Latest Reviews of HAL Laboratory Games
Dream Weaver
If you’ve had a gander at our list of the Best Kirby Games Of All Time lately (or read our original 9/10 review from back in the day, more to the point) you’ll know that we hold Kirby’s Return to Dream Land in high regard around these parts. A return to classic Kirby action after a few less successful deviations from the norm...
Review Kirby's Dream Buffet (Switch) - A Delicious Spread To Put You In The Party Mood
Waddle Dee-licious
What do you get when you take a generous helping of Fall Guys, add a pinch of Super Monkey Ball and then mix in a lovely big dollop of Kirby? Well, a great big dream buffet, that's what. Kirby's Dream Buffet is a bright and breezy party game that sees a whole field full of Kirby characters roll at speed down sweet treat-laden...
Review Pokémon Snap - Photo Fun That's Over Too Soon
Candid Camera + Pocket Monster
This review originally went live in 2016, and we're updating and republishing it to mark the game's arrival on Switch as part of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. There are moments during Pokémon Snap where — upon finding a hidden path — the game ditches the first-person perspective to show your...
Review Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards - Kirby's First Brush With 3D Is Still A Charmer
Kirby Sixty-phwoar
Like many of Nintendo's properties during the transition from the SNES to the N64, Kirby underwent a shift from a flat 2D sprite to a fully rendered polygon rendition of himself. Rather than taking Kirby down the route of Mario and Link, however, the pink mascot stuck closer to his origins — mechanically, Kirby 64: The Crystal...
Review Kirby And The Forgotten Land (Switch) - A Breezy Delight With Mario-Level Invention
Once more, with mouthfeeling
Well. It's finally here. In celebration of 30 whole years (!) of 2D and 2.5D adventures — with a little 3D sprinkled in for good measure — Kirby's first proper fully three dimensional mainline escapade has now arrived and, as long as you know exactly what to expect from the little pink puffball, it's an absolute...
Review EarthBound - A Quirky, Cosmic Adventure Bound To Warm Your Heart
Mother!
This review originally went live in 2016, and we're updating and republishing it to mark the arrival of Earthbound in the Nintendo Switch Online Super NES library. Fuzzy pickles! Back in 1995, this second instalment of Shigesato Itoi's much-loved Mother series (as it's known in Japan) only received a western release in North America, where...
Review Part Time UFO (Switch) - A Game About Picking Things Up That You Won't Want To Put Down
Grab it right away
A lot of people may not realise this, but HAL Laboratory isn’t actually owned by Nintendo. It may have been responsible for the likes of the Kirby, Smash Bros and Mother series and its main office may even be located in Nintendo’s Tokyo building, but the developer remains independent and could make games for other platforms if...
Review Kirby Fighters 2 (Switch) - A Brilliant Bite-Sized Alternative To Super Smash Bros.
Kirby sucks, but this doesn't
You don’t need us to tell you this, but Nintendo makes some strange decisions sometimes. The latest example of this is Kirby Fighters 2, a digital-only fighting game that was stealth-dropped onto the eShop without any warning, promoted with a couple of tweets then generally abandoned (at least at the time of writing)...
Review Super Kirby Clash (Switch) - Monster Hunter Meets The Cute Pink Puffball
And it's free to play, to boot
When Kirby: Planet Robobot launched in 2016, one of the sub-games included was a neat little RPG-lite take on a boss rush mode called Team Kirby Clash. A year later, HAL opted to expand on the concept further in a free-to-play release on the 3DS eShop called Team Kirby Clash Deluxe, which added in several more bosses,...
Boxing clever
The original BOXBOY! trilogy proved to be one of the quiet triumphs of the 3DS era. These unassuming puzzle-platformers might have lacked the visual fireworks or the 3D gimmicks of some of their contemporaries, but they more than made up for that with a fresh concept and rock solid level design. We're delighted that HAL Laboratory has...
Latest HAL Laboratory Articles
News Super Smash Bros. N64 Storyboard Artwork Discovered
Depicting the opening movie
The original storyboard documents for Super Smash Bros. on the Nintendo 64 have been discovered online. David V. Kimball, a marketing director and content creator who has previously made videos about Super Smash Bros. Melee, stumbled across the design documents — drawn by Masahiro Sakurai — by using the Wayback...
Feature The Famicom Failure That Almost Bankrupted HAL, But Shaped Nintendo's Future
HAL be there
Unless you’re a dedicated Famicom collector, it’s unlikely that you’ve heard of Metal Slader Glory. Released right at the tail end of the Famicom’s life in 1991, the year after the release of the Super Famicom, Metal Slader Glory never made it out of Japan, and it proved to be a massive flop for HAL Laboratory. But the very...
Random Sakurai Cut Dolby Surround From Kirby Game To Trim Player Wait Time
One second too long
Super Smash Bros. developer Masahiro Sakurai has frequently demonstrated his desire to make game experiences as smooth and accessible as possible for the player. In a recent livestream event to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Hamster's Arcade Archives series, he talked on-stage with fellow creator Hideki Kamiya (Bayonetta,
Guide Best Kirby Games Of All Time
Every Kirby game ranked
We're republishing this today to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Kirby and the Amazing Mirror on GBA, which you can also play on Nintendo Switch Online via the Expansion Pack! Kirby — one of the most famous faces (with little podgy arms and feet attached) in Nintendo's stable of stars — has been wowing players with...
News Pop Up Parade "Pull Back" Kirby Car Now Available To Pre-Order
A new Good Smile Company release
Last month, Good Smile Company teased new figma including a Pop Up Parade version of the Kirby car, based on his transformation in Kirby and the Forgotten Land. This item is now available for pre-order and will set you back USD $25.99 (or your regional equivalent). It's estimated to ship in Q4 2024 and even zooms...
Guide How To Change Your Nintendo Account Region And Play Mother 3 On Switch
O Mother, where art thou?
Mother 3, the celebrated final part of the EarthBound trilogy (as it's known in the West), is available to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers in Japan. As of 21st February 2024, the 2006 Game Boy Advance title is available as part of the Switch Online service's library to anyone with a subscription at the Expansion Pack...
Random Japan Is Getting Another Mother-Themed G-Shock Watch
Earthbound celebrates 30th anniversary this year
The cult hit EarthBound (Mother 2) is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, so naturally, that means that Japan is getting another collaboration between Mother and watch manufacturer Casio. Due for launch on 14 March, 2024 via a lottery purchase system, the 'Mother Red's GW-6900' follows a...
News Kirby Happy Meal Promotion Announced For McDonald's Japan
Would you like Kirby with that?
McDonald's will be running a new Happy Meal promotion in Japan featuring a bunch of new plush-like Kirby toys. This promotion will begin later this month on 23rd February 2024 and features two waves, with four plush in each one. Fans of the pink puff will have a chance to grab different versions of Kirby (including a...
News Kirby Developer HAL Laboratory Recruiting For New Projects
The pink puff will return
HAL Laboratory is constantly pumping out new releases starring the pink puffball Kirby, so what's planned in 2024? While there's no official announcement just yet, unsurprisingly the company is looking towards the future and may already be hiring for its next big project to follow Kirby and the Forgotten Land. As...
News Plans Are Reportedly In Place To Celebrate Earthbound's 30th Anniversary
We all know what we want, though
This year marks the 30th anniversary of EarthBound (known in Japan as Mother 2) and, according to the official X (formerly Twitter) page, plans are in place to celebrate the hefty milestone (thanks, My Nintendo News). What these plans are, exactly, is up in the air at the moment, but we're not expecting anything...
News World Of Goo Is Getting A Sequel In 2024
The physics-based construction puzzler is back
In some surprise news at this year's Game Awards show, a sequel for the famous physics-based construction puzzler World of Goo was announced. It will be released in 2024 and is simply titled World of Goo 2. The original game by 2D Boy and Tomorrow Corporation was originally released on the Nintendo...
News Nintendo Expands Switch Online's Game Boy Advance Library
Kirby & The Amazing Mirror returns
Update [Fri 29th Sep, 2023 02:15 BST]: Nintendo's latest Switch Online update for the GBA library is now officially live. This will bump the application up to Version 1.4.0 and adds Kirby & The Amazing Mirror to the collection. Japan has received the same game. Original article [Fri 22nd Sep, 2023 03:05...
News Nintendo Expands Switch Online's Game Boy Color, SNES & NES Library With Four More Games
Three "Japan-only" titles and a Warner Bros. licensed game
Nintendo has added four more games to the Switch Online library today but it's not the sort of lineup you might be expecting. Three of these games are "Japan only" and were never translated into English. Starting off with the NES lineup, there's the 1993 release Joy Mech Fight. This is a...
News Kirby GDC Panel, 'The Many Dimensions Of Kirby', Now Available Online
Celebrating 30 years of Kirby
Kirby got his very own panel at this year's GDC, and for a while, many different outlets were sharing stories on how developer HAL Laboratory brought the pink puffball's adventures into full 3D with Kirby and the Forgotten Land. And now, you can watch the full 50-minute talk over on YouTube. GDC has uploaded the...
News Nintendo Is Officially Done With Kirby's 30th Anniversary Celebrations
NEXT!
We're not entirely sure if this one needed to be announced, but it has been... and it's the confirmation on Nintendo's end that celebrations of the pink puff are now officially over! Yes, don't even try to celebrate his 30th anniversary past this date, because according to a message on social media, Nintendo is moving on - just like it did...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel - Kirby's Adventure
No copying here
Hello folks! We made it through April Fools' Day, so it's time to say: welcome to another edition of Box Art Brawl! First off, let's have a quick look back at last week's tussle. Super Mario Bros. 2 (or Super Mario USA) took to the stage, and while it was fairly close, Japan won this fight with 59% of the vote. We're fans off both,...
News Kirby Is Officially A BAFTA Winner, Takes Home Best Family Game
Kirby and the Forgotten Land was Nintendo's only win
Nintendo and the 'Best Family Game' award are bedfellows at this point. And last night's BAFTA Game Awards continued this trend by awarding Kirby and the Forgotten Land with the trophy. But hey, Kirby is a BAFTA winner now, and that's pretty cool! (Thanks GamesIndustry.biz.) Kirby's 3D adventure...
Random It's Okay Everyone, Kirby Doesn't Digest His Enemies
...they just disappear and appear somewhere else
Ever wondered what happens when Kirby swallows his enemies? Well, he doesn't eat them, at least in the traditional sense — that's according to HAL Laboratory's executive director Shinya Kumazaki. In an interview with Polygon at this year's GDC, the publication was dying to know the truth behind...
Random Kirby's Dream Land 2's Animal Friends Might Not Be What They Seem
Hamster status: denied
Nintendo has quietly released a patch for its Game Boy emulator on Nintendo Switch Online, and while version 1.1.1 hasn't changed much at all, the one thing it has changed may have a serious impact on Kirby lore. Spotted by OatmealDome after being notified by their followers on Twitter, the description for Kirby's Dream Land...
Countdown 3DS eShop Spotlight - BOXBOY! Trilogy
#25 - BUYBOXBOY!
For the month before the 3DS and Wii U eShops close for new purchases on 27th March, each day we're going to highlight a specific eShop game for one of those consoles and give a short pitch as to why we think it deserves your love and attention — before it's too late. The chance to add these to your library will be gone for good...
Guide Kirby's Return To Dream Land Deluxe: All Magolor Skills
Combo Master
With Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, players are sure to be busy getting to grips with the wonderfully remastered campaign, as well as the all-new Magolor's Epilogue: The Interdimensional Traveller content. Magolor's Epilogue sees you take control of Magolor across four stages packed full of enemies and boss battles and, in order...
Guide Kirby's Return To Dream Land Deluxe: All Secret HAL Rooms
Dave, my mind is going, I can feel it...
Kirby's Return to Dream Land is available on Switch in 'Deluxe' form featuring new areas and secrets to discover, including a special stage in Magolor's Epilogue, plus returning secrets such as the two secret HAL Rooms that you can find during t
C'mere, there's more
One of the headline additions to Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe is the brand new Magolor's Epilogue: The Interdimensional Traveller, which adds a solid couple of hours of playtime onto the original Wii game's main campaign. There are a total of four areas in Magolor's Epilogue, with each one composed of four stages and a...
News The First Review For Kirby's Return To Dream Land Deluxe Is Now In
Are the scores pretty in pink?
Kirby's third Switch game in the last 12 months drops on Switch this Friday in the form of Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, a remake of the Wii game Kirby's Return to Dream Land (or Kirby's Adventure Wii if you're in Europe), and ahead of its 24th February launch, the first review has dropped (thanks, Gematsu)...
Video What's Going On With Kirby Right Now?
Will the little guy ever get full?
We have a little over a month to go before Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe flies onto the Switch. This is bound to be an exciting time for those of us who love Kirby and are a fan of the 2011 Wii game, but there will also be many out there who can't help but think, "wait, didn't we only just get a new Kirby...
News Super Smash Bros. N64 Storyboard Artwork Discovered
Depicting the opening movie
The original storyboard documents for Super Smash Bros. on the Nintendo 64 have been discovered online. David V. Kimball, a marketing director and content creator who has previously made videos about Super Smash Bros. Melee, stumbled across the design documents — drawn by Masahiro Sakurai — by using the Wayback...
Feature The Famicom Failure That Almost Bankrupted HAL, But Shaped Nintendo's Future
HAL be there
Unless you’re a dedicated Famicom collector, it’s unlikely that you’ve heard of Metal Slader Glory. Released right at the tail end of the Famicom’s life in 1991, the year after the release of the Super Famicom, Metal Slader Glory never made it out of Japan, and it proved to be a massive flop for HAL Laboratory. But the very...
Random Sakurai Cut Dolby Surround From Kirby Game To Trim Player Wait Time
One second too long
Super Smash Bros. developer Masahiro Sakurai has frequently demonstrated his desire to make game experiences as smooth and accessible as possible for the player. In a recent livestream event to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Hamster's Arcade Archives series, he talked on-stage with fellow creator Hideki Kamiya (Bayonetta,
Guide Best Kirby Games Of All Time
Every Kirby game ranked
We're republishing this today to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Kirby and the Amazing Mirror on GBA, which you can also play on Nintendo Switch Online via the Expansion Pack! Kirby — one of the most famous faces (with little podgy arms and feet attached) in Nintendo's stable of stars — has been wowing players with...
News Pop Up Parade "Pull Back" Kirby Car Now Available To Pre-Order
A new Good Smile Company release
Last month, Good Smile Company teased new figma including a Pop Up Parade version of the Kirby car, based on his transformation in Kirby and the Forgotten Land. This item is now available for pre-order and will set you back USD $25.99 (or your regional equivalent). It's estimated to ship in Q4 2024 and even zooms...
Guide How To Change Your Nintendo Account Region And Play Mother 3 On Switch
O Mother, where art thou?
Mother 3, the celebrated final part of the EarthBound trilogy (as it's known in the West), is available to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers in Japan. As of 21st February 2024, the 2006 Game Boy Advance title is available as part of the Switch Online service's library to anyone with a subscription at the Expansion Pack...
Random Japan Is Getting Another Mother-Themed G-Shock Watch
Earthbound celebrates 30th anniversary this year
The cult hit EarthBound (Mother 2) is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, so naturally, that means that Japan is getting another collaboration between Mother and watch manufacturer Casio. Due for launch on 14 March, 2024 via a lottery purchase system, the 'Mother Red's GW-6900' follows a...
News Kirby Happy Meal Promotion Announced For McDonald's Japan
Would you like Kirby with that?
McDonald's will be running a new Happy Meal promotion in Japan featuring a bunch of new plush-like Kirby toys. This promotion will begin later this month on 23rd February 2024 and features two waves, with four plush in each one. Fans of the pink puff will have a chance to grab different versions of Kirby (including a...
News Kirby Developer HAL Laboratory Recruiting For New Projects
The pink puff will return
HAL Laboratory is constantly pumping out new releases starring the pink puffball Kirby, so what's planned in 2024? While there's no official announcement just yet, unsurprisingly the company is looking towards the future and may already be hiring for its next big project to follow Kirby and the Forgotten Land. As...
News Plans Are Reportedly In Place To Celebrate Earthbound's 30th Anniversary
We all know what we want, though
This year marks the 30th anniversary of EarthBound (known in Japan as Mother 2) and, according to the official X (formerly Twitter) page, plans are in place to celebrate the hefty milestone (thanks, My Nintendo News). What these plans are, exactly, is up in the air at the moment, but we're not expecting anything...
News World Of Goo Is Getting A Sequel In 2024
The physics-based construction puzzler is back
In some surprise news at this year's Game Awards show, a sequel for the famous physics-based construction puzzler World of Goo was announced. It will be released in 2024 and is simply titled World of Goo 2. The original game by 2D Boy and Tomorrow Corporation was originally released on the Nintendo...
News Nintendo Expands Switch Online's Game Boy Advance Library
Kirby & The Amazing Mirror returns
Update [Fri 29th Sep, 2023 02:15 BST]: Nintendo's latest Switch Online update for the GBA library is now officially live. This will bump the application up to Version 1.4.0 and adds Kirby & The Amazing Mirror to the collection. Japan has received the same game. Original article [Fri 22nd Sep, 2023 03:05...
News Nintendo Expands Switch Online's Game Boy Color, SNES & NES Library With Four More Games
Three "Japan-only" titles and a Warner Bros. licensed game
Nintendo has added four more games to the Switch Online library today but it's not the sort of lineup you might be expecting. Three of these games are "Japan only" and were never translated into English. Starting off with the NES lineup, there's the 1993 release Joy Mech Fight. This is a...
News Kirby GDC Panel, 'The Many Dimensions Of Kirby', Now Available Online
Celebrating 30 years of Kirby
Kirby got his very own panel at this year's GDC, and for a while, many different outlets were sharing stories on how developer HAL Laboratory brought the pink puffball's adventures into full 3D with Kirby and the Forgotten Land. And now, you can watch the full 50-minute talk over on YouTube. GDC has uploaded the...
News Nintendo Is Officially Done With Kirby's 30th Anniversary Celebrations
NEXT!
We're not entirely sure if this one needed to be announced, but it has been... and it's the confirmation on Nintendo's end that celebrations of the pink puff are now officially over! Yes, don't even try to celebrate his 30th anniversary past this date, because according to a message on social media, Nintendo is moving on - just like it did...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel - Kirby's Adventure
No copying here
Hello folks! We made it through April Fools' Day, so it's time to say: welcome to another edition of Box Art Brawl! First off, let's have a quick look back at last week's tussle. Super Mario Bros. 2 (or Super Mario USA) took to the stage, and while it was fairly close, Japan won this fight with 59% of the vote. We're fans off both,...
News Kirby Is Officially A BAFTA Winner, Takes Home Best Family Game
Kirby and the Forgotten Land was Nintendo's only win
Nintendo and the 'Best Family Game' award are bedfellows at this point. And last night's BAFTA Game Awards continued this trend by awarding Kirby and the Forgotten Land with the trophy. But hey, Kirby is a BAFTA winner now, and that's pretty cool! (Thanks GamesIndustry.biz.) Kirby's 3D adventure...
Random It's Okay Everyone, Kirby Doesn't Digest His Enemies
...they just disappear and appear somewhere else
Ever wondered what happens when Kirby swallows his enemies? Well, he doesn't eat them, at least in the traditional sense — that's according to HAL Laboratory's executive director Shinya Kumazaki. In an interview with Polygon at this year's GDC, the publication was dying to know the truth behind...
Random Kirby's Dream Land 2's Animal Friends Might Not Be What They Seem
Hamster status: denied
Nintendo has quietly released a patch for its Game Boy emulator on Nintendo Switch Online, and while version 1.1.1 hasn't changed much at all, the one thing it has changed may have a serious impact on Kirby lore. Spotted by OatmealDome after being notified by their followers on Twitter, the description for Kirby's Dream Land...
Countdown 3DS eShop Spotlight - BOXBOY! Trilogy
#25 - BUYBOXBOY!
For the month before the 3DS and Wii U eShops close for new purchases on 27th March, each day we're going to highlight a specific eShop game for one of those consoles and give a short pitch as to why we think it deserves your love and attention — before it's too late. The chance to add these to your library will be gone for good...
Guide Kirby's Return To Dream Land Deluxe: All Magolor Skills
Combo Master
With Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, players are sure to be busy getting to grips with the wonderfully remastered campaign, as well as the all-new Magolor's Epilogue: The Interdimensional Traveller content. Magolor's Epilogue sees you take control of Magolor across four stages packed full of enemies and boss battles and, in order...
Guide Kirby's Return To Dream Land Deluxe: All Secret HAL Rooms
Dave, my mind is going, I can feel it...
Kirby's Return to Dream Land is available on Switch in 'Deluxe' form featuring new areas and secrets to discover, including a special stage in Magolor's Epilogue, plus returning secrets such as the two secret HAL Rooms that you can find during t
C'mere, there's more
One of the headline additions to Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe is the brand new Magolor's Epilogue: The Interdimensional Traveller, which adds a solid couple of hours of playtime onto the original Wii game's main campaign. There are a total of four areas in Magolor's Epilogue, with each one composed of four stages and a...
News The First Review For Kirby's Return To Dream Land Deluxe Is Now In
Are the scores pretty in pink?
Kirby's third Switch game in the last 12 months drops on Switch this Friday in the form of Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, a remake of the Wii game Kirby's Return to Dream Land (or Kirby's Adventure Wii if you're in Europe), and ahead of its 24th February launch, the first review has dropped (thanks, Gematsu)...
Video What's Going On With Kirby Right Now?
Will the little guy ever get full?
We have a little over a month to go before Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe flies onto the Switch. This is bound to be an exciting time for those of us who love Kirby and are a fan of the 2011 Wii game, but there will also be many out there who can't help but think, "wait, didn't we only just get a new Kirby...