Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

Written by Jeff Pear  on July 18, 2000

Review: Jeff Pear: "Pink is my favorite color" And I think we know why

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It's been some time since we have seen Kirby in an adventure of his own. Although he was supposed to appear in Kirby's Air Ride when the N64 console launched, the game met serious delays as was soon reworked into a 2D platform. After showing his moves in Super Smash Bros., Kirby finally had a chance to star in his own game, delivering the message of 2D isn't dead just yet.

Kirby carries some great "2 ╜D" visuals much like Yoshi's Story. The graphics and menus seem childish, but the level design and animations will draw all gamers in anyway. This Puff Daddy doesn't stay a pink blob forever. When he steals the moves of other enemies, Kirby can a variety of animations. The framerate is always constant considering nothing in the game happens fast enough to slow it down. The bosses of the game and other enemies are well designed, put in places on the level to make it seem like a puzzle game to get to the finish. After playing Kirby 64, you will be glad the pink puffball is back, and also be happy he appeared in 2D instead of some flawed 3D platform.

The audio is filled with old Kirby sounds and game tunes. You will remember the sound effects from previous games starring Kirby, even his taunt from Super Smash Bros. appears in the game. Some of the music may seem childish at first, but you may find yourself humming the tunes after you play the game.

Coming to the gameplay of Kirby 64, you will notice that game plays as a 2D, side-scrolling adventure, although it fits in the term of a 2 ╜D or 2.5D title also. The game is filled with fruit and that's just what this title may seem to be...fruity. Many of the elements are childish, and will drive away many adult gamers. Those of us who still love Nintendo games starring their creative characters will agree may be cute, but still fun. The controls are easy to figure out considering it's a standard 2D title, but the real glory of the game is in what type of moves you can perform.

When Kirby sucks an enemy (No you pervert), he can either spit them back out of swallow them. By swallowing certain enemies, Kirby gains their special move. If combines his move with another one, he either gets an upgraded or mixed attack. When mixing two different moves together, Kirby is able to perform a numerous amount of attacks adding a lot of value to the game.

The features in the game include very little, but still present, Rumble Pak feedback, as well as a multiplayer mode. The multiplayer mode supports up to four players and includes three mini games; 100-Yard Hop, Bumper Crop Bump, and the best of the three, Checkerboard Chase. Considering the fact that the one-player mode is very short, you may find yourself enjoying some addicting multiplayer action when you unlock the slightly challenging modes.

The replay in Kirby 64 may be non-existent for many gamers. As I said before, the single player game won't take you long to beat and the multiplayer mode doesn't keep its lasting appeal forever. Like Yoshi's Story, this game is well suited to rent rather than shelling out the full price for a purchase.