This is my translation of the two page interview with Masahiro Sakurai present in the Kirby 25th Anniversary Orchestra Concert Pamphlet. Keep in mind that this is from 2017, and is focused on the 25th anniversary of the Kirby series and the orchestra concert that happened to celebrate it. Click here to see more translations from the content of said pamphlet.
From Kirby’s creator, on the series’ 25th anniversary
“It’s important to acknowledge that Kirby is a mysterious creature”
Thank you very much for coming today. I am speaking to you from the viewpoint as the creator of Kirby, and I am filled with gratitude for the fact that Kirby is still supported by so many people.
The secret story of the creation of “Kirby’s Dream Land”
The first Kirby game, “Kirby’s Dream Land”, is a title that was born out of a variety of coincidences. First, at the time, HAL Laboratory was recruiting a new graduate for a game designer position. That is a rare occurrence; normally, you can’t just go and suddenly design a game without any game production experience. Moreover, it was a time when they were trying to develop many projects, and it was a big company that was not requesting sequels.
In addition, HAL had an excellent tool called “Game Maker”. A development tool that attached a trackball made by HAL Laboratory to the Twin Famicom, which integrates the Famicom and the Disk System, to perform read and write operations to the disk. Using that tool, all of Kirby’s graphics and movements were created.
(Translator’s note: the Twin Famicom was only released in Japan. To learn more about it, see here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_Famicom)
When you make a game, you first write a plan that answers “What kind of game is it?”, but as a matter of fact, before a plan for “Kirby’s Dream Land” was written, a video of it was made with Game Maker. A video that showed the movements of the character, such as inhale, exhale, and fly. The character I drafted as a temporary assembly there was “Kirby”. Since it was only a temporary assembly, we had plans to replace the character later, but in the end, we are still with him today (laughs).
Based on the video, we wrote a proposal in May 1990. Due to some complications, the project was put on hold for a while, but about a year later, production was started, and after another year, in April of 1992, the first Kirby game, “Kirby’s Dream Land”, was released. So, without the combination of a relatively free historical background, a company with unusual tools, and newcomers who could use those tools, Kirby would not have been born.
And then, the direction of the titles I make becomes clear in the next title, “Kirby’s Adventure”. We decided to produce the game on the NES, but it was a time when that console had already reached its maturity and had become a mainstay. “Kirby’s Dream Land” was created with the clear intention of “making a game accessible to beginners, since games are considered to be difficult”, but this was only possible because it was for the Game Boy. However, we wondered if there were any beginners still playing on the NES. Simply making it for beginners would not mesh. So, we came up with the Copy Abilities. While the first Kirby game is easy for beginners, “Kirby’s Adventure” allows experts to elaborate in their own ways, such as creating new routes by using the various Copy Abilities. The main goal was to change the gameplay itself depending on who plays the game. To have each person have a different memory in some way. This has become an essential element in everything I have created since then, and I continue to emphasize it in my work to this day.
Regarding Kirby and his series
While it is a principle that this character should be able to reflect the player’s feelings well, I also think it’s important to acknowledge that Kirby is a mysterious creature. For example, who are the left and right Kirbys that dance together with Kirby during the Clear Dances? Or what exactly is the nature of Kirby’s dynamic ability, that allows him to for example transform into a giant and transport the entire castle at the end of the first game, or to transform himself with his copy ability? Kirby is able to do things that other characters cannot do naturally, and I think this is what makes Kirby so interesting.
However, I am a little worried that this has become the standard these days. I feel that the three Kirbys dancing together has become the norm, and that the sense of mystery has reached a point of stability, and by embodying the culture and other aspects of that world, I feel that Kirby and the others have become indigenous, and that they are getting closer to becoming ordinary.
“Being able to enjoy unreasonableness” is essential, and the element of surprise is important. It should not only be based on the traditional “Kirby”, but should set up more surprises. Because Kirby is a mysterious creature by nature. Of course, I understand that there are people who cannot be convinced of unreasonable things unless they are explained one by one, and I also know that the modern times are not suited for such things. But, “Kirby is supposed to be mysterious”. So, if I were allowed to make one request as the “Kirby” series continues to be produced, it would be “I want you to treasure mystery”.
Regarding Kirby music
The most important parts of “Kirby” music are the beginning and the end. The music must match the first intro, that is, the demo scene. And when the enemy is defeated and the outcome is reached, the piece closes with a character dance that fits the tempo properly. I wanted to make sure that this structure was correct, and I was very particular about the creation. For “Kirby’s Dream Land”, in order to match the song pleasantly, I made my own adjustments using a Walkman, which at the time was a cassette tape. For example, in the case of Clear Dance, I recorded the music on a cassette tape, and while listening to it, I would match the movements to the music, thinking to myself, “This is about right”. Naturally, unlike today, it was not possible to play music and pictures at the same time using those tools, so I had to use the analog method of pressing the play button at the same time myself. When I realized that I had played the song first, I would rewind and play it back (laughs). However, due to the characteristics of the hardware, it would take a long time to decompress the data, and inevitably some of the sounds and movements would be out of sync. As a result, I still feel that the dances of the first game that were created with the analog method on the Walkman are the most fitting.
And what I emphasized in the “Kirby” songs was the melody. During the production process, I often said, “Make it something that the children can imitate by humming”. On the contrary, I never requested anything that did not have a clear melody.
The process of creation begins with me telling the composer about the world and setting, and when the first shot comes in, I give them more specific orders. I don’t use a lot of musical technical terms, but I give specific instructions when possible. For example, in the case of the intro of “Magma Flows” from “Kirby Air Ride,” I suggested, “rattling, then the sound rises up, a bang, then the noise of an orchestral hit, then some echoing from the bottom similar to the sound of a volcano rumbling from the ground”. As the director, I sometimes ask for so much that some have had a hard time because there were so many retakes.
The entirety is corrected relative to the technique. I give minutely orders because I value whether the song fits the scene or not. However, the fundamental part, such as the idea of the melody, depends on the composer’s ability to do a good job, and that is the most important part. “Kirby’s Dream Land” was well done from start to finish. For “Kirby’s Adventure”, there were many minor key songs that gave a slightly dark image, even in their retakes, so I was worried about them. However, we wanted to add a gradation to the atmosphere as players progressed through the stages toward the Fountain of Dreams, so we changed the placement of the songs, and I think the flow became quite good toward the latter half of the game.
Last but not least, I think it’s all thanks to everyone who supports Kirby that it has become a content that has been around for 25 years. Please keep up the good work.
…… But 25 years is so many years that it’s a mystery how Kirby has no children. If that ever happened, I would become a grandpa, and turn old (laughs).
Masahiro Sakurai
Born in Tokyo in 1970. Game designer and representative of Sora Ltd. In 1989, he joined HAL Laboratory, where at the age of 19, he created the plan for “Kirby’s Dream Land”. The game was a huge hit, selling over 5 million copies worldwide. Later, in addition to the series, he also worked as the draftsman and supervisor for the animated TV series “Kirby: Right Back at Ya!”, as well as the planning director for the Nintendo 64 game “Super Smash Bros.” After becoming independent in 2002, he continued to work on the “Smash Bros.” series, and also worked on “Kid Icarus: Uprising” and “Meteos”. In addition to game production, he is also active in many other fields, such as the project “Press Start: Symphony of Games” (which ended in 2015). In 2015, he won the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award at the Japan Game Awards.
Major “Kirby” titles worked on
1992 – Director – Kirby’s Dream Land
1993 – Director – Kirby’s Adventure
1996 – Director – Kirby Super Star
2002 – General Director – Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
2003 – Director – Kirby Air Ride
2004 – Special Advisor – Kirby & The Amazing Mirror
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