Now Playing: Kirby's Adventure (1993)
Topic: Nintendo (NES)
By 1993, the Super Nintendo and the Sega Genesis were well into their famous "console war" forms, sparring back and forth in an effort to claim the hearts of gamers everywhere. While those 16-bit demigods were duking it out, there was a legend in the background who was slowly, but surely, making his gradual exit from the mainstage as he quietly bowed gracefully to his beloved audience. The stoic 8-bit stalwart, the Nintendo (NES), was nearing an end to its fantastic run as the King of all Systems. While most systems in recent years generally sputter out with annual sports titles and neglected ports, the NES was still producing gems until its final day in 1994. Kirby's Adventure, made in 1993, was one of the NES's finest efforts, yet it came so late in the life-cycle of the lordly 8-bit system. Despite that it was late to the game, it was certainly one of the best games of its time, and set the benchmark for all future Kirby games to follow.
I remember when I first got this game. It was definitely one of the most memorable Christmas's I've ever had. It was Christmas day of 1993, and I didn't have a Super Nintendo at this point yet (which I didn't get until around 1995). I had always been an NES kid, and still am to this day! I remember getting the NES Advantage joystick (which is awesome!), the original Metroid and of course, Kirby's Adventure. I got these games brand new back in the day, and I recall that they came in some really cool looking boxes. I fondly remember the big blue box of Kirby, and the bright yellow box of Metroid - why, oh why did I throw those boxes away?! I guess as a kid, you didn't realize how cool it would be to hang on to those vintage game boxes. I must digress. Anyway, I remember playing these games on my little 13 inch dial TV in my bedroom, and I was instantly hooked. I had been a fan of Kirby because I had his Gameboy game Kirby's Dream Land, released a year earlier in 1992. But this NES game, bigger and better in every way, just blew me away.
It's 17 years later, in 2010, and I still play Kirby's Adventure to this day. Why? Well, I love my vintage games, it's a big hobby of mine. And it's also the fond childhood memories keeping this game going strong, but it's also that this game was and is incredibly good! Kirby, the lovable pink-puff, had a simple yet great gameplay hook: he could suck in enemies with his vacuum strength mouth, swallow them, and absorb their powers! By now, that is a Kirby staple, but in 1993, it was being done for the first time - Kirby could not absorb powers in Kirby's Dream Land for Gameboy. This wonderful gameplay mechanic made the game instantly classic, as their were a ton of different powers you could absorb: the beam (my personal favorite), cutter, sword, parasol, bomb, spark, fireball, ice, freeze, laser, wheel, the very rare UFO, and a few others. A ton of variety available to the player, and it really adds to your choice of strategy and to the amount of replayability to this game.
Kirby's Adventure is one of the best NES games for more than just its gameplay mechanics alone. It's level design, graphics, sound effects, music, and its humor, enhance the games overall charm. It has seven uniquely designed worlds, filled with tons of levels in each, with some great and varied bosses - including an epic final boss battle! The graphics are vibrant and colorful, and really pushed the 8-bits to their limit. The sound effects and music are all now Kirby franchise staples, and simply just classic. From beginning to end, this game is a joy to play.
I wholeheartedly reccomend Kirby's Adventure to any gaming fan out there. And while it may not be quite as good as Kirby Super Star (1996) for the SNES, it still is the closest to perfect a game can get. Kirby's Adventure is definitely one of the Top 10 best NES games of all-time, and indeed, for a long time now, has been on my list as of one my favorite games ever. If you can track down a cartridge for it on the NES, then by all means, play it there. However, it is also available in perfectly playable form on the Wii's Virtual Console. Play it and you'll see why for yourself! This is vintage gaming at its best.
-Kurt L.
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Updated: Thursday, 21 January 2010 11:13 AM EST
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