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Saturday 26 January, 2008
GAMEPLAY:
During my second play period I found the difficulty increasing, especially during the boss battles. I got my first "game over" fighting the second boss in the game, and my second directly after the second boss. However, I didn't find it terribly frustrating to get a game over, if only because the boss battles and subsequent levels were so different from one another. I also felt that the bosses weren't arbitrarily hard; that is to say, I had to use my mind to figure out a way to beat them, rather than slugging it out in an endurance battle. This is something I particularly enjoy in a game.
I don't know if it's proper to point out 'originality' in a 14 year old game, especially since I don't know what was genuinely new with the game, but I feel that based on how different the individual levels are from one another, the game itself must have been something new and exciting for a platformer. I never felt like things were getting repetitive, but then, I haven't played the whole game through to find out.
So far, a fun, fun, fun game!
DESIGN:
On the design side of things, I have one immediate criticism - the game overstresses the NES hardware with regularity, to the point where the slowdown hinders gameplay. This is particularly noticeable with Kirby's special attacks when several enemies are on-screen.
I had assumed that with console games (as opposed to PC games) the hardware capabilities of the system are uniform; that is to say, the developers know exactly what they have to work with before they even know what game they want to make. To make a game that doesn't suit the system one is working with is a bit silly, especially in this case; Kirby's Adventure came out four years after the Super Nintendo was introduced; the hardware was available to make the game run smoothly and then some.
In terms of gameplay design, however, the game is nothing short of excellent. As with any platformer, the focus should be on the design and progression of the levels, and with Kirby's Adventure we can see a careful design philosophy at work.
As with most platformers, the game is broken up into several worlds; each world has from 4-6 individual levels, along with a boss. Each world has a theme, the most obvious example of this being the Butter Building; the player works his way up to the top through a series of levels that take place both inside and outside the building.
Where Kirby's Adventure stands out is with Kirby's attacks. Kirby has the ability to suck certain enemies into his mouth and thereby steal their attack. By this method, he can gain the ability to burn, freeze, crush, roll over, hammer, or spike his enemies - and those are just the attacks I can remember off the top of my head. Not only are there many attacks, but some secret areas can be accessed based on what particular attack you have at the time. It is a unique game element, well-executed - much like the rest of the game. An excellent, well designed, well executed platformer all around.
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