Gigi, one of our co-hosts and the Editor-in-Chief of WiKirby, is back from a long trip to Japan. During the last episode we talked with her about her more Kirby-centric experiences, like the Kirby Cafes, and for this show we're moving the conversation more generally to the other Nintendo things she saw--including the Nintendo Museum. There are some parts of the museum they don't let visitors photograph, so we enjoyed hearing this inside account of what all the museum has to offer. There's also time to discuss Japan's Pokémon locales and, of course, the Kirby arcade game.

Want to reach out with a question or comment about the show? You can email us at mail@kirbyconversations.com and we may read your letter on a future episode.

We will also now be uploading a version of the podcast to YouTube. Subscribe to us, and you can expect select episodes to be posted there a few days after they release in the podcast feed.

Join us online:

Kirby Conversations

Bluesky: @kirbyconversations.bsky.social

IG: @kirbyconversations

Bridget

Bluesky: @kabulaqueen.bsky.social

Sean Douglass

Bluesky: @seandouglass.bsky.social

Ky "Captain Dangerous" Parker

IG: @captaindangerous

Gigi

Carrd link

Our opening music is by Megan Kelz (https://diamondthorns.bandcamp.com) and arranged by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/).

Liking Kirby Conversations? Then you may also enjoy another retro gaming podcast we recommend, Flashback 64: https://flashback64pod.podbean.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gigi recently spent several weeks in Japan, and she's back to tell us all about it! In this episode we mainly focus on the Kirby experiences, including a detailed discussion of her time at the Kirby Cafes. She has plenty to share on how to secure a reservation at one of these massively popular theme restaurants, her thoughts on the food and décor, and how it all compares to the similarly popular Pokémon Cafes. We also discuss Kirby's ubiquitous presence in Japan more broadly and how it compares to the U.S. and Brazil.

Next week we'll have more on Gigi's travels in Japan--including her time at the Nintendo Museum!

Want to reach out with a question or comment about the show? You can email us at mail@kirbyconversations.com and we may read your letter on a future episode.

We will also now be uploading a version of the podcast to YouTube. Subscribe to us, and you can expect more visual versions of our longform episodes to be posted there a few days after they release in the podcast feed.

Join us online:

Kirby Conversations

Bluesky: @kirbyconversations.bsky.social

IG: @kirbyconversations

Bridget

Bluesky: @kabulaqueen.bsky.social

Sean Douglass

Bluesky: @seandouglass.bsky.social

Ky "Captain Dangerous" Parker

IG: @captaindangerous

Gigi

Carrd link

Our opening music is by Megan Kelz (https://diamondthorns.bandcamp.com) and arranged by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/).

Liking Kirby Conversations? Then you may also enjoy another retro gaming podcast we recommend, Flashback 64: https://flashback64pod.podbean.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Drumroll please...it's time for an episode on drumming to Kirby music in non-Kirby games. Music class is in session as Bridget introduces Sean and Ky to the history of the Taiko no Tatsujin series, some of which contain Kirby songs and cameos. They also reflect on the iconic DK bongos and the Kirby songs that were playable in the GameCube's Donkey Konga series.

The 2000's saw a surprising boom of rhythm games with instrument peripherals, from Taiko no Tatsujin to Guitar Hero. Would you want to see this trend return? And what instruments would you want to see reimagined in video game form? Let us know at mail@kirbyconversations.com.

Join us online:

Kirby Conversations

Bluesky: @kirbyconversations.bsky.social

IG: @kirbyconversations

Threads: @kirbyconversations

YouTube (for our longform episodes): www.youtube.com/@KirbyConversations

Bridget

Bluesky: @kabulaqueen.bsky.social

Sean Douglass

Bluesky: @seandouglass.bsky.social

Ky "Captain Dangerous" Parker

IG: @captaindangerous

Gigi

Carrd link

Our opening music is by Megan Kelz (https://diamondthorns.bandcamp.com) and arranged by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/).

Liking Kirby Conversations? Then you may also enjoy another retro gaming podcast we recommend, Flashback 64: https://flashback64pod.podbean.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Sean and Bridget are joined by special guest Nic McConnell, Age Ratings Manager at Riot Games, to discuss his favorite Kirby game: Kirby Canvas Curse. Together they reflect on Canvas Curse's amazing visuals and level design, the enduring appeal of the DS's touchscreen controls, and the unique background of the game's director Motomi Katayama (who worked on a surprising range of series from Ridge Racer to Tekken). Then for the latter part of the show, Nic describes his work in the age ratings space, with fascinating insights on what it's like to help Riot navigate the distinct cultural perspectives of audiences and ratings boards around the world.

You can find Nic on Bluesky at @mcconnell.bsky.social or watch him read video game manuals on Instruction Derby at https://www.twitch.tv/nicmcconnell and @instructionderby.bsky.social.

Are there other DS platformers you thought made great use of the touchscreen? You can email us at mail@kirbyconversations.com and we may read your letter on a future episode.

We will also now be uploading a version of the podcast to YouTube. Subscribe to us, and you can expect more visual versions of our longform episodes to be posted there a few days after they release in the podcast feed.

Join us online:

Kirby Conversations

Bluesky: @kirbyconversations.bsky.social

IG: @kirbyconversations

Threads: @kirbyconversations

Bridget

Bluesky: @kabulaqueen.bsky.social

Sean Douglass

Bluesky: @seandouglass.bsky.social

Ky "Captain Dangerous" Parker

IG: @captaindangerous

Gigi

Carrd link

Our opening music is by Megan Kelz (https://diamondthorns.bandcamp.com) and arranged by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/).

Liking Kirby Conversations? Then you may also enjoy another retro gaming podcast we recommend, Flashback 64: https://flashback64pod.podbean.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ky "Captain Dangerous" Parker has been away from the podcast for a bit, so in this episode we're catching up with her on her latest miniature projects, current photography work, and what it's like to be a Nintendo Ambassador during the quiet period before a new console launch. Speaking of which, the Switch 2 was just revealed, so we've got some thoughts and reflections to share on that as well—particularly when it comes to those potentially mouse-like new Joy-Cons.

This is a shorter episode, and for the time being our schedule going to start alternating episodes of Kirby Conversations between these shorter, more accessible episodes and longer "featured" episodes.

Want to reach out? You can email us at mail@kirbyconversations.com and we may read your letter on a future episode.

We will also now be uploading a version of the podcast to YouTube! Subscribe to us, and you can expect more visual versions of our longform episodes to be posted there a few days after they release in the podcast feed.

Join us online:

Kirby Conversations

Bluesky: @kirbyconversations.bsky.social

IG: @kirbyconversations

Threads: @kirbyconversations

Bridget

Bluesky: @kabulaqueen.bsky.social

Sean Douglass

Bluesky: @seandouglass.bsky.social

Ky "Captain Dangerous" Parker

IG: @captaindangerous

Gigi

Carrd link

Our opening music is by Megan Kelz (https://diamondthorns.bandcamp.com) and arranged by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/).

Liking Kirby Conversations? Then you may also enjoy another retro gaming podcast we recommend, Flashback 64: https://flashback64pod.podbean.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this episode, Sean sits down with composers Megan Kelz (https://diamondthorns.bandcamp.com) and Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/) for a conversation all about the music of Kirby. They go in-depth on the artists behind Kirby's famous songs, highlighting many of their favorite tracks along the way, and explore the actual music theory and instrumentation behind what makes that signature Kirby sound.

Megan composed "Winds of Change," the music we use as our theme music, and Duncan provided the new arrangement you hear at the start and end of every show. We are very grateful to have them as a part of the podcast, and you can hear the full extended version of this theme at the end of this episode. You can also check out their other music and several upcoming games they composed for in their links above.

Want to reach out? You can email us at mail@kirbyconversations.com and we may read your letter on a future episode.

Kirby Conversations is now regularly active on YouTube as well, and we invite you to subscribe to the video version of the show.

Find us online:

Kirby Conversations

Bluesky: @kirbyconversations.bsky.social

IG: @kirbyconversations

Threads: @kirbyconversations

Bridget

Threads: @no1kirbyfan

Sean Douglass

Bluesky: @seandouglass.bsky.social

Ky "Captain Dangerous" Parker

IG: @captaindangerous

Gigi

Carrd link

Liking Kirby Conversations? Then you may also enjoy another retro gaming podcast we recommend, Flashback 64: https://flashback64pod.podbean.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As you gather with friends and family for the holidays, you may consider returning to 2022's Kirby's Dream Buffet—a budget-friendly party game that packs a lot of fun into $15. While not a traditional Kirby game (he's just rolling in ball form here), Dream Buffet still has tons of unlockables and more than twenty food-inspired stages of racing, battles, and mini-games. For this episode, Bridget, Sean, and Gigi dig into the feast of secrets and trivia both within and surrounding the game, including details from its related Japanese light novel and the unique way it was marketed in Brazil as the first Kirby game translated into Brazilian Portuguese. And if you do decide to go head to head this holiday season, they've also got some strategies to help you triumph over your family in sweet victory.

Want to reach out? You can email us at mail@kirbyconversations.com and we may read your letter on a future episode.

We will also now be uploading more visual versions of each episode to YouTube! Subscribe to us there, and you can expect new uploads a few days after each new episode releases.

***Also--want to win $300 in a special holiday giveaway we're doing with our friends at Flashback 64? Check out our audio scavenger hunt, where you can win gift cards by answering trivia questions about our two podcasts. Check out all the details here.***

Join us online:

Kirby Conversations

Bluesky: @kirbyconversations.bsky.social

IG: @kirbyconversations

Threads: @kirbyconversations

Bridget

Threads: @no1kirbyfan

Sean Douglass

Bluesky: @seandouglass.bsky.social

Ky "Captain Dangerous" Parker

IG: @captaindangerous

Gigi

Carrd link

Our opening music is by Megan Kellough (https://diamondthorns.bandcamp.com) and arranged by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/).

Liking Kirby Conversations? Then you may also enjoy another retro gaming podcast we recommend, Flashback 64: https://flashback64pod.podbean.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.