Who can't resist that
lovable poke-type-guy? Ever since the pink little marshmallow
rolled out on the original Game Boy and later on the NES, he has
been a Nintendo icon. In fact, "Nightmare in Dreamland " is actually a remake of the NES
version (without the clipping and poor performance).
The "hook" that Kirby brings to the console scene is his
ability to inhale enemies and do a variety of things with them. This
can be anything from pressing "down" to mimic the enemy's ability, to
pressing "B" to exhale them as a lethal projectile star. No matter how you play
it, one has to respect the ingenuity of the games premise. This simple concept
of using enemies abilities, truly makes Kirby a unique game.
Once you get over the "gosh
that is so cool" rush, you'll soon discover that the game was
made for one simple reason: FUN. Nightmare in Dreamland was
refreshing from the moment I popped it in. The whimsical levels
literally breezed by and I lost count of how many levels I
passed within the first five minutes of play. The levels are laid out just like a
classic 2D platformer, which is a nice change of pace in the current
3d trend of video gaming. This 2d platformer just oozes with old-school goodness.
There aren't any secret switches to pull, no torches to light and I
never had to think about strategy. This is why I enjoyed the game.
Far too often a gamer gets bogged down with the seriousness of
gameplay. Games are sometimes just too complex and honestly destroy
what gaming is all about... having fun.
With that said, if anyone
over-analyzes Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland; the game would easily
fall below the average mark. Why? Well, from an analytical point of
view, the game is just poorly designed. The levels are so short, and
so easily beaten that any doofus could zip through them. The
short-n-sweet levels wouldn't be so bad if you couldn't cheat. On
about 75% of the levels you can simply float at the top to avoid any
sort of enemy encounter. I was surprised that it was that obvious, and was
disgusted a bit with the developers for letting something so obvious
slide through the cracks. If developers wanted to provide a game
where any age level could compete that would be fine. But I highly
doubt the majority of the people playing it would opt for the "long
way around" instead of the quick fly away technique.
The second thing that
bothered me was the dubious nature of the storyline. From what I
gathered, some froglike guy snagged the magic star rod and you have
to get it back so people can sleep without nightmares. To be honest,
I didn't even find that out until I beat the game. So as you beat
different bosses you'll get back pieces of the star rod...you can
figure out the rest.
This leads me to my next
gripe. The game isn't just short, it's pathetically short. The game
can easily be completed in under five hours. I'm just
estimating that number, but most experienced gamers could complete
it within three. Okay, so how can a game be so good if it is
pathetically short and you can cheat through half the game? Well, as
I've mentioned before, the game is truly a blast to play. While many
claim there is strategy in using the different abilities of
different characters, I can count on one hand how many times a
certain ability was needed to gain access to another area. For those
of you who are going to pick this up, I just hope you have the right
attitude when playing. If you try and beat it as quickly as you can,
and zip through the levels, the game will truly be unrewarding. But,
if you take the game as light-hearted and fun as it was intended to
be, you'll really feel like the game was worth the thirty bucks you
put down on it.
Even though the game is
ultra short, there are still a lot of neat-o things to do. There are
four mini-games that are unlocked as you go on, as well as little
"bonus" areas. Kirby does have a multiplayer function, but it's not
much really. You can link up with another GBA (you only need one
game) and play the four mini-games. It was fun for a bit but the
mini-games don't have enough substance.
Each level is enjoyable,
with lots of different enemies to encounter as well as discovering
new abilities. There are tons of boss levels which really break up
the platforming nicely. Most enemies can be easily beaten with
little thought; however, it is MUCH easier to beat some with certain
weapons. I usually don't like to face a boss with an ability (hit
"select" to remove ability), because it makes it far too easy.
My favorite level has to be near the end and you fight all of the
bosses you faced from the beginning... one after another.
Another level worth noting is the replica of the original Game Boy's
Kirby; which was done entirely in black and white. Very cool.
I don't know if I'd go as far and wear a big pink Kirby
shirt, but I do know that the graphics are top-notch for the GBA.
Using my trusty GBA SP, the colors were fantastic. They were bright,
cheerful and colorful. The performance was perfect, as the graphics
were nicely rounded when needed and the backgrounds were some of the
best 2D backgrounds I've seen in a long time. Overall, the graphics
and visuals were fun to watch; especially with the SP.
The soundtrack and
effects compliment the levels and graphics perfectly: nice remakes
of the original, with a few scattered new tunes here and there.
Effects are fun and original, especially Kirby's trademarked
"inhale" sound.
I don't want to sound
like I'm pushing the SP too much, but playing it without the
backlight really dulled the game a good deal. I highly recommend
using the backlight for this one.
The game
is far from perfect, but features some of the best elements in a
game that I've seen in a long time. I can easily recommend this
game. While it would probably be advisable to rent it, I would opt
for a full purchase simply because this is one of those games that
is great to pick up and play when you only have 10 minutes.
Again, before you play
Kirby, make sure you are in the right mindset. Me personally? I
enjoyed every second of the game, even if it was short lived. But
fans of the Kirby series are already used to short games, right? So,
take the game in stride and let Nightmare in Dreamland satisfy your
pink, sweet tooth until Kirby hits the 'Cube.
