Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards: Difference between revisions

{{Featured}}{{Infobox-Game

|image=<tabs><tab name="North American box art">[[File:K64 The Crystal Shards box art.png|300px]]</tab><tab name="Japanese box art">[[File:K64 The Crystal Shards JP box art.jpg|300px]]</tab></tabs>

|caption=Box art for ''[[Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards]]'' in various regions.

|developer=[[HAL Laboratory]]

|publisher=[[Nintendo]]

|designer=[[Shinichi Shimomura]]

|released='''Nintendo 64'''<br>{{Released|Japan|March 24, 2000|NA|June 26, 2000|Europe|June 22, 2001|Australia|June 22, 2001}}<br> '''Virtual Console (Wii)'''<br>{{Released|NA|February 25, 2008|Europe|March 7, 2008|Australia|March 7, 2008|Japan|April 15, 2008|South Korea|September 16, 2008<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20080913194943/http://www.nintendo.co.kr:80/Wii/wii/vconsol/kerby64/kerby64_01.php Nintendo of Korea (Wayback Machine snapshot)]</ref>}}<br>'''Virtual Console (Wii U)'''<br>{{Released|Europe|June 25, 2015|Australia|June 26, 2015|NA|July 30, 2015|Japan|August 19, 2015}}<br>'''Nintendo 64: Nintendo Switch Online'''<br>{{Released|Japan|May 20, 2022|NA|May 20, 2022|Europe|May 20, 2022|Australia|May 20, 2022}}

|platforms=[[Nintendo 64]]<br>[[Wii]] (''[[Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition]]'')<br>[[Virtual Console|Wii Virtual Console]]<br>[[Virtual Console|Wii U Virtual Console]]<br>[[Nintendo Switch]] <small>(Nintendo 64: Nintendo Switch Online)</small>

|rating={{ratings|esrb=e|pegi=3|cero=a}}<!-- NOTE: The ESRB Teen rating in the Kirby 64 trailer for Nintendo Switch Online refers to the entirety of the service itself, not the game specifically.-->

|predecessor=[[Kirby's Star Stacker (Super Famicom)|''Kirby's Star Stacker'' (Super Famicom)]]

|successor=''[[Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble]]''

}}{{title font}}{{redirect|Crystal Shards|titular Crystal Shards|[[Crystal Shard]]}}

'''''Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards''''' is a side-scrolling platformer in the main [[Kirby (series)|''Kirby'' series]] featuring [[Kirby]] and some of his friends, produced by [[HAL Laboratory]] and initially released in 2000 and 2001 for the [[Nintendo 64]]. It is notable for being the first installment in the series to depict Kirby and his surroundings in full 3D, although only for visual effects. Like ''[[Kirby's Dream Land 2]]'' and ''[[Kirby's Dream Land 3]]'' before it, ''Kirby 64'' was not directed by [[Masahiro Sakurai]], but instead by [[Shinichi Shimomura]]. Unlike those titles, however, ''Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards'' does not feature [[Animal Friend]]s with which to combine with and alter Kirby's [[Copy Ability|Copy Abilities]]. Instead, Kirby does this himself by combining abilities together into [[Power Combo]]s. This results in 36 total unique abilities that Kirby can use in the game.

''Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards'' departs from earlier games in the series in other ways as well. In addition to being the first 3D game in the series, it also is the first game to give Kirby an upper limit to how high he can [[hover]], the first game to allow him to [[inhale]] underwater, the first game to let him hold enemies and objects over his head or toss them, and the first game in the series to give him [[Kirby's voice|a voice]] courtesy of [[Makiko Ohmoto]]. ''Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards'' also features three [[Sub-Game]]s which can be played with up to four players, completely separate from the main game.

Despite the fact that ''Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards'' features full 3D graphics for the first time, the game itself still plays like a 2D sidescroller. The game makes another distinction from its predecessors, giving Kirby only seven different abilities to copy, as opposed to the vast ability pool of other games. The base abilities are [[Burning|Burn]], [[Stone]], [[Ice]], [[Needle]], [[Bomb]], [[Spark]], and [[Cutter]]. However, by inhaling enemies, Kirby can create ability stars, which he can spit at other enemies. If an ability star connects to another enemy with an ability, the two abilities will merge and form a [[Power Combo]]. By combining abilities, Kirby can master 28 different abilities, plus the seven base abilities, making a total of 35 abilities. While ability combinations exist and have existed to a degree in several other titles, ''Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards'' is the first and so far only game in the series where every copy ability can be mixed with every other ability (excluding [[Ribbon's Crystal]]).

The game features six levels, or planets, each with three or four stages and one boss fight. From the beginning, only the first stage of Pop Star is available. In every stage, there are three Crystal Shards to be found. The Crystal Shards are often hidden in remote places or behind obstacles that can be destroyed only by a certain ability (usually indicated by the obstacle's color). Finding all the Crystal Shards is not necessary to complete the game, but it is essential to 100% complete the game, as finding all 74 Crystal Shards (66 from every stage, six from every boss, and two during the intro) unlocks the true ending of the game.

!Wii Remote (using ''Kirby's Dream Collection'')

|'''Move''' (press twice to dash)

|align=center|L, R or any C button

|align=center|L, R or any direction on C Stick (GameCube controller) or Right Stick (Classic Controller)

|align=center|L, R or any direction on Right Stick

|[[File:K64 Kirby artwork.png|130px]]

|An unassuming resident of [[Popstar|Pop Star]], Waddle Dee becomes a stalwart member of Kirby's team when the pink puffball saves him from possession by Dark Matter, who had turned him momentarily into a [[Waddle Doo]]. Waddle Dee may not look like much, but he has many tricks and gadgets which can help Kirby get through various obstacles in the levels they travel through.

|A human girl who visited Pop Star to practice painting. She is possessed by Dark Matter, but even though her artwork literally leaps off the page, she is not much of a fighter. After Kirby rescues her, she proves to be a reliable ally as she conjures up useful items for Kirby's journey. Adeleine will also attempt to look ahead for clues to find hidden Crystal Shards, and convey what she finds to Kirby via her illustrations.

There are a total of seven levels. Most levels have five stages, the last of which is a boss battle. Every level's name consists of a single word, followed by "Star". Both the first and the sixth level have only four stages each, and the last one consists solely of the final boss battle.

|style="text-align:center"|[[Burning Stone|Burn-Stone]]

|Gives Kirby a flaming sword to wield against enemies. The sword can be swung, held over the head, and thrown at enemies.

|Transforms Kirby into a giant version of himself, made of rocks. Can pass most enemies unharmed. This may have been an inspiration for the [[Metal]] ability in later games.

|style="text-align:center"|[[Stone-Ice]]

===Kanji display===

|Remaining [[Health]] bar

|Depleted [[Health]] bar

|[[Sir Kibble]]

|A yellow suit of armor who throws blade boomerangs at Kirby.<br>Known in-game as "Sirkibble".

|The first phase of this fight has Kirby dodging the attacks of each Pix crystal as the platform rises into the sky. At the top, Kirby can attack Pix by spitting out constructs of similar color at the crystals to destroy them.

|This fight takes place entirely underwater, as Kirby has to inhale and return objects that Acro spits at him while avoiding the killer whale's gymnastics. The fight takes place in two separate phases, with a separate [[Health]] bar for each one.

|The true final boss of the game that Kirby and [[Ribbon]] must team up to defeat. They have to continually shoot crystals into its eye to stun it, then hit the halo to flip it and attack the green underside to defeat it. Defeating this boss completes the game.

''Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards'' has three [[Sub-Game|Mini-Games]] that can be played outside the main adventure. Every Sub-Game has a single-player mode and a multiplayer mode involving 2-4 players. The Sub-Games have four difficulty levels, each unlocked by defeating the CPU in the previous difficulty level (meaning at most 3 human players can unlock difficulty levels together): Easy, Medium, Hard, and Intense. There are four playable characters: Kirby, Waddle Dee, Adeleine, and King Dedede, who do not differ in gameplay.

!Voice Actors

!Localization Manager

!Localization

!colspan=2|[[HAL Laboratory|HAL Laboratory,Inc.]]<br>[[Nintendo|NINTENDO Co.,Ltd.]]

*Although this was the first ''Kirby'' game with 3D graphics, Kirby's actual first 3D appearance was in ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' for the Nintendo 64. His appearance in that game served as direct inspiration for the way he looked and sounded in this game.

**Despite this, even earlier 3D models of Kirby have been depicted and showcased, such as Kirby's appearance in the [[Kirby's Air Ride (Nintendo 64)|unreleased Nintendo 64 build]] of ''[[Kirby Air Ride]]''.

*The Wii Virtual Console description on Nintendo of America's website and the eShop description incorrectly say there are 100 crystal shards to collect.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20081219075002/http://www.nintendo.com:80/wii/virtualconsole/games/detail/BKessW9avC_Mcl5L2D6p_bMcyUIqK3ww Nintendo.com] (Wayback Machine)</ref> There are actually only 72 shards throughout the stages, in addition to the two shards collected by Kirby and Ribbon in the intro sequence.

*The Wii Virtual Console description and the eShop description incorrectly suggest that this game is the first to feature Dark Matter. In actuality, that distinction varies: ''[[Kirby's Dream Land 2]]'' introduced [[Dark Matter|the singular character]], while the [[Dark Matter (cloud)|greater species]] would first appear in ''[[Kirby's Dream Land 3]]''.

*There is a secret button code that can be used to instantly generate a [[100% completion|100% completed]] save file. First, File 2 must be blank, while File 3 must be created with no progress. Then, while the HAL Laboratory logo is displayed during the game startup sequence, the player should insert the P2 controller, hold L, and press the buttons C-up, C-up, R, C-right, C-left, and Start in that order. If performed correctly, the 1-UP jingle will play to indicate that the code was input correctly, and File 3 will be replaced with a 100% completed save file, with all [[Enemy Info Card]]s collected. This code is not available on the Wii Virtual Console or ''[[Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition]]'' versions of the game, as the C button inputs are not mapped anywhere.

*This game's original North American release was rated E by the ESRB. However ''[[Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition]]'' was rated E10+ (a rating that did not exist at the time of this game's release, having been introduced in 2005), possibly because of the blood from both the [[0²]] battle in this game and the [[Zero]] battle in ''[[Kirby's Dream Land 3]]'', as the description of the game says that "One boss character (a giant eyeball) fires red droplets at Kirby; additional red-damage effects appear as its health decreases."<ref>[https://www.esrb.org/ratings/32367/kirbys-dream-collection-special-edition/ ''Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition'' ESRB description]</ref>

|ja={{furi|星|ほし}}のカービィ 64

|jaR=Hoshi no Kābyi Rokuyon

|de=Kirby 64: Die Kristall-Splitter<br>Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

|deM=Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards<br>-

|esE=Kirby 64: Las Piedras de Cristal<br>Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

|esEM=Kirby 64: The Crystal Stones<br>-

|frE=Kirby 64 : Les éclats de cristal<ref>{{Cite manual|game=Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards|page=52, EU print}}</ref><br>Kirby 64: Eclats de cristal<ref>From the European French version of ''Kirby Air Ride''</ref><br>Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

|frEM=Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards<br>Kirby 64: Crystal Shards<br>-

|it=Kirby 64: I Frammenti di Cristallo<br>Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

|itM=Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards<br>-

|nl=Kirby 64: De Kristallen Scherven<br>Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

|nlM=Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards<br>-

|koR=Byeorui Keobi 64

*[http://web.archive.org/web/20000815225332/http://www.kirby64.com/ Official website] (Wayback Machine)

*[https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n01/n64/software/nus_p_nk4j/index.html Official Japanese website]

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20000620114347/http://www.nintendo.com/n64/kirby64/index.html Official Nintendo's website]

*[https://www.kirbyinformer.com/kirby-64-the-crystal-shards ''Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards'' on Kirby Informer]

*[https://cdn02.nintendo-europe.com/media/downloads/games_8/emanuals/nintendo_8/Manual_Nintendo64_Kirby64TheCrystalShards_EN.pdf English manual (European print)] ([http://www.kirbysrainbowresort.net/games/kirby64/instruction.html North American print])