Software:Kirby & the Amazing Mirror

From HandWiki
Kirby & the Amazing Mirror
North American box art
Developer(s)HAL Laboratory
Flagship
Dimps
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)Tomoaki Fukui
Producer(s)Yasushi Adachi
Masayoshi Tanimura
Shigeru Miyamoto
Kenji Miki
Composer(s)Hironobu Inagaki
Atsuyoshi Isemura
SeriesKirby
Platform(s)Game Boy Advance
Release
  • JP: April 15, 2004
  • EU: July 2, 2004
  • NA: October 18, 2004
  • AU: December 23, 2004
Genre(s)Platformer
Metroidvania
Mode(s)Single-player
Multiplayer

Kirby & the Amazing Mirror[lower-alpha 1] is a 2004 platform video game developed by HAL Laboratory, Flagship and Dimps and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. The seventh mainline Kirby entry, the game is notable for its unique Metroidvania playstyle and being the first in the genre to support cooperative multiplayer, and follows Kirby as he goes on a journey through the Mirror Dimension to reassemble a mirror after Dark Meta Knight traps Meta Knight inside it.

Plot

There is a Mirror World that exists in the skies of Dream Land where any wish reflected in the mirror will come true. However, it copies the mind of a mysterious figure one day and creates a reflected 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. They chase after Dark Meta Knight on a Warp Star simultaneously and enter the Mirror World.

It is revealed that the two Meta Knights fought each other until the real Meta Knight was defeated. He was then knocked into the mirror, which was in turn cut into eight fragments by Dark Meta Knight and scattered across the Mirror World, prompting the Kirbys to 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 then proceeds to fight Dark Mind, the true mastermind behind the Mirror World's corruption, multiple times. Upon defeat, the Mirror World is saved, and Shadow Kirby (the Mirror World counterpart of Kirby who was believed to be an enemy, but is now an ally) waves his goodbyes to the four Kirbys as they all exit the Mirror World one by one. Meta Knight also drops his Master Sword before leaving the Mirror World, marking it as a symbol for the Mirror World's protection.

Gameplay

Kirby and his different colored copies travel across the hub world.

Unlike the other Kirby games, Kirby & The Amazing Mirror features a maze layout, and is traversed in a Metroidvania style. 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.

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.

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. There are also three minigames accessible from the menu, which support single player and multiplayer:

  • Speed Eaters – 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).
  • Crackity Hack – 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 Star.
  • Kirby's Wave Ride – A game in which the Kirbys, atop Warp Stars, race over a water track that varies in length and complexity depending on the difficulty setting, similar to the GameCube racing game Kirby Air Ride.

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. 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.

Development

The game is a collaboration between HAL Laboratory, Flagship, and Dimps. 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.[1] The game features soundtrack by Hironobu Inagaki and Atsuyoshi Isemura, but some tracks were reserved from Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land.

Release

Kirby & The Amazing Mirror was released for the Game Boy Advance in the region of Japan on April 15, 2004, followed by the region of Europe on July 2, 2004, North America on October 18, 2004, and Australia on December 23, 2004.

Re-releases

On August 1, 2011, Nintendo announced that Kirby & The Amazing Mirror would be available to limited Nintendo 3DS owners via Virtual Console, along with nine other Game Boy Advance games that were announced; it was released on December 16, 2011, to join the upcoming Nintendo 3DS price-cut and the Ambassador program starting August 11, 2011.[2][3] 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 did not release this game, or any other Game Boy Advance games, to the general public in paid form on the 3DS.

The game was also released on the Wii U's Virtual Console[4] on April 3, 2014, in Japan and April 10, 2014, in North America, Europe, and Australia, and on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service on September 29, 2023.[5]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic80/100[6]
Review scores
PublicationScore
1Up.comB+[7]
Famitsu36/40[8]
Game Informer7.75/10[9]
GameSpot8.2/10[10]
GameSpyStarStarStarStar[11]
IGN8/10[12]
Nintendo Life6/10[13]
Nintendo Power4/5[14]
VideoGamer.com7/10[15]
X-PlayStarStarStar[16]
The TimesStarStarStarStar[17]

The Amazing Mirror received "favorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[6] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of one nine, one ten, one nine, and one eight for a total of 36 out of 40. [8] It received a runner-up position in GameSpot's 2004 "Best Game Boy Advance Game" and "Best Platformer" award categories, losing to Astro Boy and Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, respectively.[18]

IGN commented on the level design, stating that discovering the hidden pathways that's the real challenge."[12] GameSpot called the layout "daunting," but commented on the map feature. The graphics and sound were referred to as cute, though not amazing.[10]

Sales

In the United States, Kirby & The Amazing Mirror sold 620,000 copies and earned $19 million by August 2006. During the period between January 2000 and August 2006, it was the 43rd highest-selling game launched for the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, or PlayStation Portable in that country.[19] The game ended up selling 1.47 million copies worldwide.[20]

Notes

  1. ↑ Known in Japan as Hoshi no Kirby: Kagami no Daimeikyū (Japanese: 星のカービィ 鏡の大迷宮, Hepburn: Hoshi no Kābī Kagami no Daimeikyū; lit. Kirby of the Stars: The Great Mirror Labyrinth)

References

  1. ↑ Flagship Co., Ltd.; Dimps Corporation; HAL Laboratory, Inc. (18 October 2004). Kirby & the Amazing Mirror. Nintendo of America, Inc.. Scene: staff credits. 
  2. ↑ "Nintendo Support: What Is the Nintendo 3DS Ambassador Program?". https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/423/~/what-is-the-nintendo-3ds-ambassador-program%3F. 
  3. ↑ "Nintendo Support: What Ambassador Program Games Are Available?". https://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/433/~/what-ambassador-program-games-are-available%3F. 
  4. ↑ "30% Discount on Kirby™ & The Amazing Mirror (Wii U)". https://my.nintendo.com/rewards/1ea69379b8ff5d62. 
  5. ↑ "Game Boy™ Advance – Nintendo Switch Online for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Official Site". https://www.nintendo.com/en-ca/store/products/game-boy-advance-nintendo-switch-online-switch/. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Kirby & the Amazing Mirror for Game Boy Advance Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/kirby-and-the-amazing-mirror/critic-reviews/?platform=game-boy-advance. 
  7. ↑ Parish, Jeremy (October 15, 2004). "Kirby & The Amazing Mirror". http://www.1up.com/reviews/kirby-amazing-mirror_2. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "星のカービィ 鏡の大迷宮". Famitsu 798. April 2, 2004. 
  9. ↑ Mason, Lisa (October 2004). "Kirby and the Amazing Mirror [sic]". Game Informer (138): 146. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Torres, Ricardo (October 18, 2004). "Kirby & the Amazing Mirror Review". http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/kirby-and-the-amazing-mirror-review/1900-6110816/. 
  11. ↑ Theobald, Phil (October 18, 2004). "GameSpy: Kirby & The Amazing Mirror". GameSpy. http://gba.gamespy.com/gameboy-advance/hoshi-no-kirby-kagami-no-daimeikyuu/558043p1.html. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Harris, Craig (October 20, 2004). "Kirby & The Amazing Mirror". http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/10/20/kirby-the-amazing-mirror. 
  13. ↑ Reed, Philip J. (January 5, 2012). "Review: Kirby & The Amazing Mirror (3DS eShop / GBA)". http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds-eshop/kirby_and_the_amazing_mirror_gba. 
  14. ↑ "Kirby & the Amazing Mirror". Nintendo Power 186: 142. December 2004. 
  15. ↑ Carvell, Stephen (December 23, 2004). "Kirby and the Amazing Mirror [sic Review"]. VideoGamer.com. https://www.videogamer.com/reviews/kirby-and-the-amazing-mirror-review. 
  16. ↑ Vassar, Darryl (November 23, 2004). "Kirby and the Amazing Mirror [sic Review"]. X-Play. http://www.g4techtv.com/xplay/features/50406/Kirby_and_the_Amazing_Mirror_Review.html. 
  17. ↑ Blackmore, Ben (August 7, 2004). "Kirby and the Amazing Mirror [sic"]. The Times. http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/technology/article1861902.ece. 
  18. ↑ "Best and Worst of 2004". GameSpot. January 5, 2005. http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/bestof2004/. 
  19. ↑ Keiser, Joe (August 2, 2006). "The Century's Top 50 Handheld Games". Next Generation. http://www.next-gen.biz/index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3557&Itemid=2&pop=1&page=0. 
  20. ↑ 2021CESAゲーム白書 (2021 CESA Games White Papers). Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association. 2021. ISBN 978-4-902346-43-5. 
  • Official U.S. Kirby website
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.



Warning: Default sort key "Kirby and The Amazing Mirror" overrides earlier default sort key "Mobygames".



Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Kirby_%26_the_Amazing_Mirror&oldid=725713"