Kirby 64's Hidden Game Mechanic

Turns out every single enemy in Kirby 64 has their own set of properties while held, so I decided to go through every single one to document their behaviour!

[@KirbyCoder]

Imagine a game that fully goes into the held enemy gimmick. That would be incredible.

[@RubenSoutoHernandez]

You could use a vacuum, and it would be a first person shooter. Maybe. I dunno, It's just an idea

[@FenexTheFox]

Klonoa?

[@quentc]

@@FenexTheFoxKlonoa doesn't particularly expand on this idea too terribly much from what I remember, most enemies have the same properties as each other when held barring a couple used as level gimmicks but I like where your head was at

[@atumegaenter9139]

Wario?

[@LOL-gn5oh]

Mischief Makers

[@outofideasexe]

"Its a Gordo" and "it's a shotzo" were funnier then id imagine

[@genemelendez368]

I love the idea that some enemies work like pseudo copy abilities. The Ghost ability in Squeak Squad does this too and I wish there was a Kirby game that really leaned into the idea

[@elgatochurro]

An indie game would be great

[@zixvirzjghamn737]

well not kirby but Megaman Zero 4 is a platfromer

[@KimiComet]

THE pinned notes comment which I can't actually pin yet due to this being a new channel so I need to rely on this comment being liked enough to be shown at the top (awesome): - Apparently the Waddle Dee theory I had in the end was already confirmed in the Dream Collection book (Shoutouts to @TheRealSuperKirby for letting me know about that) - I now know I misused the word "combust" you don't need to correct me on that lol

[@NerdKirby]

That book isn't japanese exclusive, though, it was also released in america and I own it. It says "originally we'd planned to have him be a controllable character like King Dedede!". It also has concept art of Waddle Dee lifting up an enemy and a house-like item.

[@KimiComet]

@@NerdKirby Oh nvm then lol

[@CactiHat]

That's such a neat little feature, I really wish they all had something unique but what they had was already cute enough haha!

[@StaticBoxGuy]

I remember discovering that by accident and being like "wow this is so cool, i wonder if anyone else knows about this"

[@kirbyofthestarsfan]

Kirby 64 did have concept art where Waddle Dee was gonna have the lifting enemy mechanic

[@chocolatier95]

Yesss, I love this weird mechanic! I can't remember when I found it myself, but I could see it being utilized for a no-ability run

[@cyanshire3119]

Algorithm working good by blessing me with this video. Good work!

[@king-of-a-thing]

Crazy how they kept both Waddle Dee and DDD's movesets in the game despite the multiplayer getting scrapped.

[@Fuecolord]

This is your first video?! It’s really great being that.

[@Capybarret]

You say that Kirby had a lot of effort put into the enemies but you did the same with your video, keep up the good work

[@KimiComet]

Thanks!

[@unmeltabledjdkrnrjdjsnd9317]

You missed one.... Kirby himself! Believe it or not, if you let Waddle Doo attack Kirby, he'll pick him up and throw him just like Kirby does! Definitely a remnant of Waddle Dee's gameplay style from when he was playable as seen in concept art

[@TheVideoClubeTheBEST]

"Kirby 64 is by far the most unique Kirby game..." Kirby Air Ride: "Do I not exist to you?"

[@KimiComet]

most unique mainline Kirby game*

[@SailorLoonie]

This is a wonderful video full of info I never knew! The editing is top-notch too, and I love your voice! Thank you for a great video c:

[@alexwalker5716]

I had no Idea about any of this. the fact that they made unique behaviors for some enemies but not others is really interesting. I wonder what the thought process behind that was. anyway, thanks for sharing! : )

[@KimiComet]

Thanks! It really is baffling how much work was put into all this lol

[@mohawkmaster5728]

There's Kirby 64 concept art that suggests Waddle Dee would make use of the carrying mechanic, maybe as a second player, but this was never implemented sadly

[@krocolate1300]

This was something I always went out my way to do as a kid lol I loved using Pteran and Bumper just for the sake of it. Glad this was made. Thank you for your work

[@Iris_Descent]

I knew about this mechanic already, and I kinda loved experimenting with it a little. I liked using Flopper to just go faster underwater, and Fishbone in the fight against Acro. (I like going into bosses with no abilities, no one said Fishbone was an ability.) But I'll be damned, Spark-i caught me completely off guard, that one's actually really cool. Didn't think about Galbo either.

[@NerdKirby]

This is a great first video! I've always found this gimmick to be very charming and it's very cool this list documenting what all the enemies do exists now.

[@cataquackwarlord5389]

You missed something useful with Ghost Knight. He doesn't seem to do anything on his own, but his shield will block enemy projectiles.

[@KillerCaitie]

Fascinating! This was always a favourite game of mine, and yet seeing some of these animations are new to me. Thank you for going through them all!

[@alainali6010]

11:53 that enemy's name 💀

[@mr.potatomanversionsix]

omg so underrated

[@Mike14264]

Yeah, I realized this mechanic was a thing after I saw Failboat's playthroug- OH WAIT, YOU TOO???

[@RangerTheWarrior]

I'm glad someone decided to make a video about this, such an underrated mechanic honestly, more people must know

[@nibrocgeck7508]

I appreciate KZbin recommending me this Kirby video with less than 10k views from a channel with a single upload.

[@RGamer2009]

Yeah, its such an intriguing game mechanic!! I bet you are on to something with this being a relic of early game development that was left in the game.

[@SCoreReMake]

When I played K64, the enemies I most utilized by holding them above Kirby were Spark-I (it's just fun), Flopper (underwater) and Fishbone (for Acro's boss fight), but I did not know about the properties of most of the others - real cool video, it seems there is always something new to learn about Kirby! also what you can inhale Gobblins but huh how whuh

[@SincradTB]

4:49 I wish you had edited the two videos together in such a way that the two Kirbys threw what they were holding at the same time for a better comparison. This would also help give me a better frame of reference for the throwing speed at 11:46. A small addition you could’ve also done there is make three lanes, assuming that you can fit that. These are just nitpicks though. I had fun watching. If I had to give more impactful critique for future videos (if you make them), it would be to invest in a better mic or adjust some audio settings. That would make your voice clearer and overall make it sound better. The audio was very jarring upon first open. The video quality was good. Edit: 17:34 I personally don’t think they’ll do that, but if they don’t there are always indie developers who can pick up the cool concept.

[@ITzaMii_]

Wow, awesome vid! It's a shame that 90% of this games players never found half this stuff out. I mean, sure it's a kinda half baked mechanic and it doesn't really effect game play much at all, but it's super neat regardless. I think Spark_I has my favourite, shooting 3 projectiles at once is just really cool... too bad you can't bring enemies into boss fights.

[@potflower5118]

Wtf. I had no idea you could inhale the background cactus enemy. That’s crazy.

[@CarbynnKirb]

>shows up >drops a video deconstructing the least known mechanic in one of the best Kirby games >gets 2k+ views Here before the channel blows up lmao

[@cataquackwarlord5389]

I really enjoyed the carrying gimmick. I once tried to see if I could beat all the levels (excluding collecting all the crystal shards) by only ever carrying enemies, no attacking any other way (though throwing - not spitting - enemies - counts). I think I got as far as the crab mini-boss on world 3 (Aqua Star), as the platform you jumped up to from below to actually reach him always destroyed the enemy I was holding. I think maybe I could have gotten farther if I get the enemy in my mouth until I got up there, but I never got around to trying the run again.

[@Bird-wz7nx]

I'm pretty sure they didn't highlight this because its so darn easy to accidentally toss the monster away! I remembered when I discovered this feature and it was really finicky if your N64 controller wasn't in great shape, iirc. its really easy to doubletap and throw if your stick was worn so your neutral was messed up, putting in some minor up inputs when you try to move side to side. It really doesn't seem to take much... I think. I can't test it- The N64 is on the fritz, but Kirby 64 is in there atm, haha. I do like the Waddle Dee theory though, it feels very appropriate.

[@cataquackwarlord5389]

I'm a little disappointed you didn't account for the level-end mini-bosses of Pop Star; I forget if any of Adeline's special paintings could be carried, for instance.

[@Geffro]

Audio is weird on my phone so forgive me if I misheard, but I think the crab actually does attack enemies above you with its snippy hands! Also I may be misremembering but I thought I remembered the squibby thingies having an attack if held in the water

[@playandagain7756]

Okay so i'm not the only one to have 100% the game and years later discovered this mechanic with failboat, phew.

[@lpfan4491]

11:52 And I thought a mass attack(iirc) enemy being called "crap" was bad 💀

[@mjoonlight9919]

You forgot the Adeline paintings and other friend battle projectiles!

[@MarcusFigueras]

It's weird how I haven't seen too much documentation about this. Like even ghost in Squeak Squad has all of the enemy abilities written somewhere

[@ChaliceMovingXIV]

Thank you! I'm glad someone is talking about it!

[@DragonScythe64]

can't believe it took this long for someone to acknowledge this mechanic

[@Double_K_A]

Obviously your mic isn't the best, but as a first video, you should be proud of this? This is a really interesting concept, and I'm someone made a video of it. Subbing, as I'm really excited to see what else you make.

[@ZizZap4]

I wonder, does Mite maybe act like a landmine of sorts, attacking enemies that pass over it after it burrows?

[@sagacious03]

Fun analysis video! Thanks for uploading!

[@MrJsup23]

Nice video, appreciate all the work you put into it. Thus kids the exact kind of stuff I come here for

[@Fungo4]

I just realized the Bo enemy reappears in Majora's Mask!

[@hioman]

Good video, but "spontaneously combust" means to catch fire. Those enemies fall apart

[@martinpokemonero151]

This channel has a lot of potential about analyze Kirby games, keep it up 🎉

[@UndodnU]

It's too bad so many of them don't do anything special, I can see a lot of kids trying it out on a few enemies and giving up after so many just squirm in their grip

[@cataquackwarlord5389]

I honestly didn't expect you to be able to carry Gobblin.

[@teirusureynard9279]

I knew about this, because I liked taking the diamond shaped enemies out to shoot their rainbow bullets

[@screamingatstars66]

I used to play with these held enemies all the time when I was a kid, my favorite was the Bronto Burt that lets you glide for a few seconds. I just thought it was fun!

[@Gamersgoinblind]

I love this feature so much, I wanted to go through the entire game with only this feature but it doesn't work too much

[@lvlen-125]

they do have this quirky behavior that does basically nothing but exist in the video game

[@じょせふ-v2z]

I love when I chug energy drinks and my gums tingle from it

[@madgadgetss]

i didn't know any of this!!!!!!! smh i'm such a fake fan thank you for this!!!! :) this is fascinating

[@awakenedcrowl]

I actually did this when I played this as a child. I don't know why or how I got the idea, but I did

[@samanthasaysmoon11]

this video was really really good! i like that it's concise & also i like your voice

[@dissonanceparadiddle]

I really enjoy the held mechanic. The most obscure thing in that game that I've never heard a single soul talk about and only one person I've seen do it is that you can rotate in the 02 fight and it really does make the fight absolutely much more trivial

[@AphidKirby]

YESSSSSS love to see someone talk abt this mechanic! Super fun!

[@I_am_in_your_castle]

Pompey joke caught me offguard XD

[@elgatochurro]

Possible video of you reading each enemies card?

[@karhanen2]

Damn I 100% the whole game without knowing this

[@littlemac5942]

omg imagion having the voice OF A NERD!!!

[@SmolFrogge]

Hold my spreadsheet vibes. ❤️

[@Camdoggage]

Great first upload! Sub'd!!

[@thom14777]

OH MY GODDDDDDD IVE BEEN WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO MAKE A VIDEO ON THIS NICHE THING FOR SO LONG!!!

[@vtubermissingno]

Your voice is adorable and the video is great. Insta subbed

[@zixvirzjghamn737]

only 1 minute in and I know this is going to be the best video ever

[@monkwee1334]

For some reason after taking a Kruff out of your mouth it becomes a baby…

[@TheRealSuperKirby]

I first discovered this on my second most recent playthrough a couple years back when throwing mite, still so many I didn't know about! Also this being a left over from playable waddle dee isn't speculation, in the kirby dream collection book it says waddle Dee's ability would be centered around picking up enemies.

[@KimiComet]

Oh, was unaware of that, that's awesome I mean I already strongly believed it was the case, but it's cool that it's confirmed to be the case (even if the book released 12 years ago lmao)

[@Acr0Games]

you sound a lot like klaire fluffle. good video

[@FitzDwagonCat]

nice video Also adorable energy

[@syweb2]

9:47 They do rotate on individual X, Y, and Z axes relative to the ground they spawned from while idle. They just don't have any special behavior when held or thrown.

[@KimiComet]

Mainly meant when they were thrown but yeah true

[@ultlifeform]

Really great video! I knew about some of these mechanics, but not all of them. The only critique I have is that "combust" means to catch on fire, so "spontaneous combustion" is a term for something unexpectedly catching on fire, not exploding, dissolving, or otherwise disappearing. But still an informative and enjoyable video, keep up the good work!

[@KimiComet]

Oh, thanks for letting me know lol Also thanks in general!

[@RealmsCrossMyths]

Video voiceover states that multiple enemies spontaneously combust when held above Kirby's head… … None of them do, though. If they do spontanously combust, the footage does not show the combustion. Using the sand enemy as an example; they do not catch fire, they simply fall appart.

[@KimiComet]

Yeah somebody else already corrected me on that, I just misunderstood what the word meant lol

[@Preteristboy]

Does Bumper protect you from projectiles and enemies from above?

[@KimiComet]

Unfortunately no

[@psigreen3864]

I love learning fun facts about games that I will never play. Have a comment for the algorithm!

[@KimiComet]

💪💪💪

[@Chokun-Gaming]

Oh neat, I love Galbo even more now

[@jollykirby2138]

this was cool

[@KennyKakes1]

Cute voice.

[@Snowy167]

Neat stuff :)

[@zaku28]

lovely video, I wasn’t aware of behavior when holding enemies either until that same Failboat video. So I enjoyed the further exploration!

[@KimiComet]

Thank you!

[@glaceRaven]

I'd never heard about this before, it's really neat! Am definitely going to have to try this with the flying enemies next time I play (as it could hopefully augment Kirby's rather limited floating ability in the game). It kind of reminds me of the Ghost ability from Kirby Squeak Squad.

[@lawliamsonic]

I was shocked to see that this was only your first video. Everything here looks pretty well together, the comedy is on-point, and the editing is nice too. Can we expect more in the future?

[@KimiComet]

I do plan on making more content on here, hopefully like once per month but my discipline and motivation are wacky and I didn't plan any other video topics so I don't want to guarantee anything lol

[@lawliamsonic]

@@KimiComet Lmfao, I'll keep my eye out anyways.

[@primmr]

Lovely video and very well researched too (spreadsheets for life) Thanks for teaching me many things I didn't know!

[@Triggernyar]

I used to play around with these effects back when I could play a game to death again and again. The crab was probably the more fun one. fish go forward was also nice for how fast it could carry you on the horizontal underwater stage.

[@Yousef77077]

I appreciate you documenting this entirely and as thoroughly/accurately as possible with minimum filler. Not only am I a sucker for documentation, but K64: TCS is my favorite Kirby and one of my favorite games of all time. It’s a really big comfort game for me. I’ve been playing lots of Nintendo games for the first time after I turned 22. I’m currently 25 and this is one the one that clicked with me the most and it’s always nice seeing others talk about it, especially in a more positive light.

[@Corncake1337]

W

[@LaZodiac]

This reminds me a bit of the Ghost power up in Squeak Squad. That might be a good follow up; looking at all the enemies of that game and how viable they are for Ghost Kirby to make use of.

[@carnage0685]

HOLY SHIT WHERE DID YOU GET THE ZERO TWO MODEL FROM? THAT'S THE ONE FROM THE ACTUAL GAME, ISN'T IT?

[@KimiComet]

It is lol

[@carnage0685]

@@KimiComet where did you get ittt i've looked everywhere

[@KimiComet]

www.models-resource.com/nintendo_64/kirby64/model/64958/ Models' resource is pretty much the place to go for video game 3D models in general

[@hahathatsgreat2]

For some reason seeing the flopper work made me really excited lol.

[@digiorniboy]

THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE GAMES OF ALL TIME, HOW DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS VIDEO

[@SECONDQUEST]

I loved using the fly enemy while held. It was fun.

[@axelperez2917]

This is the peak comment I see random underrated videos for!

[@agentmynt]

Great video, it was really interesting!

[@RHVGamer]

Nice video, especially as your first one!

[@Crypticyokai]

YOU ARE SO UNDERATED

[@Crypticyokai]

thank you for the heart!

[@Crypticyokai]

Oh im glad your you have more subs on other channels I thought this was your only one. Good job!