(Kirby 64: the Crystal Shards received a rating of E for Everyone from the ESRB.)

I’m sure most of you know what Kirby is. Even if you don’t play a lot of video games, most of you can tell me that Kirby is the pink guy that eats stuff and then uses it’s ability. Swallowing a guy that wields a sword grants Kirby the ability to use a sword, and inhaling an enemy with lightning powers lets Kirby shoot lightning. But have you ever wondered what would happen if you could combine the sword and electricity? That’s right, like a tiny, pink Walter White, Kirby can mix different elements together. I lit myself on fire, became a refrigerator, and put a bomb on my head and dressed like a snowman for this review of Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards.

Plot – The Story

The adorable, peaceful Ripple Star, inhabited by adorable fairies, is attacked by an evil entity know as Dark Matter, which is after the Great Crystal kept in the adorable city where an adorable fairy with the adorable name Ribbon lives. The adorable Queen urges Ribbon to fly the Crystal out of the city, which she does. Dark Matter sends a few evil floating eyes after the Crystal which eventually end up breaking it, dispersing many tiny Crystal Shards across the galaxy and sending Ribbon crashing into Pop Star next to Kirby, who is having a whale of a time stargazing. After explaining her plight to Kirby, he agrees to help collect the Crystal Shards and save Ripple Star.

Playability – How The Game Feels In Your Hands

The controls in this game are solid. Kirby responds accurately to your commands, with the B button used to inhale and spit out things, as well as use your current copied ability. Pressing A causes Kirby to jump and, if pressed repeatedly, fly for a period of time, L, R, or any of the C buttons bring your current ability into Kirby’s hands for throwing, and the D-Pad is used to move. Kirby 64 is a 2.5D platformer (the world and it’s objects are 3D, but you traverse the world in a 2D plane, only moving left and right), so the choice to control Kirby via the D-Pad instead of Control Stick is a good one. If I had to complain about anything, which is not easy to do, I would have to say I wish Kirby’s run was a bit faster.

Presentation – How The Game Looks And Sounds

Kirby’s foray into the 3D world is a successful one. This game is adorable. The visuals are smooth, the colors are bright and vibrant, and the characters are just plain cute. The animations are fluid, and Kirby’s facial expressions are endearing. Friend or foe, you won’t find a character that isn’t pleasant to look at. The musical score is just as appealing as the visuals. The first world is a happy forest and plains area, and the score fits the theme; crisp high notes and a fast-paced, bouncy beat accompany plenty of flutes and bells in that classic, lighthearted Kirby fashion. The second world, however, is a more desolate, rock and desert setting. In an almost startling complete contrast to the previous world, the moment the music starts here, it’s throwing punches. A huge bass riff is accompanied by a strong drum beat and several flutes and synths, all leading into a big brass section grants this world an entirely different feel. The presentation of this game is a strong one, all culminating into a wonderful experience that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Performance – The Sum Of Its Parts

Kirby 64 doesn’t stray too far from the traditional Kirby mold – simple platforming that requires you to copy and utilize abilities to defeat enemies and solve puzzles. What sets this game apart from the others is the ability to combine abilities to create entirely new abilities. The base abilities available are Ice, Bomb, Burning, Stone, Needle, Cutter, and Spark. Each ability can be used on it’s own, or supplemented with another ability, either by bringing an already-owned ability into Kirby’s hands and throwing it at an enemy that has an inherent ability, thus fusing the two together into a new ability Kirby can inhale, or by inhaling two enemies that have inherent abilities at the same time.

For example, if Kirby has the Fire ability, he can dash forward quickly in a plume of fire. If this is supplemented with a second Fire ability, Kirby’s flaming dash is extended and made faster. If instead Kirby’s Fire ability is paired with Cutter, pressing B allows Kirby to draw a large flaming sword and swing it in a wide arc around him. Alternatively, combining Bomb and Fire makes Kirby a living firework; pressing B, you can explode in dazzling colors up to three times. Every ability functions essentially the same – when paired with itself, it amplifies; when merged with a differing ability, an amalgamation of the two results. Some of my favorites include mixing Ice and Spark to cause Kirby to become a refrigerator, the previously mentioned firework combination, and the Cutter and Spark combo, which lends Kirby a dual lightsaber-esque weapon. There is a total of 35 unique powers available in the game, which is more than enough to have you wondering to yourself, “I wonder what will happen if I combine…”

The game itself starts out very simple, with basic enemies and little to no puzzles or challenge. Once you get to the second set of levels, however, things begin to find their stride, with challenging puzzles, more intelligent enemy placement and diversity, and boss battles that will test your mettle. Don’t let Kirby’s childlike appearance fool you – this game has enough fun and depth to appeal to gamers of any age or skill.

Postlude – Final Thoughts

The system of combining abilities is a lot of fun, and offers unique puzzles and solutions, so it begs the question – why hasn’t it been used in any other Kirby game? It’s such a shame to see something as clever and entertaining as this simply ignored. Maybe there’s some perfectly reasonable explanation, but the next time Nintendo is looking for ideas for the next big Kirby adventure, I hope they take another look at Kirby 64.

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is available for download on the Wii Virtual Console and is included in Kirby’s Dream Collection: Special Edition, also for the Wii.

DSBwizzardscall, 1/18/2014