Masahiro Sakurai, better known as the inventor of the Kirby and Super Smash Bros series, is a Japanese video game director, designer, and songwriter; he is involved in many Masahiro Sakurai video games.
Aside from those series, he also directed Kid Icarus: Uprising in 2012 and led the design of Meteos in 2005.
Best Masahiro Sakurai Video Games
Masahiro Sakurai has worked as a director on some video games: Kirby’s Dreamland, Kirby’s Adventure, Kirby Superstar, Super smash bros, Kirby Air Ride, Meteos, Kid Icarus: Uprising, and so many others that will be discussed in this article.
1. Kirby’s Dream Land
Kirby’s Dream Land, also known as Hoshi no Kirby in Japan, is a game platform for the Game Boy released in 1992. It was created by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo.
It is the first game in the Kirby series, Kirby’s first appearance. Furthermore, It established several conventions that would be repeated in subsequent games in the series.
HAL Laboratory’s Masahiro Sakurai created Kirby’s Dream Land. Much of the programming was done on a Sharp Corporation-produced Twin Famicom, a Nintendo-licensed device that combined a Famicom and a Famicom Disk System into one machine.
Sakurai compared the procedure to “making lunch in a lunchbox,” which he assumed was “the way [game programming] was done” at the time.
In addition, Kirby’s Dream Land mainly got positive reviews when the film was released.
2. Kirby’s Adventure
Kirby’s Adventure is a Nintendo Entertainment System platform game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo in 1993. (NES).
After Kirby’s Dream Land, this is the second game in the Kirby series. Masahiro Sakurai, who previously directed Kirby’s Dream Land, is back in the director’s chair.
After the first game was criticized for its simplicity, he came up with the copy ability to provide more complexity and replay value.
Also, HAL Laboratory created amazing visuals because the NES hardware had more graphical capacity than the Game Boy, and coders were adept with the now-outdated hardware.
Kirby’s Adventure is the first game to include a colored Kirby. Sakurai had always intended for him to be pink, much to the delight of the rest of the staff.
In addition, In recent reviews, most features of Kirby’s Adventure were praised, and critics agreed that it was an improvement over Kirby’s Dream Land.
3. Kirby Super Star
Kirby Super Star, known in the United Kingdom as Kirby’s Fun Pak, is a 1996 platforming video game developed by HAL Laboratory and distributed by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
Also, Kirby Super Star was created in Japan by HAL Laboratory and directed by Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of Kirby. After Kirby’s Dream Land and Kirby’s Adventure, this was his third Kirby game.
Kirby Super Star was a critical and commercial success in Japan, where it sold over one million copies. According to the review aggregate website GameRankings, it received “favorable” reviews.
4. Super Smash Bros.
Super Smash Bros. (also known as Super Smash Bros. 64 or Smash 64) is a 1999 Nintendo 64 crossover fighting game developed by HAL Laboratory and released by Nintendo.
Masahiro Sakurai was interested in creating a four-player fighting game. His earliest designs were simple base characters because he didn’t have any original concepts.
Furthermore, Super Smash Bros. mainly received positive reviews from critics, focusing on its multiplayer mode, music, “unique” fighting game style, and superficial learning curve.
5. Kirby’s 64: The Crystal Shards
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is a Nintendo 64 platform game developed by HAL Laboratory and released in 2000. Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is a side-scrolling platformer in the Kirby series’ tradition.
Dark Matter invades Ripple Star, a planet populated by fairies begins the narrative. Ribbon departs with a sacred crystal, but Dark Matter shatters it and scatters it over the galaxy.
In addition, this is one of the best Masahiro Sakurai Video games that, according to review aggregate Metacritic, Kirby 64 garnered “generally good reviews.” Compared to other N64 2.5D platformers such as Goemon’s Great Adventure (1998) and Yoshi’s Story by critics (1997).
6. Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee[a] is a Nintendo GameCube crossover fighting game created by HAL Laboratory and released in 2001.
This video game is one of the top Masahiro Sakurai Video games. Sakurai intended to begin an opening FMV clip to commemorate GameCube’s debut.
HAL and Sakurai created the opening sequence in collaboration with three different graphic studios in Tokyo. In addition, Reviewers praised Super Smash Bros Melee for expanding the gameplay aspects of Super Smash Bros.
Melee, with the majority praising Melee’s addition of gameplay features from Super Smash Bros. concentrating on the extra features.
7. Kirby Air Ride
Kirby Air Ride, also known as Kirby’s Air Ride in Japan, is a 2003 racing video game for the GameCube created by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo.
The video game Kirby Air Ride (formerly known as Kirby Bowl 64 or Kirby Ball 64; Kirby Bowl is the Japanese name for Kirby’s Dream Course) was developed during the Nintendo 64’s early days.
Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of Kirby, was heavily involved in the creation. One of two playable demos was exhibited during the 1995 Shoshinkai show when the Nintendo 64 was unveiled (Super Mario 64).
In addition, Kirby Air Ride sold 422,311 copies in Japan, while in the United States, 750,000 copies were sold.
According to Metacritic, a review aggregator website, the game garnered mixed reviews upon its initial release.
8. Kirby and the Amazing Mirror
Kirby & The Amazing Mirror is a game platform for the Game Boy Advance released in 2004. Unlike most Kirby games, King Dedede does not appear in this game.
Furthermore, In the Dream Land skies, there is a Mirror World. Any wish mirrored in the mirror will come true in this world.
It did, however, copy the mind of a strange man one day and create a mirrored world of evil. This was observed by Meta Knight, who flew up to save the Mirror World.
9. Meteos
Meteos is a 2005 tile-matching video game for the Nintendo DS developed by Q Entertainment and distributed by Bandai (Nintendo outside Japan).
Tetsuya Mizuguchi, the creator of Q Entertainment, produced it, while Masahiro Sakurai designed it. The video game Missile Command (1980), the film The Matrix (1999), and the television series 24 all inspired Meteos (2001-2010).
The game needs a stylus to move colored blocks known as “meteos” that fall from the screen’s top.
The game ends when the blocks fill the screen; to avoid this, the player must launch three or more blocks of the same color towards the screen’s top to make them disappear.
In addition, Video game critics praised Meteos, awarding it an 88/100 rating on the review aggregating website Metacritic.
10. Mushiking: The King of Beetles
Sega’s The King of Beetles, also known as Mushiking: Battle of the Beetles outside of Japan, is a collectible card arcade game distributed in Japan and other Asian countries such as the Philippines. Battles between cards depicting various beetle species are part of the game.
A Mushiking arcade machine can scan the cards and use them to fight fights and dispense new cards. In addition, this is one of the best Masahiro Sakurai video games.
11. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl is a crossover fighting video game for the Wii released in 2008. It was developed by Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo.
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata introduced the third edition in the Super Smash Bros. series at a pre-E3 2005 news conference. At Iwata’s request, Masahiro Sakurai, the director of the first two games in the series, took over as director.
In addition, Super Smash Bros. Brawl has gained appreciation from all corners of the globe and has been a commercial success worldwide.
According to Nintendo, the game sold 874,000 sales on launch day and 1.4 million units in its first week in the United States, making it the fastest-selling video game in the company’s history.
12. Kid Icarus: Uprising
Kid Icarus: Uprising is a third-person shooter video game for the Nintendo 3DS developed by Sora Ltd. and Project Sora and published by Nintendo.
It’s the third installment in the Kid Icarus series and the first since 1991’s Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters.
Furthermore, It’s also the first worldwide release since 1986’s original NES game. It’s also Project Sora’s lone video game before the company shut down in mid-2012.
Furthermore, Sakurai was in charge of writing the story and script for the game. Sakurai argues that creators cannot blend story-based gameplay obstacles with defeating foes in video games.
In addition, Critics gave Kid Icarus: Uprising primarily favorable reviews. The game received an 83/100 rating from Metacritic, based on 75 critic reviews.
13. Super Smash Bros. For Nintendo 3DS and Wii U
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (also known as Super Smash Bros. 4) is a series of two 2014 crossover fighting video games developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and released by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U video game systems.
In addition, According to review aggregate Metacritic, the 3DS version generally received positive reviews. The game’s extensive and diversified character roster, improved gaming mechanics, and range of multiplayer possibilities were all lauded.
14. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a 2018 Japanese crossover fighting game for the Nintendo Switch developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo.
Super Smash Bros. succeeds for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U as the fifth installment in the Super Smash Bros. series. The game continues the series’ usual gameplay style: players control one of the numerous characters and must utilize various techniques to weaken and knock out their opponents in an arena.
It comes with multiple game modes, including a single-player campaign and multiplayer versus games.
Furthermore, there are 89 playable combatants in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, including all characters from previous Super Smash Bros. games and newcomers.
From Nintendo icons to characters from third-party games, there’s something for everyone on the list. Furthermore, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is an eight-player platform fighter in which characters from Nintendo and third-party franchises compete to knock each other out of an arena.
Each player has a percentage meter that increases as they suffer damage, making it easier to launch themselves into the air and out of the arena.
In addition, According to Metacritic, the review aggregator platform, Ultimate earned “universal praise” from critics.
