Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble

"The cartridge is pink, and it doesn't fit in those little cases!"

Kirby Tilt 'n Tumble is the only game released in the United States to feature a tilt sensor. The game utilizes the sensor to figure out which way the Game Boy is tilted, and moves Kirby accordingly. If you jerk the Game Boy in a flipping motion, it makes Kirby jump. There are 2 run-throughs, each with a similar 32 levels in 8 worlds, and the objective is to tilt Kirby, who takes the form of a ball, to the exit in each one. Because of the unique method of control, the game takes some getting used to, but after you get accustomed to it, it's extremely easy.

The graphics in this game are traditional Kirby fare: bright and colorful. They look nice and are not overly cluttered or confusing, and it is easy to distinguish different things apart.

The levels are well-designed, and none of them have any inherent flaws that I can think of, but as stated before, the game is incredibly easy -- the levels are short and rarely full of obstacles, unless you count wall-less edges as obstacles. In fact, there are so many wall-less edges that you will rarely lose a life from being hit too much; you will find yourself falling off edges 100+ times more often.

There are also minigames, which can be accessed in mid game if you find a blue star, or at any time after beating the game. The minigames are simplistic -- in fact, they feel like they were originally sensor tests, especially since each one has its own title screen and copyright date -- and a couple of them are pretty boring, but one of them (Kirby's Burst-A-Balloon) is downright addicting, especially once you start playing it on the second run-through, where it becomes a test of endurance instead of accuracy. (In fact, that minigame is the only reason I gave this game a 7 instead of a 6.) I personally have spent many hours trying to boost my highscore to over 200,000.

A word of caution: Because of the way the tilt-sensor works, this game will not work properly on a GBA SP. Also, if you play it on a normal GBA, you will have to tilt the GBA a lot more than with a GBC when you are trying to move horizontally, because of the horizontal shape of the GBA. The best way to play this game is with a GBC.

Overall Score: 7 for a short game that is somewhat redeemed by the sweet balloon minigame.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/17/03