Kirby’s Adventure NES Online: The Original Mr Blobby

Ho hum, another NES Online title that I hadn’t played originally and having now played it, unlikely to go back to it. Wrong! Surprisingly I really enjoyed Kirby’s Adventure.

Only just recently I reviewed Kirby’s much prettier incarnation that is Kirby Star Allies and I assumed that the new and improved iteration would be more to my palette. Wrong again! I only intended to play Kirby’s Adventure just enough to get some screenshots but I ended up playing until, well, I had to go out. Is Kirby’s Adventure any good? Hell yeah!

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When I wrote about Kirby Star Allies, I was basing my whole Kirby knowledge on that. Little did I know that the original games had similar features like absorbing enemy powers which include sword-swinging plus there are quite a few mini-games. I know nothing, Jon Snow. That line doesn’t have much relevance now. In fact, I was so surprised overall how much fun and variety was crammed into this game. I expected it to be a little like Mighty Bomb Jack, only a pink ball of whatever Kirby is.

Kirby’s Adventure is so fly. That’s cool speak

I won’t bother with the story as there’s not much to it. Simply stroll (or fly) through each level, swallowing up baddies in your path and then blasting them out of your cakehole. I expected to waffle on about what sandwich I had been eating when Kirby’s Adventure was first released or what the weather is like, but instead, I can talk about the game. I really do love it. The levels are varied enough in the same mould as a Mario game; various worlds and the equivalent stages, followed by a boss.

Kirby’s Adventure’s standout is the ability to fly. You don’t need to collect anything or earn a certain degree of points to initiate flight mode. Simply suck in some air and up you float. You can even exhale a blast that can kill some of the baddies, which is pretty convenient. However… like the earlier reviewed Kirby’s Star Allies, Kirby’s Adventure is very easy. You can easily float through the bulk of the earlier levels without the need to attack or be attacked. It doesn’t offer up much of a challenge but it’s refreshing to play an easy NES game.

Always a bonus

There are some quirky mini-games/bonuses to unlock as you go along and I read that there is a special ending too. In an age of trophies on the modern consoles, if I was that way inclined and there was an achievement system to unlock on the Switch, I might be persuaded to unlock everything. Still, it does have replay value as a relatively short game. My favourite mini-game in Kirby’s Adventure has to be the crane game. I’m a bit of a fan of these in general and while I’m far from a pro, I’ve won quite a few prizes. Unfortunately, this doesn’t apply to this game as, despite its simple appearance, I’ve failed to win a Kirby in said game.

I will use this opportunity to go off-topic about mini-games: I do enjoy them. Then again, I like cutscenes or ‘back in the day’ FMV sequences (Full Motion Video) – the likes of Final Fantasy VII or my favourite at the time, Resident Evil: Code Veronica. As for mini-games, some of the best for me have been Shenmue and it’s cousin Yakuza. The former was ace as you could play one of my favourite arcade games, Space Harrier. However, Yakuza turned it up to 11 with the introduction of the crane games in the arcades. Going full circle in a series of sentences – the crane game. Mission complete.

A friend of a friend of Kirby

Am I Kirby fan? No, but I do like Kirby’s Adventure. Do I like NES games? Not really, but there is a handful that I really like such as Super Mario Bros., Dr. Mario but I’m still holding out for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. A girl can dream. In the meantime though, this is a title I will frequent. It’s the kind of game I’d play on the original Gameboy – aside from Navy Seals and Tetris (I didn’t have many games as a kid) but happy to play on the Switch. One thing I never thought I’d mention of an NES game is the presentation. As a later NES game, the graphics(!) and colours are more vibrant than almost any other game I’ve played. The presentation doesn’t stand out on the Switch, but for the NES back catalogue? Sure, why not?

I understand that Kirby and Kirby’s Adventure isn’t for everyone. I only found out that since writing this that my daughter loves Kirby. As cute as he is, he’s not hanging around my girl, encouraging her to get up to mischief, no way. We’ve used Kirby a couple of times in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate but he isn’t a regular choice. If Kirby still doesn’t float your boat, go buy some bubble gum, blow it up and poke some holes in it. Then Instagram your face with the gum affixed to your chops. Don’t think about it. Do it.