Gallery: Kirby at 20: How Nintendo's Unlikely Pink Hero Lasted 2 Decades
01kirbys-dream-land
Kirby’s Dream Land *(Game Boy, 1992) The puffball makes his debut. It introduced basic Kirby tactics like flying and engulfing enemies. Image: [VGMuseum](http://www.vgmuseum.com)/Nintendo/Wired*
02kirbys-adventure
Kirby’s Adventure *(NES, 1993) Players were delighted with Kirby’s new Copy skill, but were also stunned by the game’s graphics, which pushed the NES hardware to the limit. In 2002, it was remade for Game Boy Advance as* Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land*. Image: [VGMuseum](http://www.vgmuseum.com)/Nintendo/Wired*
03kirbys-pinball-land
Kirby’s Pinball Land *(Game Boy, 1993) It crossed pinball with platformer elements, like boss battles. Image: [VGMuseum](http://www.vgmuseum.com)/Nintendo/Wired*
04kirbys-dream-course
Kirby’s Dream Course *(SNES, 1994) This trippy sports title proved that a round, happy-faced mascot is a versatile one, turning Kirby into a golf ball. Image: Nintendo/Wired*
05kirbys-dream-land-2
Kirby’s Dream Land 2 *(Game Boy, 1995) New entrants into Kirby’s empire of cute: Rick the Hamster, Coo the Owl, and Kine the Sunfish. They lent Kirby new powers, and kicked the franchise into new levels of darling. Image: [VGMuseum](http://www.vgmuseum.com)/Nintendo/Wired*
06kirbys-avalanche
Kirby’s Avalanche *(SNES, 1995) The rosy gourmand’s foray into puzzles, an American version of the Japanese* Super Puyo Puyo*, added a twist on the genre: To clear the blob tiles, match them by color on both the top or bottom and the left or right. Image: Nintendo/Wired*
07kirbys-block-ball
Kirby’s Block Ball *(Game Boy, 1995) A new take on the classic, Breakout. Ricochet Kirby up and down the screen to knock down blocks, but not without Kirby pulling some of his classic powers out of the bag, like Spark or Stone. Image: [VGMuseum](http://www.vgmuseum.com)/Nintendo/Wired*
08kirbys-toy-box
Kirby’s Toy Box *(Satellaview, 1996) The Japan-only mini-game collection came out for Satellaview, a Super Famicom satellite add-on that received signals from Tokyo-based radio company, St.GIGA. Also, it featured Kirby playing baseball. Lots of baseball. Image: [VGMuseum](http://www.vgmuseum.com)/Nintendo/Wired*
09kirby-super-star
Kirby Super Star *(SNES, 1996) The “eight games in one” gimmick proved dynamite. A mix of short platformers and mini-games, this one brimmed with replay value. It was remade for Nintendo DS in 2008. Image: [VGMuseum](http://www.vgmuseum.com)/Nintendo/Wired*
10kirbys-star-stacker
Kirby’s Star Stacker *(Game Boy, 1997) Kirby’s first original puzzler was an encore for Rick, Coo and Kine. It was also his Game Boy swan song in glorious 8-bit black-and-white. Image: [VGMuseum](http://www.vgmuseum.com)/Nintendo/Wired*
11kirbys-dream-land-3
Kirby’s Dream Land 3 *(SNES, 1997) A departure from the content-heavy* Super Star *and a return to the simplistic formula of the original Dream Land. Introduced the soft, coloring book style that pops up in future installments. Image: [VGMuseum](http://www.vgmuseum.com)/Nintendo/Wired*
12kirby-64-the-crystal-shards
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards *(Nintendo 64, 2000) Kirby’s maiden voyage in 3-D saw him join forces with arch enemy King Dedede. The game also allowed Kirby to mix two abilities into one (Fire + Cutter = badass flaming broadsword). Image: [VGMuseum](http://www.vgmuseum.com)/Nintendo/Wired*
13kirbys-tilt-n-tumble
Kirby Tilt ‘n’ Tumble *(Game Boy Color, 2000) With a built-in accelerometer in the cartridge, it had players physically tilt their Game Boy to roll Kirby across stages — a precursor to Wii motion control. Image: Nintendo/Wired*
14kirbys-air-ride
Kirby Air Ride *(GameCube, 2003) In his 11th year, Kirby hopped on his Warp Star and shredded into the racing arena. Lots of items and the inclusion of Kirby’s signature Copy skill broke the game away from the pack. Image: Nintendo*
15kirby-and-the-amazing-mirror
Kirby & The Amazing Mirror *(Game Boy Advance, 2004) A colorful platformer whose levels were more exploration-friendly than in games past. The game was also extensive and took longer to complete than other Kirby installments. Image: Nintendo/Wired*
16kirby-canvas-curse
Kirby: Canvas Curse *(Nintendo DS, 2005) Total eye candy, the series reinvented its gameplay yet again in its first DS adventure. Using only the stylus and touch screen, players drew ramps and slopes to guide Kirby through levels. Image: Nintendo/Wired*
17kirby-squeak-squad
Kirby: Squeak Squad *(Nintendo DS, 2006) The classic Kirby formula, but some much-needed new abilities are introduced, like the digging, clawing Animal ability. Image: Nintendo/Wired*
18kirbys-epic-yarn-2
Kirby’s Epic Yarn *(Wii, 2010) If there’s a franchise adaptable enough to test-drive a charmingly unfamiliar visual style, it’s Kirby. The first home console Kirby game in a decade, it garnered praise for its craft-y graphics. Image: Nintendo*
19kirby-mass-attack
Kirby Mass Attack *(Nintendo DS, 2011) In yet another reimagining of the character, players received a Kirby army to solve puzzles and swarm foes. Image: Nintendo/Wired*
20kirbys-return-to-dreamland
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land *(Wii, 2011) A spiritual return to Kirby’s roots, the latest in the line-up included four-player simultaneous co-op. Also welcome: You can play as Meta Knight. Image: Nintendo*
