KIRBY AIR RIDE – (2003) GAMECUBE
We felt like we couldn’t discuss the most fun Kirby games without talking about that one time when he and his friends took to the tracks and participated in a racing game for the Nintendo GameCube back in 2003. Kirby Air Ride featured various tracks and vehicles to use in the main festivities of the game, but there was one particular mode in Air Ride that really took the spotlight and didn’t really involve racing for the most of it.
City Trial mode throws you and up to four players into a large map that includes a city, forest, volcano, and cave area that has tons of different vehicles that are up for grabs and can be destroyed and used to attack other players. Random events happen throughout the trial that mixes up the map and causes everyone to run around like chickens that got their heads cut off. The point of City Trial you ask? Well, there are power-ups all around the map that you have to pickup to power up your vehicle. Once the timer runs out, everyone is thrown into a variety of mini-games that include drag racing in which your power-ups will greatly help to succeed.
Running around the City Trial was always way more fun and comical than the actual game at the end of the mode. Air Ride will always be remembered as the game that made racing not too much exciting as say, Mario Kart, but did manage to do everything else right.
KIRBY MASS ATTACK – (2011) DS
I’m sure that you’re used to playing as one singular Kirby, but have you ever wondered what it would be like to control 10 Kirby’s simultaneously? Kirby Mass Attack switches up the formula of the traditional Kirby games and uses the stylus only for all of your gameplay needs. You flick the puffballs all around the screen, attacking enemies, destroying blocks/walls, and pulling levers to advance in the stages.
If you think about how Olimar controls his Pikmin and how they fight, that’s pretty much what Mass Attack feels like. If you throw multiple Kirby’s onto one big enemy, they all cutely latch on and cause some major damage before they get flung off causing you to throw them all again. It’s frantic and fun and shakes up what you know about the round pink ball of cuteness.
KIRBY: NIGHTMARE IN DREAM LAND – (2002) GBA
If you’re not a huge expert on the lore of the franchise (believe me, it’s enormous and crucial to Nintendo’s history) you might not know that Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land for the Game Boy Advance is actually a remake of the classic Kirby’s Adventure for the NES. The GBA remake made the title way more fun to play by enhancing the visuals, adding new mini-games and including another whole campaign that lets you play as the hero’s rival, Meta Knight.
The wide array of copy abilities, the wide variety of levels for you to complete, and the added content makes Nightmare in Dreamland one of the best traditional Kirby games to hit Nintendo’s handhelds. The pink puffball has been part of a ton of titles but I’m sure the little guy is happy to be remembered for his Nightmare in Dream Land.
KIRBY SUPER STAR ULTRA – (2008) DS
Kirby Super Star Ultra is a huge compilation that contains more than 10 “games” for you to play, some full-fledged and some sub/mini-games that are still insanely fun to play. The original Super Star came out on the SNES back in 1996 but Nintendo put out an enhanced remake and added the Ultra in the title. The DS version included everything in the original of course, but featured DS exclusive modes that lets you play as Meta Knight and for vets, a harder difficulty mode for Spring Breeze, which is a full remake of the first-ever game in the series, Kirby’s Dream Land.
Super Star Ultra is packed to the brim of content that leaves nothing to the imagination and showcased how a Kirby game can be more than just “good” but leaves you with the feeling of joy and pleasure whilst playing.
KIRBY’S EPIC YARN – (2010) WII
If you thought Kirby was already cute, just you wait. Kirby’s Epic Yarn is hands-down one of the most prettiest and cutest games on the Nintendo Wii. The yarn aesthetic that Nintendo incorporated into the world worked so well together and managed to surprise players around every corner.
Kirby loses his copy abilities in Epic Yarn, but it’s replaced with transformation powers that turns him into different things like a dolphin and a car. You can use a whip this time around to attack enemies and unravel pieces of fabric to uncover secret items and find hidden paths. The graphic style with the cloth and fabrics made for an enjoyable yet easy adventure for the series, especially if you had a second player by your side to ooh and ahh with.
What’s your favorite game in the series? Let us know in the comments down below.
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