Your Friend Who Likes Games

As stated in my post reflecting on my time spent revisiting NBA Street Vol. 2, my local video game resale store is unlocking something in me. That, and I have to continue to credit the Into the Aether podcast as Brenden and Stephen both permit themselves to play games of interest whether they are brand new, or 20 years old. My playthrough of Kirby and the Forgotten Land mixed with the reading of Keza MacDonald’s Super Nintendo: The Game-Changing Company That Unlocked the Power of Play got not only Kirby-curious, but helped view Nintendo in a way in which they sort of figure things out from the start in a very polished way, and every iteration after that provides more of the familiar with evolved new tweaks. Its been a fun project for me to explore Kirby games, and the purchase of a Nintendo 3DS from my local video game resale store helped me continue to do that.

Being that it is a console I’ve never owned, I’ve been curious about what has made DS and 3DS games special. I’m curious to visit an era of Nintendo I have skipped. And I think my motivation comes from the fact that 3DS games are not being fed to us in Nintendo Switch Online services. But not only that, I find the console itself to be unique. The flip-open device is the exact same size (width and length) as my iPhone mini. It fits in my pocket. It feels safer to travel with than a comparatively-hunking-large Nintendo Switch 2 or Steam Deck. I know I’m not alone in the desire/trend to go back to the purchasing of physical media. There’s something more special about going to the store and choosing a new game. And I quite like that the device can host one game at a time. It’s been especially nice for travel. The 3DS is small and feels a bit less fragile that a Switch 2 or Steam Deck. It’s easy to pull out of a backpack and play. And it’s really nice to take on a trip, and when I pull it out I know I’m playing Kirby: Planet Robobot this time around – no choices to be made upon opening.

Having all of your games on one device these days can cause a fella with ADHD tendencies to get so distracted by the idea of the other game that I get option paralysis and end not really playing anything. But committing the cartridge to travel says, ‘I’m playing this and this only on this trip.’ Especially in travel, video game time isn’t as open as it is at home. I’m not going to dig into a game like Saros when family and I are sharing R&R in a vacation house or hotel. But a game like Kirby: Planet Robobot is perfect in these scenarios as it allows for engagement when you’re ready but doesn’t ask too much of your focus with its accessibilty. Sans boss fights of course – we know Kirby games can bring it in that category and need more attention than a casual hang can provide.

Playing video games helps me process my life. And playing video games on a handheld device in certain locations adds layers to the game experience. The imprint left on Kirby: Planet Robobot is rich as I tested my taking of the 3DS to various places to dip my toe into the new lifestyle. I discovered what the game is all about and played initial hours relaxing in bed while wife and baby napped. I took my 3DS to and tried to play in a very crowded coffee shop (I was expecting a much quieter morning, but all other customers seemed to have the same idea that day). I played while waiting for a haircut to begin. I took it on my yearly trip to Detroit with friends and played in our hotel living room and the hotel’s lobby.

The variety of locations imprinted the following feelings. First, in bed and having initial discovery of what the device is all about, I practiced gratitude. A sort of, ‘I get to have this experience now,’ and a, ‘how cool is this little, practical device that I now to get explore and get excited about finding game experiences for one by one.’ I remember the heat of the sun blasting my shoulder in the coffee shop. I remember sweating with my hot pour-over. I remember barely being able to see the screen and thinking, ‘I’m forcing this but I want to have the morning I expected’ – ultimately, I did not but instead walked around outside and had a great conversation with a friend. I picked up where I left off that day at the barber shop. I was early for my appointment so I was able to retry and finish the level I couldn’t see at the coffee shop. As my friends and I hung out in a Detroit hotel, I played as we wound down from our evenings, or in early mornings when they were yet to wake. I got to show them how cool Kirby as Indiana Jones was (the whip copy ability). I had a quiet play session spoiled by loud children in the breakfast lobby who’s parents suggested they should use their ‘indoor voices,’ opposed to telling them to (accountability matters folks, but hey, I’m not a perfect parent either).

The coolest part of each of these experiences in that I remember them thoroughly because my brain was engaged. It’s like how we imprint music with what’s going on in the time and place of our lives in those moments. I remember specific levels or sequences I was completing in each of these places. And something that really helps my brain, even looking back at my prior podcast practice, is that these efforts of documenting and celebrating game experiences are not wasted. They communicate to future me that I enjoyed my time. This is an act of cherishing these moments I enjoy with games. And games fit into extra time really nicely. They’re there to play and be experienced over time when I have the time. And there’s so many of them, that it makes it really exciting to collect those experiences. As Summer hit, I thought back to how I had given Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time a 20-hour try. I liked it then. I liked it during. The pressure of the pod made my language more, ‘Ultimately, it’s not for me,’ because that’s only what the end sounded like. But thinking of that now, and how that was about a year ago, and knowing all the games I’ve played in-between… it makes my years very full. Very rich. And like I said, it helps me remember all the other stuff too. It helps me remember the good and bad of my school year. It helps me remember specfic parts of my wife’s pregnancy. It helps me celebrate the beauty and trials of my son being born. It places value on my life as I process it all. And games continue to be one of my favorite ways to do that.

Let’s talk about Robobot, shall we?

Another great Kirby iteration here. And one that I found to be particularly special on the 3DS. You could tell developers were prompted to try to create 3D tricks, illusions, or spacially-focused happenings in game. The moments I noticed first were when the 2.5-D game had its camera tilt slightly to show that world Kirby was occupying was indeed 3-dimensional. Or when my Kirby gets hit by an oncoming car in a fun urban level with rolling hills of roads – Kirby then comes flying toward the 4th wall and face-plants the top screen. Very fun, very clever, very charming. Debris start very small and then get very large as they approach the player screen. The focus on 3D is there and while some of the Nintendo console-specific tricks can feel gimmicky at launch, having not played the 3DS, I welcome what they programmed to be special about the device and its games.

I was relieved to witness that you’re not in a mech the entire game – its still very much a Kirby game. And in choosing specific instances where you get to use the mech, it then becomes special. You can even collect and put stickers on it! And the first time you get into it, you’re presented a very-cool, tough, and quick intro cinematic. I put a giant smile on my face when the mech first transforms from the boring grey metal color to Kirby pink. Kirby puts his game face on and you’re then ready to rock. And most times you’re in the mech, you’re pretty indestructable. My early play offered a flamethrower copy ability, and destroyed everything in sight. Later plays in the mech can get a tad more technical. Its kind of comical how destructive Kirby is allowed to be because it’s all cute. With my continued exploration of Kirby games, its no mystery that all of them hold some core violence – mild, cartoon violence, of course.

I was impressed by the presentation and movement on the 3DS. 2016 is a decade ago, and in my brain the technology felt that it would show more age, but it feels rather exciting than compromised. Feels exciting, new, and definitely has me looking forward to other titles on the 3DS. Other special, significant 3DS moments found in-game came in-mech when you can insert an arm into a bolt-like gear and use the 3DS ‘analog stick(?)’ to crank in a rotatating direction in order to move an elevator up and down, or rotate a 3D platform. There are also moments that have you tilt the console left and right, educating me that the 3DS has light motion controls in that way – not as amazing as Switch or Wii of course, but still cool.

I’ll admit with the physical purchasing of the game and being the only one I started with on the 3DS console, I unlocked a bit of that little kid version of myself that said, ‘This is the only game you’re getting for a while, so savor it.’ Didn’t want to blast through it for quick commentary. I think that’s both the nature of the 3DS purchase practice of physical media, and also the shedding of social media relevancy keep up that I expressed in “My irrelevancy manifesto” blog post. It’s been nice not to worry about keeping up, and instead just enjoy games again 🙂

Kirby: Planet Robobot offers classic Kirby music flavor mixed with industrial, robotic tastes as well. Feels a fresh approach to the very themed and focused game. I was excited to see how the two screens of the 3DS would be used, and noted how neat the menu looks and touch-screen functions this time around. Prompts curiosity of what all other games will do as I continue to collect and play.

The game also offered some copy abilities that I’d yet to play with. The aforementioned ‘Indiana Jones’ whip ability was fun and useful. And I also noted the silliness of the Doctor ability – one in which Kirby is dressed in a white coat and shoots bouncing pills at enemies. If you hold the attack button down, he’ll shoot out a raining number of pills that fill the area and can attack multiple enemies. I’d often go for this one with a bouncing-shooter mentality – able to keep my distance and let the bouncing pills to the work. Bizarre, but fun.

Another suprise and delight was the sort of rocket ship ability that would transform the game levels into 2D shooter segments. Some homages to Galaga were found in the flight patterns of enemies, and I had not expected to (and have yet to?) find this style of gameplay inside of a Kirby game. I looked forward when Kirby piloted the ship, and the fly-away animation began to signify the level/gameplay change. I’m coming to find too, that I wish some of the more silly extensive list of copy abilities had made it to Kiby and the Forgotten Land. At the time of playing, I really adored the game for it’s beautiful 3D environments and simple Kirby gameplay. And I could be remembering it wrong, but the copy abilities feel limited in comparison to this older title…

I go back and forth with this game’s requirement to find hidden ‘Code Cubes’ within levels through both keeping an eye out and puzzle solving. On one hand, I didn’t always love the pressure to look for them when I desired just a passive Kirby play experience. But on the other hand, the fact that 3 of them are hidden in each level makes you look around more, and therefore the playthrough is more engaging. I took that pressure off early when I realized you only need 5 (more in later areas) by the area’s end to unlock the door to the boss fight.

Boss fights in this game fit the nature of most Kirby games. They’re a bit more epic and a tad more challenging. The end boss fight, featuring multiple tiers, actually took me a few times to get through. And all I’ll say is that it is completly epic, and entirely memorable. My completion of Kirby: Planet Robobot has me thinking that around GOTY time in December, I’d definitely like to put together a post that celebrates all the Kirby game experiences I enjoyed and collected this year, and maybe some personal rankings being that I’ve played them all so close together in the year 2026.

Cheers everybody, and thank you for reading!

Your Friend Dillon