The ''Kirby''

video game series This is a list of video game franchises, organized alphabetically. All entries include multiple video games, not counting ports or altered re-releases. 0–9 *''1080° Snowboarding'' *''1942'' *''3D Ultra Minigolf'' *'' 3-D Ultra Pinball'' *''7 ...

is a franchise of

platform game A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are charac ...

s and other genres (including puzzle and

racing game Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic ra ...

s) published and produced by Nintendo. The games have been developed by Japan-based

HAL Laboratory formerly shortened as HALKEN (derived from its native name), is a Japanese video game developer founded on 21 February 1980. While independent, it has been closely tied with Nintendo throughout its history, and is often referred to as a seco ...

, a Nintendo

second-party developer A video game developer is a broad term for a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a large ...

. All ''Kirby'' video games have been developed exclusively for Nintendo

video game console A video game console is an electronic device that outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can be played with a game controller. These may be home consoles, which are generally placed in a permanent location connected to ...

s and

handhelds A mobile device (or handheld computer) is a computer small enough to hold and operate in the hand. Mobile devices typically have a flat LCD or OLED screen, a touchscreen interface, and digital or physical buttons. They may also have a physical ...

dating from the Nintendo Entertainment System to the current generation of video game consoles. The series debuted in Japan on April 27, 1992 with which later was released in the North American and

PAL Phase Alternating Line (PAL) is a colour encoding system for analogue television. It was one of three major analogue colour television standards, the others being NTSC and SECAM. In most countries it was broadcast at 625 lines, 50 fields (25 ...

regions on August 1992 as ''

Kirby's Dream Land ''Kirby's Dream Land'', known in Japan as , is a 1992 platform video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. It is the first game in the ''Kirby'' series and marks the debut of Kirby. It introduced many con ...

''. The series revolves around

Kirby Kirby may refer to: Buildings * Kirby Building, a skyscraper in Dallas, Texas, United States * Kirby Hall, an Elizabethan country house near Corby, Northamptonshire, England * Kirby House (disambiguation), various houses in England and the Unit ...

, the series' protagonist, and his adventures in the fictional world of

Pop Star A pop icon is a celebrity, character, or object whose exposure in popular culture is regarded as constituting a defining characteristic of a given society or era. The usage of the term is largely subjective since there are no definitively object ...

. A common gameplay element is Kirby's ability to copy enemy skills, allowing him to use them to progress through levels. This and other changes in gameplay from traditional platform games distinguish the series from other entries in the genre. Currently, the series contains twenty games. A one-hundred episode

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

series based on the video games, '' Kirby: Right Back at Ya!'', was created in Japan and formerly distributed by 4Kids TV in North America. A special 101st episode was created for the now retired Nintendo Video service, and was not in the anime style of the original 100 episodes. The ''Kirby'' series is among the best-selling video game franchises with over twenty million games sold worldwide. The franchise was conceived by

Masahiro Sakurai is a Japanese video game director and game designer best known as the creator of the '' Kirby'' and '' Super Smash Bros.'' series. Apart from his work on those series, he also led the design of '' Meteos'' in 2005 and directed '' Kid Icarus: U ...

as a game series for beginners, for which he partially attributes the series' success.

Video games

Platform games

Traditional

Non-traditional

Remakes

=Traditional

=Non-traditional

Spin-offs

*''

Kirby Battle Royale ''Kirby Battle Royale'' is a brawler multiplayer video game in the ''Kirby'' series. Developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo, the game was released on the Nintendo 3DS handheld game console in Europe and Japan in November 2017, and ...

'' (Known in Japan as ) - Released in 2017 on Nintendo 3DS. *''

Kirby Fighters Deluxe ''Kirby: Triple Deluxe'' is the thirteenth Platform game, platform and tenth mainline installment of the ''Kirby (series), Kirby'' video game series, developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. The game was release ...

'' - Released in 2014 for the Nintendo 3DS

eShop The Nintendo eShop is a digital distribution service powered by the Nintendo Network for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, and by a dedicated online infrastructure for the Nintendo Switch. Launched in June 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS, the eShop was ena ...

. It is a more complete version of the minigame ''Kirby Fighters'' from '' Kirby: Triple Deluxe''. Kirby (series) Kirby: Triple Deluxe *''

Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe ''Kirby: Triple Deluxe'' is the thirteenth platform and tenth mainline installment of the '' Kirby'' video game series, developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. The game was released in Japan on January 11, 20 ...

'' - Released in 2014 for the Nintendo 3DS

. It is a more complete version of the minigame ''Dedede's Drum Dash'' from '' Kirby: Triple Deluxe''. *''

Team Kirby Clash Deluxe ''Kirby: Planet Robobot'' is a 2016 platform game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the eleventh mainline installment in the ''Kirby series'' and the spiritual sequel to '' Triple Deluxe''. The st ...

'' - Released in 2017 for the Nintendo 3DS

. It is a free to play game. It is a more complete version of the minigame ''Team Kirby Clash'' from '' Kirby: Planet Robobot''. Kirby: Planet Robobot#Development *''

Kirby's Blowout Blast ''Kirby: Planet Robobot'' is a 2016 platform game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the eleventh mainline installment in the ''Kirby series'' and the spiritual sequel to '' Triple Deluxe''. The st ...

'' - Released in 2017 for the Nintendo 3DS

. It is a more complete version of the minigame ''Kirby 3D Rumble'' from '' Kirby: Planet Robobot''. *'' Super Kirby Clash'' - Released in 2019 as a free to play game on the Nintendo Switch. It plays like ''Team Kirby Clash Deluxe'', but has a different story, different bosses and many other notable changes. *'' Kirby Fighters 2'' - Released in 2020 on the Nintendo Switch. It is a sequel to ''Kirby Fighters Deluxe'', but with new playable characters, new stages, and new challenge modes.

Canceled titles

*''Kid Kirby'' - Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Canceled * - Game Boy Color - Canceled *''Kirby GCN'' ( in Japan) - GameCube - Canceled

Other media

Notes

References

External links

Official US ''Kirby'' websiteOfficial Japanese ''Kirby'' website

HAL Laboratory website

Nintendo website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirby Media

Media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass e ...

Media lists by video games franchise Mass media by franchise Nintendo-related lists