It's amazing how giving Kirby a dash and a sword really changes the game.

My journey through Masahiro Sakurai's games continues with Kirby's Adventure!

This is the introduction of Kirby's well known copy ability and it very much changes the game. Combined with Kirby's dash and slide have transformed Kirby from a simple platformer to an action game. It can be very frenetic, with the combat having an arcade like quality to it. I had so much fun going through stages as fast as I could.

That arcade quality extends beyond combat though. Kirby's Adventure has a smattering of minigames. Each level ends with a minigame where you can score bonus points (and lives). There's a claw machine minigame to score extra lives, a cowboy themed showdown game and an egg collecting minigame meant to test your reflexes, and finally an arena, which allows you to fight a miniboss. There's a decent amount of variety to the side stuff in this game, something that would carry on to many of Sakurai's future games.

Kirby's Adventure is much grander than it's Gameboy predecessor. There are 6 levels per world and some feel very extensive towards the end. Its art direction and music are still as lively and charming as ever. If I had any complaints, they would be that some minibosses get reused a bit too much and that losing your copy ability after getting hit once was annoying.

I love Kirby's Adventure. I've tried this game before but never really gave it its due. But I have now and its become a new favorite of mine.

If Kirby's Dream Land was the game that introduced Kirby, then Kirby's Adventure is the game that defined Kirby. So many series staples debuted here. The Copy Abilities (which is my favorite power-up system in any video game series ever), Meta Knight's introduction, the first letter of each world having an acronym, and of course how could we forget the Lovecraftian horror final boss?? All of this topped off with the single BEST looking game on the NES. I've never wanted to EAT an 8-bit game quite like this one before. It looks delicious.

The only things that are holding this one back for me are the obnoxiously stiff controls and the UNGODLY slowdown. These aspects combined resulted in me taking more damage than I'd like to admit. Being the technical powerhouse of your time has its drawbacks I suppose. Even still, Kirby's Adventure is a certified hood classic and one of the best games on the NES

i think kirby got worse with the addition of copy abilities? okay, i'm being facetious. but like, i do think this game isn't as good as Kirby's Dream Land (1992, GB). while the previous title is short and full of charm, like it's really all there in the first game. and this is still pretty good! even more of the kirby genetics are found here, most of the copy abilities you already know, and man does this play just as good as any of the other games. my issues come from a place of complexity. the previous game is almost as good in a lot of ways, and does it with less complexity and fewer levels. not to say the game really overstays its welcome, but i appreciated how succinct the first game was.

i know this is a lot of (comparative) bashing of Kirby's Adventure, but it's a good game! go play it, nes games are free and it's super short. a good time, just a (very slight) step down from its predecessor. i expect the future kirby games will find new ways to use the mechanics in more interesting ways.

I've played this one before, via Nightmare in Dreamland for the GBA; a remake of this classic. I'll just start right now by saying if you have that version handy, that is the better version in my opinion just in terms of controls.

Graphically, this game is insane for being on the NES. I actually played through this because friends of ours got my wife a blanket from this and I had to replay it but on the NES.

I will say, having played it before I did not find this difficult at all, only having trouble with re-wiring my brain to the fact you press up to float rather than just multi pressing A. That took some adjustment but wasn't dealbreaking for me.

Overall, good if you don't have access to Nightmare in Dreamland; but if you do have Nightmare I wholly recommend you play that instead.

Peak.

No idea how this is running on an NES. The pixel art here is beautiful. There’s colors and effects here that are mind-boggling for the time. Some of Kirby’s animations are so butter smooth they feel like they were made yesterday. Amazingly detailed and crisp. Responsive.

Aesthetically dreamlike, but mechanically very modern. Kirby’s expanded moveset is complemented by his iconic copy ability, which I’d never really experienced until now – but yes, its legacy precedes it. Also, the slide ability was a welcome addition, and further elevated by its synergy with Kirby’s copy abilities (sliding with the Sword ability is a great fusion of moves).

Playing with all the copy abilities is the main highlight. Tremendously fun to just be able to steal enemy’s attacks and turn them back around on Kirby’s opponents. Learning how each one works is also rewarding. Abilities like Sword or Laser are self-explanatory, but then powers like “Ball” or “High Jump” might seem useless until you learn these usually deal damage during certain animations, which makes them feasible to bring into most levels.

World 7 was a big highlight. Incredible art with genuinely challenging levels. Plus a Dream Land throwback in the second game?! Such a charming level. The visuals for the final boss are amazing, appropriately climactic, otherworldly, and menacing.

My only criticism is that controls are not as responsive as I would’ve liked, I felt like there were some actions where my inputs wouldn’t register (although rarely). Some slowdown here and there. Some brutal instadeath pits.

All in all, though? I don’t think it’s enough to dock a point. Impossible not to be happy while playing this one. Supremely satisfying. My new favorite NES game.