Kirby's Dream Course

"A fun, unique game even to this day"

As the video gamer looks through his video game collection through the years, he realizes two things. He realizes that video games have changed a lot since their opening days. It went from a world of quick and simple arcade games to a world of deep role-playing games and adventure games; even action and shooting games are far more complex than anyone's ever imagined. He also realizes that, in many ways, video games have hardly changed at all. He still gets delight from jumping around like a maniac as Mario; he still gives himself a pat on the back for finding that last small key in Zelda, and he still runs like a bat out of heck in the timed sequence at the beginning of Metroid. While video games have reached new heights, the roots from which they have come are still in the solid ground beneath it. Now, with the improvements video games have made over the ages, some people speculate whether or not the classics are even worth revisiting. In some ways, video games are flat-out better today than they were years ago. However, some classics out there were oddballs in the bunch. These games were hardly imitated by later games, and thus, the style died out. It is rather strange. No matter how much appeal the game has, it is too exotic for others to copy it. This was the case with one game known simply as Kirby's Dream Course.

Coming from HAL and Nintendo, Kirby's Dream Course is a Super Nintendo game that was released in America in 1994 and then 1995 in Europe. Though it's coming from a familiar pink dude, this game is a very unique breed. While many games can be considered evolved forms of past games, this Kirby game was its own exclusive style. Imagine the world of Kirby colliding with that of mini-golf, and that is this game in a nutshell.

The goal of each level is quite simple. Kirby must hit all but one of the enemies in the course by rolling or bouncing. Then, the final enemy will turn into a hole. Shoot Kirby in and the hole is complete.

While this concept sounds stupidly easy, Dream Course may, in fact, be the most complicated game in which our little pink puff ball has ever appeared. Every shot can be planned out to almost absolute certainty. Before making the shot, the player can scope out his or her surroundings with the Y Button. Then, it is up to the player to choose either a ground shot or a fly shot. In addition to that, a spin can be placed upon Kirby. The guideline will show what change is made depending on the amount of spin. By using the spin with a fly shot, a very technical shot can be formed. However, the guideline will not dictate the entire shot.

After it has been planned, a power meter will appear. If the player is able to stop it at max power, Kirby shall follow the guideline without flaw. If the player under-hits it, Kirby will, respectively, cover less ground and spin off trail. A weak shot, if planned properly, will fit the scenario correctly; but do not expect a guideline to help the player much here. After the shot is made, the A Button can be used to gain extra power, a very important skill in later stages.

It just would not be a Kirby game without powers, and Dream Course does not fail us here. By hitting certain enemies, Kirby can gain abilities to help him through the course. These powers include hi-jump, which, unsurprisingly, allows Kirby to jump high in the direction he is heading. There is also the parasol ability, which in air, slows Kirby's descent and can be steered by the player; on ground, it slows our pink dude to a stop. Abilities such as spark, wheel, stone, freeze, tornado, needle, fireball, and, my personal favorite, UFO, an ability that puts the player in controlled hovering for ten seconds, also make an appearance in this mini-golf spin-off. No ability goes to waste as they are carefully woven into each course.

Kirby's Dream Course features whimsical level design for which the pink blob is so well known. Every course is brimming with different tricks and traps to give players curve balls. There are spike panels, warp panels, ponds, trampolines, conveyor belts, and much more to be found in each level of the game. Plus, do not be shocked to see Gordo and Kracko make an appearance. With all of these, there is never a dull moment; every shot must be planned accordingly. There are even switches that vary these elements of the course! All of these add fun and the spices of the risk to the game.

The player cannot recklessly shoot his or her way through all of the levels in the game, for Kirby has a health meter. This meter, presented as some tomatoes, slightly drops for every shot taken. It can be recovered in a number of ways, however. Eliminating a foe and clearing a hole are the standard methods. Kirby also has lives, which are taken away if his health meter reaches zero or he falls off the course. They can be regained through only one method, and that is scoring a hole-in-one.

There is enough content found in Kirby's Dream Course that the developers found it necessary to put in a demo mode. In this mode, all of the concepts found in the game are explained and shown in great detail. While some may dislike the length of the tutorial, it will help greatly in the end to grasp all of the concepts at hand.

Another feature worthy of notice is the unique member registration used. Most games just list the files with their corresponding number and stats. Some will allow the player to input a name. Kirby's Dream Course, however, allows the player to draw a picture to label their file out of the five available. There are even stamp tools to help the player do so. While it is not a monumental feature, it is a cute add-in that further helps this game to stand out amongst the crowd.

Gamers who enjoy just making it from the beginning to the end of a game should be satisfied by Kirby's health system. However, gamers who enjoy going for the best score (which is the lowest, in this case), can have tons of fun here. The game awards medals depending upon the quality of the player's performance, and these said medals can be used to unlock extra courses. Receiving these medals is no easy task; the game demands very low scores to earn them. A hole-in-one is possible on over half of the courses, so perfectionists and the elitists can have all sorts of fun paving the perfect path to victory. The hardcore will get much delight out of the scoring system, and the more casual can still get enough bang for their buck from the eight standard single-player courses, each with eight holes, without having to reach perfection.

The pursuit for a perfect score can sometimes cause frustration, sitting right next to the cup on the final hole after only slightly screwing up a shot, or getting knocked off the course and being given additional points, and more. Such annoyances are relatively unavoidable in a game based upon mini-golf, but are still apparent enough to deduct some fun from Kirby's Dream Course. Out of such a gleaming video game, this is the most apparent flaw. It can be overcome, however, with some determination and patience packed along.

As though Kirby's Dream Course has not served us enough, there is also a two-player mode included in the mix. It begins with four different courses, each with eight holes. Every course serves up a unique experience; it does not at all borrow from the single-player game. Players begin with a dice roll to determine the turn order, and then any handicaps that need to be set can be put into place. In the game itself, players earn points by defeating enemies. Once an enemy is defeated, a star is left in its place. The opposing player can steal the point by going through the star, but it can be taken right back. Whoever lands in the hole receives two points and goes first on the next hole. Players can swap abilities by ramming into one another (even if one has no power), and can take life away from each other using the said abilities. This well-executed system allows for heated and fun competition between both veterans and newbies alike.

The graphics in Kirby's Dream Course were perfectly fine in the days of old and still have the hand-drawn appeal today. The game obviously uses a semi-3-D style to implement the game play correctly. The music of Kirby's mini-golf outing is the upbeat style we have come to expect from the puff ball.

Kirby's Dream Course is like a lone rose in a field of sunflowers. Though a rose is always prettier, its complexion singling it out makes it even a better flower to behold. This Kirby game is extremely different from any video game ever to appear on the market. Even after ten years, it still has yet to be evolved in an acceptable style. Its loner stance among all of the games out there makes it worth the purchase alone. Those seeking something different from the other thousands upon thousands of games out there do not need to wait for a revolution, for Kirby's Dream Course offers it all. Like wine, it has become even better with age. What was a cute and unique game in its time can now be considered an oasis in the desert with the lack of new ideas afloat. No matter what skill level, this is a Super Nintendo classic that just about any gamer can enjoy for even more years to come.

Closing Comment: Dream Course is a one-of-a-kind Kirby experience that survives the test of time with amazing grace.

Verdict: 9.4/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/05/07