Kirby Conversations | Exploring Kirby, Nintendo, and More

We know listeners have been requesting more Smash Bros. content, so today we're going deep into the weeds of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate meta with friend of the show Lucy "Winters" Hayes ( @lucyelise.bsky.social on Bluesky). Lucy is a longtime Smash Bros. competitive player and commentator, and Sean and Gigi are talking with her about UltRank's carefully assembled 2026 SSBU tier list that was j...

Kirby Battle Royale is a game often considered one of the worst Kirby games, and it was no doubt disappointing that the game wasn't larger in scope or equipped with better online features (especially for a game all about multiplayer battles). But behind the game's flaws is a clever minigame collection with surprisingly good 3D Kirby combat, a lot of unlockables, and creative experiments that still...

What makes a game a good Kirby-adjacent recommendation? Is it the ability to use enemy powers? Smash Bros.-like controls? Or maybe just solid platforming with a round, memorable character? For this episode, we cover all of these elements and more with another list of non-Kirby games we think Kirby fans should try. We're deliberately going in this weeds with some of these choices, spanning multiple...

For this episode, Sean and Bridget are joined by two guests from the Kirby Air Riders competitive community, Kinix and SUPAH! Kinix is a freelance game developer, Kirby Air Ride veteran, and moderator of the Kirby Air Ride Online Discord server. SUPAH is a streamer and competitive player also active with Mario Kart and other racing games. Join us a for a chill conversation on how the competitive m...

Is this bonus episode, Sean, Bridget, and Gigi are answering more listener questions, covering their favorite bosses, Kirby Super Star ninja tech, the mysterious Earth-like features of Kirby 64's Shiver Star, and more. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions to the show, and if you'd like to share something with us, like a discussion question or a recommendation for a future episode, we're a...

In this episode, Sean interviews Given, the creator behind the YouTube channel Channel Kirby. Channel Kirby offers creative, thoughtful, and polished commentary on the Kirby series, and people have noticed, with some of the channel's most popular videos reaching over 100,000 views. In our conversation, Given shares how he got started with the channel, some of his YouTube strategies, his favorite K...

We know listeners have been asking for an episode on Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, so for this episode Sean and Gigi are finally unpacking the surreal charms of Kirby's anime series. Sean is relatively new to the show, while Gigi is more familiar and has watched it in multiple languages. Together they go over the history of the show's development, trivia, surprising connections between the animation t...

For this episode, Sean and Bridget are hitting the streets and the slopes with more discussion of Kirby Air Riders and a batch of winter game recommendations. After breaking down some competitive strategies for City Trial, they consider other games that are a good fit for the winter months, including snowboarding games and the SSX series. (The earliest unreleased versions of Kirby Air Ride for the...

Happy holidays everyone! This is just a quick update to share that we are running a holiday giveaway with the podcasts Pixels and Polygons and Flashback 64, our fellow shows in the Sound Stone Network. From now until January 1st, if you subscribe to our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@SoundStone-Network , you'll be automatically entered to win a $100 Nintendo gift card. We will choose a random...

Kirby Air Riders is finally here, and Bridget, Sean, and Gigi are breaking down their early impressions. While it probably won't come as a surprise that we all really like the game, we have a lot to share about our first few days playing both solo and together in multiplayer. Since the game is still so new, we're avoiding spoilers in this one and just sharing our general thoughts on its signature...

On a recent episode of Darren Hupke's podcast Pixels and Polygons ( linked here ), friend of the show Nic McConnell shared a "hot take" about video game patches. We'll let Nic share the nuances of his take in the show itself, but he was essentially expressing that he thought video games should not be patched as often as they are. We thought this was an intriguing idea worth unpacking even further—...

2014's Kirby: Triple Deluxe marked Kirby's debut on the 3DS. Combining Kirby's familiar 2D platforming with 3D effects, motion controls, and other functionalities of the 3DS, it's a true product of the quirky, experimental energy of early 2010's Nintendo. Gigi is our host today, and with Sean and Bridget, we're looking back at what made Triple Deluxe special. We explore its history, share trivia,...

With innovative controls, a unique claymation aesthetic, an outstanding soundtrack, and a surprising mix of charm and challenge, 2015's Kirby and the Rainbow Curse still offers so much to enjoy ten years later. So why is it one of Kirby's most polarizing games? Canvas Curse fan Nic McConnell returns to Kirby Conversations to discuss the game, which he and Sean have been playing for the first time....

In this episode, Sean and Gigi are unpacking the brand new Star-Crossed World content from the Nintendo Switch 2 edition of Kirby and the Forgotten Land. They discuss the many things that stood out to them, like the graphics, complex levels, and amazing new soundtrack, while also considering how nice (and surprising) it is to return to Forgotten Land three years later. At the same time, both have...

This is just a short episode to catch you up on our new schedule and a new show coming to the Sound Stone Network. And, of course, we had to include some reflections on all the reveals today from the Kirby Air Riders Nintendo Direct! Sean is here to share some brief updates and Air Riders takes, and we'll be back again at the start of September (if not before then) with a long look into Star-Cross...

In this episode we're off to the races, revisiting the Gourmet Race from Kirby Super Star. This short subgame gave us our first taste of Kirby racing back in 1996, and while it may just take a few minutes to reach the end and beat King Dedede, the game packs a surprising amount of depth for those looking to maximize their best times. Bridget has a few tips to share for anyone trying to shave a few...

While Kirby games are known for their accessibility, they also have a reputation among some for being on the easy side. But even if a particular game isn't hard enough for you, there are always ways you can add your own twists or gameplay ideas to turn up the challenge. So for this episode, Bridget, Sean, and Gigi are sharing their ideas for how you can make Kirby games harder—through timed challe...

In this episode we're looking back at the history of Flagship—a unique studio founded by Final Fight/Street Fighter II creator Yoshiki Okamoto. Flagship received startup funding from Nintendo, Sega, and Capcom, and its game credits include everything from the Resident Evil series to Zelda and Kirby titles. We're also very intrigued by Okamoto's YouTube channel, but translating that will have to wa...

The summer is upon us (at least in the U.S.), and with it comes a bevy of new game announcements from events like Summer Game Fest and the Steam Next Fest. And in the spirit of summer game festivals, we're also looking back at the late, great E3. For this episode, Ky "Captain Dangerous" Parker is sharing more of her favorite memories from E3's she's attended in the past—the exhibits she saw, the p...

Bridget has acquired a Switch 2, so for this episode she's sharing her first impressions and what's she's been playing on it so far. We also go over the significant performance boost she's seeing for older Switch titles, including fixing some noticeable slowdown in Kirby Star Allies. And we close with some reflections on the Switch 2's exciting new GameCube library. What GameCube games would you l...

After Smash Bros. was first released in Japan in 1999, players flocked to the game's website, where Masahiro Sakurai posted survey results, game tips, and even answered players' emails. There are reams of emails left from this period that offer a fascinating, funny, and even touching look at nascent Smash Bros. culture. In this episode, Sean, Gigi, and Bridget look over some of these early surveys...

We're back with more listener questions this week, including some of the trickiest questions we've gotten so far. What are the hardest Kirby games to speedrun or 100%? What are our top three favorite Kirby games? And what our top three favorite games overall? There's some tough ranking to be made in this episode, and we appreciate listeners giving us some deep questions to chew on (or perhaps just...

How well does the original Super Smash Bros. hold up today? Who better to help us answer that question than our friends Gooey and McKenna of Flashback 64, the chronological Nintendo 64 podcast. Together we reflect on the game's development history (did you know one early idea for it was to make all the characters dogs?) and our own history with the game, which continues to be one most of us return...

Thank you to everyone who visited our booth at the Midwest Gaming Classic this month! It was great to meet you, and thank you for submitting such thoughtful, creative, and funny questions to the show as well. It'll take several episodes to respond to every question, but for now here's a mailbag episode where we answer the first batch, about Smash Bros. characters, potential future Kirby gameplay i...

After all the news from the April 2nd Nintendo Direct, we had to put out a bonus episode with our reactions and some of the additional information we've found about the Star-Crossed World upgrade for Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Kirby Air Riders, GameCube games on the Switch 2, and more. Who is this mysterious new Waddle Dee with a telescope in Star-Crossed World? Could Sakurai and Bandai Namco b...