Kirby GCN

Kirby GCN (also referred to as Kirby: Legend of the Stars and Kirby Adventure) is the common unofficial title referring to any of the three 3D Kirby titles that were silently cancelled; of the three, only the first incarnation was widely documented. Had it been released, it would have been the second Kirby game for the Nintendo GameCube.

Nintendo had not released any further info about this game's status for a long period of time, as well as having removed the game's page from their website. There had been conflicting reports on whether the game had ceased development or if it had shifted to the Wii or DS - it was speculated to have even been replaced by another game such as Kirby Super Star Ultra.

Some aspects of each of the three individual developments carried over into Kirby's Return to Dream Land, and it wasn't until the release of Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition that it was revealed that Kirby's Return to Dream Land was the successor to Kirby GCN.

Story
All that was revealed about the original storyline is that King Dedede stole Kirby's Warp Star and he is trying to get it back. The story bears no similarity to the story in Kirby's Return to Dream Land.

Gameplay
The original version of the game in development featured a variation of the Helper System from Kirby Super Star. In Kirby GCN, up to three Helpers could be created at once. They could then be controlled by up to three players or by the computer. It is possible that the game had a 3D playing field. A stacking system had also been revealed where Kirby and his Helpers could ride on each other's backs (possibly creating new attacks). Looking at screenshots, it is discernible that the Helpers created by the player would have been yellow, green, or blue color variations of their respective enemies. These color variations would have denoted different players. Presumably, yellow denoted Player 2, blue denoted Player 3, and green denoted Player 4. These exact colors were later used to denote multiple Kirbys in Kirby's Return to Dream Land.

Copy Abilities
A total of 16 Copy Abilities were known to have appeared in this game, but it's likely more were planned to appear during development. Some abilities would have had updated designs, a feature that was passed on to Kirby's Return to Dream Land.
 * Beam
 * Bomb
 * Cleaning
 * Cutter
 * Fighter
 * Fire
 * Hammer
 * Ice
 * Parasol
 * Plasma
 * Stone
 * Sword
 * Tornado
 * Water and/or Bubble
 * Wheel
 * Wing

Helpers

 * Waddle Doo
 * Blade Knight
 * Bonkers
 * Golem
 * Broom Hatter
 * Caller
 * Unnamed Bomb enemy
 * Unnamed Water/Bubble enemy that looks similar to Pluid
 * Chilly
 * Flappy
 * Parasol Waddle Dee
 * Sir Kibble
 * Wheelie
 * Heat Phanphan
 * Plasma Wisp
 * Knuckle Joe

Piggyback Helpers

 * Bonkers
 * Flappy
 * Heat Phanphan
 * Wheelie
 * Golem

Non-Copy Ability Enemies

 * Waddle Dee
 * Scarfy
 * Dale
 * Blipper
 * Bronto Burt
 * Babut

Bosses

 * Whispy Woods
 * HR-D3

Trivia

 * The large robot resembling King Dedede (later named HR-D3) that Kirby was seen fighting against in the trailer makes a surprise appearance in Kirby Mass Attack, at the end of Chapter 2 in Kirby Quest. It is possible that its appearance was meant as foreshadowing, but it was more than likely a nod to the 2005 trailer. It also makes an appearance in Kirby's Return to Dream Land.
 * Many of the screenshots, especially the Plasma one, indicate that this game may have been a 2.5D game in the vein of Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, instead of Kirby's Return to Dream Land ' s 2D gameplay.
 * In the trailer, Kirby's 3D model appears to be the same one used in Kirby Air Ride.
 * The Kirby GCN game that was shown off at E3 2005 was actually one of three lost Kirby games, all completely built from the ground up. Eleven years were spent creating and abandoning these games.
 * The second Kirby GCN game would have been the first Kirby game in the main series that was a 3D platformer. It was canceled because it hadn't reached the quality Nintendo was expecting.
 * The third Kirby GCN game involved an animated 2D Kirby in a pop-up book setting. Copy Abilities were renewed and could be powered up.
 * The music that played in the trailer is reused in Kirby's Return to Dream Land ' s The Arena and The True Arena. The song was used again in Kirby: Triple Deluxe in the second extra stage in Royal Road.
 * Kirby 3D Rumble, a sub-game in Kirby: Planet Robobot, appears to be greatly inspired by the second Kirby GCN game.
 * Kirby Star Allies shows similarities to the Kirby GCN game shown at E3 2005; a resemblance made more striking due to the appearance of the returning Cleaning, Plasma and Water abilities, with Plasma resembling its appearance in Kirby Air Ride, and the return of both Helpers and the four-player co-op.