Cancelled SNES game Kid Kirby from GTA developers finally gets a PC release

Nintendo’s cancelled SNES game Kid Kirby has finally made it into players’ hands, more than 30 years after development came to an end. Originally created by DMA Design, the Scottish studio responsible for the first Grand Theft Auto, the unreleased platformer has now been recreated for modern PCs by independent developer NovaStar86B. The new version brings Kirby’s abandoned mouse-controlled adventure to Windows and Linux, complete with eight levels, a boss battle and a movement system unlike anything found in the character’s traditional platform games. It’s not an official Nintendo release, nor is it the original SNES game. Instead, Kid Kirby Recreation uses surviving development materials to build a playable version of the cancelled project.

Kid Kirby started life at the studio behind Grand Theft Auto

Kid Kirby dates from the mid-1990s, when Nintendo worked with DMA Design on a new adventure starring a younger version of its pink mascot. DMA Design had already made a name for itself with Lemmings and Unirally. Grand Theft Auto arrived in 1997, and the studio eventually became Rockstar North.

Kid Kirby took a different approach to platforming. Nintendo planned to build the game around the Super NES Mouse, the accessory introduced alongside Mario Paint in 1992. Players wouldn’t move Kirby using a conventional directional pad. Instead, they’d grab him with the mouse, pull him away from his intended destination and release him to send him flying across the screen.

The controls formed the basis of the entire game. Getting around obstacles, reaching platforms and attacking enemies relied on the direction and strength of each launch. The project never reached the shops.

Sales of the Super NES Mouse failed to meet expectations, and the game didn’t work particularly well with a standard controller. Nintendo cancelled Kid Kirby in 1995, leaving DMA Design’s unusual take on the character unfinished.

Kid Kirby Recreation brings the cancelled game to PC

Independent developer NovaStar86B has now turned the original concept into a playable PC game using development assets and information previously shared by former DMA Design employees. Kid Kirby Recreation arrived on 8 September 2026, with downloadable versions available for Windows and Linux.

The project isn’t a recovered SNES ROM. It’s a new implementation of the cancelled game’s ideas, combining surviving artwork and design information with development work required to turn the material into a functioning release.

Kirby’s younger appearance remains, and the mouse controls sit at the centre of the experience. The recreation gives players a chance to try the movement system Nintendo originally intended for the SNES, rather than replacing it with conventional platforming controls.

How the mouse-controlled platforming works

Kid Kirby Recreation asks players to click on Kirby, drag him away from their target and release the mouse button to launch him. The further players pull, the stronger the launch. Direction matters too, particularly when trying to reach platforms or get past obstacles.

You can grab Kirby again during a jump and send him somewhere else. It’s a movement system built around repeated launches rather than running and jumping through each level. Enemies require some speed. Hit one with enough momentum and Kirby can defeat it. Make contact too slowly and he risks taking damage instead.

Kirby’s familiar copy abilities feature in the recreation. Beam and Parasol are among the available options, with attacks activated using the right mouse button or space bar. Other controls handle doors, vertical movement and certain transformations. One transformation turns Kirby into a paper aeroplane. Players adjust its pitch to control altitude and forward movement, introducing a different control system for sections of the game.

Eight levels, a boss battle and PC controls

Kid Kirby Recreation includes eight levels followed by a boss encounter. Each stage introduces different gameplay mechanics, giving players new ways to use the mouse-based movement system. The game includes a central hub, pause controls and display options. Players can return to earlier menus and adjust the presentation to suit their PC setup.

The Windows download comes in at approximately 51 MB, with the Linux version weighing around 55 MB. Both arrive as compressed archives, so players can extract the files and launch the game without going through a conventional installer. The developer has released updates addressing technical issues, including display behaviour and control problems.

An unofficial Kid Kirby release, not an original SNES ROM

Kid Kirby Recreation isn’t affiliated with Nintendo, and the company hasn’t released the original SNES game. The PC version takes the surviving material from DMA Design’s cancelled project and turns it into a playable adventure, with new implementation work filling the gaps left by the unfinished original.

For anyone interested in the cancelled SNES title, the Windows and Linux releases offer a chance to try its central gameplay idea, from launching Kirby with the mouse to using copy abilities across eight levels and a final boss encounter.

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