In this episode we're off to the races, revisiting the Gourmet Race from Kirby Super Star. This short subgame gave us our first taste of Kirby racing back in 1996, and while it may just take a few minutes to reach the end and beat King Dedede, the game packs a surprising amount of depth for those looking to maximize their best times. Bridget has a few tips to share for anyone trying to shave a few seconds off their runs, and we also take a look back at the history of the game, wild Japanese speedrunning tech, and Jun Ishikawa's reflections on how he wrote the game's famous theme.

Questions or comments about the show? Please reach out to us at mail@kirbyconversations.com. For this episode we're curious what tips you have for Gourmet Race and what your memories are from this classic subgame.

Kirby Conversations is part of the Sound Stone Podcast Network, a collective of independent podcasters covering video game history. We are a founding show alongside Pixels and Polygons and Flashback 64, and we encourage you to check out those shows as well!

You can also find select episodes for this podcast and others from our network on our new YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@SoundStone-Network. (This is brand new, and we'll be adding more video versions of our shows in time.)

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

Join us online:

Kirby Conversations

Bluesky: @kirbyconversations.bsky.social

IG: @kirbyconversations

Sound Stone

Bluesky: @soundstone.network

Bridget

Bluesky: @kabulaqueen.bsky.social

Sean Douglass

Bluesky: @seandouglass.bsky.social

Ky "Captain Dangerous" Parker

IG: @captaindangerous

Gigi

Carrd link

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

While Kirby games are known for their accessibility, they also have a reputation among some for being on the easy side. But even if a particular game isn't hard enough for you, there are always ways you can add your own twists or gameplay ideas to turn up the challenge. So for this episode, Bridget, Sean, and Gigi are sharing their ideas for how you can make Kirby games harder—through timed challenges with your friends, playing with limitations on what powers you can use, and more. And the main event for this episode: taking on Extra Mode in the original Kirby's Dream Land with just one hit and one life. How well can they survive what is almost a Kirby roguelike? And how well could you? Feel free to play along with us as we explore how to take Kirby difficulty to the next level.

Do you have your own creative ways that you play Kirby games? Do you have unique challenges you set for yourself, or are there specific ways you play together with friends? We want to hear your ideas at mail@kirbyconversations.com. We'd like to do a future episode on our listeners' submissions (and perhaps try them ourselves), so please do reach out if you have any thoughts to share.

Kirby Conversations is part of the Sound Stone Podcast Network, a collective of independent podcasters covering video game history. We are a founding show alongside Pixels and Polygons and Flashback 64, and we encourage you to check out those shows as well!

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

Join us online:

Kirby Conversations

Bluesky: @kirbyconversations.bsky.social

IG: @kirbyconversations

Sound Stone

Bluesky: @soundstone.network

Bridget

Bluesky: @kabulaqueen.bsky.social

Sean Douglass

Bluesky: @seandouglass.bsky.social

Ky "Captain Dangerous" Parker

IG: @captaindangerous

Gigi

Carrd link

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

In this episode we're looking back at the history of Flagship—a unique studio founded by Final Fight/Street Fighter II creator Yoshiki Okamoto. Flagship received startup funding from Nintendo, Sega, and Capcom, and its game credits include everything from the Resident Evil series to Zelda and Kirby titles. We're also very intrigued by Okamoto's YouTube channel, but translating that will have to wait for another day...

Kirby Conversations is part of the Sound Stone Podcast Network, a collective of independent podcasters covering video game history. We are a founding show alongside Pixels and Polygons and Flashback 64, and we encourage you to check out those shows as well!

Questions or comments about the show? Let us know at mail@kirbyconversations.com, and we may read your letter on a future episode of the show.

Our opening music is by Megan Kelz (https://diamondthorns.bandcamp.com) and arranged by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/). And thank you to Gooey Fame for being the main editor on this episode.

Join us online:

Kirby Conversations

Bluesky: @kirbyconversations.bsky.social

IG: @kirbyconversations

Sound Stone

Bluesky: @soundstone.network

Bridget

Bluesky: @kabulaqueen.bsky.social

Sean Douglass

Bluesky: @seandouglass.bsky.social

Ky "Captain Dangerous" Parker

IG: @captaindangerous

Gigi

Carrd link

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