Kirby’s Dreamland is special to me in a few ways. First, it’s the very first Kirby game I ever played. Second, it’s the first original Game Boy game I bought with my own money. When I was a young lad, back in 2009 at the age of 12, I started taking an interest in retro games. One of the first consoles besides the NES that I got into was the original Game Boy. Growing up, my family would often vacation on the Oregon coast. One of my favorite stores to visit while we were on the coast was a little retro game store called Recycle Video Games, and I would make an effort to stop there at least once every trip to the coast. One visit, I brought in my saved up cash to find something interesting and new to play. In the glass case, a few things spotted my eye, the first of those things being a teal-colored Game Boy Color. The second being the massive selection of games they had for the Game Boy. After I decided I wanted to buy the Game Boy Color (which, in those days cost a whopping $12), I picked out a few games, one of them being Kirby’s Dreamland. From the minute I popped those double A batteries into the Game Boy and heard that intro music, I knew I was in for a good time.
Kirby’s Dreamland has always been a cakewalk of a video game, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s the perfect game to play on the go to kill some time, and it’s short enough that it can be beaten in a single half hour sitting. This game has excellent level design, fun boss fights, and an absolutely beautifully composed soundtrack. If you have played many of the newer entries in the series, coming back to this game may feel a bit odd as some of the series staples hadn’t been set in stone at this time. For example, abilities are one time limited duration power ups that are few in far between. If you can get passed that (which shouldn’t be too hard considering this is a retro game blog you’re reading) there is definately a lot of fun to be had.
If I had to sum this game up in one word, it would be simple. And fun. Simple Fun. Okay, that’s two words. But that’s beside the point. This game is a blast, and anyone who own’s a Game Boy should at least pop this in once in awhile and play it from beginning to end. Not only is this game absolutely charming, but it’s simple, relaxing and fun. It’s a great game to play in between bigger games, or just a way to kill a half hour on a weeknight before bed. If you want a challenge, there is also always the Extra Game mode (by pressing up, A, and select at the same time on the start screen), which is a challenging remix of the base game, but if you just want a easy and fun time, the normal mode will do the job just fine.
Retro Fortress 