It looks like this year will be a big one for theKirbyfranchise. Nintendo has spent the last few months eagerly advertisingKirby and the Forgotten Land,a bold new entry in the series that opts for 3D overKirby’s traditional sidescrolling adventures.Kirby and the Forgotten Landlooks like it’ll profit off that change as much as it can, making major changes to classicKirbyCopy Abilities in order to give them more uses on a 3D plane. Aside fromForgotten Land,Kirbyfans also have the franchise’s anniversary celebration to look forward to. Nintendo hasn’t outlined specific contents of the celebration yet, but there are supposedly multiple things planned forKirby’s 30th birthday.
It wouldn’t be surprising if at least one of Nintendo and HAL Laboratory’s anniversary items was a remaster or remake of a classicKirbygame. After all,lots of Nintendo’s recent anniversarieshave involved remakes and ports of well-knownMario, Zelda,andPokemongames. If Nintendo wants to keep that pattern going, then it ought to remakeKirby 64: The Crystal Shardsin particular.Kirby 64is a classic entry in the franchise, so it’s more than worthy of a revival. What’s more, its relationship with 3D design makes it ripe for a fully 3D remake that follows inKirby and the Forgotten Land’s wake.
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A 3D Version of Kirby 64
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shardsfamously introduced the franchise to 3D graphics after years of 2D style. However, the game wasn’t wholly 3D likeits N64 peerSuper Mario 64; instead, it was a sidescrolling game as usual.Kirby 64was packed with memorable locations like the post-apocalyptic Shiver Star, and these settings have tons of further potential in a fully 3D remake. Freely wandering around the mysterious cityscape of Shiver Star sounds like a compelling new way to look atKirby 64’s settings. This kind of exploration could provide some extra difficulty toKirby 64too since HAL would have more ways to hide the game’s titular collectible Crystal Shards.
There’s another core aspect ofKirby 64that could be improved in a 3D remake: Copy Ability mixing. There are only a handful of Copy Abilities inKirby 64,but by picking up two of them, Kirby can createa unique Copy Ability called a Power Combo. A fully 3D version ofKirby 64could make Power Combos even more engaging thanks to improvements inKirbycombat that have happened in recent years. Instead of each Power Combo having a single form of attack, a remake could introduce multiple attacks for each Power Combo that offer different ways to control a 3D battlefield.
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3D Kirby Experiments
Kirby and the Forgotten Landis a major step in a new direction for theKirbyfranchise, thanks to its 3D world, but HAL Laboratory should push itself to continue experimenting with the model, rather than returning to 2D platforming in the nextKirbygame. Nintendo pushed the limits of 3D platforming over several generations ofMariogames, andKirbyought to do the same thing.Kirby and the Forgotten Landlooks great, but as the franchise’s first foray into 3D, it probably won’t get everything perfectly right. That’s why a 3D remake ofKirby 64: The Crystal Shardsseems worth considering. It would allow HAL to get additional practice with 3D platforming without needing to come up with an entirely new game concept.
Admittedly, such a drasticKirby 64remake doesn’t seem like it’ll see the light of day in 2022 when HAL is already so busy craftingForgotten Land.Nintendo and HAL Laboratorymay have manyKirbyanniversary plansin mind, but ifKirby 64is among them, a Switch port is probably more likely than a total remake. The game would certainly shine on Nintendo Switch Online. For now, fans will just have to wait and see ifKirby 64plays some role in the franchise’s anniversary.
Kirby and the Forgotten Landreleases July 05, 2025 for Nintendo Switch.
