Summary
Kirbyis one ofNintendo’slongest-running series, receiving a whopping44 mainline and spin-off entriessince 1992. Fans will be delighted to know that the adorable hero has seen a lot of love on the Nintendo Switch. Including the Nintendo Switch Online offerings, almost half of the Pink Puffball’s back catalog is playable on the Nintendo Switch.
FromKirby’s first grand 3D adventure to classic franchise starters, from loot-based boss battlers to a golf-based puzzle game, there is a slew of great entries to explore all in one place. For anyKirbyfans out there with some time to kill, these are 10 of the bestKirbygames on Switch worth knowing about.
The first new mainline entry on the console,Kirby Star Allies,was a mixed bag for some fans, offering excellent fan service and a significant load of new lore that somewhat complicated established canon to include further characters. The game is a tight-paced and satisfying Kirby adventure that once completed unlocks access to play an abridged version of the campaign as one of 40 playable characters.
Many of whom are common enemies, effectively choosing a single copy ability, but there’s also an impressive array of Dream Friends, made up of friends and foes from past games, each with their own move set. It’s thebest co-op experience of the series, with a range of characters to master and the post-game ‘Soul Melter’ content provides a genuine challenge for long-term fans.
Kirby creator Masahiro Sakurai also created theSuper Smash Bros.series, which provided the basis for theKirby FightersandKirby Clashspin-off series.Super Kirby Clashis the latest in said spin-off line and is available as a free download on Nintendo Switch. Boss rush modes are common in the series as post-game content,Super Kirby Clashfocuses on that with a loot-based system that sees players accumulating currency to purchase more powerful costume items to challenge increasingly powerful foes.
There are four classes to choose from: the nimble swordfighter, the hammer tank, the ranged magic wielder, and the healer. Each has a ranking of unlockable costumes and weapons drawn from across the series. It presents a good challenge for veterans. Players will need to have a balanced party making full use of their roles and the block and dodge mechanics to defeat the toughest bosses.
The series' first attempt to venture into the third dimension,Kirby 64: The Crystal Shardscomes out at a charmingly blocky 2.5D. The game’s mechanical innovation allowed Kirby to combine copy abilities, ingesting new foes whilst already harboring another ability to create powerful hybrids such as the infamous Fridge Kirby.
Most of these would prove to be unwieldy and less useful than their traditional counterparts. The feature would not return in future games, making it the only chance to experience the novel mechanic.Kirby 64: The Crystal Shardsis also a very important game lore-wise, marking the end of the initial trilogy and showcasing Kirby’s final battle with the long-standing antagonist Dark Matter.
One of the best puzzle spin-offs in the Kirby series,Kirby’s Dream Courseis essentially a golf game set in a fantastical world. Players must guide the spherical hero through a treacherous course in a set number of strokes, avoiding the pitfalls and lack of guard rails.
Courses are littered with enemies who must be eliminated by launching Kirby into them, some of which will grant a special copy ability required to navigate other obstacles. Once all but one enemy is defeated the final foe will become the hole for the player to make the putt and advance to the next level. It’s a surprisingly robust experience for a 30-year-old game, offering a more relaxed challenge.
Kirby’s first console release arguably launched the franchise as itperformed considerably betterthan the moderate success achieved by its predecessor,Kirby’s Dream Landon theGame Boy. The first game to feature Kirby’s signature copy abilities,Kirby’s Adventurewas a very technically impressive platforming experience for the time.
It set the benchmark for HAL Laboratory’s intentions to experiment with the series, something that matched Nintendo’s ambitions and would see the Kirby series make full use of the latest peripherals with games likeKirby Tilt n' TumbleandKirby: Canvas Curse. A significant progenitor that allowed the series to grow into the franchise behemoth that it is today.
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land(also released asKirby Adventure Wii) was a firm fan favorite, often lauded as the best modern attempt to recapture the magic of those earlier games, and featured one of the popular antagonists Magolor. The game was not especially easy to get a hold of due to releasing late in the Wii’s life-cycle which made it a prime candidate for a full remake, the most recent Switch entry for Kirby.
Uplifting the graphics but maintaining that signature charm,Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxeis a textbook example of revitalizing an older game. The developers also added some new additional content which centered around Magolor and filled in narrative events of what happens to the little wizard following his climactic battle with Kirby.
Ah, the mirror dimension. Where would fiction be without it? Where friends are foes and foes present unlikely allies.Kirby and the Amazing Mirroris one of the hardest games in the series to complete but perhaps not for the reasons you might think. Shifting focus againKirby and the Amazing Mirroris more of a Metroidvania experience with the entire game consisting of one large labyrinth.
Players must navigate the overlapping levels to locate the mirror shards within and defeat the bosses keeping guard. It’s a very cool design, but it lacks a fundamental feature of the genre, a good map. Paths will lead you around in circles and unlike other games in the series, players can re-trigger boss fights each time they encounter them. Without an online guide players can easily find themselves retreading steps and fighting the same bosses. It is arguably the most unique mainline entry though and iswell worth the satisfaction of cracking the maze.
The pinnacle of Kirby puzzle games finally has the chance to be appreciated outside its time. As mentioned, HAL Laboratory has often experimented with peripherals as well as mechanics and this was the first key example of that. The originalKirby Tilt ‘n’ Tumblecartridge featured a built-in accelerometer that could measure the movements of theGame Boy.
Players must guide Kirby to a target by physically tilting their console in a game style similar to theSuper Monkey Ballseries. It truly was ahead of its time, but the Nintendo Switch Online version benefits from the advancement in technology, making use of the same system used in some shrine challenges inThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.Creating a more accurate and better version of the game for new audiences.
HAL Laboratory had plans to take the series 3D sinceKirby 64: The Crystal Shardsas it was a popular leap for franchises of the time. A proper 3D sequel was actually slated to be released on the GameCube butthe project ended up being canceled, leaving it as the only console generation without a new mainline Kirby title.
It would be almost another 20 years before Kirby would make the long-anticipated leap into 3D and it did not disappoint with one of the most critically acclaimed entries in the entire series.Kirby and the Forgotten Landsuccessfully added a new layer of depth to the platforming series, most notably in the revamped boss battles. It’s an epic and diverse adventure that earned a spot amongthe best platformers on Switch, but it’s still not the best Kirby game on the console.
Perhaps it’s the nostalgia talking butKirby Super Starremains the definitive Kirby experience for many life-long fans and the critical reception of the time supports that belief. Kirby Superstar featured the original ‘allies’ system, allowing the player to relinquish their copy ability to spawn an AI companion. An actually helpful and functional AI companion all the way back in 1996!
Kirby Super Staris an anthology of smaller games, the most notable beingThe Great Cave Offensive,a Metroidvania that sees Kirby spelunking for treasures that pay homage to Nintendo’s other franchises, andRevenge of Meta Knight,the only timethe popular anti-herohas appeared as an outright villain. One of the most fleshed-out narratives in the series ends with Kirby’s epic dash atop Wheelie to escape the Halberd before it plummets to the ground.
