I’ve always loved that the NES generation was so different from Hollywood. The defining features of a big Hollywood production are muscle-ripped heroes and leading ladies with perfect smiles. But many of the NES’s best games were very different from this formula; can anyone think of a certain fat plumber? Appearing in over a dozen games, Kirby is bizarre. As a big pink circle with a happy smile, Kirby is as strange as a hero could be. While Kirby’s Adventure wasn’t the first Kirby game*, it is the epitome of retro gaming.
In Kirby’s Adventure, Kirby sucks/eats through his enemies in a dementedly happy setting to find and restore the pieces of the Star Rod. Kirby doesn’t just defeat his enemies, he has an impressive, vampiric talent to suck their abilities as well. As the game goes along, players obtain a variety of different special attacks from the baddies they face. Varied abilities and interesting level design make this game addictively entertaining.
Kirby’s Adventure’s 1993 release was late in the NES’s life cycle, after even the 1991 SNES debut. Kirby’s Adventure is a summation of gaming from a golden era. It is both fun and involving, yet like many games of its time, Kirby’s Adventure leaves you with panging questions such as, “What exactly is this floating pink thing anyway?” or “Where did they come up with naughty King Dedede?”
Play or Stay: Despite being from the long ago gaming past, Kirby’s Adventure has superb gameplay. Most of all however, it is simply fun. If you’re a fan of the pink hooligan, or if you just enjoy games, the answer is an easy PLAY!
* Kirby appeared a year earlier on the Game Boy.