Kirby's Dream Land

"Kirby's debut was very cool."

Here is a fun action game that can appeal to kids as well as higher age groups. Kirby's Dream Land was one of those games that you just didn't want to stop playing until you beat it. It didn't have many reasons to play it over and over again, but it sure was fun playing through.

Story: 3
Save the land from King Dedede and his monsters, two of which are named Lololo and Lalala. Good thing this game is great despite the story.

Gameplay: 9
Very fun action! Kirby has a lot of cool abilities and power ups which he uses against his enemies, such as sucking them up and spitting them out at each other or inhaling a lot of air and shooting a blast of wind. Inhaling air also lets Kirby fly, something he will have to do quite often. Sometimes the sections of a level are separated by special warp stars which you jump on and let carry you to the next area. One cool thing about the stages is that there are some doors that you don't have to enter which hold special items and power ups. Bosses are varied and take special techniques to defeat, keeping things interesting. One bad thing about the game, however, is that it's not that challenging (at least the first time you play).

Graphics: 9
When this game first came out, it had some of the best graphics on the GB. Everything ran fast and smoothly. Kirby was also well animated (it's funny to make him run into walls and fall from high distances). I also particularly liked how they made Kirby get on a warp star and fly off the screen, then you saw the star in the distance taking you to the next area.

Sound/Music: 8
The sound effects were quite good, being that they sounded fitting for the action they were attached to. The music was also good. Nothing memorable, but were fun to listen to while playing through the game, plus fitting required moods well.

Control: 10
Despite Kirby's many abilities, they are all performed easily. Nothing wrong here.

Replay Value: 3
When you beat the game, you get a code that lets you play at a higher difficulty level, but after that there isn't much left. It is worth playing through the higher level; you get a different ending.

Bottom Line?
If you like action games, then you definitely need to pick this one up, plus its sequels. It's solid fun, pure and simple, which is why I give it an 8.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/06/01, Updated 07/06/01