Kirby Conversations | Exploring Kirby, Nintendo, and More

In this episode we're off to the races, revisiting the Gourmet Race from Kirby Super Star. This short subgame gave us our first taste of Kirby racing back in 1996, and while it may just take a few minutes to reach the end and beat King Dedede, the game packs a surprising amount of depth for those looking to maximize their best times. Bridget has a few tips to share for anyone trying to shave a few seconds off their runs, and we also take a look back at the history of the game, wild Japanese speedrunning tech, and Jun Ishikawa's reflections on how he wrote the game's famous theme. Questions or comments about the show? Please reach out to us at mail@kirbyconversations.com. For this episode we're curious what tips you have for Gourmet Race and what your memories are from this classic subgame.Kirby Conversations is part of the Sound Stone Podcast Network, a collective of independent podcasters covering video game history. We are a founding show alongside Pixels and Polygons and Flashback 64, and we encourage you to check out those shows as well! You can also find select episodes for this podcast and others from our network on our new YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@SoundStone-Network. (This is brand new, and we'll be adding more video versions of our shows in time.)Our opening music is by Megan Kelz (https://diamondthorns.bandcamp.com) and arranged by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/).Join us online:Kirby ConversationsBluesky: @kirbyconversations.bsky.socialIG: @kirbyconversationsSound StoneBluesky: @soundstone.networkBridgetBluesky: @kabulaqueen.bsky.socialSean DouglassBluesky: @seandouglass.bsky.socialKy "Captain Dangerous" ParkerIG: @captaindangerousGigiCarrd link

While Kirby games are known for their accessibility, they also have a reputation among some for being on the easy side. But even if a particular game isn't hard enough for you, there are always ways you can add your own twists or gameplay ideas to turn up the challenge. So for this episode, Bridget, Sean, and Gigi are sharing their ideas for how you can make Kirby games harder—through timed challenges with your friends, playing with limitations on what powers you can use, and more. And the main event for this episode: taking on Extra Mode in the original Kirby's Dream Land with just one hit and one life. How well can they survive what is almost a Kirby roguelike? And how well could you? Feel free to play along with us as we explore how to take Kirby difficulty to the next level. Do you have your own creative ways that you play Kirby games? Do you have unique challenges you set for yourself, or are there specific ways you play together with friends? We want to hear your ideas at mail@kirbyconversations.com. We'd like to do a future episode on our listeners' submissions (and perhaps try them ourselves), so please do reach out if you have any thoughts to share. Kirby Conversations is part of the Sound Stone Podcast Network, a collective of independent podcasters covering video game history. We are a founding show alongside Pixels and Polygons and Flashback 64, and we encourage you to check out those shows as well!Our opening music is by Megan Kelz (https://diamondthorns.bandcamp.com) and arranged by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/). Join us online:Kirby ConversationsBluesky: @kirbyconversations.bsky.socialIG: @kirbyconversationsSound StoneBluesky: @soundstone.networkBridgetBluesky: @kabulaqueen.bsky.socialSean DouglassBluesky: @seandouglass.bsky.socialKy "Captain Dangerous" ParkerIG: @captaindangerousGigiCarrd link

In this episode we're looking back at the history of Flagship—a unique studio founded by Final Fight/Street Fighter II creator Yoshiki Okamoto. Flagship received startup funding from Nintendo, Sega, and Capcom, and its game credits include everything from the Resident Evil series to Zelda and Kirby titles. We're also very intrigued by Okamoto's YouTube channel, but translating that will have to wait for another day...Kirby Conversations is part of the Sound Stone Podcast Network, a collective of independent podcasters covering video game history. We are a founding show alongside Pixels and Polygons and Flashback 64, and we encourage you to check out those shows as well!Questions or comments about the show? Let us know at mail@kirbyconversations.com, and we may read your letter on a future episode of the show. Our opening music is by Megan Kelz (https://diamondthorns.bandcamp.com) and arranged by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/). And thank you to Gooey Fame for being the main editor on this episode.Join us online:Kirby ConversationsBluesky: @kirbyconversations.bsky.socialIG: @kirbyconversationsSound StoneBluesky: @soundstone.networkBridgetBluesky: @kabulaqueen.bsky.socialSean DouglassBluesky: @seandouglass.bsky.socialKy "Captain Dangerous" ParkerIG: @captaindangerousGigiCarrd link

The summer is upon us (at least in the U.S.), and with it comes a bevy of new game announcements from events like Summer Game Fest and the Steam Next Fest. And in the spirit of summer game festivals, we're also looking back at the late, great E3. For this episode, Ky "Captain Dangerous" Parker is sharing more of her favorite memories from E3's she's attended in the past—the exhibits she saw, the people she met, and what it was like to be there for some of Nintendo's biggest reveals of the Switch era. And speaking of summer games, we're also suggesting some upcoming indie titles we think Kirby fans will want to keep an eye on, as well as discussing what we'll be playing this summer.Oh, and Gigi also shares the unique cross-continental way she's getting a Switch 2, which might be one of the best console acquisition stories we've ever heard. What are you playing this summer? Let us know at mail@kirbyconversations.com, and we may read your letter on a future episode of the show.Kirby Conversations is part of the Sound Stone Podcast Network, a collective of independent podcasters covering video game history. We are a founding show alongside Pixels and Polygons and Flashback 64, and we encourage you to check out those shows as well!Our opening music is by Megan Kelz (https://diamondthorns.bandcamp.com) and arranged by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/). And thank you to Gooey Fame for being the main editor on this episode.Join us online:Kirby ConversationsBluesky: @kirbyconversations.bsky.socialIG: @kirbyconversationsSound StoneBluesky: @soundstone.networkBridgetBluesky: @kabulaqueen.bsky.socialSean DouglassBluesky: @seandouglass.bsky.socialKy "Captain Dangerous" ParkerIG: @captaindangerousGigiCarrd link

Bridget has acquired a Switch 2, so for this episode she's sharing her first impressions and what's she's been playing on it so far. We also go over the significant performance boost she's seeing for older Switch titles, including fixing some noticeable slowdown in Kirby Star Allies. And we close with some reflections on the Switch 2's exciting new GameCube library.What GameCube games would you like to see come to the Switch 2? And what have been your first impressions of the Switch 2 so far? Let us know at mail@kirbyconversations.com, and we may read your letter on a future episode of the show. Kirby Conversations is part of the Sound Stone Podcast Network, a collective of independent podcasters covering video game history. We are a founding show alongside Pixels and Polygons and Flashback 64, and we encourage you to check out those shows as well!Our opening music is by Megan Kelz (https://diamondthorns.bandcamp.com) and arranged by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/). And thank you to Gooey Fame for being the main editor on this episode. Join us online:Kirby ConversationsBluesky: @kirbyconversations.bsky.socialIG: @kirbyconversationsSound StoneBluesky: @soundstone.networkBridgetBluesky: @kabulaqueen.bsky.socialSean DouglassBluesky: @seandouglass.bsky.socialKy "Captain Dangerous" ParkerIG: @captaindangerousGigiCarrd link

After Smash Bros. was first released in Japan in 1999, players flocked to the game's website, where Masahiro Sakurai posted survey results, game tips, and even answered players' emails. There are reams of emails left from this period that offer a fascinating, funny, and even touching look at nascent Smash Bros. culture. In this episode, Sean, Gigi, and Bridget look over some of these early surveys and conversations Sakurai had with fans. From speculation over a sequel to parents asking for advice on how to defeat their kids, and even a bit of unrelated Goldeneye advice, these classic emails are an amazing archive of gaming history. (And of course, people have tons requests for characters they want to see join Smash Bros., because some things never change.)Thank you to Source Gaming and PushDustin for the translations of these emails. And thank you to Gigi as well for the translation she was able to do on the spot.Questions or comments about the show? You can email us at mail@kirbyconversations.com and we may read your letter on a future episode.Kirby Conversations is part of the Sound Stone Podcast Network, a collective of independent podcasters covering video game history. We are a founding show alongside Pixels and Polygons and Flashback 64, and we encourage you to check out those shows as well! Please enter our giveaway with this link to win a $200 video game shopping spree, all four volumes of Darren Hupke's 32-Bit Library, and more! Join us online:Kirby ConversationsBluesky: @kirbyconversations.bsky.socialIG: @kirbyconversationsSound StoneBluesky: @soundstone.networkBridgetBluesky: @kabulaqueen.bsky.socialSean DouglassBluesky: @seandouglass.bsky.socialKy "Captain Dangerous" ParkerIG: @captaindangerousGigiCarrd linkOur opening music is by Megan Kelz (https://diamondthorns.bandcamp.com) and arranged by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/).

We're back with more listener questions this week, including some of the trickiest questions we've gotten so far. What are the hardest Kirby games to speedrun or 100%? What are our top three favorite Kirby games? And what our top three favorite games overall? There's some tough ranking to be made in this episode, and we appreciate listeners giving us some deep questions to chew on (or perhaps just inhale and swallow whole). Questions or comments about the show? You can email us at mail@kirbyconversations.com and we may read your letter on a future episode.We are proud to announce that Kirby Conversations is now a part of the Sound Stone Podcast Network, a collective of independent podcasters covering video game history. We are a founding show alongside Pixels and Polygons and Flashback 64, and we encourage you to check out those shows as well! (Also, since we know of some parents who listen to Kirby Conversations with young children, please note that other shows you find on Sound Stone will cover games of all kinds that may or may not always be a perfect fit for younger kids. Just thought we should probably mention that.)Join us online:Kirby ConversationsBluesky: @kirbyconversations.bsky.socialIG: @kirbyconversationsSound StoneBluesky: @soundstone.networkBridgetBluesky: @kabulaqueen.bsky.socialSean DouglassBluesky: @seandouglass.bsky.socialKy "Captain Dangerous" ParkerIG: @captaindangerousGigiCarrd linkOur opening music is by Megan Kelz (https://diamondthorns.bandcamp.com) and arranged by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/).

How well does the original Super Smash Bros. hold up today? Who better to help us answer that question than our friends Gooey and McKenna of Flashback 64, the chronological Nintendo 64 podcast. Together we reflect on the game's development history (did you know one early idea for it was to make all the characters dogs?) and our own history with the game, which continues to be one most of us return to again and again. Despite the slowness and certain technological limitations compared to other entries, it turns out there's still a lot to love about the game—and we can't wait to play it online when it finally joins the Switch's Nintendo 64 library.Questions or comments about the show? You can email us at mail@kirbyconversations.com and we may read your letter on a future episode.Listen to our guests Gooey and McKenna on their podcast Flashback 64: https://flashback64pod.podbean.com/. (Since we know of some parents who listen to Kirby Conversations with their children, please note that Flashback 64 is more for older listeners.) We will also now be uploading a version of Kirby Conversations to YouTube. Subscribe to us, and you can expect select episodes to be posted there a few days after they release in the podcast feed.Join us online:Kirby ConversationsBluesky: @kirbyconversations.bsky.socialIG: @kirbyconversationsBridgetBluesky: @kabulaqueen.bsky.socialSean DouglassBluesky: @seandouglass.bsky.socialKy "Captain Dangerous" ParkerIG: @captaindangerousGigiCarrd linkOur opening music is by Megan Kelz (https://diamondthorns.bandcamp.com) and arranged by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/).

Thank you to everyone who visited our booth at the Midwest Gaming Classic this month! It was great to meet you, and thank you for submitting such thoughtful, creative, and funny questions to the show as well. It'll take several episodes to respond to every question, but for now here's a mailbag episode where we answer the first batch, about Smash Bros. characters, potential future Kirby gameplay ideas, and even one notorious recent indie game antihero.If you don't hear your question in this episode, don't worry--we promise to get to it soon!Want to reach out with your own questions or comments about the show? You can email us at mail@kirbyconversations.com and we may read your letter on a future episode.We will also now be uploading a version of Kirby Conversations to YouTube. Subscribe to us, and you can expect select episodes to be posted there a few days after they release in the podcast feed.Join us online:Kirby ConversationsBluesky: @kirbyconversations.bsky.socialIG: @kirbyconversationsBridgetBluesky: @kabulaqueen.bsky.socialSean DouglassBluesky: @seandouglass.bsky.socialKy "Captain Dangerous" ParkerIG: @captaindangerousGigiCarrd linkOur opening music is by Megan Kelz (https://diamondthorns.bandcamp.com) and arranged by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/).Liking Kirby Conversations? Then you may also enjoy another retro gaming podcast we recommend, Flashback 64: https://flashback64pod.podbean.com/