Kirby 64: Crystal Shards Now Available on Nintendo Switch Online

“Some call it Puffball, some call it Marshmallow, but most people prefer to simply call it Kirby.” This was the beginning of Kirby 64.Trailer as Nintendo puts on a more finicky site Kirby 64: Crystal Shards Still more than two decades later. As a complete Kirby fan, the person who asks me what the heck is Kirby never ends: let’s go for the pink puffball.

As of today, May 20, pink puffballs are in the hands of Nintendo Switch Online and expansion pack members as Kirby 64: Crystal Shards. Originally released on the Nintendo 64 in 2000, the game was HAL Labs’ first foray into Kirby 3D.

It wasn’t until this year, in Kirby and the Forgotten Land, that we saw Kirby embark on their first full 3D adventure. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though, and Paul Cecchini dives into how long and complex Kirby’s journey to 3D has been in this article.

After Ripple Star’s beloved crystal is destroyed by a force called dark matter, one of its fairy inhabitants, Ribbon, needs help. Grabbing the crystal shards, they drop onto the pop star planet and meet the pink puffball, Kirby. Kirby’s task then is to restore as many crystal shards as possible and restore peace to the Ripple Star.

Kirby 64: Crystal Shard is the fourth installment in Kirby’s Dream series, and this isn’t its first rodeo with Nintendo’s modern console. Since its first launch on the N64 in 2000, the game also launched on the Wii in 2008 and on the Wii U in 2015.

If you’re not already a member of Nintendo Switch Online and expansion packs, there’s more than just Kirby 64 on offer. The pack also includes Super Mario 64, Star Fox 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Yoshi’s Story, Paper Mario and many more games from Nintendo and SEGA.