Kirby's Dream Land

The only game in the Kirby franchise without the copy ability is still a ton of fun. You might think that the game just completely loses its identity without that iconic power, but I'd say the level design of the early series makes a fair bit more sense this way. There is a rhythm to sucking a bad guy up and then shooting him at the next one in a way that you aren't damaged - it almost felt like a challenge run of a later Kirby title the way it limits you and keeps you on your feet.

Kirby can eat foods, though, and the now Smash Bros-famous curry makes its debut here as a timed infinite-projectile mode for Kirby so he doesn't have to fly and then exhale. There's also a super-curry of sorts that turns Kirby into something like a shooter from a shmup, used to beat one of the game's more interesting bosses.

This game only has 5 levels, and only 4 levels proper as the final one is just a boss rush and a fight with Dedede. I kid you not that you could beat it in 20 minutes, and there aren't any secrets to find outside of that either. There is an "extra game" mode that you unlock after beating the game, but it just toggles double damage taken for Kirby.

I don't really see why a game that is genuinely fun and that accessible in runtime shouldn't be recommended. It's not very deep, but the limited number of mechanics work surprisingly well for a game that's considered to be before Kirby "found his footing".

To put it concisely: I love what it does in that time but the game is WAY too short. I can't in my right mind give it a higher score despite the good level design, excellent sprite animations, and the existence of a hard mode content-wise. This game does make me excited to check out the rest of the Kirby [カービィ] franchise though.

Kirby's Dreamland is quite the game. Coming in at just 5 levels, I was able to complete it in under 20 minutes my 2nd try. This design serves this game well, with levels being pretty straightforward and focusing more on defeating enemies than figuring out where to go next, and defeating enemies is enjoyable with the simple float, blow, inhale, and jump system. Once you figure out how those 4 simple moves work in tandem, the game is quite a breeze. Levels also feature multiple parts, with some even having these cute cutscenes. Each level also has a unique boss, and sometimes a mini-boss. There's even a flying boss that turns into a little gunner game. The amount of content fit into just 5 levels that can be beaten in 20 minutes is pretty good, all things considered.

On top of that, the music is bangin, Kirby still looks amazing and expressive in all of his Gameboy glory, and the overall graphics are wonderful, save for DeeDeeDee looking a bit chunky. Speaking of him, his boss fight is a little too long for my tastes.

What holds this game down a little bit is simply the Gameboy. The screen is a little small and Kirby a little slow in the air and the green display kind of make the game get somewhat stale.

Also, I tried out the extra mode and got to Whispy Woods and he started chucking gordos that roll around and also started blowing at the same time and I decided maybe another day. Probably a moderately enjoyable experience if you're good with replaying the game.

A fun first experiment with this whole Kirby idea, where I can see that sucking up enemies, spitting 'em out, and being able to float must've been cool innovations to the genre at the time. But the absence of the Kirby franchise's hallmark power absorption mechanic feels huge; it makes the game feel as skeletal as if Super Mario Bros for NES didn't have any power-ups. Speaking of which, the presence of Mario-style power ups in this game, like the spicy curry and the mint leaf, further dilutes this title's unique character.

But to some extent, these gripes are made up for by the fact that the game, from its pixel art to its enemy/world design to its music and sound design, are oozing with charm right out the gate. It's pretty amazing how they nailed that to the point where all future Kirby titles maintain these same aesthetics 30 years later. And the bare-bones gameplay makes this hour-long experience feel lean and focused, even if I see myself only rarely ever feeling the need to return to this game.

i enjoyed it a lot but it has its flaws. the controls were good, it has good graphics for a game boy game and it had some nice simplistic gameplay. it was far too short and the level design left something to be desired. still it was a nice quick experience to just pick up and enjoy. 100%ing this game was easy too, just a quick extra mode that doesn’t make the game too much harder but still adds a bit of challenge.

This is the first Kirby game ever released, in 1992 for the game boy, and in my opinion it`s a pretty good game for all it`s limitations. It`s a very enjoyable,fun and cute game, with many of the things we love in a Kirby game, like the creative enemy and boss designs, the nice levels and the fact that Kirby is still an adorable pink (or in the case of this game, white) bubble, that is much more powerful than it seems. however there are some notorious flaws, like the lack of the classical copy ability that Kirby started having in the next game of the series, "Kirby Adventures", released 1 year later. Which mostly makes the game feel more like a rather generic platform game than a proper kirby game, it's also too short and too easy,. you can finish the whole game in 40 minutes without any difficulties, .Although it doesn't make this game any bad and any less fun and enjoyable to play. But it's not something that is very special to see, especially today, it's a bit too rudimentary for my taste. Still very good overall

NOTE:7,0