<s>
Kirby	B-Application
64	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Shards	I-Application
is	O
a	O
2000	O
platform	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
HAL	O
Laboratory	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
(	O
N64	B-Operating_System
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
first	O
Kirby	B-Application
game	O
to	O
feature	O
3D	O
computer	O
graphics	O
and	O
follows	O
Kirby	B-Application
as	O
he	O
attempts	O
to	O
reassemble	O
a	O
sacred	O
crystal	O
shattered	O
by	O
Dark	O
Matter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gameplay	O
is	O
viewed	O
from	O
a	O
2.5D	O
perspective	O
and	O
is	O
similar	O
to	O
previous	O
Kirby	B-Application
titles	O
;	O
the	O
player	O
traverses	O
levels	O
and	O
obtains	O
powers	O
by	O
eating	O
enemies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kirby	B-Application
64	I-Application
introduces	O
Power	O
Combos	O
,	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
mix	O
powers	O
to	O
create	O
more	O
powerful	O
ones	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
intended	O
for	O
the	O
N64	B-Operating_System
's	O
64DD	B-Device
add-on	O
,	O
but	O
became	O
a	O
standard	O
N64	B-Operating_System
title	O
after	O
the	O
add-on	O
failed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HAL	O
initially	O
planned	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
N64	B-Device
controller	I-Device
's	O
analog	B-Device
stick	I-Device
for	O
Kirby	B-Application
64	I-Application
,	O
but	O
switched	O
to	O
the	O
D-pad	B-Device
about	O
a	O
year	O
before	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
rereleased	O
for	O
the	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
on	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
and	O
Wii	B-Device
U	I-Device
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
Online	I-Application
+	I-Application
Expansion	I-Application
Pack	I-Application
in	O
2008	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
and	O
2022	O
respectively	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
included	O
in	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
compilation	O
Kirby	B-Application
's	I-Application
Dream	I-Application
Collection	I-Application
(	O
2012	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kirby	B-Application
64	I-Application
was	O
the	O
last	O
traditional	O
Kirby	B-Application
game	O
for	O
home	B-Device
consoles	I-Device
until	O
Kirby	B-Application
's	I-Application
Return	I-Application
to	I-Application
Dream	I-Application
Land	I-Application
(	O
2011	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kirby	B-Application
64	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Shards	I-Application
is	O
a	O
side-scrolling	O
platformer	O
similar	O
to	O
previous	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
Kirby	B-Application
series	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ribbon	O
lands	O
on	O
Pop	O
Star	O
and	O
meets	O
Kirby	B-Application
,	O
who	O
agrees	O
to	O
help	O
retrieve	O
the	O
shards	O
and	O
defeat	O
Dark	O
Matter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Along	O
the	O
way	O
,	O
they	O
enlist	O
the	O
help	O
of	O
artist	O
Adeleine	O
,	O
King	O
Dedede	O
,	O
and	O
Dedede	O
's	O
minion	O
Waddle	O
Dee	O
,	O
after	O
each	O
of	O
them	O
stumble	O
upon	O
a	O
crystal	O
shard	O
and	O
end	O
up	O
being	O
possessed	O
by	O
Dark	O
Matter	O
,	O
forcing	O
Kirby	B-Application
to	O
battle	O
each	O
of	O
them	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
free	O
them	O
from	O
the	O
Dark	O
Matter	O
's	O
influence	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similar	O
to	O
contemporary	O
platformers	O
such	O
as	O
Pandemonium	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
(	O
1996	O
)	O
and	O
Klonoa	B-Application
:	I-Application
Door	I-Application
to	I-Application
Phantomile	I-Application
(	O
1997	O
)	O
,	O
Kirby	B-Application
64	I-Application
is	O
a	O
2.5D	O
platformer	O
;	O
although	O
environments	O
and	O
characters	O
are	O
rendered	O
in	O
3D	O
computer	O
graphics	O
,	O
gameplay	O
is	O
restricted	O
to	O
a	O
2D	O
plane	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
control	O
Kirby	B-Application
using	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
64	I-Device
controller	I-Device
's	O
D-pad	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
earlier	O
Kirby	B-Application
games	O
,	O
Kirby	B-Application
can	O
walk	O
or	O
run	O
,	O
crouch	O
,	O
jump	O
,	O
and	O
inhale	O
enemies	O
or	O
objects	O
to	O
spit	O
them	O
out	O
as	O
bullets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
can	O
fly	O
for	O
a	O
limited	O
time	O
by	O
inflating	O
himself	O
;	O
while	O
flying	O
,	O
Kirby	B-Application
cannot	O
attack	O
or	O
use	O
his	O
other	O
abilities	O
,	O
though	O
he	O
can	O
release	O
a	O
weak	O
puff	O
of	O
air	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
eating	O
certain	O
enemies	O
,	O
Kirby	B-Application
can	O
gain	O
one	O
of	O
seven	O
copy	O
abilities	O
,	O
power-ups	O
allowing	O
him	O
to	O
take	O
on	O
the	O
properties	O
the	O
enemy	O
possessed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
King	O
Dedede	O
is	O
also	O
playable	O
at	O
certain	O
points	O
,	O
and	O
can	O
use	O
his	O
hammer	O
to	O
break	O
objects	O
Kirby	B-Application
cannot	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kirby	B-Application
64	I-Application
introduces	O
Power	O
Combos	O
,	O
the	O
option	O
to	O
combine	O
Kirby	B-Application
's	O
copy	O
abilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
instance	O
,	O
by	O
combining	O
the	O
"	O
Burn	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
Needle	O
"	O
abilities	O
,	O
Kirby	B-Application
can	O
shoot	O
fire	O
arrows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
Kirby	B-Application
or	O
King	O
Dedede	O
touches	O
an	O
enemy	O
or	O
hazard	O
,	O
he	O
loses	O
health	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Losing	O
all	O
lives	O
results	O
in	O
a	O
game	B-Application
over	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
must	O
collect	O
all	O
of	O
the	B-Application
crystal	I-Application
shards	I-Application
to	O
reach	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
final	O
boss	O
and	O
true	O
ending	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
can	O
adjust	O
the	O
difficulty	O
level	O
and	O
control	O
Kirby	B-Application
,	O
King	O
Dedede	O
,	O
Adeleine	O
,	O
or	O
Waddle	O
Dee	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kirby	B-Application
64	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
HAL	O
Laboratory	O
as	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
in	O
its	O
Kirby	B-Application
series	I-Application
to	O
feature	O
3D	O
graphics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
began	O
in	O
September	O
1997	O
,	O
shortly	O
before	O
Kirby	B-Application
's	I-Application
Dream	I-Application
Land	I-Application
3	I-Application
was	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
3D	O
graphics	O
were	O
becoming	O
common	O
,	O
so	O
HAL	O
wanted	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
3D	O
Kirby	B-Application
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
development	O
team	O
had	O
to	O
be	O
careful	O
transitioning	O
the	O
series	O
 '	O
art	O
style	O
to	O
3D	O
as	O
they	O
did	O
not	O
want	O
to	O
disappoint	O
Kirby	B-Application
devotees	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
initially	O
developed	O
for	O
the	O
64DD	B-Device
,	O
a	O
disk-drive	O
add-on	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
(	O
N64	B-Operating_System
)	O
,	O
but	O
became	O
a	O
standard	O
N64	B-Device
Game	I-Device
Pak	I-Device
after	O
the	O
add-on	O
failed	O
commercially	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
October	O
1997	O
,	O
HAL	O
had	O
created	O
a	O
prototype	O
to	O
experiment	O
with	O
Kirby	B-Application
in	O
3D	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
studio	O
worked	O
this	O
prototype	O
,	O
which	O
used	O
the	O
N64	B-Device
controller	I-Device
's	O
analog	B-Device
stick	I-Device
to	O
control	O
Kirby	B-Application
,	O
until	O
about	O
a	O
year	O
before	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HAL	O
changed	O
the	O
control	O
configuration	O
from	O
the	O
analog	B-Device
stick	I-Device
to	O
the	O
D-pad	B-Device
because	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
played	O
on	O
a	O
2.5D	O
plane	O
rather	O
than	O
a	O
3D	O
one	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
noticed	O
the	O
children	O
would	O
leave	O
the	O
N64	B-Device
controller	I-Device
on	O
the	O
promotional	O
stand	O
when	O
using	O
the	O
analog	B-Device
stick	I-Device
,	O
and	O
had	O
trouble	O
using	O
the	O
Z	O
shoulder	O
button	O
that	O
was	O
essential	O
in	O
the	O
configuration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Coming	O
up	O
with	O
a	O
new	O
control	O
scheme	O
led	O
to	O
debate	O
since	O
HAL	O
used	O
the	O
Z	O
button	O
prominently	O
in	O
Super	B-Application
Smash	I-Application
Bros	I-Application
.	I-Application
(	O
1999	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
settled	O
on	O
the	O
D-pad	B-Device
configuration	O
after	O
a	O
successful	O
test	O
with	O
elementary	O
school	O
students	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Power	O
Combo	O
game	O
mechanic	O
was	O
conceived	O
to	O
enhance	O
Kirby	B-Application
's	O
abilities	O
and	O
experiment	O
what	O
would	O
happen	O
if	O
copy	O
abilities	O
were	O
mixed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
,	O
there	O
were	O
going	O
to	O
be	O
several	O
playable	O
characters	O
(	O
including	O
Waddle	O
Dee	O
,	O
whose	O
gameplay	O
focused	O
on	O
picking	O
up	O
objects	O
)	O
,	O
but	O
only	O
Kirby	B-Application
and	O
King	O
Dedede	O
remained	O
playable	O
in	O
the	O
final	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
N64	B-Operating_System
's	O
technology	O
also	O
made	O
four-player	O
minigames	O
possible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kirby	B-Application
creator	O
Masahiro	O
Sakurai	O
had	O
little	O
involvement	O
with	O
Kirby	B-Application
64	I-Application
and	O
avoided	O
playing	O
it	O
during	O
development	O
;	O
he	O
feared	O
any	O
comments	O
he	O
made	O
would	O
conflict	O
with	O
HAL	O
's	O
vision	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
IGN	O
,	O
Kirby	B-Application
representation	O
on	O
the	O
N64	B-Operating_System
was	O
"	O
long-awaited	O
"	O
,	O
as	O
an	O
earlier	O
series	O
game	O
for	O
the	O
Kirby	B-Device
's	I-Device
Air	I-Device
Ride	I-Device
—	O
had	O
been	O
canceled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kirby	B-Application
64	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
March	O
24	O
,	O
2000	O
,	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
June	O
26	O
,	O
2000	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
Europe	O
on	O
June	O
22	O
,	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameSpot	O
noted	O
that	O
unlike	O
other	O
Kirby	B-Application
games	O
,	O
Kirby	B-Application
64	I-Application
saw	O
release	O
before	O
support	O
for	O
its	O
system	O
ended	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
the	O
last	O
traditional	O
Kirby	B-Application
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
game	O
until	O
Return	B-Application
to	I-Application
Dream	I-Application
Land	I-Application
(	O
2011	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
re-released	O
Kirby	B-Application
64	I-Application
for	O
the	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
on	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
and	O
Wii	B-Device
U	I-Device
in	O
2008	O
and	O
2015	O
,	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
also	O
included	O
in	O
Kirby	B-Application
's	I-Application
Dream	I-Application
Collection	I-Application
(	O
2012	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
20th	O
anniversary	O
compilation	O
of	O
Kirby	B-Application
titles	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kirby	B-Application
64	I-Application
was	O
re-released	O
on	O
May	O
20	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
Online	I-Application
+	I-Application
Expansion	I-Application
Pack	I-Application
Service	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kirby	B-Application
64	I-Application
received	O
"	O
generally	O
favorable	O
reviews	O
"	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
review	B-Application
aggregator	I-Application
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
likened	O
it	O
to	O
other	O
2.5D	O
platformers	O
on	O
the	O
N64	B-Operating_System
including	O
Goemon	B-Application
's	I-Application
Great	I-Application
Adventure	I-Application
(	O
1998	O
)	O
and	O
Yoshi	B-Application
's	I-Application
Story	I-Application
(	O
1997	O
)	O
,	O
Some	O
felt	O
its	O
gameplay	O
and	O
visuals	O
were	O
reminiscent	O
of	O
older	O
platform	O
games	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
System	O
and	O
Super	B-Application
NES	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
explained	O
,	O
writing	O
:	O
"	O
There	O
is	O
simply	O
not	O
enough	O
originality	O
or	O
longevity	O
on	O
offer	O
for	O
Kirby	B-Application
64	I-Application
to	O
stand	O
out	O
among	O
the	O
wealth	O
of	O
inventive	O
platformers	O
already	O
on	O
the	O
N64.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
GameFan	O
wrote	O
that	O
while	O
it	O
was	O
a	O
nice	O
break	O
from	O
3D	O
games	O
,	O
Kirby	B-Application
64	I-Application
's	O
graphics	O
resembled	O
Super	B-Application
NES	I-Application
games	O
and	O
it	O
would	O
soon	O
appear	O
antiquated	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
believed	O
Kirby	B-Application
64	I-Application
lacked	O
in	O
longevity	O
and	O
difficulty	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
N64	B-Operating_System
Magazine	O
felt	O
the	O
early	O
levels	O
were	O
enjoyable	O
but	O
that	O
later	O
stages	O
became	O
stale	O
,	O
and	O
opined	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
have	O
benefited	O
from	O
more	O
complex	O
level	O
design	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
believed	O
Kirby	B-Application
64	I-Application
had	O
wasted	O
potential	O
and	O
described	O
it	O
as	O
"	O
short-lived	O
and	O
repetitive.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
minigames	O
were	O
also	O
criticized	O
for	O
adding	O
little	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
longevity	O
,	O
though	O
they	O
did	O
draw	O
some	O
positive	O
comparisons	O
to	O
Mario	B-Application
Party	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
N64	B-Operating_System
Magazine	O
called	O
the	O
graphics	O
the	O
best	O
aspect	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
praised	O
the	O
scenery	O
and	O
environments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
called	O
the	O
colors	O
"	O
bright	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
clean	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
Hyper	O
wrote	O
that	O
it	O
looked	O
like	O
a	O
picture	O
book	O
with	O
its	O
pastel-like	O
shading	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	B-Application
Power	I-Application
compared	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
cute	O
and	O
colorful	O
look	O
to	O
Yoshi	B-Application
's	I-Application
Story	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
wrote	O
that	O
Kirby	B-Application
64	I-Application
was	O
"	O
Simple	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
 [ ... ] 	O
It	O
's	O
a	O
Kirby	B-Application
game	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
looks	O
exactly	O
as	O
you	O
'd	O
expect	O
it	O
would.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Among	O
retrospective	O
reviews	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
Life	O
commented	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
visuals	O
held	O
up	O
because	O
of	O
their	O
stylized	O
shading	O
and	O
colors	O
,	O
and	O
felt	O
the	O
environments	O
gave	O
a	O
sense	O
of	O
grandeur	O
that	O
other	O
Kirby	B-Application
titles	O
rarely	O
capture	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eurogamer	O
wrote	O
that	O
it	O
"	O
does	O
n't	O
do	O
as	O
much	O
with	O
the	O
N64	B-Operating_System
as	O
it	O
could	O
have	O
done	O
,	O
and	O
remains	O
a	O
perennial	O
second-stringer	O
in	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
pantheon	O
for	O
that	O
very	O
reason	O
,	O
but	O
that	O
's	O
no	O
excuse	O
to	O
dismiss	O
something	O
this	O
engaging	O
and	O
polished.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
GamesRadar	O
listed	O
Kirby	B-Application
64	I-Application
as	O
the	O
sixth	O
best	O
Kirby	B-Application
game	O
(	O
in	O
2012	O
)	O
and	O
the	O
23rd	O
best	O
N64	B-Operating_System
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
USgamer	O
ranked	O
it	O
as	O
the	O
13th	O
best	O
traditional	O
Kirby	B-Application
game	O
out	O
of	O
16	O
in	O
2017	O
,	O
calling	O
it	O
"	O
uninspired.	O
"	O
</s>
