The Kirby franchise first kicked off in 1992 with Kirby’s Dream Land on the Game Boy, and over the course of five mainline entries, the formula was pretty established by the turn of the century. Yet, for the pink puffball’s big debut on the Nintendo 64 in 2000, developer HAL Laboratory was brewing up something special. Not only was Kirby and the Crystal Shards a big leap as the first 3D game of the franchise, but it also contained a killer feature that has seemingly since been forgotten, despite how much it elevated the core gameplay.
Two is Better Than One
At first glance, Kirby and the Crystal Shards is everything you’d expect out of a Kirby title. While the 3D graphics add new visual depth to the world, permitting some flashy 2.5D exploration, the bones of the gameplay remain similar to past adventures. Pleasantly strolling through six unique planets, Kirby must avoid obstacles, defeat enemies, and collect 98 eponymous crystal shards to save the day. Like before, Kirby can suck up enemies and gain their abilities, but one major change to this mechanic gives Crystal Shards its own identity.
In total, the game contains seven unique copy abilities, including: cut, bomb, burn, ice, needle, spark, and stone. However, Kirby and the Crystal Shards introduces the concept of “Power Combos”, which lets you fuse two of these abilities together. This results in over 40 different combinations, resulting in some incredibly useful (and occasionally silly) abilities, used for both combat and exploration.
For example, Spark + Cutter gives you a huge light saber that cuts through enemies, while Spark + Ice turns you into a refrigerator. If you enjoy a particular ability, you can even combine two of the same copy ability for a super ability. Bombs become super missiles, ice becomes a giant snowball, and stone becomes… well, more stony. Given just how important copy abilities are in any Kirby game, the introduction of Power Combos makes Crystal Shards an awesome game to experiment with, and sets it apart from most retro entries in the franchise.
No More Combos
It’s safe to say that Power Combos were a hit, and thankfully, they’re just as fun to use 25 years later. Unfortunately, in the decades since, the feature hasn’t really made a return. There have been seven Kirby games in the mainline franchise and dozens of spin-offs, but still, Power Combos remain exclusive to Crystal Shards. While there are a few instances of power combinations in a handful of Kirby games, they’re far more limited.
With recent releases like Kirby and the Forgotten Land, the franchise feels more similar 3D Super Mario titles, which isn’t exactly a bad thing. Still, I can’t shake the feeling that if HAL committed to a modern retro-inspired Kirby game with Power Combos, we’d be eating it up. Gamers love to tinker with expressive systems, and that’s no more blatant than in popular Nintendo games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom or Donkey Kong Bananaza, so why not Kirby? As Kirby and the Crystal Shards celebrates 25 years, let us not forget Power Combos, the forgotten feature that made the game so dang fun.
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