Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 19

19: Kirby’s Adventure (NES)
Developer: HAL Laboratories
Year: 1993

If I had to say one reason that Kirby sticks out in my mind as one of the greats, its probably the nostalgic feeling of knowing this was probably the first game I ever went out of my way to purchase. Yes, yes, I was going on 8 years old and many of you – my fellow gamers – likely had made video game purchases prior to that. But, for me and my family, video games were a small bit of what we did for fun. It wasn’t really until the Nintendo 64 that I became a die-hard and hard-core gamer. So, for me, this was a large step. And I’m so glad that Kirby’s Adventure got to be the game that has the title of “First Video Game Purchased” because, honestly, what a damn great game this is.

I can play this whole game at any time. Seriously. When my brother had his Wii at my parents’ house, right after he’d gotten it, and I had a whole Zelda game to play, I saw that he’d also downloaded this game with Wii points or whatever. So, curled up under a blanket on the couch, time going on 11PM, I started a new game. And what a ride I took.

Great platforming games remain permanent fixtures in our minds and memories for a variety of reasons, chief among them being nostalgia. But, aside from that, we love them because they are fun as fuck and addictive as hell. Despite the fact that it was the first real video game, ever, the reason people still go on and on about Super Mario Bros. on NES is because its great, especially in its simplicity. These Nintendo games existed in a time before complexity – on any level – could be introduced into the game and have it be fun. If a game was too difficult to figure out, it was dead. Kirby’s Adventure was right on the line, combining simplicity and complexity with perfection.

The number of powers you can have Kirby eat up during his adventure is staggering for its time, despite the fact that many of them are downright similar to others you can get. But this means that the game allows you to handle levels in your own way. Never once are you required to maintain use of the Hammer, for example, to get through a level. Sometimes certain powers are necessary for secrets and such, but never does having zero powers impede upon your ability to play the game. And the game world is huge, spanning seven main levels, each with somewhere between 6-8 levels inside, with plenty of bonus content and mini-games (MINI-GAMES! Years ahead of its time, this game was) to occupy the time.

So I’d hunkered down, listened to the catchy tunes, shot apples at a living tree, did battle with the dark, Meta Knight-version of myself, been a flying UFO and blasted enemies and star blocks alike, and run my ass off to catch a cannon before it blasted so that I could find the secret bumper in the sky. Then I made my way through the throwback level to the original Kirby game on the old Black and White Game Boy and competed for the Star Rod with King Dedede, only to have to face that abominable Nightmare, high up in the sky. And when I was done, a handful of hours later, I’d 100% completed Kirby’s Adventure in one sitting, never getting up, never using the bathroom. A great game from my childhood, relived for one night.

All in all, its games like Kirby’s Adventure that remind me – us, even – that games are here to be played for fun, not for achievement points or trophies. With the modern roster of consoles duking it out for most engaging storytelling or bet online multiplayer war shooters or what have you, a quick look back into the past of gaming showcases some gems of pure delight, like Kirby, here. While new games will continue to come out, offering improvements upon the last generation, there are a few diamonds in the rough from the previous generations that are already perfect in every way. No part of this game gets old, no level notoriously difficult or blasted for being too easy. Kirby’s Adventure is a perfect game. 100%

Classic Moment:
While I’d love to comment upon the battle with the Nightmare, again, I won’t. Instead I’ll talk about the coolest part of this game; cliff diving. That’s right, cliff diving. In Orange Ocean, after you’ve completed 100% of the levels and uncovered all the secrets, there are tons of high up ledges to jump from so that you dive down into water below. I don’t know why we started doing this, but the trick was to get Kirby to go head-first into the water while avoiding landing on platforms on the way, resulting in trick jumping. My older brother and I did this for hours. I don’t know why, I said, aside from the fact that it was a real blast.

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Added April 5, 2017
Well damn it the music for this game is stuck in my head, now. Good lord. GET THAT VIRTUAL CONSOLE ON THE SWITCH, NINTENDO! AUGH!