A long time ago, in a Popstar far, far away, a young, white blob named Kirby battled the tyranny of King Dedede, an evil penguin-thing with a giant hammer. That was in the early 1990's, during the time period of the run of an old game, Kirby's Dream Land. The game introduced a new game series that has forever gone hand-in-hand with Nintendo's systems. Unlike other titles like Metroid or Star Fox, Kirby has gone on to appear at least once on every Nintendo gaming system in his own game. This game, released in 1993, was one of the swan songs for the NES, just before Wario's Woods. It truely pushed the NES to its technical limits, and, if not for the Super Nintendo and Super Mario World, would have been a groundbreaking game for its era.
This game was a first for many traits that would forever linger on in Kirby. But, do these adjustments forever stand strong in the souls of gamers? And is this game worth the 500 Wii Points the Virtual Console puts it at? This is what this Review will set out to find.
As always, my grading system will be on a one-to-five star basis, with one being a nightmare and five being a dream come true.
Story: ****
Once upon a time, Kirby and the citizens of Dreamland were sleeping peacefully. But then, King Dedede stole the Star Rod (yes, boys and girls, it's that thing from Paper Mario coming back to haunt you), the source of all good wishes and dreams, and shattered it into seven pieces. Dedede then gave six of the seven pieces to his top baddies, keeping one for himself. Hearing about this, Kirby goes on and tries to find Dedede and restore dreams to Dreamland, or else they citizen of the happy land will be cursed forever with nightmares.
I find this story a basic mixup of Super Mario RPG, Paper Mario, and Super Mario Bros. 3's plots meshed together in one. However, you do have to give the game some originality, considering that SMRPG and PM were released years after this game. And at the end of the game... no, Kirby doesn't rescue a princess or get a second quest. However, there is an actual plot twist near the end, which is very nice. At that day and age, we had "Point A to Point B wins" missions, where the plot was 100% outlined by the instruction manual. Though the twist was nice, there was only one, and it didn't last for very long. In addition, the character Meta Knight is consistantly seen helping Kirby with invincibility items, and yet he tries to send his specialized minions to kill Kirby. This throws an extra layer of mystery and confusion into the mix. Overall, the story is much better than other games of the era, but it's not a groundbreakingly amazing feat.
Graphics: *****
For an NES game, these graphics are absolutely PERFECT! Sure, some shades could've been darker, and sometimes a "glitchy string" of graphics appears on one side of the screen, but otherwise the graphics are wonderful. It throws every technical limitation of the NES out the window. It presents a cast of vibrant worlds from a forest abundant with life to a rising and sinking sea to the huge vastness of outer space. Each character is well-animated and quite detailed. The Koopalings' original designs even pale in comparison to the most pathetic of Kirby minions, Waddle Dee. And, each minion changes its colors to meet the theme of whatever level it's on. These graphical changes feel like a huge improvement over the shade-changing Goombas of the original Super Mario Bros. Plus, this is where Kirby became a pink puffball rather than a white cotton swab. This is the best of the best on the NES, in short, which was definitely a pleasant suprise.
Sound: ***
I have to admit, I wasn't exactly expecting an astounding product in sound. Thinking back to previous Kirby games I'd played, I can only remember stellar soundtracks from the final bosses. I wasn't expecting anything like Super Mario Bros. 3's soundtrack. Well, I didn't exactly get the wonderful drum of the Ddomships or the complex rhythm of an obstacle course, or even the battle tune of the Hammer Bros. However, I do have to say that some of the music in this game is truely well done. Each song compliments the level very well. However, there is only one song that truely stands out in my head, just like other Kirby titles. In addition, I just LOATHE the boss theme. It's very athletic and quiet, nothing like the dramatic, darker boss music of SMB3 or even SMB2. The game just feels overall quiet, trying to make its soft graphics match a soft soundtrack. Though some of the levels have good, flowing melodies, the overall soundtrack is quite small. The sound effects are basically just a small "boing" effect and a running sound. Nothing too special in the sound department.
Characters: ***1/2
All right, so we have the pink puffball, Kirby, the mysterious warrior guy in Super Smash Bros Brawl, Meta Knight, and the giant blue penguin guy, King Dedede. Oh, and then there's that tree guy, Whispy Woods, and a monkey named Bonkers who appears in almost every Kirby game after this one. And then we have... a whole lot of other people. Short and simple: the characters have no life. There is no diologue whatsoever, and there is absolutely no narration either, except in the ending cutscene. All of the characters are emotionless, hollow shells of characters with no personality. The only exception to this is King Dedede, who tries to be tough but ends up as a clumsy oaf. After seeing that characters could have personality on the NES (Punch-out!!) and even in platformers (yes, the Kings of SMB3 and Princess Peach are who I'm referring to) none of these impress me. It's just an overall bland cast that fills the positions of "heroes, enemies, bosses, and mini-bosses"; nothing more.
Gameplay: ****1/2
Ah, now HERE is where Kirby truely shines: the gameplay. Being a puffball with a black hole of a stomach, Kirby is able to do more than many other platforming heroes. Kirby can jump, walk, run, and get power-ups. However, Kirby can also puff himself up to the shape of a balloon to jump for an infinite number of times. Though this takes away from the general definition of a platformer (What's the point if you don't have to use the platforms?) the game pulls it off well with enemies and extra challenges. You see, Kirby can take six hits from enemies before he goes down, and this lost HP can be healed by sport drinks and tomatoes. Therefore, the gameplay becomes less about the positioning of platforms and more about the avoidance of traps and enemies. This makes for a very creative system and a very creative game.
However, there is one trait of Kirby that sticks out wherever he goes: his ability to eat enemies and copy their abilities. Kirby can inhale just about anything with the tap of a button, as seen when he eats Bowser in Super Smash Bros. And, with a simple swallow, Kirby can take his meal's most prominant feature and use it as his own weapon. Many puzzles in the game require a specific ability, and other, more difficult to get abilities are required to unlock secrets. However, there are some complaints with these. Some of the abilities seem very rushed. For example, the ability that turns Kirby into a rubber ball is almost impossible to control and gives Kirby little to no defense. In addition, as soon as Kirby is hit by an enemy or obstacle, he loses his ability. Though this is similar to Super Mario Bros' "Get hit, lose your power-up" system, there are far too many areas to get hurt in this game. Though this was fixed in later Kirby titles, it is quite annoying in this one. Finally, the game's most powerful ability, UFO Kirby, cannot be used after Kirby finishes a level. I find this very unfair, because not only is the ability useful, but it is just extremely fun to use. Mario got to keep his Hammer Bro Suit in Super Mario Bros. 3 after he finished a level, so why can't Kirby stay in his UFO?
However, all of the problems I listed are relatively minor. Kirby can absorb over 20 enemy abilities, leaving for hundreds of ways to play the same level over and over again. This was the defining game for Kirby: the one that introduced his copy abilities. And overall, it was done extremely well, especially in the NES days.
Difficulty: *1/2
Kirby is not a very difficult series. Most of his games have been cited for casual or beginning gamers. This is no exception. Though there are times when the game can be difficult, such as specific bosses, the majority of the game is decently simple. Many puzzles can be solved without looking twice, and many abilities can finish off specific mini-bosses handily. However, having the wrong ability at the wrong time could be bad. This is downplayed, however, by the opportunity to get an extra life after every single level. I have never got a game over in this game. Just to test it, I gave the game to a six-year old, and that six-year old did not get a game over until Level 3's boss. Excepting some bosses, this game is a cakewalk.
Replayability: ****
But, despite difficulty problems and a lack of character, this game shines in replayability. There are many secrets in this game, and that is represented by a completion ratio next to its save file. Even after finishing the game, you aren't completely done until you can get a 100%. There's also an extremely hard "boss endurance" mode, where Kirby must fight each boss in a row with one life and no healing items. Even this simple game can bring some thrills with some well-designed mini-games and extra challenges. However, in the end, the only thing that keeps you going is how fun the game is. Which brings us to...
Fun Factor!: ****1/2
Kirby's Adventure is an extremely entertaining game, at least from my experience. Though King Dedede brings the only real humor and character into the game, Kirby's gameplay is extremely addictive. Each level and new enemy brings new surprises, and a new way to play the game. It's one of those games that you don't want to put down until it is over. The colorful and vibrant worlds just compliment that feel. This is a very finely-tuned game in funology. (Yes, I made that word up)
OVERALL: **** out of 5
Kirby's Adventure was pretty much ignored by the time it came out. The Super Nintendo had stood strong for two years, and the attention was shifting from the NES to the SNES VS Sega Genesis console war. However, it is truely a gem in the lost temple that is the late NES days. Kirby proves that even the most simple of characters, in the most simple of adventures, can truely make a great game. Sure, there are a few issues with a soft soundtrack, unusual characters, and that fact that a six-year old can beat the first three levels without much problem. However, Kirby can still bring an extremely fun and wonderful adventure to all Wiis everywhere. If you have a younger gamer in the family, this is a must-have for both you and that person. If you don't, I still highly recommend it. However, I wouldn't place this game above Super Mario Bros. 1-3, Super Mario World, or the Donkey Kong Country series. It's best saved for your second Wii Points card as a sleeper hit in your sleek retro gaming collection.
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