Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards on?
- Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards was released on Wii, Nintendo 64, Wii U.
- When did Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards release?
- Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards was first released on March 24, 2000.
About Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Kirby's first 3-D adventure is also his Nintendo 64 debut, and it finds the always-versatile hero battling a new enemy called Dark Matter. Dark Matter is after a distant land's powerful crystal, but a young fairy named Ribbon attempts to save it by escaping with the gem to Dream Land. Now the crystal has been broken, and it's scattered around the world. Take control of Kirby and help him journey across six worlds, battling a wide variety of enemies and challenging bosses, as he tries to collect all 100 pieces of the shattered crystal.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Platforms
- Wii, Nintendo 64, Wii U
- Developer
- HAL Laboratory
- Publisher
- Nintendo
- Game modes
- Single player, Multiplayer, Split screen
- Themes
- Action
- Series
- Kirby
Details via IGDB.
Reception
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Period reviews | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nintendo 64 | 2000 | $43 | $160 | $405 | 9 reviews | Medium |
Release timeline
- Nintendo 64Mar 24, 2000
- WiiFeb 25, 2008
- Wii UJun 25, 2015
First release on each platform, from IGDB’s records of this game’s ports and editions. Remakes are separate games with their own pages, so they are not listed here.
We haven’t priced or authenticated the versions without a section on this page yet.
Collector value & authenticity
Nintendo 64 · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-22
Other releases and variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| PAL release | $70 | $475 | $907 |
| Japanese release (Kirby 64) | $9 | $30 | $114 |
What it needs to play
- OptionalRumble Pak — supported (game manual).
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a day
- Complete: about once a week
- Sealed: about 3 times a year
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-22.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $17.90 in Jan 2007, $35 five years ago, and $44 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2007 | $17.90 | — |
| Jan 2008 | $16.62 | — |
| Jan 2009 | $16.99 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $15.43 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $12.00 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $13.62 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $21 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $17.81 | $40 |
| Jan 2015 | $18.25 | $48 |
| Jan 2016 | $22 | $43 |
| Jan 2017 | $22 | $48 |
| Jan 2018 | $24 | $67 |
| Jan 2019 | $25 | $75 |
| Jan 2020 | $22 | $68 |
| Jan 2021 | $29 | $119 |
| Jan 2022 | $40 | $145 |
| Jan 2023 | $42 | $211 |
| Jan 2024 | $40 | $153 |
| Jan 2025 | $42 | $142 |
| Jan 2026 | $48 | $187 |
| Oct 2026 | $44 | $163 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Cartridge serial | Known board |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America | 26 June 2000 | NUS-NK4E-USA | NUS-01A-02 |
| Europe / PAL | 22 June 2001 | NUS-NK4P-EUR | — |
| Japan | 24 March 2000 | NUS-NK4J-JPN | — |
- Region
- NA+EU+JP
- Released
- 2000
- Authenticity
- Med
A gentle, colorful Kirby platformer that is short and easy, but a pricey cartridge in its US form.
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is a platformer developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo, and the first Kirby game with 3D graphics, played from a 2.5D perspective. Kirby gains powers by eating enemies, and a new Power Combos feature mixes two powers into a stronger one. The game also has three multiplayer minigames for up to four players. It was released in Japan in March 2000, North America in June 2000 and the PAL regions in June 2001.
GameFan's July 2000 review called it solid, quirky fun while warning readers not to expect another Mario 64, and complained that it is easy and short. The game was originally planned for the 64DD, and HAL switched Kirby's control from the analog stick to the D-pad about a year before release.
What the press said at the time
| Metacritic (aggregate) | 77/100 | |
| Edge | 5/10 | |
| Famitsu | 32/40 | |
| GameFan | 90% | |
| Nintendo Power | 8.1/10 | |
| IGN | 7.9/10 | |
| GameSpot | 6.9/10 | |
| Hyper | 85% | |
| N64 Magazine | 72% |
“The gut-wrenching feeling that comes with the potential for something great being wasted. Short-lived and repetitive.”
“Tekken Tag, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, DOA2... bah, give me Kirby 64 any day of the week! Games like this are a rare treat, my friends; they hark back to the glory days of 16-bit gaming.”
“There's nowt wrong with 2D gaming, but Kirby ends up as a second-rate platformer with first-rate innovations. Definitely worth renting over a weekend.”
“A return to the true halcyon days of NES 2D platforming is welcome, but we have a few reservations. It's great to see the old pink ball of loveliness back on form after his brief airing in Smash Bros, but Nintendo really should be doing a bit better than this.”
Undated scores are from the review table in the game's Wikipedia article, limited to reviews of the Nintendo 64 version.
Before you buy
The US cartridge is one of the pricier carts in the library. PAL copies cost clearly more than US ones, loose and complete, while Japanese copies cost far less. A complete copy costs several times the loose price. At this price fakes are a risk, so ask for a photo of the board and do not treat a cart that boots as proof. The Rumble Pak is optional.
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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