As with North America earlier on this week, Nintendo is treating European and Australian gamers to just one Virtual Console release today. That said, it is a Nintendo 64 title, and another decent one at that. Say hello to Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, the painfully pink blob’s first ever 3D outing.

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (Nintendo 64, 1-4 Players, 1000 Wii Points):

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards was originally released for the Nintendo 64 in the year 2000. It turned out to be the little pink blob’s only game for the system, and Kirby’s first ever 3D adventure. The game is notable for Kirby’s ability to merge two separate copy abilities together as opposed to just using one.

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.

Along the way, you’ll use Kirby’s trademark copying ability to use enemies’ strengths against them. Not only that, but try combining any two abilities to create a brand-new one that is usually stronger than the original. Throw in three exciting multiplayer minigames, and you’ve got a package of which even King Dedede would be proud. Fans of Kirby and action games with bright, colorful graphics should vacuum this one up.

Until next week… enjoy!