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168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Kirby is one of gaming's most beloved characters. His games are full of all-ages charm, and his whimsical Copy Abilities make him one of the most versatile video game protagonists ever. A Kirby track even 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:won a Grammy in 2022 - your move, Elden Ring.
Kirby's colorful world didn't just come from nowhere. Like most well-known characters, Kirby went through a lot of changes before making his debut. Let's take a Warp Star back to the early '90s to see just how this best-selling franchise was created. Just be sure to pack some snacks — the little guy gets hungry.
HAL Laboratory
Today, HAL Laboratory is known primarily for developing Kirby and the Super Smash Brothers series. The company goes much farther back than either of those series, incorporating in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward in 1980.
While the company is not directly named after the rogue AI from 2001: A Space Odyssey, its name was derived the same way — by transposing each letter in IBM one place earlier in the alphabet. The company's former president, Satoru Iwata, as "each letter puts us one step ahead of IBM."
Initially, HAL produced hardware rather than software. Their initial product line included peripherals that would allow older computers to run modern (at the time) games. When Iwata joined the small company and became its first employee with programming skills, HAL began using its hardware to . At first, these ports were made without Namco's permission, but they paved the way for HAL Laboratory to become the first officially-licensed developer for Namco. ജTheir contract even became the template for agreements ꦺwith later Namco licensees.
It was Iwata who negotiated HAL's initial license to produce games for the Famicom/NES, starting with ports of arcade classics like Joust. The two companies would work closely together from that point forward.
Popopo Of The Spring Breeze
In the early 1990s, HAL Laboratory greenlit a side-scroller for the Game Boy titled Harukaze Popopo, or Popopo Of The Spring Breeze. The project was helmed by a promising young designer, nineteen-year-old Masahiro Sakurai. While Popopo's character design was being finalized, the developers used a placeholder sprite consisting of a circle with a simple face and stubby limbs. The team eventually grew so fond of the round character that they kept it as Popopo's final look.
HAL changed the character's name to simply Popo and marketed their new game as Twinkle Popo. As Sakurai , Twinkle Popo only received twenty thousand advance orders from retailers. Nintendo stepped in, offering to publish the game. According to Sakurai, the brass at Nintendo thought "it would be a waste to see such a good game only sell twenty thousand copies."
Kirby's Dream Land
Nintendo embarked on a major marketing campaign, both in Japan and in North America, to promote the game. Since Twinkle Popo wasn't expected to resonate with American audiences, the company asked Nintendo of America to suggest a new, Western name for the character. The name Kirby won out, and the game's title was changed to Hoshi No Kirby (Kirby Of The Stars) in Japan and Kirby's Dream Land in North America. , the team in Japan later found out they had inadvertently named the character after an important member of Nintendo Of America's legal team.
Kirby's Dream Land was a chart-topping success upon its release in 1992, selling over a million copies worldwide in its first year. A shortened version of this initial adventure was included on 1996's Kirby Super Star, called Spring Breeze as a nod to the original Popopo title.
Was Kirby Always Pink?
Masahiro Sakurai always intended Kirby to be pink by default, but the Game Boy's screen could only display shades of green. Because of the character's round shape, Shigeru Miyamoto initially thought Kirby was intended to be yellow like Pac-Man. The Japanese release of Hoshi No Kirby used a pink design f🉐or all its promotional materials and box art, but Kirby was colored white in North America.
Kirby's Adventure
While Kirby's Dream Land introduced gamers to the puffy protagonist, the game did not feature what would become Kirby's signature ability. Kirby could inhale enemies, spit them out, and swallow them from the start, but it wasn't until his first full-color quest was released the following year, Kirby's Adventure, that he could copy the powers of ingested foes.
Originally conceived as an NES port of Kirby's Dream Land, under Sakurai's direction Kirby's Adventure developed into a proper sequel with many more levels. that since the Game Boy was targeted at beginning gamers, NES players would want more advanced gameplay. The introduction of Copy Abilities allowed advanced players to try new tactics, while beginners could just as easily stick with Kirby's basic inhale attacks.
Kirby's Adventure also introduced series mainstay Meta Knight, the mysteriou🙈s masked swordsman who frequently challenges Kirby to duels.
Warpstar, Inc.
By the turn of the twenty-first century, Kirby was an indelible part of both Nintendo and HAL's intellectual properties. He was prominently featured in 1999's Super Smash Brothers for the Nintendo 64, another joint venture between the two companies directed by Sakurai. With both companies having an important stake in the IP, Nintendo and HAL created a joint subsidiary in 2001 called Warpstar, Inc. Each company ꦆowns exactly half of Warpstar, which manages the branding and licensing of the Kirby franchise. Despite its close relationship with Ninten🔥do, HAL Laboratory remains an independent company.