Kirby's
Dreamland (aka Hoshi no Kirby) made its debut in 1992, the genesis
of the successful
Kirby
franchise.
This early Game Boy game is classic Nintendo, a platformer where you jump
and fly through hallucinatory landscapes with bizarre enemies. The
innovation is Kirby's
ability to inhale the bad guys. Later games would
turn this into the famous "clone" ability, but here it's just a way to
clear them out.
Most of the thematic elements that make Kirby are
present in this first game. The little Kirby blob is cute, particularly when
he's inhaling or full. The graphic tropes are there: the flying stars,
the sad
Wizard of Oz trees and the 3x Kirby dance at the end of the level. And
the
musical theme is upbeat and jingly.
Like most Kirby games you don't need to be a power gamer to enjoy and
Kirby's Dreamland. A very relaxing game.