Kirby gets mobile phone

Since Nintendo confirmed plans to continue with the Kirby series despite the departure of creator Masahiro Sukurai, we've been busy wondering just what sort of game the versatile pink blob would turn his hand to this time. But perhaps unsurprisingly in the end, and despite his regular forays into random genres, the first details of the game's next outing give us Kirby in his most recognisable get-up - as a platform game hero.

According to a report originating in the Japanese Koro Koro Comic (picked up on by 1UP), Kirby's Star: Labyrinth of the Great Mirror will see our hero back on familiar form on the Game Boy Advance - swallowing enemies to inherit their abilities and navigating a bizarre world of stars and oddly shaped adversaries. However this time Kirby has a new gimmick, a mobile phone, which allows him to call upon a small army of sidekick characters to help smooth his progress and get him out of sticky situations. The catch being that while using the mobile is tremendously advantageous, it suffers from poor reception in tunnels and some other areas, and has only a limited supply of battery power, which has to be recharged regularly.

It's an interesting idea, and we're looking forward to seeing how it translates to GBA screens when the game appears in Japan next March. Although US and European dates have yet to be announced, we'd be very surprised if a new Kirby title didn't warrant translation, whatever the fortunes of disappointing Cube title Kirby Air Ride.