Kirby was created by developer HAL Laboratory in the early 90s as yet another killer app to launch on the already unstoppable Nintendo Game Boy. Since then the pink puff ball character has become a secondary mascot for the house of Mario, but usually his adventures are confined to handheld releases. The game are generally regarded as very easy which makes them a perfect fit for younger gamers, but they’re well designed and therefore can be enjoyed by anyone. I’ve long been a fan of Kirby, but I missed out on this original release in the franchise. I added it to my Game Boy collection a few years ago and was stunned to see that this is a pretty sub par game overall. Though the series is well known for its many high quality releases (it’s one of Nintendo’s most popular franchises) it had a very rocky start with Kirby’s Dream Land. Today I’m here to tell you about it.
Kirby is a pink round fluffy creature who lives in the magical Dream Land. This little guy has quite the appetite, and when all of the food in this kingdom has been stolen he doesn’t take the news sitting down. That’s the basic story, and it’s the same one so many other installments in the franchise have used. Either way, this is a two dimensional side scrolling action game with a heavy emphasis on platforming elements. It’s not a pure platformer because of the fact that by default Kirby can float through the air by repeatedly pressing the A button, but it’s close enough. This little guy’s main ability however is that he can suck most enemies into his mouth. From here you can eat them for additional points or spit them out as a projectile attack. Missing from this title is Kirby’s now signature ability to gain the powers of any monster he eats, and without it this game is sorely lacking. Gameplay quickly becomes repetitive, and the level design isn’t interesting enough to hold my attention for long. It has it’s moments, but Kirby’s Dream Land is a little boring.
Unfortunately the game is extremely short too. I can run through it in just over twenty minutes which is almost unacceptable for a title with such little replay value. There’s no multiplayer, nor does the game feature any additional modes of play. To make matters worse it’s also one of the easiest platformers around. Kirby has a generous life bar at the bottom of the screen, and recovery foods are scattered in each of the stages. Extra lives are also quite common and are rarely hard to find. Not that you’ll even need to pay attention to them because you’ll only lose one or two throughout this thirty minute cakewalk. The game features an enhanced version of the main game that’s supposedly more difficult, but to be honest I could barely tell the difference. As if the pink fluff ball wasn’t already overpowered the game gives you specialty items to assist you. You’ll find a mega microphone that destroys all enemies on screen, and at specific points he gains temporary invincibility. The last item allows him to breath fire on enemies. These mechanics are interesting, but aren’t necessary because Kirby needs no help when foes are already so easy to dispatch.
On a positive note the graphics are really nice. The backgrounds are fairly detailed and have a lot of depth for a simple Game Boy game. Kirby animates with a decent number of different frames, and I enjoyed some of his more cutetsy antics. The art style is extremely whimsical, and it was realized very well considering this is the first outing in the franchise. Unfortunately gameplay is held back a little by rampant slowdown. This seems to be a problem related to the enemy animations for their various attacks, and when too much is going on the game slows down to a crawl. This makes the busier sequences even easier to get through. The soundtrack is also very well done. The composer did an excellent job with the extremely limited hardware, and the simple bleeps and blips add a whimsical quality to the music. The soundtrack is so excellent that many of the future games feature re-arranged versions of it. The aesthetics here are really quite good
It might sound like Kirby’s Dream Land is a bad game, but that’s not the case. At this point I’m letting my disappointment get the best of me. It’s a decent play, but hardcore gamers will almost be able to complete it with their eyes closed. The level design is extremely safe, and without Kirby’s ability to gain the powers of his enemies the gameplay is just too simple. It’s decent, but it certainly doesn’t live up to the other installments in this franchise. If I was Nintendo I would have swept this one under the rug a long ago in favor of the significantly improved sequels.
