Kirby's Adventure | gamerrespawn

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer(s): HAL Laboratory

Platform(s): Famicom/NES, Wii/Wii U(Virtual Console), Nintendo 3DS

Genre(s): Platforming, Action

D.O.R: NES - May 1, 1993

Wii - February 12, 2007

Wii U - April 17, 2013

3DS - November 17, 2011

Although not the first game that has starred Kirby(Kirby's Dream Land), it is the first console release with him in it and it is also the game where his power copying ability was first introduced. Released in 1993 for the NES, you play as Kirby, a little pink ball with arms, legs and a face. His main attack is to suck enemies into his mouth and to either shoot them out to attack other enemies or swallow them to gain different skills. He can also suck in air and inflate himself, allowing him to float about, this comes in handy for traversing large gaps or avoiding enemies.

Unlike the previous game that had pretty linear levels, this features seven large worlds, each with multiple levels for you to beat.

By the time this game was released, the NES was nearing the end of it's lifespan and it's successor, the SNES had already been released two years previously. The graphics are top notch, the game plays really smoothly and the parallax scrolling really gives you a feeling of the game being 3D and give real depth.

You start the game with Kirby waking up and realising he didn't have any dreams. He heads to the fountain of dreams to find out whats going on and he discovers that King Dedede has stolen the Star Rod, which is the source of the Fountain of Dreams power and then broken it up into seven pieces. Each of the fragments he gives to the different bosses on the levels, these are, Whispy Woods, Paint Roller, Mr. Shine and Mr. Bright, Kracko, Heavy Mole and Meta Knight. The last piece he keeps for himself.

Without the Star Rod, everyone living in Dream Land can no longer have dreams. Kirby decides to set out to reclaim the fragments of the Star Rod and restore everyones dreams.

Each of the 7 areas in the game is split into different levels, the last of which you will have to fight a boss. Some of the bosses are easy, Whispy Woods for example, all you need to do to beat him is stand literally right in front of him and as long as you have a good ability, you will kill him in seconds. Others, like Paint Roller will take slightly longer, the strategy I used was to grab the laser ability before heading in and then shoot him while he's painting then quickly float up into one of the corners to avoid him hitting you. Using this strategy you will be able to avoid pretty much every attack he throws at you.

Getting good abilities from lesser enemies before you attempt these is recommended. My favourites are the beam power and the flame breath power. The beam power gives you a kind of beam whip that you can use to attack enemies infront of you. You can also hit enemies that are infront of you but just above or below. The flame breath is pretty self explanatory, however one thing to watch out for is that you can't move when you are using the power. A side effect of some of these abilities and even the inhaling ability itself is that you can't move while you are using them.

The goal for each of the main levels is to reach the door at the end of the level. If Kirby gets hit by an enemy or any other dangerous object, he takes a point of damage, if all of his hit points are lost or you fall off the bottom of the screen you will lose a life, thankfully these are pretty easy to come by through the mini game rooms and sometimes in levels themselves. Kirby can also grab or eat food items to immediately replenish health or even gain temporary invulnerability.

The mini games that you can unlock as you progress include, Claw Fever, a game similar to the claw machines you see in arcades, in which you can win extra lives by trying to grab Kirby dolls. There is also an egg-catching game where King Dedede throws eggs and bombs at you, you have to catch the eggs in your mouth while avoiding the bombs. There is also a quick-draw competition where you have to press A as soon as the game tells you to. You need fast reflexes and a high level of concentration to catch it.

If I had to find fault with the game it would be it's length. Because of the fact it isn't all that challenging, you will breeze through it pretty quickly. Having said that, this is one game you do not want to miss out on playing!

Getting to 100% completion is what you should aim for and that requires tactical use of all the different powers available to you. Some secrets are hidden in places that can only be accessed while using certain abilities. Use them all, keep an eye out for secrets and above all have fun with it!

And that is exactly what this game is about, having fun. The levels are reasonably easy to get through and won't push your gaming skill too far, but testing out all those abilities and discovering all the hidden secrets will keep you occupied for ages. If you have a NES then I highly recommend seeking this game out, if you can't get it on NES or don't have a NES but own a Wii U, grab it from the marketplace for a cheeky 500 points.

This has got to be one of the best NES games i have ever played and I will definitely play through it again to gain that elusive 100%

Score: 9/10