Kirby's Adventure
{{Short description|1993 video game}}
{{about|the 1993 NES game|the game known as Kirby's Adventure Wii in PAL regions|Kirby's Return to Dream Land{{!}}Kirby's Return to Dream Land}}
{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Kirby's Adventure
| image = Kirby's Adventure Coverart.png
| caption = North American box art
| developer = HAL Laboratory
| publisher = Nintendo
| director = Masahiro Sakurai
| producer = {{Unbulleted list|Satoru Iwata|Shigeru Miyamoto|Takao Shimizu}}
| designer = Masahiro Sakurai
| programmer = Hiroaki Suga
| composer = Hirokazu Ando
| series = Kirby
| platforms = NES, Nintendo 3DS
| released = NES{{vgrelease|JP|March 23, 1993|NA|May 1993|PAL|September 12, 1993}}Nintendo 3DS
{{Video game release|NA/PAL|November 17, 2011|JP|April 25, 2012}}
| modes = Single-player
}}
Kirby's Adventure{{efn|Known in Japan as {{nihongo3|Kirby of the Stars: The Story of the Fountain of Dreams|星のカービィ 夢の泉の物語|Hoshi no Kābī: Yume no Izumi no Monogatari}}}} is a 1993 action-platform game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It is the second game in the Kirby series after Kirby's Dream Land (1992) on the Game Boy and the first to include the Copy Ability, which allows the main character Kirby to gain new powers by eating certain enemies. The game centers around Kirby traveling across Dream Land to repair the Star Rod after King Dedede breaks it apart and gives the pieces to his minions.
Masahiro Sakurai returned as director after serving the same role for Kirby's Dream Land. He conceived the copy ability to add more challenge and replay value after the last game received criticism for its simplicity. Because the NES hardware had greater graphical power than the Game Boy and programmers were skilled with the now antiquated hardware, HAL Laboratory was able to create impressive visuals. Kirby's Adventure is the first game to depict Kirby in color. Sakurai had always planned him to be pink, much to the surprise of other staff.
Kirby's Adventure was well received and commended for its tight controls, level variety, and the new copy ability. It was remade in 2002 for the Game Boy Advance with enhanced graphics and multiplayer support, titled Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land. The original NES version was re-released later via Nintendo's Virtual Console digital distribution services, the Wii compilation disc Kirby's Dream Collection, the NES Classic Edition, the Nintendo Classics service, and with stereoscopic 3D for the 3D Classics product line for the Nintendo 3DS. In retrospect, journalists have ranked it among the best NES games.
Gameplay
Image:NES Kirbys Adventure.png
Like its predecessor Kirby's Dream Land (1992), Kirby's Adventure is a 2D side-scrolling platform game. In the game's scenario, an evil entity named Nightmare corrupts the Fountain of Dreams, which provides restful sleep to the residents of Dream Land. King Dedede steals the Star Rod that powers the fountain and gives pieces of it to his friends in an effort to stop Nightmare. Kirby, the player character of the single-player game, mistakenly believes that Dedede stole the rod for evil and sets out to reunite the pieces.{{cite web |title=Video game 'bad guys' who aren't really bad at all |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/9-video-game-bad-guys-who-arent-really-bad-all/ |website=GamesRadar+ |access-date=July 16, 2018 |date=February 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104062807/http://www.gamesradar.com/9-video-game-bad-guys-who-arent-really-bad-all/ |archive-date=January 4, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} When Kirby defeats Dedede and returns the rod to the fountain, Nightmare goes into outer space to spread bad dreams, but Kirby follows him and uses the rod's power to defeat him.{{cite video game|title=Kirby's Adventure|developer=HAL Laboratory|publisher=Nintendo|date=March 23, 1993|level=Level 8: The Fountain of Dreams}}
Kirby retains his abilities from Kirby's Dream Land: he can walk left or right, crouch, and jump.{{rp|13–14}} To attack, Kirby inhales enemies or objects and spits them out as star-shaped bullets.{{rp|16–17}} He can also fly by inflating himself; while flying, Kirby cannot attack or use his other abilities, but he can exhale at any time, releasing a puff of air that cancels his flight and can be used to damage enemies or destroy blocks.{{rp|15}} New moves include the abilities to run at a fast pace and to perform a sliding kick.{{rp|17}} A major aspect of the game is Kirby's copy abilities. By inhaling and swallowing certain enemies, Kirby will obtain powers based on the special ability the enemy possessed. Copy abilities allow Kirby to access new areas and experience levels in different ways. Certain copy abilities can only be used a limited number of times. Kirby can discard his ability at any time or lose it when he is hit by an enemy; he must reacquire it quickly or it will disappear.{{cite book |title=Kirby's Adventure |date=1993 |publisher=Nintendo |url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/clv/manuals/en/pdf/CLV-P-NAAPE.pdf |type=Instruction booklet |access-date=July 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161111081712/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/clv/manuals/en/pdf/CLV-P-NAAPE.pdf |archive-date=November 11, 2016 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}{{rp|20}}
The game consists of forty-one levels across seven worlds, each containing a lobby with doors leading to four to five regular levels, a boss fight, and a Warp Star door which enables Kirby to travel back to previous worlds.{{rp|11}} Most worlds also contain minigames{{efn|The minigames include Crane Fever, in which the player picks up items using a claw crane; Egg Catcher, in which Dedede throws eggs and bombs at Kirby and the player must eat the eggs and avoid the bombs; and Quick Draw Kirby, in which the player must win a standoff.{{rp|23–24}}}} which allow Kirby to gain extra lives,{{rp|23}} museums where Kirby may easily gain certain powers, and arenas where Kirby must battle with a miniboss to win health and allow him to copy the boss's special ability.{{rp|30}} The game automatically saves the player's progress after each level.{{rp|25}} The objective of each main level is simply to reach its end. If Kirby touches an enemy or a dangerous object, he will lose a section of his health meter. If all of his health is lost or he falls off the bottom of the screen, the player loses a life. Losing all lives results in a game over.{{rp|21}} Kirby can touch or eat food items to replenish health or gain temporary invulnerability.{{clear}}
Development
Kirby's Adventure was developed by HAL Laboratory in Kōfu as a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) successor to their 1992 Game Boy game Kirby's Dream Land. Masahiro Sakurai returned as director and designer,{{cite web |last1=Fox |first1=Glen |title=Feature: A Kirby Retrospective: From Game Boy To Nintendo Switch |url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/03/feature_a_kirby_retrospective_from_game_boy_to_nintendo_switch |website=Nintendo Life |access-date=July 16, 2018 |date=March 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180717070705/http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/03/feature_a_kirby_retrospective_from_game_boy_to_nintendo_switch |archive-date=July 17, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} with Takashi Saitou assisting designing. Hiroaki Suga was lead programmer, while Satoru Iwata, Shigeru Miyamoto, and Takao Shimizu were the producers; Iwata also provided programming assistance.{{cite book |author1=Creatures |title=星のカービィ : 夢の泉の物語 任天堂公式ガイドブック |date=March 1, 1993 |publisher=Shogakukan |isbn=978-4091024251 |language=ja |trans-title=Kirby: The Story of the Fountain of Dreams Nintendo Official Guidebook |chapter=カービィは簡単だから、むずかしい？ |trans-chapter=Kirby is easy, so is it difficult?}} ([http://shmuplations.com/kirbysadventure/ Translation] by Shmuplations. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111165004/http://shmuplations.com/kirbysadventure/|date=January 11, 2018}}). According to Sakurai, development began in 1992, after he was asked to port Kirby's Dream Land to the NES.{{cite web|title=Kirby's Adventure|website=YouTube|date=September 9, 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khJa2vIW0xY|access-date=9 September 2022|archive-date=September 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220909170712/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khJa2vIW0xY|url-status=live}} Since the Game Boy title was aimed at beginners and the NES player base was more experienced, Sakurai chose to create a new game instead. As a result, little of Kirby's Adventure is based on Kirby's Dream Land: "Even though we could use the same pixel art for Kirby, when it came to capacity and what was possible, all that expanded greatly with NES."{{cite interview |last=Sakurai |first=Masahiro |interviewer-last=Sao |interviewer-first=Akinori |title=Kirby Super Star Developer Interview - SNES Classic Edition |url=https://www.nintendo.com/super-nes-classic/interview-kirby/ |publisher=Nintendo |date=October 10, 2017 |access-date=August 21, 2019 |archive-date=August 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817122322/https://www.nintendo.com/super-nes-classic/interview-kirby/ |url-status=live }}
HAL Laboratory wanted to expand Kirby's existing repertoire of moves. Kirby's Dream Land was designed for beginner players, but as a result received criticism from more experienced players looking for a challenge. With Kirby's Adventure, Sakurai wanted to retain simple gameplay, but improve it so skilled players would enjoy it. This led to the conception of the Copy Abilities, which the team hoped would allow players to experiment and improve the replay value.{{cite book |title=Kirby's 20th Anniversary Celebration Book |date=July 19, 2012 |publisher=Nintendo}}{{rp|16}} HAL Laboratory created over 40 Copy Abilities, after which they selected their favorites to include in the final game. They also added minigames because they feared that Kirby's expanded set of moves would give players the impression that Kirby's Adventure was a difficult game. They were designed to be simpler and easier than the main game. Kirby was also given the ability to run faster and perform a slide attack to increase the game's pace.{{rp|17}}
Programmers were skilled with squeezing power out of the ten-year-old NES hardware by 1993. Kirby's spit attack was made stronger if multiple enemies or objects were inhaled, something they had wanted to implement in Kirby's Dream Land.{{rp|17}} Kirby's Adventure is the first game to depict Kirby in color.{{rp|15}} Sakurai had always envisioned Kirby as pink, but the Game Boy's monochrome visuals rendered him white in Kirby's Dream Land. The other staff were shocked when they learned Kirby was pink. Kirby's sprite was also made larger after players complained he was too small in his Game Boy debut. While backgrounds are typically designed by someone experienced in game mapping, for Kirby's Adventure, HAL Laboratory had an artist draw pictures of the backgrounds, which were then handed to the mapper to work into the game. According to Saitou, they were supposed to be "pretty enough just to look at on their own." Kirby's Adventure also marks the first appearance of Meta Knight, who appears as an unnamed boss in one of the game's levels.{{rp|17}}
The game was published by Nintendo in Japan on March 23, 1993,[https://cdn.wikimg.net/en/strategywiki/images/9/94/Hoshi_no_Kirby_flyer2.jpg Kirby's Adventure flyer] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715235902/https://cdn.wikimg.net/en/strategywiki/images/9/94/Hoshi_no_Kirby_flyer2.jpg |date=July 15, 2018 }}. Nintendo. 1993. in North America in May 1993,{{cite video game|title=Super Smash Bros. Brawl|developer=Sora Ltd.|developer2=Game Arts|developer3=Monolith Soft|developer4=Paon|developer5=Imageepoch|developer6=Intelligent Systems|publisher=Nintendo|level=Chronicle|date=January 31, 2008}} (List of all Nintendo games and release dates up to December 2007) and in Europe on September 12, 1993.{{cite web|url=http://www.jeuxvideo.com/jeux/nes/00006699-kirby-s-adventure.htm#|title=Kirby's Adventure sur Nes|website=Jeuxvideo.com|language=fr|access-date=July 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716025155/http://www.jeuxvideo.com/jeux/nes/00006699-kirby-s-adventure.htm|archive-date=July 16, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} It was released late in the NES's lifecycle, ten years after the system launched in Japan. By 1993, most gamers had already moved on to playing primarily on 16-bit systems. However, the game topped the Famitsu sales chart in Japan in May 1993.{{cite magazine|date=25 June 1993|title=Weekly Top 30 (5月24日〜5月30日)|magazine=Famicom Tsūshin|issue=236|pages=[https://i.imgur.com/TSaO63e.jpg 14] to [https://i.imgur.com/uKEBXQa.jpg 15]|lang=ja}}
Rereleases
{{infobox video game
| title = Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
| image = KirbyNightmareInDreamlandUSCover.jpg
| caption = North American cover art
| developer = HAL Laboratory
| publisher = Nintendo
| director = Shinichi Shimomura
| producer = {{ubl|Hiroaki Suga|Masayoshi Tanimura}}
| designer = Tsuyoshi Wakayama
| programmer = Tetsuya Abe
| composer = {{ubl|Jun Ishikawa|Hirokazu Ando}}
| platform = Game Boy Advance
| release = {{vgrelease|JP|October 25, 2002|NA|December 2, 2002|EU|September 26, 2003|AU|January 23, 2004{{Cite web |date=January 15, 2004 |title=Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land |url=http://www.nintendo.com.au:80/nintendo/news/index.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040402135949/http://www.nintendo.com.au:80/nintendo/news/index.php |archive-date=April 2, 2004 |access-date=May 23, 2024 |website=Nintendo Australia}}}}
| genre = Platform
| modes = Single-player, multiplayer
}}
In October 2002, Nintendo released Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, an enhanced remake of Kirby's Adventure for the Game Boy Advance (GBA).{{Cite web |title=Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land |url=https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Game-Boy-Advance/Kirby-Nightmare-in-Dream-Land-266903.html?srsltid=AfmBOopCDxsK-3PI2wq0aKcMZKEONQ1Sbjs0_qo9UgomqU1XV-UGKd48 |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=Nintendo of Europe AG |language=en-GB}} The core gameplay and level design were left mostly unchanged; minor tweaks include hidden entrances being easier to find and boss fights being more difficult. However, all the graphics and sound effects were redone from scratch to take advantage of the GBA's more powerful hardware. Nightmare in Dream Land adds more gameplay modes, including three new minigames and a cooperative multiplayer mode that supports up to four players. It also features "Meta Knightmare", an unlockable mode in which the player controls Meta Knight.{{cite web |title=Kirby: Nightmare In Dreamland GBA Cheats |url=http://www.gamerevolution.com/guides/28642-kirby-nightmare-in-dreamland-gba-cheats |website=Game Revolution |access-date=July 16, 2018 |date=May 21, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180719031921/http://www.gamerevolution.com/guides/28642-kirby-nightmare-in-dreamland-gba-cheats |archive-date=July 19, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} According to Next Generation, 970,000 copies were sold worth $29 million in revenue.{{cite web|url=http://www.next-gen.biz/index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3557&Itemid=2&pop=1&page=0|title=The Century's Top 50 Handheld Games|author=Keiser, Joe|date=August 2, 2006|work=Next Generation|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071010052300/http://www.next-gen.biz/index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3557&Itemid=2&pop=1&page=0|archive-date=October 10, 2007|url-status=dead}} The game was sold out in three weeks according to 4Kids Entertainment.{{cite web|url=http://www.4kidsentertainment.com/docs/news/2003-0528.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20051024045107/http://www.4kidsentertainment.com/docs/news/2003-0528.pdf|title=4Kids Entertainment Is Home Of The Mega-Brands At The New York Licensing Show|website=4kidsentertainment.com|page=2|archivedate=October 24, 2005|date=May 28, 2003|accessdate=May 18, 2022}}
A port of Kirby's Adventure was released as a downloadable game for the Nintendo 3DS's eShop in the west on November 17, 2011, and in Japan on April 25, 2012.{{cite web |title=3D Classics: Kirby's Adventure (3DS eShop) News, Reviews, Trailer & Screenshots |url=http://www.nintendolife.com/games/3ds-eshop/3d_classics_kirbys_adventure |website=Nintendo Life |access-date=July 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180717070720/http://www.nintendolife.com/games/3ds-eshop/3d_classics_kirbys_adventure |archive-date=July 17, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} As a part of the 3D Classics line of rereleases, it has the ability to use the 3DS's stereoscopic 3D functionality. The game is otherwise unchanged.
Kirby's Adventure is available in emulated form through the Virtual Console digital distribution service. It was released on the Wii Virtual Console worldwide in February 2007 and on the Wii U Virtual Console in April 2013.{{cite web |title=Kirby's Adventure (NES) News, Reviews, Trailer & Screenshots |url=http://www.nintendolife.com/games/nes/kirbys_adventure |website=Nintendo Life |access-date=July 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180717013139/http://www.nintendolife.com/games/nes/kirbys_adventure |archive-date=July 17, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} The GBA version was released on the Wii U Virtual Console in 2014.{{cite web |title=Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land (2002)|url=http://www.nintendolife.com/games/gba/kirby_nightmare_in_dream_land |website=Nintendo Life |access-date=July 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311224550/http://www.nintendolife.com/games/gba/kirby_nightmare_in_dream_land |archive-date=March 11, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} The NES version is also included in Kirby's Dream Collection (2012), a compilation of Kirby video games that commemorates the series' 20th anniversary,{{cite web |last1=Dillard |first1=Corbie |title=Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition Review (Wii) |url=http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wii/kirbys_dream_collection_special_edition |website=Nintendo Life |access-date=July 16, 2018 |date=September 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180717013105/http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wii/kirbys_dream_collection_special_edition |archive-date=July 17, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} and on the NES Classic Edition (2016) dedicated console.{{cite web |last1=Gilbert |first1=Ben |title=These are the 30 games you can play on Nintendo's $60 mini NES console that's coming back this June |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/nintendo-nes-classic-edition-games-full-list-2018-5 |website=Business Insider |access-date=July 16, 2018 |date=May 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180717041629/http://www.businessinsider.com/nintendo-nes-classic-edition-games-full-list-2018-5 |archive-date=July 17, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} It was added to the Nintendo Classics service on February 13, 2019.{{cite web |last1=Frank |first1=Allegra |title=Kirby finally blesses Nintendo Switch NES game collection next week |url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/2/6/18213714/kirbys-adventure-super-mario-bros-2-nintendo-switch-nes-games |website=Polygon |date=February 6, 2019 |access-date=August 28, 2020 |archive-date=May 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527161824/https://www.polygon.com/2019/2/6/18213714/kirbys-adventure-super-mario-bros-2-nintendo-switch-nes-games |url-status=live }}
{{clear}}
Reception
{{Video game reviews
| title = Contemporary reception
| GR = 84%{{cite web |url=https://www.gamerankings.com/nes/563432-kirbys-adventure/index.html |title=Kirby's Adventure for NES |website=GameRankings |publisher=CBS Interactive |access-date=December 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209011615/https://www.gamerankings.com/nes/563432-kirbys-adventure/index.html |archive-date=December 9, 2019 |url-status=dead}}
| EGM = 8.25/10{{efn|Four individual reviewers at EGM gave scores of 8, 8, 8, and 9.}}
| GamePro = 20/20{{efn|GamePro gave perfect 5.0 scores for graphics, sound, control, and fun factor.}}
| rev1 = Joypad
| rev1Score = 90% (ages <12)
78% (ages 12+)
| rev2 = Player One
}}
Most aspects of Kirby's Adventure were well received in contemporary reviews, and critics agreed that it was an improvement over Kirby's Dream Land.{{cite magazine|date=June 1993|title=Review Crew: Kirby's Adventure|magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly|issue=47|page=36|df=mdy-all}}{{cite magazine|date=September 1993|title=Kirby's Adventure|magazine=Joypad|language=fr|issue=23|pages=66–67|df=mdy-all}}{{cite magazine|last=Boyle|first=Lance|date=September 1993|title=NES ProReview: Kirby's Adventure|magazine=GamePro|issue=50|pages=86–87|df=mdy-all}} Some of the most common highlights by reviewers were the game's innovative copy ability and unique enemy designs,{{cite magazine|date=October 1993|title=Kirby's Adventure|magazine=Player One|language=fr|issue=35|pages=118–119|df=mdy-all}} the size and variety of the levels,{{cite magazine|date=August 1993|title=Review: Kirby's Adventure|magazine=Computer and Video Games|issue=141|pages=87|df=mdy-all}} the tight controls, and the quality and cuteness of the graphics and animation.{{cite magazine|date=May 1993|title=Now Playing: Kirby's Adventure|magazine=Nintendo Power|volume=48|pages=105}} Nintendo Power thought the game was more difficult than its cute theme may lead gamers to believe. Joypad believed the game was aimed towards younger children and provided two review scores for gamers over and under 12 years old, with the score for children being higher. They compared the game to Tiny Toon Adventures (1991) by Konami, writing that the graphics and sound were better in Tiny Toon Adventures, but Kirby's Adventure had better animation and was more original. Some reviewers complained that the character sprites, especially Kirby's, were too small. GamePro gave Kirby's Adventure the 1993 NES Game of the Year award.{{cite magazine |title=Editor's Choice Awards |magazine=GamePro |date=February 1994 |issue=55 |page=24 |publisher=IDG}}
Retrospective reviews for the game's rerelease on the Wii Virtual Console were likewise positive.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/02/20/kirbys-adventure-vc-review|title=Kirby's Adventure VC Review|last=Thomas|first=Lucas M.|date=February 20, 2007|website=IGN|language=en-US|access-date=July 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130111222653/http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/02/20/kirbys-adventure-vc-review|archive-date=January 11, 2013|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/kirbys-adventure-review/1900-6166073/|title=Kirby's Adventure Review|last=Provo|first=Frank|date=February 16, 2007|website=GameSpot|language=en-US|access-date=July 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715235744/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/kirbys-adventure-review/1900-6166073/|archive-date=July 15, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_vcroundup18507_wii?page=2|title=Virtual Console Roundup|last=Whitehead|first=Dan|date=May 18, 2007|work=Eurogamer|access-date=July 15, 2018|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716025011/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_vcroundup18507_wii?page=2|archive-date=July 16, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/vc/kirbys_adventure_nes|title=Review: Kirby's Adventure (Wii Virtual Console / NES)|last=Calvert|first=Darren|date=February 13, 2007|work=Nintendo Life|access-date=July 15, 2018|language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715235718/http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/vc/kirbys_adventure_nes|archive-date=July 15, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} IGN called it one of the best NES games, and one of the system's greatest visual and auditory technical achievements. Eurogamer believed it to be one of the best Kirby games, and agreed with IGN
=''Nightmare in Dream Land''=
{{Video game reviews
| title = Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland
| MC = 81/100{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/kirby-nightmare-in-dream-land/critic-reviews/?platform=game-boy-advance|title=Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land|website=Metacritic|access-date=July 22, 2021|archive-date=January 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128230522/https://www.metacritic.com/game/game-boy-advance/kirby-nightmare-in-dream-land/critic-reviews|url-status=live}}
| ONM = 7/10{{cite magazine|last=Fox|first=Darren|url=https://archive.org/details/nom128/page/n67/mode/2up?q=Kirby+%22nightmare+in+dreamland%22|title=Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland|issue=128|magazine=Official Nintendo Magazine|date=May 2003|pages=68–69|access-date=July 22, 2021}}
| rev1 = Advance
| rev1Score = 89%{{cite magazine|last=Waring|first=Adam|date=June 2003|url=https://archive.org/details/advance-04/page/n29/mode/2up?q=|title=Nightmaree: Nightmare in Dream Land|magazine=Advance|issue=4|pages=30–31|access-date=July 22, 2021}}
| rev2 = Cube
| rev2Score = 9/10{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/cube-19/page/n111/mode/2up?q=|title=Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland|magazine=Cube|issue=19|date=June 2003|page=112|access-date=July 22, 2021}}
| rev3 = GBA World
| rev3Score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/gba-world-5-october-november-2003/page/n27/mode/2up|title=Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland|issue=5|magazine=GBA World|date=November 2003|pages=28–33|access-date=July 22, 2021}}
| rev4 = GMR
| rev4Score = 8/10{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/GMR01Feb2003/page/n95/mode/2up?q=kirby|title=Game Boy Advance Top 50|magazine=GMR|issue=1|date=February 2003|page=97|access-date=July 22, 2021}}
| rev5 = G-Force
| rev6 = Total Advance
| rev6Score = 92%{{cite magazine|author1=Gary|author2=Sanna|url=https://archive.org/details/total-advance-36/page/n49/mode/2up?q=|title=Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland|issue=36|date=December 2002|magazine=Total Advance|pages=50–51|access-date=July 22, 2021}}
}}
The new graphics made for the GBA remake were well received.{{Cite news|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_kirby_gba|title=Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land|last=Bramwell|first=Tom|date=October 8, 2003|work=Eurogamer|access-date=July 15, 2018|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716001313/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_kirby_gba|archive-date=July 16, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}{{cite magazine |last=Mason |first=Lisa| date=Jan 2003 |title= Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land |url=http://www.gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200301/R03.0730.1743.30972.htm |url-status=dead |magazine=Game Informer |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080324000434/http://www.gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200301/R03.0730.1743.30972.htm|archive-date=March 24, 2008|access-date=October 11, 2016}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/kirby-nightmare-in-dream-land-review/1900-2901299/|title=Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land Review|last=Provo|first=Frank|date=December 9, 2002|website=GameSpot|language=en-US|access-date=July 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715235929/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/kirby-nightmare-in-dream-land-review/1900-2901299/|archive-date=July 15, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2002/12/02/kirby-nightmare-in-dream-land |title=Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land |last=Harris |first=Craig |date=December 2, 2002 |website=IGN |language=en-US |access-date=July 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716000217/http://www.ign.com/articles/2002/12/02/kirby-nightmare-in-dream-land |archive-date=July 16, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}{{cite web |url= http://gba.gamespy.com/gameboy-advance/kirby-nightmare-in-dream-land/564955p1.html |title= GameSpy: Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land |last=Nutt |first=Christian |date= December 5, 2002|publisher=GameSpy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060213132148/http://gba.gamespy.com/gameboy-advance/kirby-nightmare-in-dream-land/564955p1.html|archive-date=February 13, 2006|url-status=dead|access-date=October 11, 2016}}{{cite magazine|url=http://www.gamepro.com/nintendo/gameboy_advance/games/reviews/27482.shtml|title=Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland|author=Miss Spell|date=December 16, 2002|magazine=GamePro|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050408082326/http://www.gamepro.com/nintendo/gameboy_advance/games/reviews/27482.shtml|archive-date=April 8, 2005|url-status=dead|access-date=October 11, 2016}} GameSpot highlighted the multiple layers of scrolling, transparency effects, and other visual flair as an improvement over the original. However, they did not think the game was visually up to par with other GBA games such as Yoshi's Island and Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance. The new minigames and multiplayer modes were also praised for adding new replay value. Since the main gameplay and level design was borrowed from the original, it was generally commended but with some criticism again directed toward its short length and easiness. GameSpy wrote: "the simplicity means you can enjoy it as a light snack instead of a main course such as Metroid Fusion or Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance." They thought the game would be best enjoyed by children watching the anime airing on television at the time, Kirby: Right Back at Ya!. GameSpot agreed, explaining the game was not as deep as Metroid Fusion or Yoshi's Island, but was suited for "younger players or the young at heart." Eurogamer found it difficult to recommend the game at full price because it was only a remake and also a short game.
Legacy
Game journalists have consistently listed Kirby's Adventure among the best NES games.{{efn|GamesRadar+ listed it as the 11th best,{{cite web|url=http://www.gamesradar.com/best-nes-games-all-time/|title=Best NES Games of all time|author=GamesRadar staff|date=July 28, 2016|website=GamesRadar|access-date=October 11, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630014007/http://www.gamesradar.com/best-nes-games-all-time/|archive-date=June 30, 2015|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} IGN, the 27th,{{Cite web|title=Top 100 NES Games|url=http://www.ign.com/lists/top-100-nes-games/27|work=IGN|language=en|access-date=July 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716000209/http://www.ign.com/lists/top-100-nes-games/27|archive-date=July 16, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} Paste, the 15th,{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/01/the-100-best-nes-games.html?p=5|title=The 100 Best NES Games|last=Martin|first=Garrett|date=July 13, 2017|magazine=Paste|access-date=July 15, 2018|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715235956/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/01/the-100-best-nes-games.html?p=5|archive-date=July 15, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} Polygon, the 3rd,{{Cite web|last=Parish|first=Jeremy|date=2018-07-15|title=The 35 greatest NES games, part 2|url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2018/7/15/17570418/the-35-greatest-nintendo-entertainment-system-games-part-2|access-date=2021-07-10|website=Polygon|language=en|archive-date=July 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710075849/https://www.polygon.com/features/2018/7/15/17570418/the-35-greatest-nintendo-entertainment-system-games-part-2|url-status=live}} Complex, the 16th,{{Cite web|last1=Scimeca|first1=Dennis|last2=Sherrill|first2=Cameron|date=2018-09-19|title=The 100 Best Original Nintendo Games|url=https://www.complex.com/life/the-100-best-old-school-nintendo-games/kirbys-adventure|access-date=2021-07-11|website=Complex|language=en|archive-date=July 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711191309/https://www.complex.com/life/the-100-best-old-school-nintendo-games/kirbys-adventure|url-status=live}} and Esquire, the 10th.{{Cite web|last=Nero|first=Dom|date=2019-08-01|title=The 15 Best NES Games of All Time|url=https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/g28567881/best-nes-games/|access-date=2021-07-12|website=Esquire|language=en|archive-date=February 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227020652/https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/g28567881/best-nes-games/|url-status=live}}}} Official Nintendo Magazine listed it as the 69th best game on a Nintendo console in 2009,{{cite magazine|url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/210037/features/100-best-nintendo-games-ever/|title=Feature: 100 Best Nintendo Games Ever|author=CVG staff|date=March 6, 2009|magazine=Computer and Video Games|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515011116/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/210037/features/100-best-nintendo-games-ever/|archive-date=May 15, 2013|url-status=dead|access-date=October 11, 2016}} and IGN ranked it as 84th on a similar list of best "Nintendo games".{{Cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/the-top-125-nintendo-games-of-all-time?page=3|title=The Top 125 Nintendo Games of All Time|page=3|date=September 24, 2014|website=IGN|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229103555/http://www.ign.com/articles/the-top-125-nintendo-games-of-all-time?page=3|archive-date=December 29, 2016|url-status=live|access-date=July 15, 2018|df=mdy-all}} In August 2006, Next Generation ranked Nightmare in Dream Land as the 17th best handheld video game of the 2000s.
The Copy Ability introduced in Kirby's Adventure would go on to become a staple mechanic in Kirby's move repertoire. The game was also the first Kirby game to introduce unlockables for finding certain items hidden throughout the levels, which again became a recurring theme in later games.{{Cite news|url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/04/month_of_kirby_a_series_with_rewarding_game_design|title=Month of Kirby: A Series With Rewarding Game Design|last=Meli|first=Jowi|date=April 26, 2014|work=Nintendo Life|access-date=July 15, 2018|language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716024929/http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/04/month_of_kirby_a_series_with_rewarding_game_design|archive-date=July 16, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} Meta Knight became a recurring playable character in the Super Smash Bros. series,{{cite web |last1=Suszek |first1=Mike |title=Super Smash Bros raises its 'Special Flag,' waves in Meta Knight |url=https://www.engadget.com/2014/08/13/super-smash-bros-raises-its-special-flag-waves-in-meta-knight/ |website=Engadget |access-date=July 17, 2018 |date=August 13, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180717071040/https://www.engadget.com/2014/08/13/super-smash-bros-raises-its-special-flag-waves-in-meta-knight/ |archive-date=July 17, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} starting with Super Smash Bros. Brawl in 2008.{{Cite web|url=http://www.smashbros.com:80/en_us/characters/metaknight.html|title=Meta Knight|date=September 5, 2007|website=Smash Bros. Dojo!!|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080115234728/http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/characters/metaknight.html|archive-date=January 15, 2008|url-status=dead|access-date=July 15, 2018|df=mdy-all}}
The multiplayer mode in the remake Nightmare in Dream Land would reprise the yellow coloration used for a second-player Kirby in Kirby's Dream Course (1994), itself the initial coloration for Kirby proposed by Shigeru Miyamoto before the original Kirby's Adventure{{'}}s release. In subsequent games, a yellow color palette would become a recurring colorization for multiplayer Kirbys in the Kirby and Super Smash Bros. series, often as the default color for the second player.{{cite web | url=http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/41729/11-amazing-kirby-facts-and-secrets/ | title=11 amazing Kirby facts and secrets | author=Zablotny, Marc | date=September 10, 2012 | work=Official Nintendo Magazine | access-date=January 23, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141031152020/http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/41729/11-amazing-kirby-facts-and-secrets/ | archive-date=October 31, 2014 | url-status=dead }}
Notes
{{Notelist}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Spoken Wikipedia|date=2023-07-30|En-Kirby's Adventure-article.ogg}}
- {{moby game|id=/kirbys-adventure}}
- {{moby game|id=/kirby-nightmare-in-dreamland|name=Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land}}
- [https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n08/kirby/index.html Official Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land minisite (Japanese)]
- [https://www.nintendo.com/jp/famicom/software/fmc-kir/index.html Kirby of the Stars: The Story of the Fountain of Dreams] on the Famicom 40th Anniversary page {{in lang|ja}}
{{Kirby series}}
{{Masahiro Sakurai}}
{{Portal bar|Video games|1990s}}
Category:Game Boy Advance games
Category:Kirby (series) platform games
Category:Nintendo 3DS eShop games
Category:Nintendo Entertainment System games
Category:Nintendo Classics games
Category:Side-scrolling platformers
Category:Single-player video games
Category:Video games about magic
Category:Video games about shapeshifting
Category:Video games developed in Japan
Category:Video games directed by Masahiro Sakurai
Category:Video games produced by Shigeru Miyamoto
Category:Video games scored by Hirokazu Ando
Category:Video games scored by Jun Ishikawa
Category:Virtual Console games