Kirby 64 Is Being Added To The NSO Library For Us Orb-Loving Freaks

I asked for Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, and now Nintendo is delivering. Manifestation has finally worked for me, and now I will whisper ‘one trillion dollars’ to myself quietly every day until that happens too.

Announced today by Nintendo on their Twitter, the next game to be added to the Nintendo Switch Online N64 library is Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, an absolute classic in the Kirby franchise.

Inhale enemies and combine their abilities in #Kirby‘s adventure beyond Dream Land! ⭐

Dozens of puffed-up special powers await you in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, floating onto #NintendoSwitch for #NintendoSwitchOnline + Expansion Pack members on 5/20! #Nintendo64 pic.twitter.com/4YtfIZ2Cnl

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) May 13, 2022

And this time around, the once G-rated Kirby game now has an American ‘T for Teens’ rating for ‘Blood’ and ‘Violence’. Maybe they’ve added special new content where Kirby goes on an incredibly bloody and violent rampage? Who knows, but I’m scared!

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards was released in 2000 for the Nintendo 64, and is the first time a Kirby game has included 3D graphics (although it is still a side-scroller). Yes, while Kirby and the Forgotten Land was the first fully 3D Kirby game, The Crystal Shards holds the title for the first time our round boy was a sphere, not a circle.

If you played and enjoyed Kirby and the Forgotten Land, and sat back wanting more time with the god-like pink orb, this is probably the way to go. While it is notably easier than Kirby and the Forgotten Land, and doesn’t have as much gameplay as the Switch title, it’s still a great game!

Not only does Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards have our favourite little guy Kirby in it, but it stays pretty true to the Kirby format. New friends for the boy, a fantastic soundtrack made by Kirby music veterans Jun Ishikawa and Hirokazu Ando, and all the abilities and gameplay you’d expect from a classic Kirby game.

So when’s it coming to the Nintendo Switch Online N64 library? Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards will be available in the library from May 20th, 2022. That’s pretty soon, baby! Wahoo!