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Kirby & the Amazing Mirror

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Kirby & The Amazing Mirror[a] is a 2004 action-platform game developed by HAL Laboratory, Flagship and Dimps and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. The seventh mainline Kirby entry, the game is notable for its unique Metroidvania playstyle and being the first in the genre to support cooperative multiplayer, and follows Kirby as he goes on a journey through the Mirror Dimension to reassemble a mirror after Dark Meta Knight traps Meta Knight inside it.

Kirby & the Amazing Mirror
North American box art
Developer(s)HAL Laboratory
Flagship
Dimps
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)Tomoaki Fukui
Producer(s)Yasushi Adachi
Masayoshi Tanimura
Shigeru Miyamoto
Kenji Miki
Composer(s)Hironobu Inagaki
Atsuyoshi Isemura
SeriesKirby
Platform(s)Game Boy Advance
Release
  • JP: April 15, 2004
  • EU: July 2, 2004
  • NA: October 18, 2004
  • AU: December 23, 2004
Genre(s)Action, platform, Metroidvania
Mode(s)Single-player
Multiplayer

Gameplay

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Kirby and his different colored copies travel across the hub world.

Unlike the other Kirby games, Kirby & The Amazing Mirror features a maze layout, and is traversed in a Metroidvania style. The game map branches out in several directions and, providing Kirby has the proper power at his disposal, he is able to go anywhere in almost any order, excluding the final sequence.

The player explores the worlds, solving puzzles, defeating enemies, and collecting items. Occasionally, a sub-boss will be encountered, at which point the screen will lock into place until the boss is defeated. Swallowing a sub-boss after defeat usually grants a rare or exclusive copy ability.

The player can collect various items to improve in-game performance, such as extra health points and lives, food to replenish health, and batteries for the Cellphone. The game also features two other collectibles: music sheets, which act as a sound test mode once the music player item is found, and spray paint, which can be used to recolor the player's Kirby. There are also three minigames accessible from the menu, which support single player and multiplayer:

  • Speed Eaters – A game in which the four Kirbys are seated around a covered platter. Once the lid is whisked away at a random time, the fastest person to press the A button and suck in the food on the platter is filled up more (measured by a gauge above each Kirby).
  • Crackity Hack – A game in which the four Kirbys are challenged to break a rock as much as they can, in a similar style to a microgame from Kirby Super Star.
  • Kirby's Wave Ride – A game in which the Kirbys, atop Warp Stars, race over a water track that varies in length and complexity depending on the difficulty setting, similar to the GameCube racing game Kirby Air Ride.

The game also features multiplayer, and the player can call other players or CPU-controlled Kirbys to the location with an in-game cell phone. There are several new powers in The Amazing Mirror, such as Cupid (called Angel in the Japanese version), which allows Kirby to fly around with wings and a halo and fire arrows; Missile, which turns Kirby into a missile that can be guided in any direction and will explode on contact with a wall or an enemy or when the B button is hit; and Smash, which gives Kirby the abilities he had in Super Smash Bros. Melee.

Plot

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There is a Mirror World that exists in the skies of Dream Land where any wish reflected in the mirror will come true. However, it copies the mind of a mysterious figure one day and creates a reflected world of evil. Meta Knight notices this and flies up to save the Mirror World.

Meanwhile, Kirby is taking a walk when Dark Meta Knight appears. Before Kirby can react, Dark Meta Knight slices Kirby in four and Kirby becomes four different colored Kirbys. They chase after Dark Meta Knight on a Warp Star simultaneously and enter the Mirror World.

It is revealed that the two Meta Knights fought each other until the real Meta Knight was defeated. He was then knocked into the mirror, which was in turn cut into eight fragments by Dark Meta Knight and scattered across the Mirror World, prompting the Kirbys to save Meta Knight and the Mirror World. After collecting all eight mirror fragments, Kirby enters the Mirror World and battles Dark Meta Knight. After defeating him, a vortex appears and sucks Kirby in, who is given Meta Knight's sword. Kirby then proceeds to fight Dark Mind, the true mastermind behind the Mirror World's corruption, multiple times. Upon defeat, the Mirror World is saved, and Shadow Kirby (the Mirror World counterpart of Kirby who was believed to be an enemy, but is now an ally) waves his goodbyes to the four Kirbys as they all exit the Mirror World one by one. Meta Knight also drops his Master Sword before leaving the Mirror World, marking it as a symbol for the Mirror World's protection.

Development

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The game is a collaboration between HAL Laboratory, Flagship, and Dimps. Capcom's subsidiary Flagship was responsible for the main planning. Dimps was in charge of programming, design, and sound, while HAL Laboratory provided artwork and debugging services.[1] The game features soundtrack by Hironobu Inagaki and Atsuyoshi Isemura, but some tracks were reserved from Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land.

Release

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Kirby & The Amazing Mirror was released for the Game Boy Advance in the region of Japan on April 15, 2004, followed by the region of Europe on July 2, 2004, North America on October 18, 2004, and Australia on December 23, 2004.

Re-releases

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On August 1, 2011, Nintendo announced that Kirby & The Amazing Mirror would be available to limited Nintendo 3DS owners via Virtual Console, along with nine other Game Boy Advance games that were announced; it was released on December 16, 2011, to join the upcoming Nintendo 3DS price-cut and the Ambassador program starting August 11, 2011.[2][3] This offer is available in all territories and only to those who became eligible in the Ambassador program (by accessing the Nintendo eShop before the date of the price-cut). Nintendo did not release this game, or any other Game Boy Advance games, to the general public in paid form on the 3DS.

The game was also released on the Wii U's Virtual Console[4] on April 3, 2014, in Japan and April 10, 2014, in North America, Europe, and Australia, and on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service on September 29, 2023 and brought online multiplayer to the game.[5][6]

Reception

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Critical response

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The Amazing Mirror received "generally favorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[7] In Japan, four critics from Famitsu gave the game a total score of 36 out of 40.[9] It received a runner-up position in GameSpot's 2004 "Best Game Boy Advance Game" and "Best Platformer" award categories, losing to Astro Boy: Omega Factor and Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, respectively.[19]

IGN commented on the level design, stating that discovering the hidden pathways that's the real challenge."[13] GameSpot called the layout "daunting," but commented on the map feature. The graphics and sound were referred to as cute, though not amazing.[11]

Sales

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In the United States, Kirby & The Amazing Mirror sold 620,000 copies and earned $19 million by August 2006. During the period between January 2000 and August 2006, it was the 43rd highest-selling game launched for the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, or PlayStation Portable in that country.[20] The game ended up selling 1.47 million copies worldwide, making it the 26th-best-selling game for the Game Boy Advance.[21]

Notes

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  1. ^ Known in Japan as Hoshi no Kirby: Kagami no Daimeikyū (Japanese: 星のカービィ 鏡の大迷宮, Hepburn: Hoshi no Kābī Kagami no Daimeikyū, lit. Kirby of the Stars: The Great Mirror Labyrinth)

References

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  1. ^ Flagship Co., Ltd.; Dimps Corporation; HAL Laboratory, Inc. (18 October 2004). Kirby & the Amazing Mirror. Nintendo of America, Inc. Scene: staff credits.
  2. ^ "Nintendo Support: What Is the Nintendo 3DS Ambassador Program?". Nintendo Support. Archived from the original on 30 July 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  3. ^ "Nintendo Support: What Ambassador Program Games Are Available?". Nintendo Support. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  4. ^ "30% Discount on Kirby™ & The Amazing Mirror (Wii U)". My Nintendo. Archived from the original on 17 August 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  5. ^ "Game Boy™ Advance – Nintendo Switch Online for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Official Site". Nintendo. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  6. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (2023-09-22). "Game Boy Advance's Kirby & the Amazing Mirror Set for Nintendo Switch Online". IGN. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  7. ^ a b "Kirby & the Amazing Mirror for Game Boy Advance Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on January 10, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  8. ^ Parish, Jeremy (October 15, 2004). "Kirby & The Amazing Mirror". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  9. ^ a b "星のカービィ 鏡の大迷宮". Famitsu. Vol. 798. April 2, 2004.
  10. ^ Mason, Lisa (October 2004). "Kirby and the Amazing Mirror [sic]". Game Informer. No. 138. p. 146.
  11. ^ a b Torres, Ricardo (October 18, 2004). "Kirby & the Amazing Mirror Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 29, 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  12. ^ Theobald, Phil (October 18, 2004). "GameSpy: Kirby & The Amazing Mirror". GameSpy. Archived from the original on November 10, 2005. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  13. ^ a b Harris, Craig (October 20, 2004). "Kirby & The Amazing Mirror". IGN. Archived from the original on April 16, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  14. ^ Reed, Philip J. (January 5, 2012). "Review: Kirby & The Amazing Mirror (3DS eShop / GBA)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  15. ^ "Kirby & the Amazing Mirror". Nintendo Power. Vol. 186. December 2004. p. 142.
  16. ^ Carvell, Stephen (December 23, 2004). "Kirby and the Amazing Mirror [sic] Review". VideoGamer.com. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  17. ^ Vassar, Darryl (November 23, 2004). "Kirby and the Amazing Mirror [sic] Review". X-Play. Archived from the original on November 25, 2004. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  18. ^ Blackmore, Ben (August 7, 2004). "Kirby and the Amazing Mirror [sic]". The Times. Archived from the original on July 25, 2008. Retrieved October 6, 2016.(subscription required)
  19. ^ "Best and Worst of 2004". GameSpot. January 5, 2005. Archived from the original on March 7, 2005.
  20. ^ Keiser, Joe (August 2, 2006). "The Century's Top 50 Handheld Games". Next Generation. Archived from the original on October 10, 2007.
  21. ^ 2021CESAゲーム白書 (2021 CESA Games White Papers). Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association. 2021. ISBN 978-4-902346-43-5.

Booklets

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