My Friend Kirby

My Friend Kirby is an upcoming pet simulation adventure spin-off game developed by Seashiba Studios and Squeak Interactive, and published by Nintendo on November of 2021. It will release exclusively on mobile devices, and revolves around the player taking care of a young and curious kirby.
==Story==
The game begins with the player taking a peaceful stroll in Whispy Woods Forest when suddenly a storm arrives as they are soon persued by lightning and soon decide to hide in a nearby cave. After the storm had cleared, they notice a cloud of smoke on top of a hill, so they decide to investigate it, albeit somewhat hesitantly. A yellow, star-shaped capsule appears to have crash landed in this very spot, which is soon revealed to contain a newly born puffball with round, stubby limbs, and whose skin color/eye color/foot color can be chosen by the player. Although feeling a little nervous at first, the player takes them home and cares for them since no one else in the village seemingly wants to take care of them. 
==Gameplay==
In My Friend Kirby, the player is given the responsibility of taking care of a young and growing Kirby, which will grow and develop depending on how the player raises them. It is often set in a first-person perspective with cute, doodley visuals similar to those of Kirby Star Allies and possibly Epic Yarn. Most of its core gameplay borrows elements from those of both digital pet simulators and visual novel role-playing games, as not only is keeping track of their health and entertainment important, but also with the choices both of you make over the course of the game. 
Besides the player's main house where they often care for their Kirby, they can also travel to Cappy Town and do various activities, such as play minigames, buy items, and talk to local civilians. They can also explore the outside of town in the form of Adventures. Most minigames often reward the player with Gem Apples, which can be used to buy items and gain access to other stuff.
=== Nurturing ===
Like many pet simulators, the player is first and often tasked with taking care of Kirby, which often involves keeping track of his Care statistics: Hunger, Stamina, Hygiene, and Fun. The Hunger bar is increased by feeding them food from either the store or homemade recipes. The Stamina bar is increased by putting Kirby to rest or staying idle for a certain amount of time. The Hygiene bar is increased by giving them a bath. Finally, the Fun bar is increased by playing games, giving gifts, and doing activities in general that they like, which often depends on their personality (more on that later).
Some activities increase one of the bars, others decrease a bar, and a few even do two or more of the latter. For example, if your Kirby decides to play in the mud while adventuring, their fun meter might increase, while the hygiene meter decreases in contrast. Some activities may also affect them differently from others, once again depending on their personality. 
=== Bonding and Friendships ===
One of the many things that Kirby's personality can affect is their and the player's bonds with other characters. Many NPCs that the player comes across also have randomly generated personality types, traits, and preferences, which include other players if online. If Kirby and said NPC have similar characteristics, they are more likely to have a closer bond. The player can also grow the bond by talking to them, giving gifts, completing their quests and just interacting with them in general. All of these are used to raise their Friendship Level, which can increase or decrease.
=== Adventuring ===
Adventures are short yet rather varied experiences while exploring the wilds of Dreamland. There are three types of Adventures: Classic, Partner, or Solo. Classic adventures play like traditional Kirby games, as they are 2.5D platformers where Kirby traverse through landscapes and tackling any enemies by either swallowing them, taking their powers, or using equipped powers against them. Partner adventures involve both the player and Kirby, and is played similar to when traversing through town or talking to an NPC. Finally, Solo Adventures involve only Kirby, and the player has to wait for them to finish. While waiting, they can still buy items, talk to NPCs, and play games (as long as they don't require Kirby). By the end, they'll give a list of notable events that happened along the way.
In both Partner and Solo adventures, certain occurances may happen along the way, such as meeting either a friend or enemy. In all three adventures, both the player and Kirby may need to fight a couple hostile creatures during their adventure, and there is a special "Stamina bar," or time limit on how long they can go before they get tired and head back home.
=== Other Activities ===
For a full list of minigames, see My Friend Kirby/Minigames.
== Kirby Characteristics ==
Another core feature in this game is Kirby's personality, which affects how they may act towards certain things, other characters, and even the player. Though also consisting of other smaller traits (see here), their main personality is determined by a system similar to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, with the addition of another unique scale:
*Social (Introvert - Extrovert): This affects how much they prefer interacting with others. Extrovert kirbies are more social and outgoing with people, while Introverted ones are more reserved and enjoy spending more time alone.
*Thinking (Logic - Imagination): This affects how they decide on a certain situation. Logical kirbies prefer to use their senses and already known facts, while imaginative ones are more ideal and have more exaggerated expectations.
*Reaction (Thinker - Doer): This affects how they react to a certain problem or issue. Thinker kirbies are more cautious and make choices based on logic, while Doer kirbies are more direct and jump into action more faster yet less smarter.
*Lifestyle (Adaptive - Orderly): This affects the amount of variety they prefer to have on a daily basis. Adaptive kirbies mostly like trying new things, while orderly ones would rather keep plans for almost everything they do.
*Morality (Naughty - Innocent): This affects their perception of others and moral principles. Innocent kirbies are more likely to follow rules and help others, while naughty ones tend to cause mischief and lack empathy.
=== Skills ===
Another aspect of Kirby's character is the development of their skills. These range from mastery in certain types of combat/copy abilities to more casual skills such as communication, and they can be used for various purposes, both gameplay-wise and character-wise. Each skill has a distinct way of developing, usually either by playing certain minigames, bonding with certain characters, buying certain items, etc. Skill points, which are gained by levelling up, can also be used to increase a certain skill.
For a full list, see My Friend Kirby/Skills.
=== Preferences ===
If you want to buy something to keep your Kirby satisfied, it is best suggested to keep track of their preferences, which is a list of their favorite things towards a certain topic, as well as their general likes and dislikes. Anything that isn't on either side of this list is usually neutral and they often see it indifferently. The following is a template for your Kirby's favorites:
*Favorite Color: Your kirby's happiness may double when buying items with this color.
*Favorite Food: Your kirby's happiness may double when fed this.
*Favorite Animal: Your kirby's happiness may double when buying items involving this animal.
*Favorite Copy Ability: Your kirby's happiness may double when receiving this ability.
*Favorite Critter: Your kirby's happiness may double when meeting this creature.
*Favorite Style: Your kirby's happiness may double when buying items within this style category.
*Favorite Music Genre: Your kirby's happiness may double when listening to music of this genre.
==Characters==
===Main===
Name 	Description
Caretaker	That's you, the player, who has recently taken under the wing of a young little Kirby and is now given the responsibility of caring for the precious puffball. The question now is, how will you take care of them?
Kirby 	Your cute yet lethal puffball sidekick (and child). They wield the rather unique ability to suck up anything and sometimes even absorb their abilities.
===Friends===
Name 	Description
Bandana Waddle Dee	Both a loyal servant to King Dedede and life-long friend of the player, he runs the Daily Rewards Wheel and often gives tips to the player afterwards.
Channel PPP 	A group of dedicated and supportive Waddle Dees who are the news reporters for Channel DDD's news. They both manage the news and give out rewards for those who watch ads.
===NPCs===
For a full list of notable NPCs, see My Friend Kirby/NPCs.
== Items ==
Item 	Description
Gem Apples	Crystal-shaped apples used as the main currency of Cappy Town and Dreamland in general. They can be used to buy other items, such as food, equipment, tools, and furniture. As for the taste... OW!
==Trivia==
*The game was originally going to have other kirby species as unlockable pets. However, it was changed to just a kirby.
*Rumors have been spread that this was supposed to be basedd off of another cancelled spin-off game called Kid Kirby. However, this has been debunked by one of its developers.
Category:Kirby Games
Category:Spin-offs
Category:Pet Simulation Games
Category:Mobile Games
Category:Seashiba Games
Category:Nintendo Games
Category:Kirby (series)
Category:Adventure Games
Category:Visual Novel
Category:Visual Novel Games
Category:2021
Category:Kirby Spin-offs