"A unique entry to the pink puffs' series"

The majority of Kirby games (published by Nintendo; developed by HAL Laboratory) have usually been 2D (or 2 1/2 D platformers;e.g Kirby 64), but when Nintendo unveilved Kirby's Tilt 'n' Tumble, it took the crown as one of the most unique games ever (well, from me, but others probably think that, too!), as it ditches the controller and uses new 'tilt technology'. Read on.

-VISUALS: Visually, Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble is pretty. Lush, vivid worlds, those classic Kirby villains, like Waddle Dees, have fluid animation, and KIRBY'S MOVEMENTS LOOK VERY DONE AND ANIMATED VERY WELL.No complain. Your eyes will thank you.

-SOUND: Kirby's soundtrack features basic tunes that obviously fit in Kirby's happy-go-lucky universe. SOMETIMES IT CAN BE ANNOYING, though. But the sound-effects sound great. And Kirby's digitized voice really adds character to this game. Pretty cool.

-GAMEPLAY: Kirby's Tilt 'n' Tumble marks new ingenious ideas in the Kirby universes. For one thing, the levels are top-down isometric, unlike the other Kirby's side scrolling fare. And the other is you move the Game Boy Color (or Game Boy Advance, whatever you're playing on) instead of pushing buttons.

At the start, Kirby TNT asks you to straighten out the tilting. Put the GB flat and select it. This can mess with the tilting if you're holding the GB the wrong way. Now onto the game. The game worlds are like Kurby, though, with about 6 planets, filled with levels to complete, bosses to defeat, and mini-games to score. It is very enjoyable. Except it is NOT as easy as it sounds. KIRBY DEMANDS PRECISE MOVEMENT, so playing in a calm area will work better then in a bumpy one. Playing in a car will screw up your actions (believe me, I know). Kirby moves several ways, by tilting the GB and by flipping it in the air, Kirby jumps. The only downfall to jumping is that you'll have to flip the screen as well, and you'll probably lose track of what you're doing, which might 'cause death sometimes. And if you have 0 patience for games, then I recommend you stay away from this. You'll have to replay levels over and over to get it right, which demands concentration and much patience. MANY LEVELS MADE ME WANT TO THROW THE GAME BOY OUT THE WINDOW. But after awhile, you'll get the hang of it, and discover that Kirby is very enjoyable. But the controller is still used a bit in Kirby. The control pad controls the camera, which is very handy.

The mini-games, which can be accessed by nabbin' blue stars in levels. THEY ARE VERY FUN, and quite addictive. They'll warrant some replay value from the player.

-CONTROLS: Despite its ingenious play design, Kirby sometimes trips on its own design, and it can 'cause some painfully tough movements to make.

-OVERALL: Despite its difficulty, those who make it to the end will be rewarded with a rich and ingenious platformer. For those who want a change, track Kirby's Tilt 'n' Tumble down! -Jaxijin

-SCORECHART:
-Difficult: 8 (1 = easy, 10 = insanely hard)
-Best Feature: Neat idea
-Worst Feature: Some TOUGH levels
-VISUALS:9/10 -ORIGINALITY:10/10
-SOUND:8/10 -REPLAY:7/10
-CONTROLS:7/10 -OVERALL:8/10
-The VERDICT: RENT IT first. It may be what you're not looking for.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/23/03, Updated 03/23/03