For the true Kirby fan only
Look at that. Reviews of compilations being so rare and me putting up two in such close proximity. What can I say, I have ties to Kirby Adventure that goes way way back. It’s just the game I played the most on my NES. So when I read the game line-up on this disc, and since I had never even played anything past Kirby’s Dreamland 2, I figured why not see what Dreamland 3 and the N64 game are like. But I suppose buying this freshly minted compilation so soon after its release is a testament to the Kirby fan I am all on its own isn’t it since I am known for waiting for price drops before I pull the trigger.
Having played through the three games that I was already familiar with, Dreamland 1, 2 and Kirby’s Adventure I can say these games are pretty faithful recreations of their original content. They all play almost exactly as they should aside from one minor issue I noticed while I was playing Kirby’s Adventure. Now I know Kirby’s Adventure like the back of my hand so believe me when I know how the controls for that game work. On the original NES you can jump and suck an enemy almost instantaneously. In this iteration of the game, there is a noticeable delay between when you jump and when you can suck up something. This caused me a small amount of frustration when I was hit by something instead of sucking it up as I intended. But it was not game breaking, just a minor annoyance.
Aside from my nitpicking, this is a great package. It gives you a chance to experience the core Kirby games from the beginnings up until the N64. As I stated previously, I stopped playing Kirby games after 2 but the core gameplay hasn’t changed very much apparently. You progress through levels take on boss battles and eventually fight King Dedede. The story may be slightly different but the games themselves are relatively the same as it should be with a good franchise. That is Nintendo’s M.O. There is a weird game thrown in the mix, Kirby’s Super Star. I guess this is a fan favorite, but I am a fan and I don’t like this game. It is a weird compilation of minigames. That’s right a compilation game inside of a compilation game. Why not throw in Kirby’s Pinball Land or Block ball instead. I know and like those games.
There isn’t a whole lot more I can say on this one. My recommendation is pretty cut and dry. If you are a close to diehard fan of Kirby, then by all means pay 40 bucks for this compilation. It is a good compilation for fans of the puff ball. It has his origins and a good cross section of his life thus far. It has a nifty little history of Kirby feature and some stupid challenge level thing for Return to Dreamland on the Wii. And it has an art book! Whoohoo! But if you are not a serious Kirby fan, then there is nothing for you here. I can’t tell you to pay that much money to find out. Like that limited edition Mario All-Stars Wii game, you can’t expect a price drop for this. You know what, scratch that. If you want to see if you are a Kirby fan, buy Kirby’s Adventure on the Virtual Console. There you go, problem solved.