New details uncovered for cancelled Kid Kirby game

A fresh set of details have emerged about Kid Kirby, a game that was once planned for the SNES.

DMA Design, the studio that went on to become Rockstar North and a primary developer of the Grand Theft Auto series, was put in charge of the project. It would have featured the SNES Mouse add-on with players using the device to launch Kirby through levels. Unfortunately, Nintendo ended up scrapping the project after development failed to properly progress, and the SNES Mouse was far from a sales success.

Kid Kirby Archive shared its latest discoveries on Twitter yesterday. Writer Steve Hammond was kind enough to provide manual pages, including a story overview and new renders.

Speaking of renders, we have one for Dedede. Hammond says he was actually known as Prince Dedede in Kid Kirby.

Next up is a 1995 sketch from Hammond that goes over early ideas for a control scheme as well as a concept for Kirby’s Kidspeak. Also, pages 4-7 of the manual have been released.

As for the story, Kid Kirby would have featured three scenes at the beginning. The character wakes up to a commotion about the Dream Spring after it completely stops. Kirby ultimately sets off to get it back in working order. You can check out the full story story intro here.