Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land Review





Developer: HAL Laboratory Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: December 2, 2002 Also On: None

I have long been a fan of Kirby, ever since I first played Kirby’s Adventure for the NES. Thus, when I got a Game Boy Player, one of the first games I bought was the GBA remake of that game, Nightmare in Dream Land. Nintendo has been on a spree of remaking old games ever since the GBA came out, and this is just one of the many.

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Anyways, the graphics in this game are pretty good for the GBA. They are obviously improved from the original NES version to being near-SNES caliber, but that is at the expense that they are even cutesier now than they were then. Now, cutesy is not bad, but I think Nintendo overdoes the cuteness a bit occasionally. Overall, it was nicely done.

The music is just as addictive as it was on the NES. I can’t say it is the best videogame music that I have ever heard, but it is probably up there on the list of my favorites. The sound effects are appropriate and don’t detract from the gameplay, but are not quite as good as the music.

Gameplay in this game is rather simple. You eat an enemy and then either spit that enemy out at another enemy or you swallow the enemy, steal their power, then use that on other enemies. It is very easy to catch on to and to execute.

I would dare say it’s too easy. This game can easily be completed in a couple hours, especially by someone familiar with the original version. The new portions are few and far between and usually come where other portions have been deleted. Not even the bosses pose much of a challenge if you approach them with the right special ability. Kirby games are meant to appeal to a slightly younger audience for the most part, but the lack of difficulty in this game is still astounding, even compared to other games meant for people in that age group.

Given the short game length, replay comes only if you haven’t played the original version and have to look for the switches, or want to complete the extra mode to unlock another unlockable mode, which is timed. Beyond that, it’s how hard do you want to work to improve your time in the timed mode?

This is an excellent game on its merits, but it is unfortunately too short for me, to in good conscience, recommend buying. If you can rent it or borrow it from a friend, I would recommend doing so, or wait until it’s under $15.

Graphics: 8
Sound: 8
Gameplay: 7
Creativity: 3
Replay Value/Game Length: 4
Final: 6.2
Written by Simon Review Guide

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