Kirby & the Amazing Mirror
Encyclopedia
Kirby & the Amazing Mirror, known as in Japan, is a Kirby
video game released in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance
. It is Kirby's last game for the system and is the only Kirby title where Kirby's nemesis King Dedede does not make an appearance. The game has been re-released in Europe
for Club Nintendo
members only. The game is notable for being extremely extensive for a Kirby game; the most intense of speedruns still take around 45 minutes to complete.
Meanwhile, Kirby is taking a walk when Dark Meta Knight appears. Before Kirby can react, Dark Meta Knight slices Kirby in four and Kirby becomes four different colored "Kirbys". Kirby travels alone, but if his cell phone is working, he can call his friends and they will help him. They chase after the Dark Meta Knight and enter the Mirror World.
The two Meta Knights fight each other and the real Meta Knight is defeated. He is knocked into the mirror, which is then cut into eight fragments by Dark Meta Knight (which are then scattered across the Mirror World), so Kirby must save Meta Knight and the Mirror World. After collecting all eight mirror fragments, Kirby enters the Mirror World and battles Dark Meta Knight. After defeating him, a vortex appears and sucks Kirby in, who is given Meta Knight's sword. Kirby fights 4 bosses before battling the Dark Mind. Upon defeat, the Mirror World is saved.
The player explores the worlds, solving puzzles, defeating enemies, and collecting items. Occasionally, a sub-boss will be encountered, at which point the screen will lock into place until the boss is defeated. Swallowing a sub-boss after defeat usually grants a rare or exclusive copy ability. Sub bosses are: Mr. Frosty (misspelled as "Mr. Flosty"): Ice ability. Bonkers: Hammer ability. Phan Phan: Throw ability. Batafire: Burning ability. Boxy: Magic ability. Master Hand: Smash Ability. Waddle Dee (Arena only): N/A. Bombar: Missile ability. Box Boxer: Fighter ability. At the end of worlds 2-9 is a boss which the player must defeat to place another shard in the broken mirror in the Mirror Room. Before each boss is an antechamber where there is no music, for dramatic effect. The player respawns there and there are usually items hidden around it for healing before the fight as well as copy pedestals. The player will also occasionally encounter "rest areas" of sorts, where the music reverts to the music from the Mirror Room. There is usually an item and a copy pedestal or two in these areas as well. Some rest areas are part of a system linking back to the Mirror Room, and can be connected via giant buttons that are usually in the room itself, but are occasionally somewhere else in the world.
The player can collect various items to improve in-game performance, such as extra health points and lives, food to replenish health, and batteries for the Cellphone. The game also features two other collectibles: music sheets, which act as a sound test mode once the music player item is found, and spray paint, which can be used to recolor the player's Kirby. Both can be accessed from the main menu. There are also three minigames accessible from the menu, which support single player and multiplayer:
The game also features multiplayer, and the player can call other players or CPU-controlled Kirbys to the location with an in-game cell phone. The three other Kirbys are CPUs by default, but connecting to another GBA (which must also have an "Amazing Mirror" cartridge in it) allows for co-op multiplayer for enhanced teamwork and faster completion. There are several new powers in The Amazing Mirror, such as Cupid (called Angel in the Japanese version), which allows Kirby to fly around with wings and a halo and fire arrows; Missile, which turns Kirby into a missile that can be guided in any direction and will explode on contact with a wall or an enemy or when the B button is hit; and Smash, which gives Kirby the abilities he had in Super Smash Bros. Melee
. Also, in this version, Kirby's ability to inhale various things has more limits, as seen by his mouth expanding until he needs to exhale.
and HAL Laboratory
. Capcom
's subsidiary Flagship was responsible for the main planning. Dimps was in charge of programming
, design
and sound
, while HAL Laboratory provided artwork and debugging
services.
, to join the upcoming Nintendo 3DS price-cut and the Ambassador program starting August 11, 2011. These games are joined by five GBA games that Nintendo already announced, as well as three other games. This offer is available in all territories, and only to those who became eligible in the Ambassador program (by accessing the Nintendo eShop before the date of the price-cut). Nintendo currently has no plans to release this game, or any other Game Boy Advance game, to the general public in paid form.
Kirby (series)
The series is a fantasy video game series developed by HAL Laboratory and Nintendo, and produced by Nintendo. The gameplay of a majority of the games in the series consists mainly of action, platform and puzzle-solving elements...
video game released in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
. It is Kirby's last game for the system and is the only Kirby title where Kirby's nemesis King Dedede does not make an appearance. The game has been re-released in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
for Club Nintendo
Club Nintendo
Club Nintendo is the name of several publications and a more well-known customer loyalty program provided by Nintendo. The loyalty program is free to join and is committed to providing rewards in exchange for consumer feedback and loyalty to purchasing official Nintendo products...
members only. The game is notable for being extremely extensive for a Kirby game; the most intense of speedruns still take around 45 minutes to complete.
Plot
There is a Mirror World that exists in the skies of Dream Land. It is a world where any wish reflected in the mirror will come true. However, one day it only copies evil minds, and rapidly changes into a world of evil. Meta Knight notices this, and flies up to save the Mirror World.Meanwhile, Kirby is taking a walk when Dark Meta Knight appears. Before Kirby can react, Dark Meta Knight slices Kirby in four and Kirby becomes four different colored "Kirbys". Kirby travels alone, but if his cell phone is working, he can call his friends and they will help him. They chase after the Dark Meta Knight and enter the Mirror World.
The two Meta Knights fight each other and the real Meta Knight is defeated. He is knocked into the mirror, which is then cut into eight fragments by Dark Meta Knight (which are then scattered across the Mirror World), so Kirby must save Meta Knight and the Mirror World. After collecting all eight mirror fragments, Kirby enters the Mirror World and battles Dark Meta Knight. After defeating him, a vortex appears and sucks Kirby in, who is given Meta Knight's sword. Kirby fights 4 bosses before battling the Dark Mind. Upon defeat, the Mirror World is saved.
Gameplay
Unlike other Kirby games, Kirby & the Amazing Mirror features a maze layout. The game map branches out in several directions and, providing Kirby has the proper power at his disposal, he is able to go anywhere in almost any order, excluding the final sequence. If the player gains access to all mirrors (excluding the one the player is collecting shards for), they will be able to access a new mirror full of Copy Pedestals for their use.The player explores the worlds, solving puzzles, defeating enemies, and collecting items. Occasionally, a sub-boss will be encountered, at which point the screen will lock into place until the boss is defeated. Swallowing a sub-boss after defeat usually grants a rare or exclusive copy ability. Sub bosses are: Mr. Frosty (misspelled as "Mr. Flosty"): Ice ability. Bonkers: Hammer ability. Phan Phan: Throw ability. Batafire: Burning ability. Boxy: Magic ability. Master Hand: Smash Ability. Waddle Dee (Arena only): N/A. Bombar: Missile ability. Box Boxer: Fighter ability. At the end of worlds 2-9 is a boss which the player must defeat to place another shard in the broken mirror in the Mirror Room. Before each boss is an antechamber where there is no music, for dramatic effect. The player respawns there and there are usually items hidden around it for healing before the fight as well as copy pedestals. The player will also occasionally encounter "rest areas" of sorts, where the music reverts to the music from the Mirror Room. There is usually an item and a copy pedestal or two in these areas as well. Some rest areas are part of a system linking back to the Mirror Room, and can be connected via giant buttons that are usually in the room itself, but are occasionally somewhere else in the world.
The player can collect various items to improve in-game performance, such as extra health points and lives, food to replenish health, and batteries for the Cellphone. The game also features two other collectibles: music sheets, which act as a sound test mode once the music player item is found, and spray paint, which can be used to recolor the player's Kirby. Both can be accessed from the main menu. There are also three minigames accessible from the menu, which support single player and multiplayer:
- A game in which the four Kirbys are seated around a covered platter. Once the lid is whisked away at a random time, the fastest person to press the A button and suck in the food on the platter is filled up more (measured by a gauge above each Kirby). The four apples on each platter can be distributed as 4 to one Kirby, 3 to one and 1 to another, etc. If a player hits A before the lid is taken off, they are eliminated for that round. Occasionally, there will be rotten fruit on the platter, and the Kirbys that eat it will be knocked out for the next round.
- A game in which the four Kirbys are challenged to break a rock as much as they can, in a similar style to a microgame from Kirby Super StarKirby Super StarKirby Super Star, known as Kirby's Fun Pak in Europe and as in Japan, is a 1996 platforming video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console. It was first released in Japan on March 21, 1996, in North America on...
. There is a colored meter that fills and drains continuously, challenging the player to hit it while it is as full as it can be. Additionally, while the Kirbys are in the air, the player can attempt to line up two sets of crossshairs beneath Kirby and on the rock for added force. If a player is perfect, they will achieve 999 meters and a zoomed shot of the earth will be shown, with the stadium on the daytime side and an upside-down nighttime landscape. - A game in which the Kirbys race over a water track that varies in length and complexity depending on the difficulty setting. For a speed boost, the player can jump off of ramps placed on the track. The strength of the boost and the grade awarded for the jump are determined by the player's timing.
The game also features multiplayer, and the player can call other players or CPU-controlled Kirbys to the location with an in-game cell phone. The three other Kirbys are CPUs by default, but connecting to another GBA (which must also have an "Amazing Mirror" cartridge in it) allows for co-op multiplayer for enhanced teamwork and faster completion. There are several new powers in The Amazing Mirror, such as Cupid (called Angel in the Japanese version), which allows Kirby to fly around with wings and a halo and fire arrows; Missile, which turns Kirby into a missile that can be guided in any direction and will explode on contact with a wall or an enemy or when the B button is hit; and Smash, which gives Kirby the abilities he had in Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBM or simply as Melee, is a crossover fighting game released for the Nintendo GameCube shortly after its launch in . It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 game Super Smash Bros., and the predecessor to the Wii game Super Smash...
. Also, in this version, Kirby's ability to inhale various things has more limits, as seen by his mouth expanding until he needs to exhale.
Worlds
The game features 9 "worlds", each with an alliterated name, excluding the final boss sequence.- RainbowRainbowA rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines on to droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere. It takes the form of a multicoloured arc...
RouteRoad numberA road number is often assigned to a stretch of public roadway. The number chosen is often dependent on the type of road, with numbers differentiating between interstates, motorways, arterial thoroughfares, two-lane roads, and so forth.-United Kingdom:...
- The hub world, a circular pathway that connects all the others together. The game begins in a small intro section of Rainbow Road inaccessible after completion. At the center and origin point of the circle is the "Mirror Room," which can be accessed from several areas around the map. These can be activated by pressing large buttons, which will in turn display a connection that forms on the world map screen of the pause menu. The Mirror Room also contains the mirror which Kirby must reassemble to access the final boss. Another mirror can also be unlocked that gives Kirby instant access to most of the game's copy abilities. The player can return to the Mirror Room at any time from any location using the Cellphone, though this does not consume battery life. - MoonlightMoonlightMoonlight is the light that reaches Earth from the Moon. This light does not originate from the Moon, but from sunlight. The Moon does not, however, reflect sunlight like a mirror, but it reflects light from those portions of its surface which the Sun's light strikes. See diffuse reflection.In...
MansionMansionA mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
- A haunted house-themed level, the most straightforward world. The boss is a giant stationary stone being named "King GolemGolemIn Jewish folklore, a golem is an animated anthropomorphic being, created entirely from inanimate matter. The word was used to mean an amorphous, unformed material in Psalms and medieval writing....
." Attacks include dropping rocks on you, and spitting out golems, a rock type enemy. Also has a small beach-like area leading to Olive Ocean. - CabbageCabbageCabbage is a popular cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea Linne of the Family Brassicaceae and is a leafy green vegetable...
Cavern - The most maze-like and the largest world, with a subterranean theme. The boss is a giant mole, named Moley. He pops up and throws things at you. - MustardMustard (condiment)Mustard is a condiment made from the seeds of a mustard plant...
MountainMountainImage:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
- A volcano-themed world that also features a windy, snowy section. The boss is a living thundercloud, Kracko. Attacks include raining lightning down and a spinning beam attack. - CarrotCarrotThe carrot is a root vegetable, usually orange in colour, though purple, red, white, and yellow varieties exist. It has a crisp texture when fresh...
CastleCastleA castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
- A castle-themed level. The boss is a flying robot, Mega Titan, notable for its two-stage format, which consists of knocking off the armor and then destroying the head. - OliveOliveThe olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
OceanOceanAn ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
- A water-themed level that starts on the beach and continues into the deep ocean. The boss is a giant shark that goes by the name of "Gobbler". Attacks include sending mini sharks at you and a charge attack. - PeppermintPeppermintPeppermint is a hybrid mint, a cross between the watermint and spearmint . The plant, indigenous to Europe, is now widespread in cultivation throughout all regions of the world...
PalacePalaceA palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word itself is derived from the Latin name Palātium, for Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome. In many parts of Europe, the...
- Similar to Carrot Castle, but made of ice. Also has an outdoor section above the castle, featuring giant outcroppings of pure ice. The boss is a wizard (appropriately named "Wiz"). He launches things from his hat, most of which seem to be children's toys. - RadishRadishThe radish is an edible root vegetable of the Brassicaceae family that was domesticated in Europe, in pre-Roman times. They are grown and consumed throughout the world. Radishes have numerous varieties, varying in size, color and duration of required cultivation time...
RuinsRuinsRuins are the remains of human-made architecture: structures that were once complete, as time went by, have fallen into a state of partial or complete disrepair, due to lack of maintenance or deliberate acts of destruction...
- A Central American-styled subterranean ruin. The boss takes place in a grassy field and appears to be Meta Knight, though it is labeled "? ? ?". Attacks include sword slash, jump attack, down slam, and up stab. - CandyCandyCandy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added...
ConstellationConstellationIn modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
- A space station-themed level that includes blocks of water and a variety of switch-based puzzles. The bosses are Master Hand and Crazy Hand, both from Super Smash Bros. Melee. Attacks include punching, clapping with each other, and slamming on the ground.
Development
The game is a collaborative development effort between Flagship, DimpsDimps
is an Osaka, Japan-based video game development studio with an additional office in Tokyo, Japan. Employing a staff of 218 people, it is known for developing such games as the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai trilogy for the PlayStation 2, and the Sonic the Hedgehog games specific to the Game Boy Advance and...
and HAL Laboratory
HAL Laboratory
is a Japanese video game developer that was founded on February 21, 1980. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. Its name comes from the HAL 9000 computer in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey. The company is most famous for its character Kirby, the protagonist of the eponymous game series, as well as...
. Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
's subsidiary Flagship was responsible for the main planning. Dimps was in charge of programming
Game programming
Game programming, a subset of game development, is the programming of computer, console or arcade games. Though often engaged in by professional game programmers, many novices may program games as a hobby...
, design
Game artist
A game artist is an artist who creates art for one or more types of games. Game artists are responsible for all of the aspects of game development that call for visual art...
and sound
Sound design
Sound design is the process of specifying, acquiring, manipulating or generating audio elements. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including filmmaking, television production, theatre, sound recording and reproduction, live performance, sound art, post-production and video game software...
, while HAL Laboratory provided artwork and debugging
Debugging
Debugging is a methodical process of finding and reducing the number of bugs, or defects, in a computer program or a piece of electronic hardware, thus making it behave as expected. Debugging tends to be harder when various subsystems are tightly coupled, as changes in one may cause bugs to emerge...
services.
Limited re-release
On August 1, 2011, Nintendo announced that Kirby & the Amazing Mirror will be available to limited Nintendo 3DS owners via Virtual Console, along with Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros 3, released in Japan as , is a platform video game that was developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance handheld game console. It was first released in Japan, and then later released in Europe, North America, and Australia. It is an enhanced...
, to join the upcoming Nintendo 3DS price-cut and the Ambassador program starting August 11, 2011. These games are joined by five GBA games that Nintendo already announced, as well as three other games. This offer is available in all territories, and only to those who became eligible in the Ambassador program (by accessing the Nintendo eShop before the date of the price-cut). Nintendo currently has no plans to release this game, or any other Game Boy Advance game, to the general public in paid form.