Why is Kirby so angry?

Nintendo explains the reason behind the pink character's scowl.

If you didn't know, Kirby is always looking happy and smiley on Japanese marketing materials, but over here he carries a more serious, sterner face.

Kirby: Triple Deluxe's director, Shinya Kumazaki, has explained the reason behind it: cute things sell better in Japan.

"For the Japanese versions we are at [developer] HAL involved in everything throughout development, including the package design," told GameSpot. "The most powerful image of Kirby is that cute image, we think that's the one that appeals to the widest audience.

"While it does start cute we know there is a serious side to Kirby as well, and throughout the gameplay we see more and more of that, and the games themselves have quite a bit of depth. That being said, we recognise that Kirby's cuteness is his biggest draw in [the Japanese] market."

Kirby: Triple Deluxe is out on Nintendo 3DS later this month (May 16), if you want to know more you can read our review, head here for more details.