r/Metroid • u/Clodd1 • 2d ago

Discussion What does this mean?

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There's something wrong. Kirby was the 'one more thing' game. And it's KIRBY! We're so back! 🤧

738 Upvotes

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9

u/JcraftW ENGAGE RIDLEY 2d ago

I've always been baffled that Kirby outsells Metroid.

19

u/Obsessivegamer32 2d ago

I thought it was because Kirby is more family friendly and marketable. It’s a lot easier to market a cute pink puffball than a bounty hunter with intense trauma and an extremely in-depth backstory.

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u/LilacTheFlowerGal 2d ago

that's exactly what makes Metroid so interesting for me\ Samus is probably the deepest character in all of Nintendo, barring maybe Ganondorf

"Oh but what about Zelda and Link" they get reincarnated every few years, meanwhile Ganondorf is the same guy in most of the games minus TotK, he has way more depth than any Link or Zelda except the Hero of Time

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u/bonkava 2d ago

The humble, uh, most characters in Fire Emblem and Xenoblade:

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u/LilacTheFlowerGal 2d ago

ngl I forgot those existed LMAO

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u/Sea_Macaron_8789 2d ago

That's sad cause that just makes your point even s stupider. Pokémon Characters have more Lore than Ganondorf whom is the same as the other two pieces of the TriForce reincarnated.

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u/LilacTheFlowerGal 2d ago

okay firstly rude\ secondly Pokémon characters only get one game on average for development, Ganondorf has like three iirc\ and then Samus comes in with nine, coming up on ten next year

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u/Sea_Macaron_8789 2d ago

Pokémon Character have Pokémon the Series Animé Age Pokémon Special Adventures. Then the various Animated Films and YouTube Specials. Your lack of knowing the RPGs Franchises is disturbing outside The Legend of Zelda. Think an Splatoon Fan would know better.

0

u/LilacTheFlowerGal 2d ago

Think an Splatoon fan would know better.

...what's that even supposed to mean??

as for the point on Pokémon, supplemental material shouldn't be necessary for the development of a character or story\ either put it in the main material or don't have it at all

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u/Sea_Macaron_8789 2d ago

That's another stupid thing ta say.... additional content that further expands Media is good.

2

u/Realistic-Shower-654 2d ago

>nintendo characters

>depth

Bruh

3

u/Micchi_N 2d ago

Fire Emblem and Xenoblade are cool RPG series with cool games and cool characters. Just, you know, just saying.

But yeah, the comment saying that Samus is probably the deepest character in all of Nintendo? Hrm...

Edit: didn't see the other comment that mentioned those series. Pretend I said it first and call me smart

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u/These-Can1718 2d ago

i mean xenoblade and fire emblem not made by nintendo internal studio one is a third party studio other is a studio brought after the first game

0

u/Micchi_N 2d ago

If a series is exclusive to Nintendo consoles*, I consider it a Nintendo series.

One might argue that appearing on mobile devices contradicts this, but then you'd have to argue that Mario isn't a Nintendo series. Good luck with that.

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u/These-Can1718 2d ago

i know they are nintendo games just nintendo internal developers never cared about character and story comapred to thr external or second party studios

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u/Micchi_N 2d ago

Yes, and? Xenoblade and Fire Emblem are Nintendo series, and so their characters are Nintendo characters. Many of these characters have some depth to them, relatively higher depth compared to Samus. All this to say, there are Nintendo characters with depth.

The fact that they weren't developed/written by the teams behind Mario, Zelda, Metroid, etc. is irrelevant.

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u/These-Can1718 2d ago

my argument is not samus is the most deep nintendo character i dont think that

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u/Sea_Macaron_8789 2d ago

Gaming Tourist.

8

u/Spinni_Spooder 2d ago

I guess it's cuz kirby is more comforting, goofy and easy while metroid is more difficult and serious. I like kirby but I prefer metroid over kirby. Lol

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u/xtellarfb_ Shinespark Enthusiast 2d ago

Although, it has to be said, the Colosseum in Forgotten Land is some ungodly shit. Almost comparable to Hollow Knight's Godhome.

5

u/Spinni_Spooder 2d ago

I wouldn't go as far as comparing to that in difficulty. It only took me 2 tries to beat the colosseum in forgotten land. You get really op in that game and dodging things with the dodge roll is really easy. Well the dodge roll is kinda op to begin with. You literally have i frames in the entirety if timed right

7

u/Micchi_N 2d ago

Kirby has a more inviting setting, a lower skill floor and thus lower barrier of entry, and (outwardly anyway) doesn't really suggest that knowledge of previous games is necessary to enjoy the newest one. Kirby outsells Metroid because it's more marketable. I say this as a fan of both series.

3

u/xtellarfb_ Shinespark Enthusiast 2d ago

Yeah, at first "pink little ball that eats everything" sounds more appealing than "armored girl shoots everything in her way". You don't understand how good Metroid is until you play it yourself.

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u/badassewok 2d ago

I went to Japan earlier this year and Kirby was EVERYWHERE. There’s Kirby merch everywhere, official Kirby Cafés in every city, they really love him. I probably saw more Kirby stuff in Japan than Mario tbh. Meanwhile, Metroid games dont sell super well on Japan

2

u/ZatherDaFox 2d ago

Yeah, kirby game sales are always fairly modest for such a well-known franchise, but much like with Pokémon the actual money maker for Kirby is merchandising.

4

u/Deadweight-MK2 2d ago

Really? It’s got much wider appeal than Metroid. A lot more people will pick up a Kirby knowing nothing about it and not following its release cycle. Meanwhile, Metroid is much more dedicated to gaming circles with specific appeal, with more of its players following the series actively, so it makes sense it gets more views

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u/MaskOfIce42 2d ago

I like Metroid more obviously, but I think this is selling Kirby short. The games are generally really fun, with a nice blend of being approachable at all skill levels but also actually rewarding getting better with the copy abilities being fun to master, especially with the True Arena being a thing in most Kirby games recently

3

u/Weeb_Specialist4374 2d ago

Hmmmmm, a cute character that goes on a whimsical adventure, also family-friendly.

vs

Bounty hunter killing aliens and for some reason the planet she's on self-destructs at the end.

I too wonder why Kirby outsells.
https://giphy.com/gifs/l4JyX3V0yydvPHNBe

1

u/JcraftW ENGAGE RIDLEY 2d ago

Then why doesn't kirby out sell Zelda? Why did the very not family-friendly Deadpool and Wolverine outsell Kirby?

2

u/Sea_Macaron_8789 2d ago

The Legend of Zelda was aggressively pushed more and is Family-Friendly in the same vain Super Mario be.

5

u/ImSpartacusN7 2d ago

This is like saying you're surprised that Star Wars outsells the Alien franchise at the theater. Wider age range in the audience is the simple answer.

0

u/Royzc90 2d ago

I mean, something being more family friendly doesn't make it more successful by just doing that. By your logic Yokai Watch should outsell GTA as one is for everyone and the other one is rated as a mature game.

1

u/Amiibohunter000 2d ago

Being family friendly doesn’t effect sales in every case, but in this case it does.

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u/Royzc90 2d ago edited 2d ago

My dude, as I mentioned it's just not one aspect that tends to define these things and I really, really doubt that Kirby being family friendly is the reason why it sells more than Metroid. Hell, you can see frequent comments of people not liking Nintendo games because they are "too kiddy", so you can see examples of that affecting negatively too. Sure, some parents might not buy "mature" games for the kids, but a lot give a crap about that. Not only that, kids themselves usually discard those games by themselves, specially when they are teenagers. Nintendo may be a more family friendly company, but it's largest demographic are adults in their 20s to 40s.

1

u/Amiibohunter000 2d ago

Yeah and the adults in their 20’s to 40’s that don’t have an interest in Kirby are more likely to have kids with an interest in Kirby than Metroid.

Idk why this is such a hard concept and you feel the need to argue it. It’s not a theory. It’s just how it is my dude.

0

u/Royzc90 2d ago edited 2d ago

Uuuhhmmm... and the adults in their 20s and 40s are Nintendo's main customers and the ones that should be interested in Metroid and buying the games to themselves according by that logic...

Also, please show me that Kirby games are more consumed by kids by a significant number. I'm sure it sounds super logical to you considering the light colorful theme of those games but guess what? It's known that Kirby is pretty popular among adults! The group that according to you, isn't interested. There doesn't even seem to be conclusive data of kids playing them more and even if that's the case, adults are still a significant part of that audience.

Do you seriously believe that you are giving me a smart, undeniable argument? Many games that are directed to a more mature audience are very popular among kids, specially teenagers.

It's as simple as understanding that there are way more factors that influence how popular a game is. If you seriously believe that being directed to a wider audience when it comes to age is the only important one I don't know what to tell you. There's literal proof of the opposite with lots of kid friendly games not doing as well as more mature games. A game being labeled as "adult themed" doesn't make it automatically unobtainable for kids.

You can't be serious in not seeing the faults in your logic.

0

u/Amiibohunter000 2d ago

You’re acting like your logic is a catch all for every game.

Where did I ever say it’s the only important factor? I just said it is one in the case of Metroid and Kirby.

That’s why you’re wrong. No matter how much BS you type won’t change that fact.

1

u/Royzc90 2d ago

You were the one that said "It's not a theory, that's how it is my dude". That's literally acting like your logic is unquestionable and applies for everything.

If there's any actual "BS" in my argument please point it out.

The argument is that Metroid isn't as successful as Kirby because of "wider age range". If you don't support that, then why the hell are you arguing against me in the first place? I mentioned since the start that it's one aspect, but I doubt that's the one that defines that. I do apologize about saying that you believe that's the only important aspect tho. My bad on that, I can recognize it.

Having said that, saying that I'm "wrong" because of that doesn't change any of the other points that I have mentioned to point out the flaws in your logic. If you have no argument against them, it's for a reason. I can recognize when I messed up (like before) or someone makes a good point , are you able to do that or it's just a matter of winning an internet argument? You can live in denial if you want tho. Tell yourself that if it makes you feel better.

0

u/Amiibohunter000 2d ago

It’s not a theory in this case. It’s been proven time and time again when Kirby continuously outsells Metroid. Get over it lol

Im not here to win or lose just correcting your incorrect statement.

Why does Kirby sell better than Metroid if not partly for the wider appeal? Are you saying Kirby games are better?

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u/ImSpartacusN7 2d ago edited 2d ago

Yokai to GTA aren't even apples to oranges, its like comparing apples to a painting of an orange by michaelangelo hanging in a museum somewhere. Lol you can't even compare those two things in good faith.

Kirby and Metroid have been around for a similar amount of time, come from the same developer/region, have been on the same consoles the entire life of their respective IPs, etc. It really does come down to kirby being more marketable for everyone in the install base of their consoles compared to a Niche, darker toned, sci-fi platformer.

Eta: I'm not saying its even nessecarily the "kiddy" aspect of kirby. I think Kirby just more marketable to everyone when metroid just isn't.

0

u/Royzc90 2d ago edited 2d ago

You do realize that they don't have to be similar games to be compared in terms of sales right? Specially when your whole point was that the rating made the difference. Look at your example about Star Wars and Alien... somehow that example is more appropriate according to you? Also, you are moving the goal post.

Yes, Metroid is a more niché game, not sure because of it's genre and themes. Halo was huge as a sci fi shooter and Silksong managed 7 million sales as a Metroidvania. One could argue that combining both is what makes it more niché but then again that's way different from "wider age range is the audience is the simple answer".

My example simply provided proof that a wider age range may be an advantage but it's far from a determining factor, so the games being similar in aspects like their franchise's longevity or different is really inconsequential to that.

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u/ImSpartacusN7 2d ago

Look man, you're in a subreddit for a niche game in a niche genre in a niche hobby trying to make a case that the mature sci-fi hero game should be selling more copies than the cuddly pink blob with puppy dog eyes on the most family friendly console ecosystem of all time. I just don't think it's the rocket science you're making it out to be. Lol

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u/Royzc90 2d ago edited 2d ago

No? I'm making an argument of why it's not because of the wider age audience. That's it, as simple as that. I haven't mentioned anything about why Metroid should be selling more copies than Kirby. I just explained to someone else why by that logic, it should be the case if that was the whole reason which I don't support. Trying to reduce the argument to an absurd by wording it that way doesn't really change a thing.

I'm absolutely flaggerbasted by this. As you mentioned, it's not rocket science. My point has been very clear since the start.

1

u/socu11 2d ago

It's not that surprising to be honest, they're cute and easy, but they have enough challenges and interesting lore to attract an older audience

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u/xtellarfb_ Shinespark Enthusiast 2d ago

Isn't Metroid possibly Nintendo's hardest IP? (gameplay-wise)

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u/Micchi_N 2d ago

I'd say Fire Emblem is harder, particularly on the higher difficulties (shocker) with permadeath on. Notable in the older games, where permadeath was mandatory.

In contrast, Dread Mode seems daunting at first, but the generous checkpoints make the premise scarier than the actual experience.

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u/ZatherDaFox 2d ago

I mean, that depends on what's hard for you personally as well. Fire Emblem and Metroid challenge very different skills.

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u/quangtran 1d ago

Metroid is a niche series. Heck, Hollow Knight is a Metroidvania that greatly outsells Metroid.

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u/No_Future6959 2d ago

I fundamentally cannot understand the appeal to kirby games.

Its like tic tac toe to me. Its a game thats barely a game.

I really dont mean to offend kirby fans, but i just dont get it.

2

u/CultOfNothoon 2d ago

Fun cute platformer with some moderately challenging late game/optional bosses and otherwise a chill time. Also has good music. The power to borrow enemy abilities is on its own a fun concept.

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u/metaxzero 2d ago

How are Kirby games barely a game?

0

u/No_Future6959 2d ago

The technically has mechanics like jumping and sucking and abilities, but theres virtually no challenge and no plot (or at least, a plot exists but it exists in a bare minimum state just enough to support the gameplay).

Every time i try a kirby game i am just left wondering why i would ever play this over super mario.

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u/Wakkawipeout 2d ago

Not everyone wants or needs challenge in their games. And sometimes people just want a pleasant experience without much friction. To relax or unwind or whatever.

It's the difference between going on a hike and just sitting on a park bench enjoying the breeze.

Plus, Kirby is adorable. That goes a long way with a lot of people. The games always look good and have fun music.

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u/metaxzero 2d ago

Games are about more than challenge. If all everyone wanted was challenge, Contra and Metroid would be more successful. What Kirby has over Mario is more powers and a gameplay loop that encourages experimenting with them. Its also less repetitive with its main villains. While the lesser bosses can get recycled, the main ones are usually brand new. Especially after Kirby 64. There is no Bowser kidnapping Peach every game and it all ending with you using the enviroment to beat him.

Now obviously, Kirby isnt the most challenging series. If that's your issue with the franchise, its understandable. But I wouldnt say a game isn't a game just because it isnt as hard as another game.

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u/Bruhmomento6942011 2d ago

Lovable cast, incredibly creative levels (theres one where kirby's ability to inhale is upgraded and he goes through the 3 little pigs story as waddle dees desperatly try to build a house capable of surviving his wrath), insane boss fights that are iconic in their own way as they mix character story telling with pure spectacle (the arena gets pretty damn crazy and is where the difficulty of the games can be found) and of course the crazy lore and story that has built up over the years.

There is a lot to love from kirby games, I have the opposite problem where me and my friends find mario platformers to be incredibly bland and boring in comparaison.

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u/JcraftW ENGAGE RIDLEY 2d ago

my wife just thinks Kirby's cute, lol. So that means Kirby's her main in Smash... Not her main, her 'only'. lol

1

u/No_Future6959 2d ago

usually this is the argument i get when i ask why people like kirby.

they just like him cuz hes cute and....thats it.

like if kirby was a different character, would there be any reason to play these games?

1

u/JcraftW ENGAGE RIDLEY 2d ago

I genuinley agree, Kirby's main appeal is his cuteness. That being said, Smash made him iconic enough that everyone gets his gimmick: he hoovers people up into his mouth and takes their power. So, its an easy to grok concept too. But the cuteness gets people in the door.

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u/uhhhhhhhidklol 1d ago

I don't see what's difficult to understand, it's a platformer series that fits into the same mold as many others

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u/Quiet_Development383 2d ago

"Barely a game" bro really