Kirby's Adventure (NES / Nintendo Switch) Review

With Kirby's Dream Land debut far too promising to be confined to the Game Boy, a graphically brilliant, far more expansive sequel shot over to the NES the following year in 1993. Despite Nintendo introducing Super-FX Chip enhanced 3D titles for the SNES, the PC coming into its own as an integral gaming platform, and several doomed manufactures attempting to rush in the 32-bit generation, Kirby's Adventure once again punched well above its weight; cutting through premature polygonal hype and attracting attention back towards Nintendo's sputtering, decade old 8-bit box.   

Evolving beyond Dream Land's unhurried style of play, Kirby's ability to run and slide around a larger playfield immediately accommodates experienced players ready to pick up the pace. A generous 25 abilities introduce his trademark inhale-to-assimilate super power. Decades later, you can still feel the dopamine drip in anticipation of what potentially useful enemies await beyond view. Given less constraint by cartridge and screen sizes, countless level segments meld together like a series of fitful dreams after a bed time binge, often lacking a sense of distinction or deliberateness. The stages are certainly not poorly done, but border on overly abstract and gratuitous compared to the originals' tight, economical design.

Besides experimenting with all sorts of weapons and powers across hundreds of screens, a more robust quest is offered through discovering hidden switches. which unlock additional minigames on the map screen. The game will easily last 3 to 5 hours, just right for a feature rich, secret-packed post-80s console platformer. Slightly tough boss fights are reserved within their own stages across each of the 7 lobby-style world maps, giving even beginners a fighting chance. Similarly rotund to Kirby and shrouded in mystery, the persistent, antagonizing pestering of Meta Knight is a far more compelling foil than the bumbling King DeDeDe and somewhat frightening but underdeveloped final boss. 

Pushing the NES to the point of frequent slowdown, the pastel colors and vibrant background animations appear 16-bit if your gaze is sufficiently diverted. Developed with a painter leading the programmers and graphic artists, a wild array of colors and patterns are implemented, foreshadowing the radical artistic themes such as clay and thread experienced in later games. Hirokazu Ando steps in to compose another upbeat, sneakily infectious soundtrack, peaking at the particularly enchanting ending theme. The final boss music makes an abrupt shift, emulating Pink Floyd's unsettling 'On The Run'.

Kirby's Adventure successfully bridges the series from a surprise hit on the Game Boy to another reliable platforming series in Nintendo's arsenal, offering a beginner friendly, whimsical approach that complements Mario's refinement and universal appeal, Metroid's compelling replayability and Donkey Kong's tension and commotion. Both an artistic marvel and a solid establishment of a major franchise, Kirby's Adventure is a worthy send off for the NES. Before the modern convenience of retro catalogs, immediately exchanging your proven NES for a 16-bit system, as if it were a dependable enemy ability gone stale, was a true Nightmare that even Kirby couldn't save you from.