Kirby 64 was one of the most interesting N64 titles I’ve seen. After all, what’s a side-scroller doing on the system that was made to show off 3D graphics? And why isn’t this Kirby’s Air Ride, the game we all waited forever for but never received? It was also the game that got everyone through the dog days of summer 2000. Interestingly enough, it also offered two final bosses.

This Review, like 40 other ones written by me, is reviewed on a 0-4 star scale, with 0 being very poor and 4 being excellent. I don’t even know why I say this anymore.

Graphics: **1/2

This game’s graphics weren’t meant to be spectacular- in fact, they weren’t a very high priority of the game makers, as you can see by the fact that it is only a side-scroller. Does that mean they’re bad? No! They’re actually pretty decent, for being so cartoonish. There aren’t as many rough edges (you know, the octagons the N64 is so famous for), although the characters aren’t very elaborate. The levels are very colorful, adding to the cartoonish appeal. True, this game isn’t just a cartoon, nor is it meant to be one. But, you have to admit, the characters do look like they would fit into a cartoon well.

Sound: ****

It’s been a while since I’ve given out this rating. Wow, is this music catchy! Take 6-4, for example (#17 on the Sound Test). It gives you the feeling of being in a factory, while also having very dramatic, stirring music. It’s one of my favorites all-time. For some reason, #10 on the Sound Test starts off very much like the Mario theme song, but it is a very good one as well. In fact, as you go through you’ll find that all the songs in this game add very much to the environments, because you feel like you’re there. This is great. In fact, unbelievable, considering I couldn’t imagine Kirby 64 having music like this.

Difficulty: *

What can I say? This game is extremely easy except when it comes to finding the crystals. Here’s where the entire game’s difficulty comes to: 6-4, home of the best music but also a level very much like Super Mario World’s Valley of Bowser 2, the moving wall that goes up and down, destroying you if you’re underneath it at the time, and I mean killing you on the spot, even if it only bumps your head as you are running. It’s terribly hard, and a crystal is located some time after it. I haven’t ever been able to beat this level, nor get that third crystal of this level. (Okay, I cheated and had someone else beat it for me. You’ve got to love 8-year-old kids who can humiliate others twice their age at video games.) There are a couple of other hard ones to get as well, but this one is of number one difficulty. So, is the game hard? No! In fact, it’s easy. You’ll breeze through the levels, especially since that Kirby can jump and fly and float so high. Just get the fireworks combo (Fire + Bomb) and you’ll have a cakewalk.

Characters: *

The cast of characters to this game includes Kirby, Adeline, Waddle Dee, and the big fat King Debede, who everybody loves. Of course, then you’ve got the relative no-names as enemies, and you won’t even know their names unless you grab the enemy info cards. The only one I really like is that one eyeball on a block, which acts exactly like a Thwomp. Other than that, most of the characters stink.

Controls: ***

The controls are pretty easy to follow, like A for jump (repeatedly hit A to keep on flying and floating), B to suck in opponents (hit Down to swallow) or use your “weapon”, the Control Pad to move, including Right twice fast to run, and the L and R buttons to get rid of your “weapon”. Good controls, but why not use the Control Stick? What’s so hard to make it usable? That makes no sense to me, along with the fact that after I get rid of my weapon, I usually mess up trying to get rid of it.

Levels: ***1/2

This is what side-scrollers should be about! Vast levels with completely different environments each time! You’ll be in a factory, a toy chest, a snowstorm, a frozen lake, a desert, a lost civilization, a strange spaceship-like thing (2-4), the clouds, an ocean, a beach, a river (reminiscent of the Midas River from SMRPG), a forest, and a volcano, just to name a few. They’re great. The one problem: there aren’t enough!

Bosses: **1/2

Of course I’ve already established the fact that the bosses are no-names, but at least they provide fun
battles, like that tree battle and the Miracle Matter battle (in Ripple Star). You’ll usually have to first dodge and avoid their attacks, then attack them quickly, then go back to dodging again as they regroup. They may be predictable at times, but there is sometimes that unpredictability that makes the battle worthwhile. Confused by that last statement? Basically, sometimes they’re good, sometimes they’re bad. The good outweighs the bad, in my opinion.

Concept: ***1/2

This is what the N64 needed: a side-scroller. In fact, it needed more than just this one and Yoshi’s Story. I liked the concept of Kirby getting a platform-style game, as well. This was a good idea, with the one mistake to it being the fact that more levels would have been better than collecting crystals. Still, this one beat my expectations for it.

Multiplayer Mode (Mini-Games): **

These mini-games aren’t bad, as one of them gives the classic Kirby music and they do offer a few thrills (like how Bumper Crop Battle gets live opponents mad at each other), but they aren’t enough to hold your attention for a while.

Replayability: *1/2

This game is fun enough that you’ll want to play a few levels over again, and if you don’t get a crystal in one place, you’ll have to go back to try to get it again. It is quite short, leaving some of the levels to be replayed over and over again a little too much, as well as the fact that you run out of things to do in a level without the crystals to find, and that there are only three mini-games to play, giving not enough multiplayer time. That hurts the replayability a lot.

Fun Factor!: ***

This game is pretty fun, as the levels are interesting and the music is catchy. It makes you want to play a few levels often, over and over again, I mean. The multiplayer mode does offer some thrills, as I said before, and it makes this game even more fun. The shortness of the game and the way it seems almost unfinished, as well as a little frustration, makes it not get a perfect rating here and lose a star.

OVERALL: ***

Well, Nintendo hit a home run with this game, but not quite a grand slam. It is fun, the music is great, the levels are made well, and the boss battles are pretty good. I still think that it wasn’t long enough of a game and that the crystals are a little too hard to get in some places, but it’s still good. The length problem prevents a perfect score here. Should you buy it? Yes. It’s one Nintendo 64 game you won’t forget!

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