Virtual Console Review: Kirby's Adventure

System: NES
Genre: Platformer
Developer: HAL Laboratory
Publisher: Nintendo
Original Release: 1993
Cost: 500 points

SCORE: 8/10

Kirby has been a staple in gaming since the early 1990s. The pink puff ball's games are designed with younger gamers in mind, but still manage to be entertaining for adults. Despite being the second Kirby title ever released (Kirby's Dream Land was the first, originally released in 1992), Kirby's Adventure is widely regarded as one of the best entries in the series and one of the last great games to grace the NES.

All is not well in Dream Land. It seems like King Dedede, the land's self appointed ruler is up to no good once again. He's broken up the Star Rod, a magical device that gives the citizens of Dream Land their dreams, and scattered it across the land. It's up to Kirby to journey through seven worlds and reclaim the Star Rod pieces.

One could make the claim that Kirby's copy ability is lifted straight from Mega Man, but where Mega Man can only again the powers of defeated robot masters, Kirby can copy the powers of practically any regular enemy he encounters, provided they have something to offer. He doesn't even need to defeat them to do it (well, except for mini-bosses). All you have to do is get close enough, inhale them, press down and you've got yourself a new power to play with! The wide assortment of enemy types makes for more than 20 powers our pink puff ball can wield. These range from swords, ice, fire, wheels, stones, lasers, and a really cool mike that kills everything on the screen. Half the fun of the game comes from the cool powers at your disposal. And you're never stuck with any one ability. If the shock isn't your cup of tea, drop it and pick up something else. You can discard powers anytime you like.

Even though the game has seven fun worlds to romp through, you can clear the game in one setting with very little hassle. Getting 100% on your file may take a bit longer as certain powers are needed to find switches to reveal more mini-games, museums and the like. Still, even without going for 100%, the game does not disappoint.


Being one of the last titles to ever release for the NES, Kirby's Adventure boasts some amazing graphics. Kirby's world explodes with bright colors and even some impressive parallax scrolling on a few levels. The background visuals for the final battle are nothing short of beautiful. Composer's Jun Ishikawa and Hirokazu Ando serve up some of the finest 8-bit music ever created. The music is energetic, upbeat as to be expected from Kirby title, but still manages to be dark in tone when it needs to be. The Nightmare theme is easily one of the best tunes to ever come out of a video game.

Yes, Kirby's Adventure is an easy game but it still comes highly recommended for being crafted so well. If you've only heard why Kirby's Adventure is so great, but have never played it, plunk down 500 Wii points and experience it for yourself.