Collection essentials #74: Kirby’s Adventure (NES)

This was one of the last major releases on the NES, well into the lifespan of the following console generation. And it shows, because developer HAL had all the powers the NES was capable off at their disposable and knew how to use them, and the result is one of the best games on the system.

Kirby’s Adventure is actually not the first Kirby game. This is another case of slight awkwardness with the way I’m doing this series, not chronologically by release date for various reasons, but by system, and Kirby debuted on a different one that I’ll be covering in the future. But honestly, the original Kirby game almost feels like a prototype, with this truly feeling like the legitimate first adventure for the little pink guy. 

Kirby is a platformer series that differentiates itself quite a bit by that certain other series from Nintendo starring that mustachioed plumber. For one thing, Kirby is not chained down to the normal limits of gravity, as the puffball has the ability to fly! Although, when he’s in flight, he’s not quite as nimble as when he’s doing a simple jump and not all of his moves are at his disposal, so you still generally play his games like platformers. And the other big thing that sets Kirby apart, something introduced in this here second game in the series, is Kirby’s “copy” ability. Kirby has incredible suction breath, able to suck normally-sized enemies into his mouth, and sometimes he may choose to spit them out as a projectile attack, but more often he’ll want to eat them to copy their ability. For example, eating an fiery enemy can give Kirby the “Fire” ability which lets him breathe fire! He doesn’t have such an ability forever, as when he gets hit, the power (represented by a rotating star) will come tumbling out of him, but he’ll have a chance to eat it and get it back before it disappears. The copy ability is super fun and adds a large amount of variety to gameplay. 

The game has 41 levels, making it one of the longest platformers on the system. The game automatically saves your progress, which was rare for NES games and is super convenient. There are plenty of secrets to be found in the levels, which for example unlock various fun optional mini games which can give you more points and lives. To top it off, the game is characterized by a delightful upbeat soundtrack to set the mood. 

While the original Kirby obviously started it all and introduced some of the series’ defining elements, this is the game that really provided the blueprint that future games would follow. And they really executed it very well on this first attempt to. Unlike some other classic games that debuted on the NES, Kirby’s Adventure doesn’t feel like a major downgrade compared to its sequels that came out on future consoles, and is still highly enjoyable and worth revisiting. A true essential that I almost certainly would put in my top 5 favorite NES games.