Kirby's Dream Land

"A great way to kill an hour."

Kirby's Dream Land came out several years ago (I remember it being in the issue of Nintendo Power with Mario Paint on the cover-and that was quite a long time ago), and reading about it, I thought, "I have to have that game." It turned out to not be quite as good as I hoped, but then, I still have it, and play it.

The game is about this little fluff ball named Kirby. The place where Kirby lives is in danger from an evil bad guy. An inspired story? Not hardly. But then, the story doesn't really matter all that much.

The graphics are simple, but they do the job. Everything in the game is really, really cute. Even the bosses trying to destroy you (and under one circumstance, succeeding) are nauseatingly cute. But then, as you're playing, it doesn't really matter all that much.

The controls are simple: tap A and Kirby jumps. Tap B and Kirby inhales. If he gets something, tap B again to blast it out. Tap up or A twice and Kirby flies. Not exactly complex.

The gameplay is also simple: Inhale, blast out, and do it again. And fly occasionally. That's really all it is, but it's strangely engrossing. Do it through five worlds. An unashamedly simple game, but it's not so simple it'll bore you.

One big problem with the game is that it's incredibly, excruciatingly easy. This is easily remedied by a code which increases the difficulty. So, if you have the code (you get it when you beat the game), the game lasts even longer.

Basically, this isn't the best or most balanced game, but if you've got an hour to kill (say, on an airplane or something) this is one way to spend it.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99