Kirby's Dream Land

"A fun, simple game."

You're sitting around the house, bored. So what do you do? Well, pick up your GameBoy, pop in Kirby's Dream Land, and relax.

Graphics: 8 out of 10. They're cute. Nothing really spectacular (for the GameBoy, obviously) but they're pretty good. The ending is pretty nice looking.

Sound: 8 out of 10. The music is okay, not really memorable but it won't get on your nerves. The sound effects, from Kirby inhaling an enemy or a block to spitting out flames, are well done.

Story: 1 out of 10. Ehh... Kirby goes around fighting monsters to get to King DeDeDe, a big evil duck. That's some compelling stuff.

Control/Gameplay: 10 out of 10. The control is so simple, I picked up the game after not playing for months and it took about 30 seconds for me to master it. You just move Kirby around, and kill enemies by inhaling them or spitting at them with blocks or other enemies you just inhaled. You can also inhale air to float. The gameplay is just making your way through five levels, each with a boss. Level five has you go through mini-versions of the first four, finding another Kirby to open a door. Enter, and you have to fight that level's boss once again. Clear all four, and you face King DeDeDe. All in all, it will take under an hour.

Replay Value: 6 out of 10. The same's simple and easy, but it's also an effective time killer. I've played through it a few times, and still enjoy it. And once you beat it the regular way, yit gives you a button combination for a harder game which will take you a bit longer to get through.

Overall Score: 6.6, rounds to a 7. Overall, just a fun little game. Easy to get the hang of, and not difficult. If you like Kirby, but want more than an hour of play, check out Kirby's Dream Lan 2, which is a lot longer and has more features.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/23/00, Updated 01/23/00