Kirby developers; Room for both 2D/3D Kirby games in future

Kirby developers;  Room for both 2D/3D Kirby games in future

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a fantastic game that was just released.

The Washington Post spoke with Kei Ninomiya of Nintendo’s Entertainment Planning and Development Department (EPD) Production Group Two, Shinya Kumazaki, general director of HAL Laboratory, Tatsuya Kamiyama, director of HAL Laboratory, and Yuki Endo, level design director of HAL Laboratory, about the new game and the future of the Kirby franchise. They were questioned about Kirby’s future and if they would want to convert to 3D action for the long-running Kirby series, which had hitherto been limited to 2D action. Both 2D and 3D Kirby games, according to Shinya Kumazaki, have a place in the Kirby universe.

He said that the team is always striving to produce fresh and interesting Kirby games, whether in 2D or 3D.

2D/3D Kirby games in future?

Q: Do you think this is going to be a permanent progression of Kirby adventure games in the future?

Ninomiya: We introduced Kirby to the 3D action/platformer genre, bringing with him all of the series’ classic qualities, such as continuous, feel-good action and excitement. We have included components that would test advanced players while keeping the game playable. What we accomplished with this game, I believe, has opened up additional possibilities for future Kirby games.

In the future, we plan to build on this momentum by exploring new genres and ways to play.

Kumazaki: While a complete 3D game is a refreshing new aesthetic for the Kirby series, it isn’t necessarily the norm moving ahead.

Nintendo shares our viewpoint, and this is something we discuss often. We want to push ourselves to build fresh and inventive Kirby games that go beyond what is presently feasible. This game was the culmination of one of those tasks. We will continue to experiment via trial and error, rather than limiting ourselves to 3D.

With that in mind, one thing I can say is that “Kirby and the Forgotten Land” brought about such significant changes that it may be regarded a “milestone” in the series’ lengthy history.