We all have those mistakes. Mine was trading in my old NES for Final Fantasy VIII. And a used copy at that. But it wasn’t Super Mario 3 that I missed the most, it was another platformer I had picked up called Kirby’s Adventure.
Flash-forward to E3 2005, where Nintendo famously let loose the first key details about Wii (then the Revolution), particularly the Virtual Console service. After wasting most of the previous weekend being led down dead ends in my search for a particular ROM, the idea of an iTunes-like store to buy and download any of Nintendo’s old games was like… well, hearing about iTunes for the first time. Finally, I could rectify my mistake from two years earlier…
Many of you are probably wondering why I pine so longingly for Kirby. What about The Legend of Zelda which you can buy now? Too long, too frustrating, and there’s the Lost Woods. What about Super Mario Brothers? Yes, I miss Super Mario Brothers too, but it’s a given. What about Metroid, Kid Icarus, or any of the other cult classics? Why Kirby?
First, Kirby’s Adventure is fun. Plain and simple. Not many games from this time period let you fly to get around puzzles, let alone absorb abilities from your enemies. Second, the game is expansive. There are at least six different worlds, each with several levels and minigames to boot. Third, powerups. One minute you’re throwing razor-sharp boomerangs, the next you’re a fireball, and the next you’re a floating UFO shooting laser beams. Don’t like what you’ve got? Press select and find a new one. But my personal favorite is the surprise ending, where [spoiler deleted] and you find out that [spoiler deleted].
My memory is failing me, so I’ll save the details for my full review. Suffice it to say that Kirby’s Adventure impressed me as not only a fun game for the NES, but also a technologically advanced game. While this wasn’t Kirby’s first game (that was Kirby’s Dream Land on the Game Boy), it was where Kirby solidified his presence as one of Nintendo’s key franchises. If you like Kirby or are just curious about his origins, then this game will certainly give you your $5.00 worth.
