Category:Kirby

Kirby
Developer(s)	HAL Laboratory
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Year introduced	1992
Genre(s)	Platform, Puzzle, Sports, Racing
Website	https://kirby.nintendo.com/

WiKirby has an article about: Kirby (series)

Kirby (星のカービィ, Hoshi no Kābī^?, "Kirby of the Stars") is a series of video games created in 1992 by Masahiro Sakurai and primarily developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo. Other developers involved with the series include Nintendo themselves, as well as Compile, Flagship, Dimps, Good-Feel, Arika, Vanpool, and Sora.

The series stars a small pink creature named Kirby, who often protects his home planet of Popstar from various threats. Although his capabilities change from game to game, Kirby's signature ability is the ability to inhale his enemies to either spit them out as projectiles or copy their abilities, similar to Mega Man. This ability was introduced in Kirby's Adventure, the second game in the series, and has since become a recurring element of the series and Kirby's identity. Another notable trait Kirby has is his capacity to fly for extended or often unlimited periods of time. This, among other gameplay elements, were implemented to make Kirby a series that anyone can play regardless of their experience with action games, all while containing optional challenges for skilled players.

Games in the Kirby series can be divided into two categories. The main series consists of platformers such as Kirby's Dream Land, Kirby & the Amazing Mirror, and Kirby Star Allies. These are primarily side-scrolling 2D platformers, with Kirby and the Forgotten Land being the first fully 3D title. On the other hand, Kirby also stars in a number of spinoff games spanning a variety of genres, such as the isometric golfing game Kirby's Dream Course and racing game Kirby Air Ride. Some spinoffs are also side-scrollers, but with a different spin from the usual gameplay (typically involving the features of the system the game is on), such as Kirby: Mass Attack and Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, both of which use the touch screen capabilities of the Nintendo DS and Wii U respectively.

One of the more notable aspects of the Kirby series is its aesthetics. Friends and foes alike are often cute, round creatures who disappear in clouds of stars or simply fall off the screen upon being defeated. Popstar, the planet where much of the series takes place, is full of bright and colorful locales, including tropical paradises, food-themed levels, and surreal places such as the Fountain of Dreams. That said, some of the game's bosses and underlying story elements are notorious for being significantly darker compared to the rest of their games.

Another notable aspect of the Kirby series is how late the games often appear in a platform's lifespan, in contrast to other Nintendo series such as Pilotwings and Mario Kart, which usually appear early in a system's lifespan. For instance, Kirby's Adventure was released on the NES well over two years after the SNES came out. Kirby's Dream Land 3, Kirby's Dream Collection, and Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn would be the last major games published by Nintendo for the SNES, Wii, and 3DS respectively. This is often the result of HAL Laboratory developing games for systems they have experience with to ensure a polished product.

In general, the Kirby series has been a success, though not to the same degree as some other Nintendo franchises such as Mario or Zelda. Forty-million copies have been sold across 39 games in the series, with Kirby and the Forgotten Land selling the most copies as of 2025 at over 7.5 million. Kirby games generally receive positive reception, though the series tends not to receive widespread critical acclaim. Many of the highest-rated Kirby games tend to be the larger spinoffs that deviate from the typical formula, such as Kirby's Epic Yarn and Kirby: Canvas Curse.