Kirby Conversations | Exploring Kirby, Nintendo, and More

If you want to remake a game, Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land is a perfect example of how to do it. It keeps almost everything players loved about the original Kirby's Adventure while adding new elements, quality of life adjustments, multiplayer, and even the opportunity to play as Meta-Knight. Rather than replacing the original, it offers a separate but familiar experience, wrapped in a new visual style and ready to be taken on the go with the Game Boy Advance. Joining Sean, Gigi, and Bridge today is writer, DJ, and podcaster Matt "Stormageddon" (@djstormageddon.com), here to share why...

We know listeners have been requesting more Smash Bros. content, so today we're going deep into the weeds of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate meta with friend of the show Lucy "Winters" Hayes (@lucyelise.bsky.social on Bluesky). Lucy is a longtime Smash Bros. competitive player and commentator, and Sean and Gigi are talking with her about UltRank's carefully assembled 2026 SSBU tier list that was just posted in May. (You can find the list here, and it may be helpful to look at during our conversation.) As Sean and Gigi ask questions about the list, Lucy is more than...

Kirby Battle Royale is a game often considered one of the worst Kirby games, and it was no doubt disappointing that the game wasn't larger in scope or equipped with better online features (especially for a game all about multiplayer battles). But behind the game's flaws is a clever minigame collection with surprisingly good 3D Kirby combat, a lot of unlockables, and creative experiments that still make the game stand out today. It was the first Kirby game to offer native support for online multiplayer, it offered post-launch DLC, and it gave players the rare opportunity to vote on...

What makes a game a good Kirby-adjacent recommendation? Is it the ability to use enemy powers? Smash Bros.-like controls? Or maybe just solid platforming with a round, memorable character? For this episode, we cover all of these elements and more with another list of non-Kirby games we think Kirby fans should try. We're deliberately going in this weeds with some of these choices, spanning multiple consoles and even one never-released Super Famicom title, and we hope you walk away having learned about at least a few new games you want to check out.

Questions or...

For this episode, Sean and Bridget are joined by two guests from the Kirby Air Riders competitive community, Kinix and SUPAH! Kinix is a freelance game developer, Kirby Air Ride veteran, and moderator of the Kirby Air Ride Online Discord server. SUPAH is a streamer and competitive player also active with Mario Kart and other racing games. Join us a for a chill conversation on how the competitive meta of Air Riders is evolving, how to follow the community's regular tournaments, and some of their favorite recent moments and experiences with the game. They have some awesome stories to...

Is this bonus episode, Sean, Bridget, and Gigi are answering more listener questions, covering their favorite bosses, Kirby Super Star ninja tech, the mysterious Earth-like features of Kirby 64's Shiver Star, and more.

Thank you to everyone who submitted questions to the show, and if you'd like to share something with us, like a discussion question or a recommendation for a future episode, we're always excited to hear from listeners. You can reach us at mail@kirbyconversations.com or submit your question to us on social media.

We've gotten quite a few questions...

In this episode, Sean interviews Given, the creator behind the YouTube channel Channel Kirby. Channel Kirby offers creative, thoughtful, and polished commentary on the Kirby series, and people have noticed, with some of the channel's most popular videos reaching over 100,000 views. In our conversation, Given shares how he got started with the channel, some of his YouTube strategies, his favorite Kirby games, and what kind of presence Kirby has in Germany, his home country. And of course we ask the question all listeners are wondering: could you make a hour-long episode or video about Kirby Slide?

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We know listeners have been asking for an episode on Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, so for this episode Sean and Gigi are finally unpacking the surreal charms of Kirby's anime series. Sean is relatively new to the show, while Gigi is more familiar and has watched it in multiple languages. Together they go over the history of the show's development, trivia, surprising connections between the animation team and other Kirby games, and their own thoughts on what it's like to watch this fun, if decidedly different, take on the Kirby universe in 2026.

What did you...

For this episode, Sean and Bridget are hitting the streets and the slopes with more discussion of Kirby Air Riders and a batch of winter game recommendations. After breaking down some competitive strategies for City Trial, they consider other games that are a good fit for the winter months, including snowboarding games and the SSX series. (The earliest unreleased versions of Kirby Air Ride for the Nintendo 64 actually seemed to have a lot in common with snowboarding games, so the genres have some common connections.) And of course, they had to mention the Air Riders patch notes—because Rick wa...

Happy holidays everyone! This is just a quick update to share that we are running a holiday giveaway with the podcasts Pixels and Polygons and Flashback 64, our fellow shows in the Sound Stone Network.

From now until January 1st, if you subscribe to our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@SoundStone-Network, you'll be automatically entered to win a $100 Nintendo gift card. We will choose a random subscriber on 1/1/26 and contact you if you have won (so please make sure your profile is public or there is some visible way to reach you). We do plan to...

Kirby Air Riders is finally here, and Bridget, Sean, and Gigi are breaking down their early impressions. While it probably won't come as a surprise that we all really like the game, we have a lot to share about our first few days playing both solo and together in multiplayer. Since the game is still so new, we're avoiding spoilers in this one and just sharing our general thoughts on its signature Sakurai design elements, our favorite tracks, characters, and modes, and the appeal we think this game might have even for people who don't normally play Kirby games...

On a recent episode of Darren Hupke's podcast Pixels and Polygons (linked here), friend of the show Nic McConnell shared a "hot take" about video game patches. We'll let Nic share the nuances of his take in the show itself, but he was essentially expressing that he thought video games should not be patched as often as they are. We thought this was an intriguing idea worth unpacking even further—and one that was perhaps not quite as controversial as it was initially presented.

What is gained and lost when players can no longer access the or...

2014's Kirby: Triple Deluxe marked Kirby's debut on the 3DS. Combining Kirby's familiar 2D platforming with 3D effects, motion controls, and other functionalities of the 3DS, it's a true product of the quirky, experimental energy of early 2010's Nintendo. Gigi is our host today, and with Sean and Bridget, we're looking back at what made Triple Deluxe special. We explore its history, share trivia, and remember its particular connections with MiiVerse and StreetPass. And, of course, we also speculate on whether Taranza would join Air Riders–which we now know is a resounding yes!

Questions or co...

With innovative controls, a unique claymation aesthetic, an outstanding soundtrack, and a surprising mix of charm and challenge, 2015's Kirby and the Rainbow Curse still offers so much to enjoy ten years later. So why is it one of Kirby's most polarizing games? Canvas Curse fan Nic McConnell returns to Kirby Conversations to discuss the game, which he and Sean have been playing for the first time. And Gigi, already familiar with the game, is here to offer her takes as well. They also reflect on the general experience of playing the Wii U again in 2025, look up director...

In this episode, Sean and Gigi are unpacking the brand new Star-Crossed World content from the Nintendo Switch 2 edition of Kirby and the Forgotten Land. They discuss the many things that stood out to them, like the graphics, complex levels, and amazing new soundtrack, while also considering how nice (and surprising) it is to return to Forgotten Land three years later. At the same time, both have some ideas for how the structure and level design of Forgotten Land could be adjusted for future 3D Kirby outings. This episode is mostly spoiler free, but at 1:05:52 they do shift to...

This is just a short episode to catch you up on our new schedule and a new show coming to the Sound Stone Network. And, of course, we had to include some reflections on all the reveals today from the Kirby Air Riders Nintendo Direct! Sean is here to share some brief updates and Air Riders takes, and we'll be back again at the start of September (if not before then) with a long look into Star-Crossed World.

Questions or comments about the show? Please reach out to us at mail@kirbyconversations.com. For this episode...

In this episode we're off to the races, revisiting the Gourmet Race from Kirby Super Star. This short subgame gave us our first taste of Kirby racing back in 1996, and while it may just take a few minutes to reach the end and beat King Dedede, the game packs a surprising amount of depth for those looking to maximize their best times. Bridget has a few tips to share for anyone trying to shave a few seconds off their runs, and we also take a look back at the history of the game, wild Japanese speedrunning tech, and Jun...

While Kirby games are known for their accessibility, they also have a reputation among some for being on the easy side. But even if a particular game isn't hard enough for you, there are always ways you can add your own twists or gameplay ideas to turn up the challenge. So for this episode, Bridget, Sean, and Gigi are sharing their ideas for how you can make Kirby games harder—through timed challenges with your friends, playing with limitations on what powers you can use, and more. And the main event for this episode: taking on Extra Mode in th...

In this episode we're looking back at the history of Flagship—a unique studio founded by Final Fight/Street Fighter II creator Yoshiki Okamoto. Flagship received startup funding from Nintendo, Sega, and Capcom, and its game credits include everything from the Resident Evil series to Zelda and Kirby titles. We're also very intrigued by Okamoto's YouTube channel, but translating that will have to wait for another day...

Kirby Conversations is part of the Sound Stone Podcast Network, a collective of independent podcasters covering video game history. We are a founding show alongside Pixels and Polygons and Fl...

The summer is upon us (at least in the U.S.), and with it comes a bevy of new game announcements from events like Summer Game Fest and the Steam Next Fest. And in the spirit of summer game festivals, we're also looking back at the late, great E3.

For this episode, Ky "Captain Dangerous" Parker is sharing more of her favorite memories from E3's she's attended in the past—the exhibits she saw, the people she met, and what it was like to be there for some of Nintendo's biggest reveals of the Switch er...

Bridget has acquired a Switch 2, so for this episode she's sharing her first impressions and what's she's been playing on it so far. We also go over the significant performance boost she's seeing for older Switch titles, including fixing some noticeable slowdown in Kirby Star Allies. And we close with some reflections on the Switch 2's exciting new GameCube library.

What GameCube games would you like to see come to the Switch 2? And what have been your first impressions of the Switch 2 so far? Let us know at mail@kirbyconversations.com, and we may read your...

After Smash Bros. was first released in Japan in 1999, players flocked to the game's website, where Masahiro Sakurai posted survey results, game tips, and even answered players' emails. There are reams of emails left from this period that offer a fascinating, funny, and even touching look at nascent Smash Bros. culture. In this episode, Sean, Gigi, and Bridget look over some of these early surveys and conversations Sakurai had with fans. From speculation over a sequel to parents asking for advice on how to defeat their kids, and even a bit of unrelated Goldeneye advice, these classic emails are...

We're back with more listener questions this week, including some of the trickiest questions we've gotten so far. What are the hardest Kirby games to speedrun or 100%? What are our top three favorite Kirby games? And what our top three favorite games overall? There's some tough ranking to be made in this episode, and we appreciate listeners giving us some deep questions to chew on (or perhaps just inhale and swallow whole).

Questions or comments about the show? You can email us at mail@kirbyconversations.com and we may read your letter on a future episode.<...

How well does the original Super Smash Bros. hold up today? Who better to help us answer that question than our friends Gooey and McKenna of Flashback 64, the chronological Nintendo 64 podcast. Together we reflect on the game's development history (did you know one early idea for it was to make all the characters dogs?) and our own history with the game, which continues to be one most of us return to again and again. Despite the slowness and certain technological limitations compared to other entries, it turns out there's still a lot to love about the game—and we ca...

Thank you to everyone who visited our booth at the Midwest Gaming Classic this month! It was great to meet you, and thank you for submitting such thoughtful, creative, and funny questions to the show as well. It'll take several episodes to respond to every question, but for now here's a mailbag episode where we answer the first batch, about Smash Bros. characters, potential future Kirby gameplay ideas, and even one notorious recent indie game antihero.

If you don't hear your question in this episode, don't worry--we promise to get to it soon!

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After all the news from the April 2nd Nintendo Direct, we had to put out a bonus episode with our reactions and some of the additional information we've found about the Star-Crossed World upgrade for Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Kirby Air Riders, GameCube games on the Switch 2, and more. Who is this mysterious new Waddle Dee with a telescope in Star-Crossed World? Could Sakurai and Bandai Namco be bringing some of their sensibilities from Smash Bros. into Air Riders? And while the Switch 2 may be expensive, do the hundreds of dollars in rarer and pricey GameCube titles they're...

First announced in 2004, Kirby for Nintendo GameCube (which never received an official title beyond that) looked to be an ambitious Kirby adventure for a new console generation. But despite several exciting announcements, screenshots, and trailers that had Kirby fans of the 2000's eagerly anticipating its arrival, the game was quietly canceled, and it would be years before Kirby saw another non-handheld release. What happened to Kirby for GCN, and what kind of game would it have been? There's actually a lot we can piece together, so for this episode Sean, Bridget, and Gigi are going through all the information...

Gigi, one of our co-hosts and the Editor-in-Chief of WiKirby, is back from a long trip to Japan. During the last episode we talked with her about her more Kirby-centric experiences, like the Kirby Cafes, and for this show we're moving the conversation more generally to the other Nintendo things she saw--including the Nintendo Museum. There are some parts of the museum they don't let visitors photograph, so we enjoyed hearing this inside account of what all the museum has to offer. There's also time to discuss Japan's Pokémon locales and, of course, the Kirby arcade game.

Gigi recently spent several weeks in Japan, and she's back to tell us all about it! In this episode we mainly focus on the Kirby experiences, including a detailed discussion of her time at the Kirby Cafes. She has plenty to share on how to secure a reservation at one of these massively popular theme restaurants, her thoughts on the food and décor, and how it all compares to the similarly popular Pokémon Cafes. We also discuss Kirby's ubiquitous presence in Japan more broadly and how it compares to the U.S. and Brazil.

Ne...

Drumroll please...it's time for an episode on drumming to Kirby music in non-Kirby games. Music class is in session as Bridget introduces Sean and Ky to the history of the Taiko no Tatsujin series, some of which contain Kirby songs and cameos. They also reflect on the iconic DK bongos and the Kirby songs that were playable in the GameCube's Donkey Konga series.

The 2000's saw a surprising boom of rhythm games with instrument peripherals, from Taiko no Tatsujin to Guitar Hero. Would you want to see this trend return? And what instruments would you...

In this episode, Sean and Bridget are joined by special guest Nic McConnell, Age Ratings Manager at Riot Games, to discuss his favorite Kirby game: Kirby Canvas Curse. Together they reflect on Canvas Curse's amazing visuals and level design, the enduring appeal of the DS's touchscreen controls, and the unique background of the game's director Motomi Katayama (who worked on a surprising range of series from Ridge Racer to Tekken). Then for the latter part of the show, Nic describes his work in the age ratings space, with fascinating insights on what it's like to help Riot navigate the...

Ky "Captain Dangerous" Parker has been away from the podcast for a bit, so in this episode we're catching up with her on her latest miniature projects, current photography work, and what it's like to be a Nintendo Ambassador during the quiet period before a new console launch. Speaking of which, the Switch 2 was just revealed, so we've got some thoughts and reflections to share on that as well—particularly when it comes to those potentially mouse-like new Joy-Cons.

This is a shorter episode, and for the time being our schedule going to start alternating episodes of...

For this episode, Sean sits down with composers Megan Kelz (https://diamondthorns.bandcamp.com) and Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/) for a conversation all about the music of Kirby. They go in-depth on the artists behind Kirby's famous songs, highlighting many of their favorite tracks along the way, and explore the actual music theory and instrumentation behind what makes that signature Kirby sound.

Megan composed "Winds of Change," the music we use as our theme music, and Duncan provided the new arrangement you hear at the start and end of every show. We are...

As you gather with friends and family for the holidays, you may consider returning to 2022's Kirby's Dream Buffet—a budget-friendly party game that packs a lot of fun into $15. While not a traditional Kirby game (he's just rolling in ball form here), Dream Buffet still has tons of unlockables and more than twenty food-inspired stages of racing, battles, and mini-games. For this episode, Bridget, Sean, and Gigi dig into the feast of secrets and trivia both within and surrounding the game, including details from its related Japanese light novel and the unique way it was marketed in Brazil as...

For this episode we're heading back to 1990--and forward to 2056--for Kabuki: Quantum Fighter, a pre-Kirby sci-fi platformer that marked the first time HAL Laboratory published a game they did not develop themselves. Sean and Bridget are here to discuss this bizarre adventure, in which a kabuki actor (actually a colonel who got uploaded into Earth's main defense computer) flips and hair-whips his way to defeating an evil virus. It might not be one of HAL's greatest hits, but if you're into classic NES platformers, Kabuki: Quantum Fighter is still a good time today (although you might want to...

It's almost 2025, and while the biggest announcements for the Switch's successor are still shrouded in mystery, there's already a lot we know about what's coming for Kirby next year. In this episode, Sean and Gigi break down what for sure is coming, what is likely coming based on our best estimates, and even a few more wild predictions toward the end.

Want to reach out? You can email us at mail@kirbyconversations.com and we may read your letter on a future episode.

We will also now be uploading more visual versions of...

Did you know Kirby's Avalanche is the only Kirby game never to release in Japan? That's because it's the Western version of Super Puyo Puyo, redesigned with Kirby characters instead of the usual Puyo Puyo crowd. (This also explains why Kirby is a little sassier in this one, as his personality is modeled after Puyo Puyo protagonist Arle Nadja.)

For this episode of Kirby Conversations, Sean, Bridget, and Gigi are going through the history of this classic Kirby puzzle game, with an avalanche of trivia, history, other puzzle games we recommend, and even notes on the...

With Halloween approaching for our staff and listeners in the U.S., for this episode we decided to explore our favorite scarier or high-tension moments from Kirby games. From frightening final bosses to surprisingly sophisticated moments that explore themes like death or colonialism, the Kirby series is no stranger to going to some darker places. (Lest this sound like a heavy episode, we have plenty of fun with this topic along the way, and in fact this interplay between Kirby games' lighter and darker sides is something we feel many players enjoy about the series.) And in the last...

For this episode, we're flashing back to the original Kirby's Return to Dream Land on Wii with Gooey and McKenna of the Nintendo 64 podcast Flashback 64. Even with the KRtDL remake out on Switch, the original still holds up with its distinct art style, motion controls, and even some unique content. And for fans of retro Kirby games, it may come the closest of any of them to capturing that spirit of the lost GameCube game once shown in trailers so many years ago.

Some of us from Kirby Conversations recently appeared on Flashback 64 to discuss Kirby's...

Gigi has been translating Japanese developer interviews from the Kirby Star Allies artbook, and with it she's discovered some intriguing new insights about the history of KSA's extensive DLC. So for this episode, we're talking all about KSA's final DLC mode Heroes in Another Dimension and all the character additions the game received throughout 2018. How do we feel about DLC in Kirby games, and how did the developers' plans change (drastically) from what they originally had in mind? And what do we make of the complex, inspired, and sometimes technologically boundary-pushing challenges of Another Dimension? Listen as we set...