I don’t think there’s anyone on this earth or even in Dreamland who knows where Kirby went to? Announced, then canceled. Then announced again, then delayed. Currently still cropping up under the radar, mysteriously, on cryptic Japanese release date calendars. No, we don’t know where Kirby went but we’re going to try to help him find his way back.
Kirby’s Wii Adventure is what I’m talking about, of course — a game that was first announced as being in development for the GameCube back in 2004 before it fell into obscurity and got onto the confusing roller-coaster ride it has been on ever since. The game will appear to be canceled, I’ll mourn its loss, and I’ll move on. But then inexplicably, it’ll pop up again — through some blogger’s rumor report or even official Nintendo press releases. And then the waiting game is back on until the whole cycle repeats itself. We’ve been through these ups and downs several times already through the past decade.
So what’s the deal? Is Kirby’s Wii Adventure actually on its way, or isn’t it? Well, it’s probably safe to say that the game does still exist, that it’s still in development, and Nintendo actually does intend to eventually release it — its continued appearance on NCL’s release calendars is confirmation enough of that. And if that confirmation isn’t enough, consider that this has all happened before with a console Kirby title — Kirby Air Ride, which originally announced before the launch of the Nintendo 64 in 1996, actually never made it to market until over seven years later in 2003. Kirby likes to take his time.
But with so much time having passed since the Kirby Adventure game’s initial announcement in 2004, the question now becomes in what form would it be when and if it does arrive? On the GameCube the game was first presented as being fairly traditional; A side-scrolling platformer starring the powerful pink powder puff, running around and inhaling enemies, stealing their powers, and doing all the rest of the generally expected “Kirby” things. It appeared to be a straightforward follow-up to the then-previous-generation’s last home console installment in the same series, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards with updated graphics (and perhaps the same side-scrolling engine) from Super Smash Bros. Melee. At the same time the game did look pretty run-of-the-mill.
Kirby’s GameCube Adventure promised new additions to the series’ standard formula — most notably, multiplayer. In a manner similar to the system first seen in the recently-remixed SNES Kirby Super Star, our rotund hero was set to once again have the ability to not only absorb enemies’ abilities, but also gain their loyalty. After inhaling a foe, the player controlling Kirby could choose to then expel that enemy back into the playing field as an ally. Computer AI would take command of the new foe-turned-friend if the game was running with just one human at the helm, but an additional second player could plug in a second controller and take command of the partner characters at any time too.
Two simultaneous players was the maximum on the SNES — the GameCube Adventure was ready to double that number, taking advantage of the purple console’s four native controller ports to allow for four players to all work together at once. One player controlling Kirby and three others in command of his recruited friends, the playing field would be filled with rampaging, destructive, and overly cute good guys.
Kirby would additionally have been able to jump on top of his friends and ride on their backs, all at once, in a teetering totem pole of characters. Perhaps that mechanic would have combined all four characters’ powers into single, focused attack or perhaps it just would have looked funny. ??That’s what the unreleased Kirby’s Adventure game may have been like, had it actually come out on the GameCube.
But would a game that last saw motion in 2005 still remain the same if it got released in 2009? Maybe, but probably not.
Nintendo (and the developers at HAL Laboratory) have no doubt revisited, remixed and re-polished that design over the course of the past four years, in which we’ve seen no new screenshots or video of the project appear. In bringing the game to the Wii, it can only be assumed that some semblance of Wii control would have been added in. Just as Super Paper Mario was reworked from its Cube roots to support the Remote’s pointer functionality, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess had its swordplay transferred from a button press to a waggle motion, and Donkey Kong Barrel Blast had its control scheme completely retrofitted from originally being intended for the GameCube Bongo Controller to being instead based on nonsensical gyrations with the Remote and Nunchuk attachments, we have good reason to also assume Kirby’s Wii Adventure control mechanism also be made Wii-specific in some way.
Then again, to immediately refute that point we have the example of Super Smash Bros. Brawl’s Subspace Emissary mode. The single-player (or two player simultaneous) adventure mode attached to Nintendo’s character cross-over fighting game is undoubtedly the closest thing we currently have to a new side-scrolling Kirby adventure on Wii, especially since Brawl was headlined by Kirby creator Masahiro Sakurai. It proved that Nintendo still has the capacity to offer its fans a traditional side-scrolling adventure on a home console — normal control style and all.
The best product to look to when trying to guess what Kirby’s Wii Adventure might ultimately be similar could very well be Nintendo’s other console side-scroller released this year — Wario Land: Shake It!, which offers an example of a fused design, in that while you mostly control it in a traditional manner with the Wii Remote held sideways, you’re also called upon to physically shake the controller fairly frequently. You couldn’t have done this on the GameCube. Perhaps Kirby’s Wii debut would be similar — mostly handled with a straightforward, NES style control scheme but then mixed up with some occasional shaking or pointing motions.
As you can no doubt tell, it’s difficult to pinpoint anything about a project that’s been locked into radio silence since a time before the “Wii” name was even known. What we can be sure of and hope towards is Kirby’s Wii Adventure marked as still on the way. We can be sure that the demand is still there, because the fans are still asking about it even to this day. And we can be sure that, whether it arrives as a completely traditional platformer or with some ridiculous new Wii-only control scheme, it will still be welcomed with open arms. The success of past games migrating from the GameCube to the Wii, like Super Paper Mario and Twilight Princess; the success of first-party console side-scrollers like Wario Land and Super Smash Bros. Brawl’s Subspace mode, and even the impending release of the blatantly ported “Play it on Wii” lineup, all point to the continued viability of Kirby as a potential hit for the Big N. Now it just needs to actually come out.
So come on, Kirby. I have no clue where you went, but I’m tired of waiting around not knowing what happened. Pick up a phone, give me a call, and let me know you’re all right and on your way home soon, because those release lists can only cry wolf so many times before faith is gone.
The Xbox version of Final Fantasy XVI has failed to enter the platform's top 20 paid games list, indicating weak launch sales performance.
If it ain't on gamepass, they ain't interested.
Great job MS for training most of your player base to not want to actually buy games, maybe SE will realise releasing FF on xbox isn't somehow going to help them match their exaggerated sales targets. Hopefully remake fairs better, probably will on Switch 2 at least.
No game, especially a AAA one, deserves strong sales after taking years to arrive on a platform and still asking the same price as everywhere else. You can’t just ignore a platform for that long and then expect people to be excited by the release. That cycle came and went already, there is no hype for it anymore.
Either you're all in from the start or you're not. This lazy, bare-minimum approach of tossing out a late port and calling it a day shouldn't be rewarded. If you're not willing to respect the platform, don't bother showing up at all.
But the formerly exclusive Xbox games like Forza Horizon enjoyed great sales on PS even after years past their initial release.
Your references to deserving and "shouldn't be rewarded" implies that gamers are buying games based on some moral platitude that simply doesn't exist in practice.
Gamers buy games because they want to play them.
This is EXACTLY why they wouldn't and shouldn't bother im the first place. I can't remember which FF game launched on Xbox with the Switch and Playstation version and ONLY did 4% sales on Xbox. So lets not pretend these sales would have been better because if you believe that you are absolutely delusional
Wait but I was told by Xbox fans that they support FF and these franchises? Weird. Shocked
Survival Kids tries and fails to rekindle an old Konami franchise by bringing it to the Switch 2, but ends up leaving it stranded and to fend for its own.
Fast Fusion delivers frenetic, futuristic racing at a budget-friendly price.
Kirby went to go hang out with Star Fox and Captain Falcon
I can't agree more with the views on this blog. Kirby is a very underrated Nintendo character and IP. I love the games, somehow playing as a cutsey little character that can swallow enemies and use their powers against others is just badass. The platform games have brilliant design and great happy soundtracks. Can't wait for Nintendo do give Kirby a real, 3D (or for that matter 2D,like Warioland: Shake it!) Wii game.
That's right, in my book; Kirby is BADASS.
Very good, well written blog! I am also a a Kirby fan, but I must admit I am not of the NES-generation sort. I believe my first encounter with Kirby was back on the N64 with Kirby and the Crystal Shards. I have to admit, at my age back then, I didn't really pay much attention to "story" or "graphics" or even "level design". All I knew was that game was a lot of fun and I miss it to this day.
I also really liked the GBA/DS Kirby games like Squeak Squad and such. So, I'll be on that waiting list for the next Kirby as well.
*absorbs blog*