Kirby's Dream Land 2 is an exemplary sequel, improving upon everything from its predecessor . In addition to being much longer, it includes Kirby's copy ability (from Kirby's Adventure ) and animal friends for Kirby to ride! Kirby has his usual abilities: in addition to walking, ducking, and jumping, he can inhale enemies, fly (via self-inflation), spit out enemies or puffs of air, and copy enemy abilities. This robust move-set makes Kirby games much easier than, say, Super Mario, skewing towards a younger audience. For adult fans, it may qualify as "cozy gaming"! Riding between worlds on a star The game has seven worlds of three to six levels each plus a boss fight. Compare that to the original game, which had just five levels (each containing multiple segments). This game is about three times longer. There are eight abilities Kirby can copy by swallowing certain enemies and then pressing ↓: fire, ice, spark, cutter, sword, parasol, needle, and stone. It's fu...

Kirby's first spinoff game (of many) is Kirby's Pinball Land, released on the Game Boy near the end of 1993. It combines classic pinball with elements from the popular Kirby games. It could almost be considered a sequel to Revenge of the 'Gator , another Game Boy pinball game made by HAL Laboratory. There are three tables to choose from: Whispy (the tree, misspelled "Wispy"), Kracko (the cloud), and the bomb-throwing Poppy Bros. Interestingly, you can travel between tables during the same game by beating that table's boss or catching a warp star. Once a boss is defeated (by hitting it repeatedly), you cannot re-enter that table. If you beat all three—not easy!—Kirby faces King Dedede as the final boss. I like how this mixes up the traditional pinball experience with the level-based video-game experience. The table layouts are basic and adorned with enemies from the Kirby games. Kirby bounces around, racking up points, and you use the flippers to keep him afloa...

Kirby turns 30! Kirby's Dream Land was the debut Game Boy adventure of everybody's favorite pink puff-ball. His beginnings were humble: this first handheld outing is short and lacks his trademark ability to copy enemy powers. He's white! Kirby's Dream Land is a short, simple, well executed platformer. Its strengths are easy to identify: Kirby handles beautifully, with a robust flying ability and projectile attack. The levels are fun, interesting, and perfect for young children. And, importantly, Kirby and his world are adorable. Apparently his character design began as a placeholder, but it was so good they kept it! Kirby's Dream Land reminds me of Super Mario Bros. in that it flawlessly fuses form and function. Kirby's smooth and powerful controls complement the basic level designs. In addition to the standard analog jump (the harder you press A, the farther he jumps), Kirby can inhale a puff of air by pressing ↑. This inflates Kirby, giving him the ability to...