Kirby & the Amazing Mirror

This page details pre-release information and/or media for Kirby & the Amazing Mirror.

Unlike Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, Kirby & The Amazing Mirror's development was constantly shown to Japanese audiences, and partially to international ones. Magazine articles, press coverage, and a microsite supported its development with footage and details about its gameplay and story. This game was mainly handled by Flagship and Dimps, who were in charge of the planning of the game, and the programming and sound respectively. HAL Laboratory Inc. was not the primary developer, but they still provided artwork and debugging materials. Additionally, a playable Demo was released, and a trailer was shown at E3 2004 for the game's English localization.

Development on the game was met with some difficulties, as it was being produced at a time where HAL Laboratory had to deal with multiple events at a time, such as the production of the Kirby: Right Back at Ya! anime series, the development of the cancelled Kirby for Nintendo GameCube, and key staff at both HAL and Flagship leaving, those being Masahiro Sakurai, chief director of the series, and Yoshiki Okamoto, president of Flagship. At some point, the game's original release date of March was delayed to polish it and fix bugs, a very rare event in the Kirby series. In the end, the game was successfully published on April 15th in Japan. Many remnants of pre-release builds and messy development periods of this game remain in the final versions' data.

To do: Pretty much everything: Document the mountain of pre-release screenshots released to the press. Main source is this page. The website's ability section contains videos containing pre-release footage. Extract them from their flash embeds, upload, and compare. Upload concept art. HAL Laboratory's website contained some developer diaries that Three volumes of the Nintendo Dream magazine from 2004 contain pre-release information: https://archive.org/details/nintendo-dream-2004-02-21-vol-107-600dpi-ozidual/Nintendo%20Dream%202004%2002%2021%20v107%20%28J%20OCR%29/page/n59/mode/2up https://archive.org/details/nintendo-dream-2004-02-06-vol-106-600dpi-ozidual/Nintendo%20Dream%202004%2002%2006%20v106%20%28J%20OCR%29/page/n111/mode/2up (Doesn't contain a column/article dedicated to the game, but does contain a release date of March in a list of Game Boy Advance release schedules) https://archive.org/details/nintendo-dream-2004-01-21-vol-105-incl-calendar-600dpi-ozidual/Nintendo%20Dream%202004%2001%2021%20v105/page/n57/mode/2up CoroCoro Magazine also has sections dedicated to Amazing Mirror in various issues with fascinating screenshots of the game in its early stages of development: https://zoidsland.com/1rebyu-/koro04-4b.html https://zoidsland.com/1rebyu-/koro04-3b.html https://zoidsland.com/1rebyu-/koro04-2b.html https://zoidsland.com/1rebyu-/koro04-1b.html Similarly, Nintendo Power has two issues covering the game in anticipation of its October release in North America: https://archive.org/details/nintendo-power-issue-184-october-2004/page/22/mode/2up https://archive.org/details/nintendo-power-issue-181-july-2004/page/46/mode/2up Lastly, two issues from the Mexican Club Nintendo Magazine cover the game's future North American release in October 2004, and review it prior to its release in a September 2004 issue: https://archive.org/details/club-nintendo-ano-13-n-09-mexico-ver.-2/page/30/mode/2up (review) https://archive.org/details/club-nintendo-ano-13-n-07-mexico/page/28/mode/2up (release date coverage) A Japanese commercial for the game (presumably from 2004 based on changes and improvements from the 2003 Demo) contains many early assets and a whole background that is not present in any of the final builds, but that did get used in the following Flagship-developed game, Kirby: Squeak Squad. The game was delayed close to release (official notice by Nintendo). Masahiro Sakurai's book "桜井政博のゲームについて思うこと Think about the Video games", a compilation of his Famitsu Columns, explains events preceding the game and how it came to be. It could probably be useful. According to a Staff Diary entry from one of HAL's employes, the game had a public, playable appearance at an even in Japan called 次世代ワールドホビーフェア (Next-Generation World Hobby Fair). Try to find footage of it.

Development Timeline#

• 2003
  • Early to mid-2003 - Masahiro Sakurai of HAL Laboratory and Yoshiki Okamoto, president of Flagship, have a meeting where a potential collaboration to create a "Flagship Kirby" title is discussed. Both individuals leave their respective companies before the game's development starts showing signs of getting close to completion, but Sakurai is brought back as a "Special Advisor" for the final game.¹
  • July to September - Masahiro Sakurai leaves HAL Laboratory while Kirby & The Amazing Mirror is being produced.
  • September 21st - Masahiro Sakurai appears in Nintendo Dream's September 21st issue in an interview, explaining why he left HAL Laboratory. He states that even though he left, HAL Laboratory will continue creating games in the Kirby series in his absence.²
  • December 29th - A special, modified build of version 0.21 of the game is compiled to be later included as a trial version of the game in Gekkan Nintendo Tentou Demo discs in Japan.
• 2004
  • January 15th - CoroCoro Comic gives out the earliest known public details about the game in their January 2004 issue, showing many screenshots of early builds of the game that did not align with what its current development progress.
  • January 21st - Nintendo Dream's January 21st issue briefly covers the game, giving out plot detailes and a few development screenshots that, like CoroCoro Comic before it, show the game in an earlier point in development. They also provide a release month, being March in a list of Game Boy Advance release schedules.
    • Additionally, Chieko Obikane of HAL Laboratory publishes a Staff Diary entry in the developer's website, stating that they have started PR activities for the game.³
  • January 24 to 25 - Kirby & The Amazing Mirror makes a playable appearance at the Next-Generation World Hobby Fair held in Tokyo from January 24 to January 25.⁴
  • January 30th - Minemura of HAL Laboratory publishes a Staff Diary entry talking about the previous event, describing the booths and content that was previously discussed in Nintendo Dream's and CoroCoro Comic's magazines.
  • February 6th - Nintendo Dream's February 6th issue again puts the game in its Game Boy Advance release schedule under a March release with an undecided day.
  • February 15th - CoroCoro Comic's February issue once again covers the game, showing it in a later development point, albeit still very early.
  • February 21st - Nintendo Dream's covers the game extensively, providing more details about its gameplay and story, with screenshots of the game in a further point in development. The release date is still listed as just "March".
  • March 2nd - Version 1.08 of the Japanese version of the game is finished and compiled.
  • March 14th - CoroCoro Magazine comes back once more to reveal many more facts in its March 14th issue. The screenshots seem to be closer to the game's final point in development. The article reveals the game's initial Japanese release date, March 25th, 2004.
  • March 19th - The game's production is announced to have been delayed. Nintendo apologizes for the delay in an official news posts, citing bugs as the reason behind this decision.
  • March 25th - On the game's original intended release date, the website where Nintendo announced the game's delay was updated to include the new release date for the game, now being April 15th, 2004.
  • March 26th - Satoshi Ishida of HAL Laboratory publishes a Staff Diary entry where he confirms and apologizes for the game's delay, and also discusses the new release date.⁵
  • April 12th - Version 1.03 of the American version of the game is compiled.
  • April 15th - The game is released in Japan. CoroCoro Comic makes one more article covering the game in its April 15th issue. Despite the game releasing that same day, the screenshots used in the article still shows early builds of it.
  • April 19th - Version 1.01 of the European version of the game is compiled just a week after the American version was finished.
  • May 11th - The game's English version is presented at E3 2004 ⁶.
  • July - Nintendo Power, Nintendo of America's official magazine, covers the new products shown in E3 2004 in its 181st issue. Among these, the English localization of Kirby & The Amazing Mirror is featured. Similarly, the Mexican Club Nintendo magazine's July issue covers the game's appearance at E3 2004.
  • July 2nd - The game is released in Europe.
  • September - Copies of the game are being sent out to be reviewed. Mexican Club Nintendo once again covers the game in its September issue and gives dedicates an article to a review of the game's North American version a month before its release.
  • October - Nintendo Power briefly covers the game in anticipation of its release that month in its Gaming News section.
  • October 18th - The game is finally released in the United States.

2004 Japanese Website#

Kirby & the Amazing Mirror has a mini-website. Surprisingly, many of the screenshots depict lots of pre-release material.

Cell Phone#

Early	Final

In the FAQ section, an alternate design of the phone is depicted. It was originally a flip phone! The final is a normal cell phone that added a thicker antenna and a red button.

Collection Room#

Early	Final

The Collection Room's items went under slight revisions. Shading was added to the Spray Paint sprites and many dark spots in the World and Area Maps were removed. The default Kirby icon also had two pixels of its mouth altered.

World Map#

Early	Final

The A button was originally used to switch maps in place of the Select button. Also, the text at the side of the A button says エリアマップへ (To Area Map) instead of きりかえ (Switch).

Rainbow Route#

Early	Final

Many grass tiles were modified in the final. Most notably, the tiles that formed the corners of the landscapes were modified to blend better with the environment. The transparent spots in the middle of the early image were turned into opaque spots in the final and a random plant to the bottom right was removed. Notably, Rainbow Route's background is the same as the one shown in the Demo.

Cabbage Cavern#

Early	Final

Moley's room had a brighter background. The brightness of some slope tiles were also adjusted.

Mustard Mountain#

Early	Final

Mustard Mountain uses the early name "Mustard Mountein". The A Button was used to go to the next area, as shown by the text next to it that reads つぎのエリア (Next Area), while the L/R buttons were used to Zoom in and out, as stated by the text saying ズーム (Zoom). The room indicators were also moved to the top.

Early	Final

The cannon in this room was incorrectly positioned. Some tiles inside the wall to the right were moved around, and a random pebble to the left was removed.

Olive Ocean#

Early	Final

The tiles around the stone and bomb blocks were altered and moved around for the final build. The area's name is also absent.

Early	Final

The water and platforms are positioned lower in the final.

Crackity Hack#

Early	Final

The timer's font had shadows added in the final.

Early	Final

The background was moved slightly to the top left. Aside from the lack of shading, the meter counter had an "m" on the sides, while in the final version, two small zeros are present.

Early	Final

The pedestal Kirby is standing in was completely redesigned. Confetti was also added in the final game.

Speed Eaters#

Early	Final

The Kirbys' sprites had different shading and thinner eyes. Pink and Green Kirby were moved closer to Yellow and Red Kirby respectively, and the background's ceiling was slightly altered.

2017 Kirby's 25th Anniversary Copy Ability Video#

Bizarrely, an official video detailing all of Kirby's Copy Abilities has many shots of old builds of Kirby & the Amazing Mirror.

Cupid#

Early	Final

This room from Rainbow Route was altered for the final game. A Cupie was in this room at one point, and most importantly, the passage to the top right didn't exist yet! The area's name in the bottom right also wasn't there.

Fire#

Early	Final

This room's background was using a lighter and earlier tileset. The area's name wasn't present yet.

Missile#

Early	Final

The soft floor had the tiles of a hard floor, giving the impression that Kirby rocketed through a hard floor. Rainbow Route's name is nowhere to be seen, either.

Early	Final

The area's name is not present. That's pretty much it.

HAL Laboratory Inc. Website#

Even more bizarre, the website for HAL Labs has four more screenshots depicting pre-release material for Kirby & the Amazing Mirror.

Central Circle#

Early	Final

The Mirror uses its Demo appearance in this pre-release screenshot, Olive Ocean's door has differently colored shells and U.F.O Kirby is using the incorrect palette. Contrary to popular belief, U.F.O Kirby can be brought into the Central Circle if Magic's ability roulette is used inside it.

Rainbow Route#

Early	Final

This pre-release screenshot depicts one of the earliest builds of Kirby & the Amazing Mirror. The Kirby's Swords aren't positioned correctly, the cell phone is using its flip phone design, the health bar was thinner and had a completely different sprite when they were depleted, the background was moved to the right, the Door in the path above isn't using a small star, the tiles in the ceiling of the cave below were smoothened and the grass below Green Kirby was removed. Of course, the area's name wasn't available. Classic.

Beginning of Mustard Mountain#

Early	Final

The early build is using the Demo's cell phone sprite and lacking the area's name. The wall to the left had a small protrusion added for the final game.

Olive Ocean#

Early	Final

Small patches of grass were added to the bottom right and the top left in the final build of the game. And for the last time, the area's name isn't available in the early screenshot.

References#