that's what I meant.

YO. Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie.

...now I'm curious as to how many of the recurring enemies are female, not counting the "obvious" ones like Lovely and Iron Mam. I had no idea Broom Hatter was female, for example.

🏳️‍⚧️she/her | Vio Rhyse Alberia

There's this fanart of almost the entire female cast of the series.

edited 14th Feb '17 8:18:19 PM by GiantCaveMushroom

Murdering time and space. Now on Twitter.

It's a surprisingly small proportion, honestly.

I'm not trying to get on a soapbox or anything, just... Huh.

I think Sakurai once said in an interview something like "eh I don't care what gender you assign to Kirby," too, for whatever that's worth.

I sure said that!

That's a bit more that I wasn't aware of...

The designs are just vague enough...

YO. Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie.

To be sure, Kirby is quite possibly the most sexless character design I've ever seen. He's just a pink lump with little flap-arms and big red feet.

I sure said that!

His one masculine trait is having eye brows...

YO. Rules of the Internet 45. Rule 45 is a lie.

I use he pronouns for Kirby mostly because everyone in the English-speaking fanbase does, but effectively I think Kirby's a they for all their lack of sexual traits. I mean, they might as well be both genders or neitherr and it doesn't effect anything about the character. If Kirby had turned out to be female the whole time, it wouldn't change much, barring the one and only time thus far Kirby's had a romantic interaction, in which case Ribbon's gonna have an awkward conversation later.

"No will to break."