Format: Advance
Genre: 2d platformer
Developer: HAL Laboratory
Publisher: Nintendo

As an ultra late NES release, the original "Kirby's Adventure" only came out nine years before this remake, while scarcely even looking like a Famicom title in the first place, so advanced were its visuals. Still, the Game Boy Advance flexes its muscles with some "Super Mario All-Stars"-caliber sprite work, really bringing the cuteness of Kirby's world to life. The backgrounds are the kinds of pre-rendered looking designs which characterize Nintendo's little handheld, and they look razor sharp.

From the memorable opening theme to the rolling stage songs, the original game had a wonderful soundtrack, and in this re-creation the whole thing was a given a mod file, or DSP-esque if you'd like, re-working. The samples are very modern sounding, but are also tastefully faithful to the original material. Many of the best sounds, like Kirby sucking in air, are brought over almost wholesale to great effect.

This Kirby adventure sees the player move through simplistic but well designed stages connected by star-adorned doorways, while absorbing enemy abilities and waging in combat. Kirby's moveset is elaborate and nuanced-- too much so sometimes, as at just the right moment he opts for a backstep instead of turning around, or falls from just a height that an inconvenient "hop" occurs upon landing. Enemies instantly respawn as soon as the view moves, and the game loves throwing cheap hits at the player from just off screen.

Though this Kirby release's gameplay can be somewhat aggravating at times, the game has a lot else going for it: the stylish graphics and excellent aural capabilities make a big impression, while the many hidden doors in the stages are fun to discover. While the chaotic enemies and too-clever-by-half movement results in many flow-disrupting hits, the frustration is offset by Kirby's massive six hit points, and almost instantenous availibility of extra lives via bonus rounds. Link cable co-op play flesh out this package, which is about as well-rounded as its protagonist.