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Friday 15 February, 2008
“Kirby's Adventure" (NES)
GameLog entry #2:
GAMEPLAY
As I continued to play, I realized that what makes "Kirby's Adventure" special to me is Kirby and his game world. To play the game is to enter an innocent, delicate, magic circle that is quite enveloping. A world has been created here that exists entirely apart from reality, but that is as comforting as some fluffy dream you had when you were two.
Something I noticed during this gameplay session is that, unlike some of the Mario games for the NES, one could conceivably play through the game, unlocking levels as fast as possible, attempting to avoid (rather than vanquish) enemies, but a lot of the fun of the game would be lost to the player who takes this approach. I note that this is possible because so far, the levels have been much less restrictive in terms of moving from beginning to end than any of the Mario games.
DESIGN
There are seven levels in the game, and within each are multiple sub-levels that must be completed in a linear fashion to unlock subsequent sub-levels. There are also bonus games sprinkled throughout "Kirby's Adventure." One of the more interesting design elements in the game is that Kirby can steal his enemy's abilities (there are dozens to acquire). The other design element that I found succeeded is Kirby's ability to inhale an enemy, then spit him out in the form of a star that can destroy another enemy or break a block. The boss design is particularly inspired--Kirby must usually use whatever the boss is hurling at him against him by inhaling the object and spitting it back at him (giving the boss a dose of his own medicine).
Kirby can do so many things--fly, swim, jump, squat, slide--it's a wonder he manages to stay as round as he does. Actually, so many abilities--for Kirby, as well as abilities Kirby acquires from enemies--keep the game challenging, varied, and fun. This is a wonderful game.
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