Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble Invents Waggle Controls: Today in History - April 9th, 2001
Most gamers are not interested in "waggle" controls- the act of flinging or flailing around to produce action in a game. This form of gaming control was popularized by the Nintendo Wii and also on platforms such as iOS and Android. Waggle is much older than those platforms though, Nintendo was incorporating it in games for the Game Boy Color way back in 2001. Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble doesn't use the conventional controls, instead players are tasked with a new control method.
Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble is unique in that you are not directly controlling Kirby, at least not with the regular buttons. Instead, using accelerometers that are built into the cartridge, you tilt and flick the Game Boy Color to produce in game actions such as rolling and jumping. This can take a bit of getting used to but definitely an interesting look back at this technology.
Since the very nature of Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble is tied to the accelerometers, it is not available in any digital re-release format. Also, playing this cartridge on a GameCube via the Game Boy Player is nearly impossible (unless you want to pick up and flick your GC around). Controls are backwards on the GBA SP also due to a lack of calibration of the accelerometers.
If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble for Game Boy Color you can check eBay, Amazon
.
This article was originally published on Retro Gaming Magazine a gaming website I own.