The latest SNES game on Nintendo Switch Online is Kirby’s Avalanche, which stars a talking Kirby that acts like a jerk towards his enemies.
Nintendo has added a new Kirby game to the Nintendo Switch Online service and it’s one that may surprise fans, as not only can Kirby talk in the game, but he acts like a total jerk toward his foes. The Kirby series is among Nintendo’s most kid-friendly franchises, and while some Kirby games have disturbing bosses, they are the exception rather than the rule. Kirby might swallow cars in Kirby and the Forgotten Land in order to become a horrific Cronenbergian monstrosity, but he always does so with a smile and wave.
The Nintendo Switch has received a few brand new Kirby games, but people who subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online and its Expansion Pack will receive access to several more. It’s a shame that Game Boy and Game Boy Advance titles aren’t on the service (yet), as they would really help flesh out the Kirby collection, especially as Kirby debuted on the original Game Boy. The people who subscribe to Nintendo’s online offerings will receive access to Kirby Superstar, Kirby’s Dream Course, Kirby’s Dream Land 3, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, and Kirby’s Adventure.
2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the Kirby franchise and Nintendo has celebrated the occasion with the release of the highly-acclaimed Kirby and the Forgotten Land, an announcement for Kirby’s Dream Buffet, as well as lots of merch. The SNES app on the Nintendo Switch Online service just added four new Kirby games, though three of them are SP versions of existing games, which means they are essentially save states set at specific points in the game and don’t contain new content. The one new Kirby game is Kirby’s Avalanche, which might be one of the most unique entries in the series to date.
Kirby’s Avalanche (also known as Kirby’s Ghost Trap in Europe) is the only Kirby game to receive an exclusive release in the West and has never been released in Japan. This is because it’s actually a reskinned version of a game called Super Puyo Puyo, as Nintendo must have thought the game would have been more appealing with first-party characters involved. Kirby’s Avalanche is notable for being the only game where Kirby talks in fluent English, rather than shouting “Hiiiii” at everyone.
What’s even more notable about Kirby’s Avalanche is that Kirby is a total jerk to his enemies. He refuses to help a scared Waddle Dee in the woods, calls the Poppy Bros’ bombs “pathetic”, purposely steps on Whispy Woods’ roots when asked not to, and responds sarcastically when Bugzzy rushes at him, calls Heavy Mole under-handed, and insults Kracko’s aiming skills. It’s surprising to not only see Kirby talk but watch as he throws sick burns at his enemies, rather than Kirby trying to devour them whole, as he does in the other Kirby games.
Scott has been writing for Screen Rant since 2016 and regularly contributes to The Gamer. He has previously written articles and video scripts for websites like Cracked, Dorkly, Topless Robot, and TopTenz. A graduate of Edge Hill University in the UK, Scott started out as a film student before moving into journalism. It turned out that wasting a childhood playing video games, reading comic books, and watching movies could be used for finding employment, regardless of what any career advisor might tell you. Scott specializes in gaming and has loved the medium since the early ‘90s when his first console was a ZX Spectrum that used to take 40 minutes to load a game from a tape cassette player to a black and white TV set. Scott now writes game reviews for Screen Rant and The Gamer, as well as news reports, opinion pieces, and game guides. He can be contacted on LinkedIn.