Kirby Conversations | Exploring Kirby, Nintendo, and More

In this episode, Bridget, Ky, Sean, and our new team member Gigi share their picks for other games we think Kirby fans would like. From games that involve copying enemy abilities to inclusive platformers with similar vibes and themes, we cover more than a dozen games in this episode—including some pretty deep cuts you may not have heard of before.

What unexpected or lesser-known non-Kirby games would you recommend to a Kirby fan? Let us know at [email protected] and we may read your letter on a future episode.

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd be so grateful if you could click the ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app.

Games mentioned in this episode:

Brave Fencer Musashi

Einhänder

Shin Megami Tensei V

Magical Tarurūto-kun

DoReMi Fantasy: Milon's DokiDoki Adventure

Avenging Spirit

Cotton series

A Hat in Time

BoxBoy series

Toontown Online

Klonoa series

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

Several of Koji Igarashi's Castlevania games

Gimmick!

Super Mario Odyssey

Spyro series

Persona series

Smushi Come Home

Follow us online:

Kirby Conversations

IG: @kirbyconversations

Bluesky: @kirbyconversations.bsky.social

Threads: @kirbyconversations

Bridget

Threads: @no1kirbyfan

Sean Douglass

Bluesky: @seandouglass.bsky.social

Ky "Captain Dangerous" Parker

IG: @captaindangerous

Gigi

Carrd link

Our music is by Megan Kellough (https://diamondthorns.bandcamp.com) and arranged by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/).

Liking Kirby Conversations? Then you may also enjoy another retro gaming podcast we recommend, Flashback 64: https://flashback64pod.podbean.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi everyone. There's no regular episode this week, but we've got a few updates about the show to share. Most importantly, we are happy to announce that we will now be joined by Gigi, WiKirby Editor-in-Chief and avid translator of non-English Kirby content, as a new official member of the Kirby Conversations team! Welcome Gigi!

And among other news, we also have a new giveaway running, where you can win a $50 Nintendo eShop gift card! You can enter at this Gleam giveaway page. We hope everyone who listens to this show can throw their name into the hat, and good luck to everyone that enters.

After a short break, we will be back with the next new episode of Kirby Conversations on 9/17. See you again soon!

Follow us online:

Kirby Conversations

IG: @kirbyconversations

Bluesky: @kirbyconversations.bsky.social

Threads: @kirbyconversations

Bridget

Threads: @no1kirbyfan

Sean Douglass

Bluesky: @seandouglass.bsky.social

Ky "Captain Dangerous" Parker

IG: @captaindangerous

Gigi: Carrd link

Our show art is by DJ (IG: @drawing_lemonz).

Liking Kirby Conversations? Then you may also enjoy another retro gaming podcast we recommend, Flashback 64: https://flashback64pod.podbean.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you've ever read an English translation of a Kirby article or developer interview that was originally published in Japanese, chances are you've encountered the work of Gigi. We've cited her work several times on this podcast in the past and also refer frequently to WiKirby, the massive Kirby wiki for which she serves as editor-in-chief. So it's an honor to have her join us on this episode for a wide-ranging interview, where we cover topics like how she become such a prolific Kirby translator, the most surprising Kirby facts she's ever unearthed in Japan-only content, and what Kirby culture is like in Brazil, her home country. We learned so much in just an hour with her, and chances are you'll walk away from this episode having learned about more than a few pieces of Kirby content, from novels to board games, that you never even knew existed.

We encourage listeners to give Gigi a follow on Bluesky at @gigi9714.bsky.social you can follow this Carrd link to her many projects and communities.

Got a question or comment for the show? You can reach us at [email protected], and we may share your letter on a future episode.

If you enjoyed this podcast, we'd be so grateful if you could leave us ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app.

Follow us online:

Kirby Conversations

IG: @kirbyconversations

Bluesky: @kirbyconversations.bsky.social

Threads: @kirbyconversations

Bridget

Threads: @no1kirbyfan

Sean Douglass

Bluesky: @seandouglass.bsky.social

Ky "Captain Dangerous" Parker

IG: @captaindangerous

Our music is by Megan Kellough (https://diamondthorns.bandcamp.com) and arranged by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/). Our show art is by DJ (IG: @drawing_lemonz).

Liking Kirby Conversations? Then you may also enjoy another retro gaming podcast we recommend, Flashback 64: https://flashback64pod.podbean.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are so many ways to approach the Magolor Epilogue in Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe. Along with completing the story, you can earn medals, speedrun it, or even take advantage of its brilliant combo system to go for amazing, triple-digit runs through each level. So for this episode, Sean and Bridget are breaking down all the gameplay possibilities for this ambitious subgame. Sean played through it the traditional way, maxing out Magolor's skills to earn platinum metals, but Bridget has her own "weird" (her words) way of playing through it to bring even more challenge. And of course, they also dig into some history and trivia behind the game, including surprising regional changes across its different translations.

Have you played the Magolor Epilogue, and how did you feel about its unique systems and mechanics? Tell us your thoughts at [email protected] and we may share them on a future episode.

Follow us online:

Kirby Conversations

IG: @kirbyconversations

Bluesky: @kirbyconversations.bsky.social

Threads: @kirbyconversations

Bridget

Threads: @no1kirbyfan

Sean Douglass

Bluesky: @seandouglass.bsky.social

Ky "Captain Dangerous" Parker

IG: @captaindangerous

Our music is by Megan Kellough (https://diamondthorns.bandcamp.com) and arranged by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/). Our show art is by DJ (IG: @drawing_lemonz).

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Part Time UFO arrived in 2017 as the first game from HAL Laboratory's new mobile gaming brand HAL Egg. Clever, funny, and full of inventive crane game-inspired puzzles, it's an easy recommendation for anyone interested in what other recent games have come from Kirby's longtime developer. So for this episode, we're discussing the history, gameplay, and some of our favorite animal-balancing, cheerleader-stacking moments from Part Time UFO, across the mobile version and its expanded Switch port.

Have you played Part Time UFO? And how do you feel about mobile games versus traditional console experiences? Tell us your thoughts at [email protected] and we may share them on a future episode.

Follow us online:

Kirby Conversations

IG: @kirbyconversations

Bluesky: @kirbyconversations.bsky.social

Threads: @kirbyconversations

Bridget

Threads: @no1kirbyfan

Sean Douglass

Bluesky: @seandouglass.bsky.social

Ky "Captain Dangerous" Parker

IG: @captaindangerous

Our music is by Megan Kellough (https://diamondthorns.bandcamp.com) and arranged by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/). Our show art is by DJ (IG: @drawing_lemonz).

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we're talking about Kirby in esports new and old. In Act 1, Bridget tells us about the Kirby's Adventure speedrunning challenges in Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition. Then for Act 2, Sean is back from Evo, the major Las Vegas fighting game tournament and convention, to talk about the surprising presence of Kirby at an event partially owned by Sony.

What are your thoughts on Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition? And are there any games, just in general, that you enjoy speedrunning? Let us know at [email protected].

If you'd like a monthly bonus episode, along with merchandise and other rewards, we hope you'll check out our Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/KirbyConversations. August's monthly bonus episode is about lesser-known games that we'd recommend to Kirby fans, and you won't want to miss it!

Follow us online:

Kirby Conversations

IG: @kirbyconversations

Bluesky: @kirbyconversations.bsky.social

Threads: @kirbyconversations

Bridget

Threads: @no1kirbyfan

Sean Douglass

Bluesky: @seandouglass.bsky.social

Ky "Captain Dangerous" Parker

IG: @captaindangerous

Our music is by Megan Kellough (https://diamondthorns.bandcamp.com) and arranged by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/). Our show art is by DJ (IG: @drawing_lemonz).

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy Friday! Here's a podcast recommendation for your weekend: an episode of Flashback 64 about Treasure's cult classic Mischief Makers. If you liked Kirby 64, we think you'll really dig Mischief Makers, a 2.5D platformer that follows robot maid Marina on an adventure to rescue the kidnapped Prof. Theo. Marina can grab, throw, and shake most of the enemies and objects she encounters, so if you enjoy the way Kirby games let you use enemies' weapons and projectiles against them, you'll find similarly interactive combat and puzzle-solving in Mischief Makers. Plus, it's full of great music, funny dialogue, and the elaborate boss fights Treasure is famous for.

Flashback 64 is a terrific retro gaming podcast where Gooey and McKenna chronologically explore the library of the Nintendo 64 and other 90s and 2000s-era culture. This episode also features writer merritt k as a guest panelist.

We hope you'll check out other episodes of Flashback 64 and give them a follow in whichever podcast player you're using right now. You can also find them at https://flashback64pod.podbean.com/. Below is the original text from their show notes.

------------

We welcome merritt k to the show and SHAKE SHAKE it up with Treasure's cult classic Mischief Makers!

Check out LAN Party at your local bookstore as well as https://www.amazon.com/LAN-Party-Inside-Multiplayer-Revolution/dp/0500026955

merritt k on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/merrittk

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/merrittk.com

1900HOTDOG: https://1900hotdog.com/

_

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Flashback64

Merch: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Flashback64

Discord: https://discord.gg/2ckdah6VTC

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/flashback64pod

McKenna: https://linktr.ee/mckliz

Gooey: https://www.youtube.com/c/gooeyfame

Artwork by Corey Richmond: https://twitter.com/coreyrichmond

Music by Nico Silvian: https://linktr.ee/Nicotendo64

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/flashback64.bsky.social

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Flashback64Pod

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flashback64pod

Email: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Exploding shurikens. Fireworks. A...refrigerator. The Power Combo system in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards lets you combine Kirby's copy abilities with dozens of inspired and hilarious results. So in this episode, we're looking back at some of our favorite abilities from Kirby's Nintendo 64 outing, while also exploring some abilities and originally playable characters that didn't make the final cut of the game. Then for Act 2, we play a game where take abilities that weren't in Kirby 64 and make up some Power Combos of our own.

Do you have any stories or favorite memories from Kirby 64? And what are your favorite Power Combos? Let us know at [email protected].

If you'd like a monthly bonus episode, along with merchandise and other rewards, we hope you'll check out our Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/KirbyConversations. July's monthly bonus episode is all about busting Kirby myths and misconceptions, and you won't want to miss it!

Follow us online:

Kirby Conversations

IG: @kirbyconversations

Bluesky: @kirbyconversations.bsky.social

Threads: @kirbyconversations

Bridget

Threads: @no1kirbyfan

Sean Douglass

Bluesky: @seandouglass.bsky.social

Ky "Captain Dangerous" Parker

IG: @captaindangerous

Our music is by Megan Kellough (https://diamondthorns.bandcamp.com) and arranged by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/). Our show art is by DJ (IG: @drawing_lemonz).

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we're discussing Kid Kirby, a canceled Kirby title from the 90s developed by DMA Design Limited, the Scottish company that would go on to become Rock Star North of Grand Theft Auto fame. While Kid Kirby was never finished, many assets from this unique Angry Birds-esque platformer can still be found, and they show a strikingly different take on Kirby from anything you might've seen in his official released games. After digging through Kid Kirby's history for Act 1, we then check in with Ky for Act 2 about her time at Anime Expo, her new plans in the works with Good Smile, and what games she's playing this summer.

If you'd like a monthly bonus episode, along with merchandise and other rewards, we hope you'll check out our Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/KirbyConversations. July's monthly bonus episode will be all about busting Kirby myths and misconceptions, and you won't want to miss it!

Questions or comments about the show? Email us at [email protected].

Follow us online:

Kirby Conversations

IG: @kirbyconversations

Bluesky: @kirbyconversations.bsky.social

Threads: @kirbyconversations

Bridget

Threads: @no1kirbyfan

Sean Douglass

Bluesky: @seandouglass.bsky.social

Ky "Captain Dangerous" Parker

IG: @captaindangerous

Our music is by Megan Kellough (https://diamondthorns.bandcamp.com) and arranged by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/). Our show art is by DJ (IG: @drawing_lemonz).

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the past two episodes, we've been covering the thriving competitive scene around Kirby Air Ride's City Trial mode--a community of over 11,000 members. This episode is part two of our two-part interview series, and Sean and Bridget continue to speak with our guests drcKARGaming, one of the top Kirby Air Ride players, and Protag, a community leader and developer on updates to the game's competitive mod.

In Act 1, drcKARGaming shares a sort of oral history of the Air Ride community. It's a tale full of classic sports tropes, rivalries, and sometimes dramatic tournament results, so we put it in an act all of its own. Then for Act 2, Protag is back for more talk on the future of competitive Air Ride. As this is part two of a series, if you haven't listened to part one yet, you may want to listen to our previous episode before giving this one a listen.

If you'd like a monthly bonus episode, along with merchandise and other rewards, we hope you'll check out our Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/KirbyConversations. July's monthly bonus episode will be all about busting Kirby myths and misconceptions, and you won't want to miss it!

Questions or comments about the show? Email us at [email protected].

For more from our guests:

Kirby Air Ride Online YouTube channel: @KirbyAirRideOnline

drcKarGaming

X: @drcKarGaming

YouTube: @drcKarGaming

And here is his guide to the Kirby Air Ride competitive meta.

Protag

X: @Th3_Protagonist

YouTube: @Protagulous

Follow us online:

Kirby Conversations

IG: @kirbyconversations

Bluesky: @kirbyconversations.bsky.social

Threads: @kirbyconversations

Bridget

Threads: @no1kirbyfan

Sean Douglass

Bluesky: @seandouglass.bsky.social

Ky "Captain Dangerous" Parker

IG: @captaindangerous

Our music is by Megan Kellough (https://diamondthorns.bandcamp.com) and arranged by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/). Our show art is by DJ (IG: @drawing_lemonz).

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.