Last year was Super Mario's 35th anniversary, and to celebrate Nintendo's flagship franchise, it released a number of enthralling titles, such as Super Mario Bros. 35, an interesting take on a battle royale. But the release that ended being the talk of the town was Super Mario 3D All-Stars, bundling together three of Super Mario's 3D hits: Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy. While its limited-time release caused some controversy, bringing older titles to the Switch ultimately thrilled fans, especially Super Mario Sunshine, which had been trapped on the GameCube. A neighboring Nintendo title, the Kirby franchise, deserves the same when it celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2022.
It's difficult to tell how likely any kind of Kirby bundle could be. On one hand, it's beloved series of Nintendo's that's been around for a long while, spawning a kid's TV series, and Kirby's even appeared in Super Smash Bros. since the original release. And it did celebrate its 20th anniversary in the form of Kirby's Dream Collection, which brought a handful of the older titles. It would even be great just to see that group brought to the Switch, though this is unlikely. Regardless, there is a multitude of games that would be welcome on the Switch, both modern and retro releases that nostalgic gamers would appreciate.
The Best of the Retro Kirby Games
The Kirby's Dream Land trilogy is an obvious place to begin when debating which games would make a good bundle. But it's worth mentioning that the original Kirby's Dream Land 3 along with Kirby Super Star, Kirby's Adventure, and Kirby's Dream Course are all available through Nintendo Switch Online's database of NES and SNES games. It also goes without saying that these titles are a bit dated and, being some of the first installments, Kirby has naturally developed into a stronger gameplay experience since. For a rerelease of these titles, the best course of action would likely be to remake them onto the Switch, combining the setting and premise of the originals trilogy with smoother and more compelling combat as well as graphics and art that go beyond the basics of 16-bit pixels.
What fans consider to be the "best" Kirby titles is largely up for debate, but many are partial to the games they're most nostalgic for. For example, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards was the only title to release for the Nintendo 64. It was included in the Kirby Dream Collection, and while it didn't receive the most rave reviews, many fans would be happy to see it get a bump in graphics akin to Super Mario 64. Likewise, Kirby and the Amazing Mirror is trapped on the Game Boy Advance, never having seen a port of any kind. And though Kirby's Adventure was remade for the GBA in 2002 in Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, perhaps that near-20-year gap has warranted yet another remake for what's often considered one of the best NES games out there.
The 3DS Kirby Games
The 3DS line was an excellent era for Kirby games, depending on who's asked. While Team Kirby Clash and Kirby Fighters Deluxe may not have landed the best with players, other releases like Planet Robobot, Extra Epic Yarn, and Triple Deluxe are sometimes noted as some of the best titles the series has to offer. The latter three in particular showcase what makes Kirby such a fantastic gem of games unlike any other.
What's even better about these three releases is that they're pretty modern in comparison to other Kirby titles, meaning less work would be needed to bring it up to speed on the Switch or simply just port them in an anniversary package.