Kirby & the Amazing Mirror

"Some parts rock, other parts don't"

This Review WILL contain spoilers, don't read it if you don't want minor spoilers revealed, such as the bosses and kirby-techniques

Firstly, this is a great game, yet Nintendo tried to add too many new features. Kirby is unique because of its fun, yet simple, gameplay. All this "cell phone" stuff with 4 Kirbies is a "Four Swords"(Zelda) pun gone horribly wrong.

Graphics: 9/10
Very colorful, in every map you can find every color of the rainbow. However, not too flashy, as the colors blend smoothly.

Sound: 6/10
You can't deny this, sound effects will get annoying after a while. But these sounds work with the game, not making anything too off. If you punch something, a punching sound will play. If you die, the trademark Kirby "You Died" jingle will play. It was catchy at first, but after a dozen kirby games, it's gotten irritating.

Music: 8/10
The music was beautiful. It was cheery, vibrant and bright. Each song was themed to fit the map perfectly. A tropical song in the beach, or a suspensful song at a boss.

Gameplay: 7/10
The game was awkward. The four kirbies thing is irritating and mostly useless. I have gotten far into the game by simply "ditching" the 3 extra Kirbies in an extra map, and only calling them when they're needed for a puzzle.
However, the game brought back the wonderful attacks from Kirby Superstar (No doubt the best Kirby game), with new techniques and improvements on the old ones. My personal favorites are the FIGHTER, SWORD, CUPID and HAMMER techniques.
Another irritating thing came in to mind. This may not bother too many people, but to a Kirby fanatic like me, it does. The first boss in the game is "Master Golem". In most Kirby games, the first boss is Whispy Woods. A giant tree who drops apples and spits sap-bubbles. Master Golem drops rocks (and sometimes Gordos, the spiky indestructible balls with eyes) and spits Golems. This is basically a tougher version of Whispy Woods. Numerous bosses from other games make cameos as well in this game, modified. The Painter Boss from Kirbys Adventure is now a Magic Hat, with the exact same paintings. Again, not bothersome to some, but to Kirby fans like me, it is.
One of my favorite additions to the game is the BAD GUY HEALTH. No longer can you kill badguys in one hit. Well, actually, you can, but the health meter makes you feel like you're doing a lot of damage. Some badguys take 2 hits to kill, some 3, some 4 or more. Some bad guys even go insane and attack you when their health is low.

Overall: 7/10
The game had its ups and downs, overall I found it to be an O.K. game. It's not the best Kirby game, yet it isn't the worst. I'd recommend to get this game when the price lowers, or if you have enough cash and willing to spend it, now.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/30/04