Game Development Series Portal - Navicular Drop / Portal 1 / F-STOP / Flash Map Pack / Portal 2 Kirby - HAL Laboratory / Kirby’s Dream Land / Adventure, Super Deluxe / 2, 3, 64 / Anime, Air Ride / Amazing Mirror, Squeak Squad
※ This may be slightly embellished for fun.
Going back a bit in time, HAL Laboratory was in deep trouble while the second title was under development.
"Ugh... Flagship got screwed up too, what are we gonna put out next?" "At this point, there's only one answer."
HAL Laboratory’s choice was to survive by making another remake. Since the year 2000 (after 64), they had assembled a truly insane lineup: Remake - Outsourced - Outsourced - Remake.
"Hmm... but what about staffing?" However, the senior staff were tied up developing a new Wii title. They had no choice but to proceed with personnel who had relatively less experience. Plus, with both Sakurai and Shinomura gone, finding a new director wasn't easy.
"Could... could I possibly try being that director?"
"Wait, you're???" "Who are you??"
That person’s name was Shinya Kumazaki. He was a *jjamjji* (rookie/grunt) who joined HAL Laboratory in 2002, but watching Sakurai on *Air Ride* inspired him to dream of becoming a director. He even designed the final boss for the 2005 spin-off, *Kirby: Canvas Curse*.
"...Should we really trust him?" Although it was absurd for such a total *gae-jjamjji* (super-rookie) to become a director, what they were making wasn't a completely new title, just a remake. The fact that all the talent was focused on the actual new title was just a bonus.
"Okay, you're the one." And so, a rookie who had been with the company for just over five years became a director.
The target for the remake was *Super Deluxe* (Kirby Super Star), which came out on the Super Famicom. Since it was just a filler title, the plan was a simple remake released under the name 'Super Deluxe Plus.' But then...
"Yo, when we demoed what we were developing, the response was absolutely fire, seriously."
"Yes, *Super Deluxe* was already a masterpiece, and adults now will have childhood memories of it." "But why bring that up suddenly...?"
"So, shouldn't we add more content and make it richer than a simple remake??" "Shouldn't we exceed customer expectations??"
"Oh, you're absolutely right, boss (you motherf*cker)." For this reason, the name was changed to 'Ultra Super Deluxe' (Kirby Super Star Ultra), signifying that the game would be changed to be slightly more deluxe.
True to its name, it went beyond simple graphics changes, introducing four new game modes. Furthermore, to fit the DS's dual screen, the UI was separated so the top screen could be dedicated almost entirely to gameplay.
And then there was the wooden box packaging of the original *Super Deluxe*. They debated whether to follow suit with a wooden box for this title but decided against it, with the opinion that 'it wouldn't resonate with the *jaemminy* (kids today),' settling instead on a shimmering cartridge.
*Ultra Super Deluxe* was released worldwide in 2008. While the scores weren't super high, given it was a remake, it remains one of the titles consistently brought up by fans when discussing the series' greatest masterpieces.
After completing *Ultra Super Deluxe*, Shinya Kumazaki ended up developing built-in Nintendo 3DS software, which wasn't specifically related to Kirby. Even though the Kirby new title project discussed in the previous installment was already underway within HAL Laboratory, Kumazaki, who hadn't been involved since the start, could only watch.
"This new title is also discontinued." Time continued to flow, and it was March 2010. Kirby’s third new title had just been canceled.
"Damn, three projects got canned. What do we do now...?" "Let's give it to the guy who showed his skills, even if he's a rookie." The opportunity came to Shinya Kumazaki, the rookie who joined in 2002. He was offered the director role for the new Kirby Wii title. This was only possible because he had proven his ability with *Ultra Super Deluxe*.
"...Wait? Me? Director of a brand new Kirby title?" While it sounded incredibly sweet on the surface, Kumazaki knew the score. Since he joined, he had already seen senior staff fail three times to release a new title. He might join that lineup of failures. The responsibility was heavy and immense.
"......I'll do it." But he didn't run away. Kumazaki later said that he believed if he didn't step up right then, it would be the real 'The End' (-WAN-) for the Kirby IP.
With no time to mourn the death of three previous projects, Director 'Shinya Kumazaki' was thrown into development.
"So, what kind of deadline should we set?"
"Hmm....... Let's see." "The Wii has been out for almost four years, and the Wii U and 3DS are coming soon..." ( * The Wii was released in December 2006. ) "Hmm........." "How about a year and a half?"
"You absolute bastard (of course we can)." An unexpected time attack was placed upon them. They decided to utilize the three canceled projects as much as possible. But since they weren't canceled for no reason, they decided to analyze the causes of failure.
What was the reason the second new title failed? It aimed for a leap into 3D but lacked completion. Therefore, they stuck with 2D sidescrolling, like the third title.
Next, they faced the core element of the first canceled project: 4-player multiplayer. It failed during the GameCube era, but now they had the Wii. If they dared to try, they might be able to salvage it.
"We only have a year and a half left, what the hell are we talking about multiplayer for?" "We don't have the know-how, just cut this too." — That initial decision was, once again, canceled. They decided to focus on single-player. And now, for the third project...
"Hey, hey."
"Yes?"
"You know that third project you guys worked on last time?" "Honestly, it was a damn shame that it got canceled." "Why don't we put that Super Ability feature into this game?" A sudden request from Nintendo. It was the introduction of the canceled Super Abilities.
"Look, I know it's tough, but hear me out." "1. It looks great because the visuals are flashy." "2. That makes it look good for advertising," "3. And it looks fun. What do you think?" "Of course, it'll be hard to put in every stage, so just use it for dramatic set pieces."
"Hmph..." The 'Super Abilities' from the third project were not in the initial plan. They couldn't think of specific ways to utilize them, and development costs were already high due to the 3D graphics, so implementing content that involved destroying everything would be extremely expensive.
"We'll try to make it work, boss/bro." After all, when the client gives an order, you have to execute it—that’s the reality.
"Oh, one more thing." "Also, develop 4-player mode lol." From Nintendo's perspective, the Wii was a console for family fun. Missing out on 4-player multiplayer would have been a significant loss.
'Ugh...' And so, King Dedede, Meta Knight, and the new regular character Bandana Waddle Dee were added, making a total of four playable characters, including Kirby.
"Hey, if 4-player works, then 4 Kirbys should be possible too, right?"
"You absolute bastard!"
"Mooom, my brother won't let me play as Kirbyyyyyy!" Immediately after that, to prevent this exact situation, they made it so up to four players could play as Kirby.
Now the remaining problem was the development period: a truly destructive 18 months. Including debugging and similar tasks, the actual development time would be even shorter.
Whether it was luck or misfortune, salvaging the remains (?) of the three previously canceled titles allowed them to meet the deadline. A huge factor was also the development team fortunately avoiding burnout.
"Okay, this is enough! Let's stick with this!" These efforts combined resulted in the new title being completed in just 18 months.
*Kirby's Return to Dream Land* (Kirby Wii) was released worldwide in 2011 (Korea in 2012). Despite a tough development process after 64 and barely being released 11 years later, it was critically acclaimed as a masterpiece that perfectly captured Kirby's core fun. Sales were decent at 1.93 million copies, though less than the two DS titles.
The significance of *Kirby's Return to Dream Land* lies in establishing the framework for 'Modern Kirby.' Sakurai’s Kirby emphasized stage structure. Shinomura’s Kirby emphasized gimmicks through combination. Flagship’s Kirby emphasized collectible elements.
Perhaps because of his experience designing the final boss in *Canvas Curse*, Kumazaki’s Kirby focuses heavily on boss battles. Simple puzzles in the first playthrough that even a child can solve, contrasted by a high-difficulty second playthrough and an overtly challenging Boss Rush set to epic BGM. This has become a new tradition for Kirby that continues to this day.
Also, previous directors didn't pay much attention to the story. Kumazaki unified the fragmented, inconsistent world lore. This gave fans something new to obsess over.
However, because he designs everything but only releases snippets to users, forcing them to use their imagination, Kirby fan theories (*ddeokbap*) operate very similarly to 'FromSoft Brain' theories. This, too, is a continuing tradition.
There are downsides, though. Perhaps due to the short development period or to artificially inflate playtime, achieving 100% completion requires beating both Normal and Extra modes. The bizarre catch is that Extra mode is structured almost identically to Normal mode and only unlocks after you finish Normal, essentially forcing you to beat the game twice.
"I lack the confidence... to lose!" In any case, Kumazaki successfully completed a brand new title that had failed for 11 years. Having dreamt of being a director after seeing Sakurai, he became a new pillar for Kirby, just as Sakurai and Shinomura had.
"But what now?" That was that, but now it was time to develop the next new title. HAL Laboratory was deep in thought about what to do next...
"Oh wait! We had that!" What HAL Laboratory finally remembered after much deliberation.
"3DS, my dude." It was the 3D functionality of the 3DS.
The Story of Kirby Series Development - Continued in the *Triple Deluxe* / *Planet Robobot* installment... +
*Kirby's Return to Dream Land* was remade for the Nintendo Switch in 2023. While the new second story playthrough, new boss rush, and mini-games were well-received, the Extra Mode—a flaw inherited from the Wii version—was brought over unchanged. This means if you play both games, you essentially beat the same game four times.... Sigh... but duty calls, I guess...
하... 그래도 할 건 해야제...
"The community is hyped about this deep dive into Kirby lore, praising the redemption story and acknowledging that Ultra Super Deluxe is still a banger. The author self-corrected, realizing they forgot to include the iconic moment where Meta Knight destroys his own ride."
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