Kirby is an action-platforming series that first launched in 1992 (that's 31 years ago as of writing this!!). The series has over thirty games, some manga and light novels, and an anime series! The series is admittedly very comforting for me! Funnily enough, I was introduced to the series thanks to Smash Bros Melee and Kirby Right Back At Ya (and I partially have Sonic to thank for this).

All of my Kirby-related Smash Bros Melee childhood memories was just me playing as Keeby (the yellow Kirby) in adventure mode and multiplayer battles and calling it a day. Listen. Tiny me adored Keeby simply because they are yellow. Keeby remains a favorite character of mine in this series to this day, and I am sure tiny me would be psyched if they got to witness Kirby's Dream Course.

I actually had gotten many of the games released during this time, with Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land being the first Kirby game I ever got at age six! Yes, part of it was due to the boxart having artwork from the anime, but I was just so excited to get a Kirby game. I know quite a few people prefer the original Kirby's Adventure compared to this remake, but this game just means too much to me. To me, Adventure sadly does not feel the same and I have a bit of a harder time getting into it. The GBA and DS games, alongside Air Ride, are THE nostalgic Kirby experience for me.

My interest for this series would frequently come back and go dormant due to other interests, rinse and repeat... until 2022. 2022 had a specific Kirby game release that I was hyped for alongside the Klonoa remakes. That's right, Kirby and The Forgotten Land in specific got me back into fixating on this series!!! 3D platformer, therefore something fresh for the series? Check. New gimmick that was honestly very funny? Check. New adorable lil' sidekick? Check!! As I played this game, I was reminded of how much I initially adored the Kirby series as a child; the games have such wonderful visuals and music, and it could get anywhere from cute and silly to scary at times! Even the mini games in the Waddle Dee Town are a wonderful time, and it's something I personally enjoyed a ton!

I absolutely need to talk about what I personally consider to be the crown jewel of the series. Kirby 64 has to be my favorite game in the series. I may only have just played and 100%ed it this year, but it already is a game that means a lot to me. It's a 2.5D platformer this time around, and it feels quite similar to the mainline Klonoa games (I actually speculate that both series took inspiration from each other in a sense; Door to Phantomile for 64, and 64 for Lunatea's Veil)! That alone made the game feel very cozy and familiar going in. Ribbon is also incredibly precious! She and Adeleine are excellent additions to the series, and they're a few of my favorite characters!

Since I've delved back into this series, I've played more titles, gotten familiar with and attached to more characters, and just had an incredibly fun time in general. It's a series that truly makes me so happy, and I absolutely understand why so many others love the series as well!!