

Kirby's first 3-D adventure is also his Nintendo 64 debut, and it finds the always-versatile hero battling a new enemy called Dark Matter. Dark Matter is after a distant land's powerful crystal, but a young fairy named Ribbon attempts to save it by escaping with the gem to Dream Land. Now the crystal has been broken, and it's scattered around the world. Take control of Kirby and help him journey across six worlds, battling a wide variety of enemies and challenging bosses, as he tries to collect all 100 pieces of the shattered crystal. On the planet of Ripple Star, lives a group of kind and peaceful fairies. The planet itself is protected from danger by the power of the great Crystal, which watches over Ripple Star. This power, however, draws the attention of Dark Matter, who wishes to use the great Crystal for its own evil agenda. Its gigantic mass attacks and searches for the Crystal, blackening the sky and sending the fairies into panic. In response to the threat Dark Matter presents, the queen of Ripple Star orders a fairy named Ribbon to take the Crystal to a safe place. Ribbon tries to fly away with the Crystal in tow, but is stopped by three orbs sent by Dark Matter. The Crystal shatters into 74 shards, scattered throughout several planets, and Ribbon crashes onto Planet Popstar. Kirby finds one shard and gives it to Ribbon, whereupon the two set out to find the others. Once Kirby and his friends collect every Crystal Shard and defeat Miracle Matter, Dark Matter flees Ripple Star and explodes. The victory is cut short, however, as the Crystal detects a powerful presence of Dark Matter energy within the Fairy Queen and expels it from her, manifesting over the planet to create Dark Star. Kirby and his friends infiltrate Dark Star, and King Dedede launches them up to challenge 02. Kirby and Ribbon, armed with their Shard Gun, destroyed 02 and the Dark Star.
PlatformAdventureActionminigamesmascot2.5dhamsterside-scrollingfairymultiple endingskid friendlysilent protagonistboss fightanthropomorphismpolygonal 3dWii, Nintendo 64, Wii U
Log it
Sign in to log this.
Where do you stand?
Three questions people argue about. Answer first, then see how your circle and the community split.
Has Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards aged badly?
Sign in to answerBe the first to answer.
Is this HAL Laboratory's best work?
Sign in to answerBe the first to answer.
Would Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards hit harder if it came out today rather than in 2000?
Sign in to answerBe the first to answer.
Ask the title a question
Answered from the reviews and content notes on file, never made up. If nothing on file settles it, it says so.
Character
Earnest, plot-driven, resolved and epic.
- earnestironic
- character-ledplot-driven
- resolvedopen-ended
- intimateepic
- classical in formformally daring
Who loves it, who doesn't
No profiled raters yet.
Reviews
No reviews yet.
About the game
- Platforms
- Wii, Nintendo 64, Wii U
- Developer
- HAL Laboratory
- Publisher
- Nintendo, Gradiente
- Released
- March 24, 2000
- Modes
- Single player, Multiplayer, Split screen
- Perspective
- Side view
IGDB rating 7.6/10 from 122 ratings.
Screenshots






Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Curator Co. Other media included when they land close.
Both plot-driven, earnest, resolved.
Dragon Quest Builders 201681% alikeBoth earnest, plot-driven, resolved.
Kirby's Dream Land 2 199581% alikeBoth earnest, plot-driven, resolved.
Spyro the Dragon 199881% alikeBoth resolved, plot-driven, earnest.
Kirby & the Amazing Mirror 200480% alikeBoth plot-driven, resolved, earnest.
Ristar 199579% alikeBoth earnest, plot-driven, resolved.
Spyro: Year of the Dragon 200079% alikeBoth plot-driven, resolved, earnest.
Rayman 199579% alikeBoth plot-driven, earnest, resolved.
Willow 198875% alikeFilm · Both earnest, resolved, classical in form.
Dragons: Race to the Edge 201575% alikeSeries · Both earnest, classical in form, resolved.
Often played with
Similar games per IGDB. Opening one adds it to Curator Co.









