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Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

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Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
星のカービィ 64
TheCrystalShards.jpg
Developer(s): HAL Laboratory
Publisher(s): Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo 64
Category: Platformer
Players: 1-4
Predecessor: Kirby's Dream Land 3
Successor: Kirby & The Amazing Mirror
Release dates
N. America: June 26, 2000 (N64)
February 25, 2008 (VC)
Japan: March 24, 2000 (N64)
April 15, 2008 (VC)
Europe: June 22, 2001 (N64)
March 7, 2008 (VC)
S. Korea: September 16, 2008 (VC)
Ratings
ESRB: E
CERO: A
PEGI: 3
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Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is a game in the Kirby series for the Nintendo 64, and is the first mainline game to feature fully-rendered 3D graphics.

Blurb

Dart past enemies, soar the skies and swim the depths of the ocean as Kirby takes on Dark Matter in an all-new adventure. Inhale, exhale and swallow your enemies, then copy and combine their abilities and use them as your own! Team up with familiar friends and foes - like Waddle Dee and King Dedede - as you travel through dreamy worlds in search of the lost Crystal Shards.

Story

The events of the story kickstart with Dark Matter's invasion on Ripple Star, a planet inhabited by fairies. Ribbon is tasked with carrying the large crystal to a safe place by orders of the queen, who was concerned about its safety. However, Ribbon is pursued and attacked by Dark Matter, who splits the crystal into several Crystal Shards while Ribbon crash-lands into Pop Star. Kirby agrees to help the troubled Ribbon find all the Crystal Shards, and the two are eventually joined by Waddle Dee, Adeleine, and King Dedede as they travel several planets in search of the lost shards.

Kirby and his friends eventually arrive on Ripple Star and defeat Miracle Matter, the apparent master of Dark Matter. If the player has not collected all Crystal Shards beforehand, Ripple Star appears to have been restored to peace with Kirby and friends waving goodbye as they depart for home, although the Queen remains influenced by Dark Matter and gives an evil glare. If the player has collected all Crystal Shards, the large crystal manages to expel Dark Matter from the Queen, with Kirby and friends giving chase to it as it forms Dark Star. Kirby and Ribbon eventually square off and defeat 0², the true mastermind of the game in Dark Star. Afterwards, the Queen awards Kirby and friends with pieces of the crystal for bringing true peace back to Ripple Star, and Kirby receives a kiss from Ribbon as the story closes.

Gameplay

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards features rendered 3D graphics for the first time in any main series Kirby game, however it remains with the usual 2D side-scrolling gameplay. Kirby has only seven Copy Abilities - Burn, Stone, Ice, Needle, Bomb, Spark, and Cutter. However, he can combine these abilities with one another to form 28 different Power Combos. These Power Combos feature a wide array of new attacks for Kirby to use, from tossing food at enemies as a refrigerator to launching missiles from Kirby's mouth.

There are six levels in the game, each containing three to four stages and one boss fight at the end. Each regular stage has three Crystal Shards to find, with some being hidden behind puzzles, mid-bosses or blocks that require certain abilities or Power Combos to break through. Each boss guards a Crystal Shard which is obtained after their defeat. Collecting all the Crystal Shards is required for 100% completion as they are required to see the true ending of the game.

There are three Mini-Games which can be played with up to 4 players - Bumper Crop Bump, Checkerboard Chase, and 100-Yard Hop. Each Mini-Game have four different difficulties to choose from. An additional boss endurance mode named "Boss Battles" is unlocked after defeating 0², the final boss of the game.

Technical details

Technical Details
Media

Nintendo 64 Game Pak
Digital download (Nintendo 3DS)

Input / compatible controllers

Original: Nintendo 64 Controller
Wii: Classic Controller, Nintendo GameCube Controller
Wii U: Wii U GamePad, Wii U Pro Controller, Classic Controller
Nintendo Switch: Joy-Con, Nintendo Switch Pro Controller

Other releases

Title Cover art Platform Release date(s) Notes
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards Wii (Virtual Console) NA: February 25, 2008
EU/AUS: March 7, 2008
JP: April 15, 2008
A direct port of the game released as a digital download on the Wii Shop Channel, with added Virtual Console features.
Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition Kirby's Dream Collection NA box.jpg Wii JP: July 19, 2012
NA: September 16, 2012
A direct port of the game bundled alongside five classic Kirby series titles.
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards Wii U (Virtual Console) EU/AUS: June 25-26, 2015
NA: July 30, 2015
JP: August 19, 2015
A direct port of the game released as a digital download on the Nintendo eShop for Wii U, with added Virtual Console features.
Nintendo 64 - Nintendo Switch Online Nintendo Switch WW: May 20, 2022 A direct port of the original game released as one of the titles included to play through the Nintendo 64 - Nintendo Switch Online application, with added emulator features. The application is available exclusively to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers.

External Links


Kirby series logo
Main series

Kirby's Dream Land • Adventure (Nightmare in Dream Land) • Dream Land 2 • Super Star (Ultra) • Dream Land 3 • 64: The Crystal Shards • Amazing Mirror • Squeak Squad • Return to Dream Land (Deluxe) • Triple Deluxe • Planet Robobot • Star Allies • Forgotten Land

Other games
Compilation
Spin-off
Other
Arcade
Canceled
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