Review: Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland (GBA)

Living in Mario's shadow, Kirby has had a hard time gaining the spotlight. Such a versatile character is sorely underused in Nintendo's library, so it is to Gamestyle's delight that the pink fluffball gets his own fully-fledged adventure on the Gameboy Advance.

Being a remake/update of the 1993 NES game, Kirby's Adventure, one would expect Nightmare in Dreamland to be lacking in detail; however HAL Laboratories has done a delightful job in restoring Kirby to 32-bit, full-coloured glory. Indeed, it seems to have grasped every opportunity to show off the graphics - introducing cut-scenes and extra sequences wherever possible. Kirby's animation is superb, and he really feels like a big, bouncy, pinkish ball as he struts and squishes his way around the gorgeous environments.

The game's structure is disappointingly not unlike most platform games: seven worlds are split into separate rooms that can be accessed from the hub area. Completing each one clears the way to the next, so the game progresses linearly; you can go back to any level at any time, but you have to clear each one to progress any further.

Kirby has a unique advantage over other platforming heroes (whose primary method of attack might be landing on their opponents' heads) - he inhales his enemies and uses them either as projectiles or character enhancements. Some of the weird and wonderful creatures will have abilities that Kirby can reproduce, thus adding a tactical layer to the game; rather than dispose of everything that comes your way, you must decide which enemies to use to your advantage or which ones to destroy.

Unfortunately, however, the abilities are a little unbalanced. Some are simply far too powerful, whilst others are hardly worth picking up. If, for example, you manage to pick up the Freeze or Shock ability, you can surround yourself with an aura of protection and practically barge through anything. Alternatively, the Parasol is slow, hinders movement and has limited usefulness. What's more, there are only a few occasions where an ability becomes essential; much of the time you will get by with random attacks - which not only makes the game far too easy but also ruins the point of it.

Somewhat more annoying is the manner in which enemies respawn if you happen to saunter just a few centimetres off screen: whilst providing plentiful ammunition, these constant threats to your well-being can often prove taxing (and thoroughly depressing). The basic 'energy bar' approach to measuring your health only makes things worse, as it steadily gets chipped away. However, the crux of the game's problems can be attributed to its old-school nature - it's a simple platformer at heart and should be treated as such.

For such an 'old' practitioner though, it's far from difficult. Kirby, for the most part, can hover endlessly; his main mode of attack will virtually suck up any danger so things rarely get tricky until the final levels. Nightmare in Dreamland is ideally suited to a younger audience, thanks to its comparative simplicity, easy mechanics and colourful appearance; notwithstanding there's old-school humour that does speak to a universal audience (the power-up descriptions are quite funny, for example).

But not to sound too negative, this Kirby release gets more right than it gets wrong. Alongside the standard platforming levels are bonus rooms that offer mini-games: Kirby's Air Grind and Bomb Rally set you against three other Kirbys in tests of timing and skill. There's also a Battle Arena and Quick Draw game (albeit much too easy, these simply exploit the racking up of lives) and, of course, multiplayer options via the link cable. With only one copy of the game, you're limited to playing the mini-games with friends, however with multiple copies - up to four, natch - you can play through the main adventure co-operatively. Admittedly, it's a bother to set up, but if you happen to know of others with the game, then it's a worthy extra.

Additionally, the sound effects and music are top-notch; every level seems to welcome you with signature tunes that are likely to stick in your head for hours after you play. The sound is matched perfectly to the action, with bounces and explosions and gulping noises (and all are accessible through the sound select menu).

Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland is such a 'well-rounded' (pun intended) release on a technical and aesthetic level that it's hard to fault all the effort and hard work that's gone into making a thoroughly enjoyable experience. While it's admittedly too easy and a little simplistic in structure (albeit with plenty of extras to unlock), it's nevertheless ideal for young ones or anyone looking for an easy-going few hours.

Rating: 7 / 10

Words by Daniel James