Kirby's Adventure
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''Kirby's Adventure'' is a 1993
platform game A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are charac ...
developed by
HAL Laboratory formerly shortened as HALKEN (derived from its native name), is a Japanese video game developer founded on 21 February 1980. While independent, it has been closely tied with Nintendo throughout its history, and is often referred to as a secon ...
and published by
Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...
for the
Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in America ...
(NES). It is the second game in the ''
Kirby Kirby may refer to: Buildings * Kirby Building, a skyscraper in Dallas, Texas, United States * Kirby Hall, an Elizabethan country house near Corby, Northamptonshire, England * Kirby House (disambiguation), various houses in England and the Unit ...
'' series after ''
Kirby's Dream Land ''Kirby's Dream Land'', known in Japan as , is a 1992 platform video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. It is the first game in the ''Kirby'' series and marks the debut of Kirby. It introduced many con ...
'' (1992) on the
Game Boy The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same ...
and the first to include the
Copy Ability is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''Kirby'' series of video games owned by Nintendo and HAL Laboratory. He first appeared in ''Kirby's Dream Land'' (1992), a platform game for the Game Boy. Since then, Kirby has starred ...
, which allows the main character
Kirby Kirby may refer to: Buildings * Kirby Building, a skyscraper in Dallas, Texas, United States * Kirby Hall, an Elizabethan country house near Corby, Northamptonshire, England * Kirby House (disambiguation), various houses in England and the Unit ...
to gain new powers by eating certain enemies. The game centers around Kirby traveling across Dream Land to repair the Star Rod after
King Dedede is a fictional character in Nintendo's ''Kirby'' video game series created by Masahiro Sakurai and developed by HAL Laboratory. Dedede first appeared in the 1992 video game ''Kirby's Dream Land'' as the main antagonist, but gradually became an ...
breaks it apart and gives the pieces to his minions.
Masahiro Sakurai is a Japanese video game director and game designer best known as the creator of the ''Kirby'' and '' Super Smash Bros.'' series. Apart from his work on those series, he also led the design of ''Meteos'' in 2005 and directed '' Kid Icarus: Upr ...
returned as director after serving the same role for ''Kirby's Dream Land''. He conceived the copy ability to add more challenge and
replay value Replay may refer to: * Replay (sports), a replayed match between two sport teams Technology * Game replay, a recording of a game session. * Instant replay, in motion pictures and television, a showing again of part of a film * Replay Professional, ...
after the last game received criticism for its simplicity. Because the NES hardware had greater graphical power than the Game Boy and programmers were skilled with the now antiquated hardware, HAL Laboratory was able to create impressive visuals. ''Kirby's Adventure'' is the first game to depict Kirby in color. Sakurai had always planned him to be pink, much to the surprise of other staff. ''Kirby's Adventure'' was well received and commended for its tight controls, level variety, and the new copy ability. It was
remade Bas-Lag is the fictional world in which several of English author China Miéville's novels are set. Bas-Lag is a world where both magic (referred to as "thaumaturgy") and steampunk technology exist, and is home to many intelligent races. It is inf ...
in 2002 for the
Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2 ...
with enhanced graphics and
multiplayer A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system (couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...
support, titled ''Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land''. The original NES version was re-released later via Nintendo's
Virtual Console A virtual console (VC) – also known as a virtual terminal (VT) – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some Unix-like operating systems such as Linux, BSD, illumos, Unix ...
digital distribution services, the
Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other Regional lockout, regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major ho ...
compilation disc ''
Kirby's Dream Collection ''Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition'' is a 2012 video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Wii system. It is an anthology disc celebrating the 20th anniversary of the ''Kirby'' series, which took place on Apri ...
'', the
NES Classic Edition NES Classic Edition is a dedicated home video game console by Nintendo, which emulates the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It launched on November 10, 2016 in Australia and Japan, and November 11, 2016 in North America and Europe. Aesthet ...
,
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, and with
stereoscopic 3D Stereoscopy (also called stereoscopics, or stereo imaging) is a technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by means of stereopsis for binocular vision. The word ''stereoscopy'' derives . Any stereoscopic image is ...
for the
3D Classics 3-D, 3D, or 3d may refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics Relating to three-dimensionality * Three-dimensional space ** 3D computer graphics, computer graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data ** 3D film, a ...
product line for the
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. In retrospect, journalists have ranked it among the best NES games.


Gameplay

Like its predecessor ''
Kirby's Dream Land ''Kirby's Dream Land'', known in Japan as , is a 1992 platform video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. It is the first game in the ''Kirby'' series and marks the debut of Kirby. It introduced many con ...
'' (1992), ''Kirby's Adventure'' is a 2D side-scrolling
platform game A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are charac ...
. In the game's scenario, an evil entity named
Nightmare A nightmare, also known as a bad dream, Retrieved 11 July 2016. is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety or great sadness. The dream may contain situations of d ...
corrupts the Fountain of Dreams, which provides restful sleep to the residents of Dream Land.
King Dedede is a fictional character in Nintendo's ''Kirby'' video game series created by Masahiro Sakurai and developed by HAL Laboratory. Dedede first appeared in the 1992 video game ''Kirby's Dream Land'' as the main antagonist, but gradually became an ...
steals the Star Rod that powers the fountain and gives pieces of it to his friends in an effort to stop Nightmare.
Kirby Kirby may refer to: Buildings * Kirby Building, a skyscraper in Dallas, Texas, United States * Kirby Hall, an Elizabethan country house near Corby, Northamptonshire, England * Kirby House (disambiguation), various houses in England and the Unit ...
, the
player character A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...
of the
single-player A single-player video game is a video game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. A single-player game is usually a game that can only be played by one person, while "single-player mode" is usuall ...
game, mistakenly believes that Dedede stole the rod for evil and sets out to reunite the pieces. When Kirby defeats Dedede and returns the rod to the fountain, Nightmare goes into
outer space Outer space, commonly shortened to space, is the expanse that exists beyond Earth and its atmosphere and between celestial bodies. Outer space is not completely empty—it is a near-perfect vacuum containing a low density of particles, pred ...
to spread bad dreams, but Kirby follows him and uses the rod's power to defeat him. Kirby retains his abilities from ''Kirby's Dream Land'': he can walk left or right, crouch, and jump. To attack, Kirby inhales enemies or objects and spits them out as star-shaped bullets. He can also fly by inflating himself; while flying, Kirby cannot attack or use his other abilities, but he can exhale at any time, releasing a puff of air that cancels his flight and can be used to damage enemies or destroy blocks. New moves include the abilities to run at a fast pace and to perform a sliding kick. A major aspect of the game is Kirby's copy abilities. By inhaling and swallowing certain enemies, Kirby will obtain powers based on the special ability the enemy possessed. Copy abilities allow Kirby to access new areas and experience
level Level or levels may refer to: Engineering *Level (instrument), a device used to measure true horizontal or relative heights *Spirit level, an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical *Canal pound or level *Regr ...
s in different ways. Certain copy abilities can only be used a limited number of times. Kirby can discard his ability at any time or lose it when he is hit by an enemy; he must reacquire it quickly or it will disappear. The game consists of forty-one levels across seven worlds, each containing a
lobby Lobby may refer to: * Lobby (room), an entranceway or foyer in a building * Lobbying, the action or the group used to influence a viewpoint to politicians :* Lobbying in the United States, specific to the United States * Lobby (food), a thick stew ...
with doors leading to four to five regular levels, a
boss fight In video games, a boss is a significant computer-controlled opponent. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight. Bosses are generally far stronger than other opponents the player has faced up to that ...
, and a
Warp Warp, warped or warping may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books and comics * WaRP Graphics, an alternative comics publisher * ''Warp'' (First Comics), comic book series published by First Comics based on the play ''Warp!'' * Warp (comics), a ...
Star door which enables Kirby to travel back to previous worlds. Most worlds also contain
minigames A minigame (also spelled mini game and mini-game, sometimes called a subgame or microgame) is a short game often contained within another video game. A minigame contains different gameplay elements, and is often smaller or more simplistic, than th ...
which allow Kirby to gain extra
lives Lives may refer to: * The plural form of a ''life'' * Lives, Iran, a village in Khuzestan Province, Iran * The number of lives in a video game * '' Parallel Lives'', aka ''Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans'', a series of biographies of famous m ...
, museums where Kirby may easily gain certain powers, and arenas where Kirby must battle with a
miniboss In video games, a boss is a significant computer-controlled opponent. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight. Bosses are generally far stronger than other opponents the player has faced up to that ...
to win
health Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...
and allow him to copy the boss's special ability. The game automatically saves the player's progress after each level. The objective of each main level is simply to reach its end. If Kirby touches an enemy or a dangerous object, he will lose a section of his health meter. If all of his health is lost or he falls off the bottom of the screen, the player loses a life. Losing all lives results in a game over. Kirby can touch or eat food items to replenish health or gain temporary
invulnerability Vulnerability refers to "the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally." A window of vulnerability (WOV) is a time frame within which defensive measures are diminished, com ...
.


Development

''Kirby's Adventure'' was developed by
HAL Laboratory formerly shortened as HALKEN (derived from its native name), is a Japanese video game developer founded on 21 February 1980. While independent, it has been closely tied with Nintendo throughout its history, and is often referred to as a secon ...
in
Kōfu is the capital city of Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 187,985 in 90,924 households, and a population density of 880 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Overview Toponymy Kōfu's name means "c ...
as a
Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in America ...
(NES) successor to their 1992
Game Boy The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same ...
game ''Kirby's Dream Land''.
Masahiro Sakurai is a Japanese video game director and game designer best known as the creator of the ''Kirby'' and '' Super Smash Bros.'' series. Apart from his work on those series, he also led the design of ''Meteos'' in 2005 and directed '' Kid Icarus: Upr ...
returned as director and designer, with Takashi Saitou assisting designing. Hiroaki Suga was lead programmer, while
Satoru Iwata was a Japanese businessman, video game programmer, video game designer, and producer. He was the fourth President (corporate title), president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Nintendo from 2002 until his death in 2015. He was a major contr ...
,
Shigeru Miyamoto is a Japanese video game designer, producer and game director at Nintendo, where he serves as one of its representative directors. Widely regarded as one of the most accomplished and influential designers in the history of video games, he is ...
, and Takao Shimizu were the producers; Iwata also provided programming assistance.
Translation
by Shmuplations. ).
According to Sakurai, development began in 1992, after he was asked to
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
''Kirby's Dream Land'' to the NES. Since the Game Boy title was aimed at beginners and the NES player base was more experienced, Sakurai chose to create a new game instead. As a result, little of ''Kirby's Adventure'' is based on ''Kirby's Dream Land'': "Even though we could use the same
pixel art Pixel art () is a form of digital art drawn with graphics software, graphical software where images are built using pixels as the only building block. It is widely associated with the low-resolution graphics from 8-bit and 16-bit era computers a ...
for Kirby, when it came to capacity and what was possible, all that expanded greatly with NES." HAL Laboratory wanted to expand Kirby's existing repertoire of moves. ''Kirby's Dream Land'' was designed for beginner players, but as a result received criticism from more experienced players looking for a challenge. With ''Kirby's Adventure'', Sakurai wanted to retain simple gameplay, but improve it so skilled players would enjoy it. This led to the conception of the Copy Abilities, which the team hoped would allow players to experiment and improve the
replay value Replay may refer to: * Replay (sports), a replayed match between two sport teams Technology * Game replay, a recording of a game session. * Instant replay, in motion pictures and television, a showing again of part of a film * Replay Professional, ...
. HAL Laboratory created over 40 Copy Abilities, after which they selected their favorites to include in the final game. They also added minigames because they feared that Kirby's expanded set of moves would give players the impression that ''Kirby's Adventure'' was a difficult game. They were designed to be simpler and easier than the main game. Kirby was also given the ability to run faster and perform a slide attack to increase the game's pace. Programmers were skilled with squeezing out power of the ten-year-old NES hardware by 1993. Kirby's spit attack was made stronger if multiple enemies or objects were inhaled, something they had wanted to implement in ''Kirby's Dream Land''. ''Kirby's Adventure'' is the first game to depict Kirby in color. Sakurai had always envisioned Kirby as pink, but the Game Boy's
monochrome A monochrome or monochromatic image, object or palette is composed of one color (or values of one color). Images using only shades of grey are called grayscale (typically digital) or black-and-white (typically analog). In physics, monochrom ...
visuals rendered him white in ''Kirby's Dream Land''. The other staff were shocked when they learned Kirby was pink. Kirby's sprite was also made larger after players complained he was too small in his Game Boy debut. While backgrounds are typically designed by someone experienced in game mapping, for ''Kirby's Adventure'', HAL Laboratory had an artist draw pictures of the backgrounds, which were then handed to the mapper to work into the game. According to Saitou, they were supposed to be "pretty enough just to look at on their own." ''Kirby's Adventure'' also marks the first appearance of
Meta Knight is a fictional character and antihero in Nintendo's ''Kirby'' video game series created by Masahiro Sakurai and developed by HAL Laboratory. He first appeared in the 1993 video game ''Kirby's Adventure'' as a nameless character, remaining un ...
, who appears as an unnamed boss in one of the game's levels. The game was published by
Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...
in Japan on March 23, 1993, in North America in May 1993, and in Europe on September 12, 1993. It was released late in the NES's lifecycle, ten years after the system launched in Japan. By 1993, most gamers had already moved on to playing primarily on 16-bit systems. However, the game topped the ''
Famitsu formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the fo ...
'' sales chart in Japan in May 1993.


Rereleases

In late 2002, Nintendo released ''Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land'', an enhanced
remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...
of ''Kirby's Adventure'' for the
Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2 ...
(GBA). The core gameplay and
level design In video games, a level (also referred to as a map, stage, or round in some older games) is any space available to the player during the course of completion of an objective. Video game levels generally have progressively-increasing difficulty t ...
were left mostly unchanged; minor tweaks include hidden entrances being easier to find and boss fights being more difficult. However, all the graphics and sound effects were redone from scratch to take advantage of the GBA's more powerful hardware. ''Nightmare in Dream Land'' adds more gameplay modes, including three new minigames and a
cooperative multiplayer A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...
mode that supports up to four players. It also features "Meta Knightmare", an unlockable mode in which the player controls
Meta Knight is a fictional character and antihero in Nintendo's ''Kirby'' video game series created by Masahiro Sakurai and developed by HAL Laboratory. He first appeared in the 1993 video game ''Kirby's Adventure'' as a nameless character, remaining un ...
. According to ''
Next Generation Next Generation or Next-Generation may refer to: Publications and literature * ''Next Generation'' (magazine), video game magazine that was made by the now defunct Imagine Media publishing company * Next Generation poets (2004), list of young ...
'', 970,000 copies were sold worth $29 million in revenue. The game was sold out in three weeks according to
4Kids Entertainment 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. (formerly known as Leisure Concepts, Inc. and later known as 4Licensing Corporation) was an American licensing company. The company was previously also a film and television production company that produced English- dub ...
. A
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
of ''Kirby's Adventure'' was released as a downloadable game for the
Nintendo 3DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...
's
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in the west on November 17, 2011, and in Japan on April 25, 2012. As a part of the
3D Classics 3-D, 3D, or 3d may refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics Relating to three-dimensionality * Three-dimensional space ** 3D computer graphics, computer graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data ** 3D film, a ...
line of rereleases, it has the ability to use the 3DS's
stereoscopic 3D Stereoscopy (also called stereoscopics, or stereo imaging) is a technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by means of stereopsis for binocular vision. The word ''stereoscopy'' derives . Any stereoscopic image is ...
functionality. The game is otherwise unchanged. ''Kirby's Adventure'' is available in
emulated In computing, an emulator is Computer hardware, hardware or software that enables one computer system (called the ''host'') to behave like another computer system (called the ''guest''). An emulator typically enables the host system to run so ...
form through the
Virtual Console A virtual console (VC) – also known as a virtual terminal (VT) – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some Unix-like operating systems such as Linux, BSD, illumos, Unix ...
digital distribution service. It was released on the
Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other Regional lockout, regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major ho ...
Virtual Console worldwide in February 2007 and on the
Wii U The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4. The W ...
Virtual Console in April 2013. The GBA version was released on the Wii U Virtual Console in 2014. The NES version is also included in ''
Kirby's Dream Collection ''Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition'' is a 2012 video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Wii system. It is an anthology disc celebrating the 20th anniversary of the ''Kirby'' series, which took place on Apri ...
'' (2012), a
compilation Compilation may refer to: *In computer programming, the translation of source code into object code by a compiler **Compilation error **Compilation unit *Product bundling, a marketing strategy used to sell multiple products *Compilation thesis M ...
of ''Kirby'' video games that commemorates the series' 20th anniversary, and on the
NES Classic Edition NES Classic Edition is a dedicated home video game console by Nintendo, which emulates the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It launched on November 10, 2016 in Australia and Japan, and November 11, 2016 in North America and Europe. Aesthet ...
(2016)
dedicated console A dedicated console is a video game console that is limited to one or more built-in video game or games, and is not equipped for additional games that are distributed via ROM cartridges, discs, downloads or other digital media. Dedicated consol ...
. It was added to the library of NES games available through the
Nintendo Switch Online Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) is an online subscription service for the Nintendo Switch video game console. Nintendo Switch Online features include online multiplayer, cloud saving, voice chat via a smartphone app, access to a library of Ninten ...
subscription service on February 13, 2019.


Reception

Most aspects of ''Kirby's Adventure'' were well received in contemporary reviews, and critics agreed that it was an improvement over ''Kirby's Dream Land''. Some of the most common highlights by reviewers were the game's originality with its new copy ability and unique enemy designs, the size and variety of the levels, the tight controls, and the quality and cuteness of the graphics and animation. ''Nintendo Power'' thought the game was more difficult than its cute theme may lead gamers to believe. ''Joypad'' believed the game was aimed towards younger children and provided two review scores for gamers over and under 12 years old, with the score for children being higher. They compared the game to ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' (1991) by
Konami , is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...
, writing that the graphics and sound were better in ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', but ''Kirby's Adventure'' had better animation and was more original. Some reviewers complained that the character sprites, especially Kirby's, were too small. Retrospective reviews for the game's rerelease on the Wii Virtual Console were likewise positive. ''
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'' called it one of the best NES games, and one of the system's greatest visual and auditory technical achievements. ''
Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson. Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EGX ...
'' believed it to be one of the best ''Kirby'' games, and agreed with ''IGN'''s sentiments, writing "Kirby's first and only NES outing is undeniably charming and, with its parallax scrolling and colourful characters, really showcases just how much juice developers were squeezing from the tiny system towards the end of its life." ''Racketboy'' notes the advanced visuals: "...the rich colors do not attempt to emulate 16 bit, but instead try to make 8 bit as beautiful as possible." ''
Nintendo Life Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British mass media company based in Brighton. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and other ...
'' and ''
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'' agreed that the game pushed the NES's technical capabilities. The game's other elements were commended as they were in 1993, including the game's originality, cuteness, and stage variety. ''GameSpot'' wrote that ''Kirby's Adventure'' had stood the test of time well, although they felt the game was somewhat short and easy. Others also criticized the game for its length and lack of challenge. For the 3D Classics rerelease, the 3D effect added into the game was seen as underwhelming compared to games like ''
Excitebike is a motocross racing video game developed and published by Nintendo. In Japan, it was released for the Famicom in 1984 and then ported to arcades as ''Vs. Excitebike'' for the Nintendo Vs. System later that year. In North America, it was ini ...
'' and ''
TwinBee is a vertically scrolling shooter released by Konami as an arcade video game in 1985 in Japan. Along with Sega's ''Fantasy Zone'', released a year later, ''TwinBee'' is credited as an early archetype of the " cute 'em up" type in its genre. It w ...
'' which took greater advantage of parallax and depth effects.


''Nightmare in Dream Land''

The new graphics made for the GBA remake were well received. ''GameSpot'' highlighted the multiple layers of scrolling, transparency effects, and other visual flare as an improvement over the original. However, they did not think the game was visually up to par with other GBA games such as ''
Yoshi's Island ''Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island'' is a 1995 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The player controls Yoshi, a friendly dinosaur, on a quest to reunite baby Mario with his ...
'' and '' Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance''. The new minigames and multiplayer modes were also praised for adding new replay value. Since the main gameplay and level design was borrowed from the original, it was generally commended but with some criticism again directed toward its short length and easiness. ''GameSpy'' wrote: "the simplicity means you can enjoy it as a light snack instead of a main course such as ''
Metroid Fusion is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance in 2002. It was developed by Nintendo Research & Development 1, which had developed the previous game in the series, ''Super Metroid'' (1994). Players contr ...
'' or ''Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance.''" They thought the game would be best enjoyed by children watching the anime airing on television at the time, '' Kirby: Right Back at Ya!''. ''GameSpot'' agreed, explaining the game was not as deep as ''Metroid Fusion'' or ''Yoshi's Island'', but was suited for "younger players or the young at heart." ''Eurogamer'' found it difficult to recommend the game at full price because it was only a remake and also a short game.


Legacy

Game journalists have consistently listed ''Kirby's Adventure'' among the best NES games. ''
Official Nintendo Magazine ''Official Nintendo Magazine'', or ''ONM'', was a British video game magazine that ran from 2006 to 2014 that covered the Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, and Wii U video game consoles released by Nintendo. Originally published by EMAP as ''N ...
'' listed it as the 69th best game on a Nintendo console in 2009, and ''IGN'' ranked it as 84th on a similar list of best "Nintendo games". In August 2006, ''Next Generation'' ranked ''Nightmare in Dream Land'' as the 17th best handheld video game of the 2000s. The Copy Ability introduced in ''Kirby's Adventure'' would go on to become a staple mechanic in Kirby's move repertoire. The game was also the first ''Kirby'' game to introduce unlockables for finding certain items hidden throughout the levels, which again became a recurring theme in later games. Meta Knight became a recurring playable character in the ''
Super Smash Bros. ''Super Smash Bros.'' is a Crossover (fiction), crossover fighting game series published by Nintendo. The series was created by Masahiro Sakurai, who has directed every game in the series. The series is known for its unique gameplay objectiv ...
'' series, starting with ''
Super Smash Bros. Brawl ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' is a 2008 List of crossovers in video games, crossover fighting game, fighting video game developed by Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Wii. The third installment in the Super Smash Bros., ''Super Smash ...
'' in 2008. The multiplayer mode in the remake ''Nightmare in Dream Land'' would reprise the yellow coloration used for a second-player Kirby in ''
Kirby's Dream Course ''Kirby's Dream Course'' is a 1994 sports video game, miniature golf video game developed by HAL Laboratory and Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). A spin-off of the ''Kirby (series), Kirby'' ...
'' (1994), itself the initial coloration for Kirby proposed by
Shigeru Miyamoto is a Japanese video game designer, producer and game director at Nintendo, where he serves as one of its representative directors. Widely regarded as one of the most accomplished and influential designers in the history of video games, he is ...
before the original ''Kirby's Adventure''s release. In subsequent games, a yellow color palette would become a recurring colorization for multiplayer Kirbys in the ''
Kirby Kirby may refer to: Buildings * Kirby Building, a skyscraper in Dallas, Texas, United States * Kirby Hall, an Elizabethan country house near Corby, Northamptonshire, England * Kirby House (disambiguation), various houses in England and the Unit ...
'' and ''
Super Smash Bros. ''Super Smash Bros.'' is a Crossover (fiction), crossover fighting game series published by Nintendo. The series was created by Masahiro Sakurai, who has directed every game in the series. The series is known for its unique gameplay objectiv ...
'' series, often as the default color for the second player.


Notes


References


External links

* *
Official Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land minisite (Japanese)
{{Portal bar, Video games, 1990s 1993 video games HAL Laboratory games Kirby (series) platform games Nintendo 3DS eShop games Nintendo Entertainment System games Side-scrolling platform games Video game sequels Video games about magic Video games about shapeshifting Video games developed in Japan Virtual Console games for Wii Virtual Console games for Wii U Nintendo Switch Online NES games Video games directed by Masahiro Sakurai Video games scored by Hirokazu Ando Video games scored by Jun Ishikawa Single-player video games