Collection essentials #152: Kirby’s Dream Land (Game Boy)

I’ve already talked about a Kirby game on the NES, but this game is the one that actually started it all, releasing in 1992. Developed by HAL and published by Nintendo, Kirby may not be quite the same level of household name as the likes of Mario or Zelda, but it has proved to be a successful and iconic franchise that is still around over 30 years later. 

This first game, as you would expect for a series starter, introduces many elements that would be seen in many future games, such as the main villain King Dedede, some of the music, many of the enemies, Kirby’s ability to fly and suck things into his mouth before eating them or shooting them back out, and more. There is one glaring thing missing, though, and that is Kirby’s copy ability, something he has in every game released after this one. Normally Kirby is able to eat certain enemies and gain a special power-up based on their ability, but not here.

Kirby’s Dream Land is pretty short, although once you beat the game, you’re thrown back into the beginning again with the difficulty cranked up quite a bit. Truthfully, the game is alright for the Game Boy but overall not amazing, and I would certainly pick it as my least favorite Kirby game. I got to play it some when I was a kid, but I was always much more impressed with all of Kirby’s other games that I got my hands on. Nevertheless, being the first in an iconic series is still plenty of reason for me to put something on the essentials list.