Memories of a crystal collector.
I remember first playing this game at my local McDonald's, when they were cool enough to have n64's on display, with games that would reset themselves each 20 minutes or so.
5 games were available ; Pokemon Snap, Starfox 64, Super Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie, and last but not least, Kirby 64 : The Crystal Shards.
I was about 10 years old ; I would play whenever I had the occasion. And I was overwhelmed with joy when my parents said ''yes'' to my request of getting a 64 with THIS specific game.
Let us say that I literally grew up with this game. Always playing it, trying all the different combinations, searching for the crystals. It was hard, but well worth my time.
Allow me to review one of the greatest games in the Nintendo 64's history.
GRAPHICS
I had only played the NES before (sadly, I had skipped the SNES in my early gaming years), so seeing everything in 3d left me breathless. But to review in a correct way, this game has colorful, cheerful graphics wich lures us deep into the childish world of Kirby. Everything is fluid and well-animated. The cinematics were eye-candy for me. They still are today.
SOUND AND MUSIC
The sound effects are various and of a nice quality. No sound clip gets repetitive to the ear.
Kirby 64 has a great soundtrack, too. A couple of recurring songs from past kirby games (whom I had discovered after)
and totally new ones, including one of the most kick-ass final boss music ever.
GAMEPLAY
The controls are fairly simple. You play Kirby 64 just like a 2d platformer, but some 3d elements are added (like some rotating platforms, for example). This is what makes this game unique. It does not play like Mario 64 or Ocarina of Time.
You go from left to right, to the level's exit. That's all.
What made this game unique among all other Kirby games was also the ability to combine two powers to form one.
Some of them are quite funny, some others are powerful enough to take down bosses in a few hits. Only two of em are almost completely useless, luckily you do not need them through the game, so you can just pass them.
Intended for a younger audience, Kirby 64 is relatively easy, but a few puzzles can keep one busy for a couple of minutes, even experienced gamers. This game marks also the first (and last?) Kirby title to include King Dedede as both helper and playable character.
SCENARIO
Our hero Kirby must save Ripple Star from the evil eye of Dark Matter once again, this time while recovering the lost crystal shards with the help of the little fairry Ribbon. A simple, yet entertaining story, for childs and grownups alike.
REPLAY VALUE
The main adventure, rushed through, can take 6 to 8 hours, depending on the player's skills. Add 1-2 more hours to collect every crystal, if some were forgotten on the first playthrough, And a couple of more hours if you want to collect everything else (enemy cards, unlocking secret options).
There is also the relatively small multiplayer mode, with 3 mini-games. These are fun to play every once in a while, but you can get bored of them easily, especially if you're alone or with a single friend.
But trust me, this game has aged very well, and still has all the potential and all the fun it had 9 years ago.
FINALE
To finish this (first!) review, I'd say that Kirby 64 : the Crystal Shards ranks itself in my top 10 favorite video games.
It is the game I played all my childhood, and I still play it on the Virtual Console (Sadly, the fool that i am sold his cartridge, and still has to find another). One of the greatest games in history, at least, one of the best the Nintendo64 had and still has to offer. Play it if you haven't ; this is a classic that any Kirby/Nintendo fan must have!!
Yours truly,
KefkaFTW
