VIDEO GAME: Kirby’s Return to Dream Land (2011)

by benmweilertNo Comments
Kirby's Return to Dream LandYear: 2011Rating: E10+Time Played: ~6.50 hours While I'm all for franchises trying out new things, there's something about returning to the core mechanic that makes a great game. Kirby's Return to Dream Land took the fundamentals of a Kirby game and amped up the cool factor while still maintaining that classic Kirby feel. Granted, as Nintendo delved further into gimmicks on their consoles, their franchises had to adapt as well. Return to Dream Land is no exception, but at least the base game is the standard Kirby formula. Admittedly, one of the more "fun" aspects of this game is the super-powered abilities Kirby can use. While they do often require shaking the Wiimote to use, their increased power put a smile on my face. As far as couch co-op goes, this game is better than most. My daughter played a lot of this game with me as Meta Knight, and there wasn't much of an issue where she...
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VIDEO GAME: Kirby and the Forgotten Land (2022)

by benmweilertNo Comments
Kirby and the Forgotten LandYear: 2022Rating: E10+Time Played: 15+ hours Kirby and the Forgotten Land is an interesting outlier for one of Nintendo's longest-running franchises. Most of these games transitioned from 2D platformers to 3D space in the Nintendo 64 era. Games like Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time flawlessly made the jump into the next dimension. Even Metroid Prime successfully brought that franchise into 3D space with the Gamecube. 30 years after its debut, Kirby finally made it to 3D with Kirby and the Forgotten Land. The game structure is the same as any other Kirby game. Each world is broken into a series of themed levels, followed by a boss at the end of the world. Kirby can inhale enemies and replicate their abilities. The final boss is a literal god. Where previous Kirby games maintained some of their puzzle simplicity by being in two dimensions, Forgotten Land allows more exploration in 3D space while...
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VIDEO GAME: Super Kirby Clash (2019)

by benmweilertNo Comments
Super Kirby Clash Year: 2019 Rating: E Time Played: 50.50 hours As I have mentioned in other reviews, I have an amount of patience that allows me to play games that try to encourage the use of micro-transactions. These games usually have a currency used for upgrading and a timer to prevent continued play. Super Kirby Clash is Kirby's version of this formula but with an online Player vs. Everyone (PVE) emphasis that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't (as is to be expected with any online games—especially Nintendo's). Still, I played through almost all of this game because it was fun. I think this was another one of those games that comforted me during the height of the COVID pandemic. Quick little boss battles were just long enough to pass the time and just challenging enough to incentivize me to upgrade the equipment of my main battle class (mage, by the way). And while it took quite a long time to fully max out the...
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VIDEO GAME: Kirby Star Allies (2018)

by benmweilertNo Comments
Kirby Star Allies Year: 2018 Rating: E10+ Time Played: 5+ hours I enjoyed the Kirby games growing up. They're probably the first games I ever beat. They may have been simple, but they were fun. I still have fond memories of Kirby's Adventure on the NES, which cemented the series formula in my head: eat enemies and steal their powers. The platforming was never too difficult, but the boss battles provided enough challenge to satisfy me when I eventually defeated them. I was also equally engaged with finding all the hidden areas until I reached 100% completion. The latest in the Kirby series, Kirby Star Allies, doesn't stray far from this formula. While I only picked up the occasional Kirby game since my NES days, I knew the "partner" mechanic had been around for some time. Kirby Star Allies doesn't necessarily reinvent anything with this game mechanic as much as it does tweak it slightly to allow four players simultaneously. However, I did appreciate many...
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