Kirby's Adventure

Being the youngest of five kids you get used to hand-me-downs. Cloths, school supplies, even your room is all dependent on your elders. This often factors into electronics which is how in the early nineties, I ended up as the main caretaker of the original NES after my older siblings bought the Super Nintendo. This is where some of my favorite memories with the systems were forged as I had more time hooked up to the leftover 12 inch TV while the main gaming action was happening on the 32-inch display in the living room. I even garnered my own stash of games such as one Christmas when my parents slipped in a new game for me in the form of Kirby's Adventure.

Up to that point I'd had zero experience with Kirby. Certainly I knew of the character and had thought of adding the original Dream Land to our anemic Game Boy collection a task I never achieved until luck provided a $2 copy at Goodwill which was soon beaten in a single session. That Christmas morning not only served as an introduction for me and that pink puffball but spawned some of the happiest gaming memories of my life.

A few weeks ago my brother and I were lucky enough to come across some restocked NES mini classics. For him this meant he could relive the glory of Punch-Out. For me it presented an opportunity to revisit an all-time favorite rather than write about it only through the filter of nostalgia. It's one thing to hold a fondness for a game but as life gets more complicated, there are less opportunities to go back for another round. Of course there's always the risk that revisiting an old favorite might change your outlook on it. Seeing as this is one of my favorite games posts, you can safely assume I still this game.

I was shocked fairly early by how much worse I am at the game now. I recall being able to blast my way through mini-games, rack up extra lives without challenge, and uncover nearly every damn secret. This time through was a little more rocky. Let's be clear Kirby titles are never all that difficult but I found more than a few cheap areas that can irritate without posing a tremendous challenge. I guess that's all just a part of growing and changing as I'm now a far better player at Castlevania and Ninja Gaiden.

Aside from the the change in my skill-level everything else was just as I remembered. Music is still catchy & upbeat, mini-games are quick treats, There's the whole plethora of enemy abilities to goof around with. It's like a heaping mug of coca on a cold day, simply pure comfort. The are few joys quite like being able to go back to an old piece of entertainment and be just as enchanted as your were decades ago.

An element that stayed with me through the years is how cinematic Kirby's Adventure could be. Sure most of the game is simply moving from on stage to another but the developers created a few set-pieces that really set the game apart from the pack. Consider the boss fight against Metaknight. A thorn in the players side and occasional helper, Meta challenges you to a sword duel by moonlight with the conclusion revealing that he's another kirby. Another outstanding special scene is the final traditional level. It's a straight love letter to the first Game Boy title with players given a greatest hits style tour of that first black and white adventure. Then there's the final boss rush. You reach the end and defeat king Dedede only to find yourself soaring through the starry skies, utilizing shoot-em-up style gameplay against a living nightmare. These bits of heightened presentation are standard-issue gaming these days but back in the 8-bit era such scenes were few and far between, especially in cute platformers.

For as much as I adore Kirby's Adventure, I've sadly spent a rather limited amount of time with the franchise with only two other titles, Dream Land and Epic Yarn under my belt. Largely this is due to skipping more than a few Nintendo systems. On the one hand it's nice that newer games in the series haven't had the chance to dethrone this treasured experience. At the same time there's a little bit of melancholy due to the large backlog of Kirby games I'd love to play if I had the time and cash to do so.

What about you all out there? Is there a big enough reason for you to set aside some time to play Kirby's Adventure? Absolutely! Why else would we be talking about this? Even in the crowded platformer market there are few titles as well-rounded as this one. The difficulty is low enough that damn near anyone can finish it yet there's still enough secrets for more demanding players. The presentation is as good as you'll likely get from an 8-bit title. Most importantly the gameplay is still topnotch, easily eclipsing the glut of indie-made retro titles of this day and age. You really can't make an excuse for not picking up a copy either as this game is available in all kinds of methods. Beyond the original NEW cartridge being decently affordable, there's a Game Boy Advance Remake, digital download options, a Kirby collection on the Wii, and of course the NES Mini Classic. I'd say that gives you all plenty of opportunities to use this game as a final hurrah of Summer.

Speaking of Summer's end, sorry for the gap between posts. I've been swamped with efforts to get ready for school along with working on my game designs and house cleaning. The biggest energy suck has definitely been the school stuff but I'm pretty confident that's all settled. This means a couple of things for you all. For one it means August will still get a proper number of posts. It also means we'll be ready to enter into the long haul of Halloween coverage with our first topic ready and waiting. I've gotta cut and run for tonight. You all have a fun weekend.