My first and only experience with Kirby was back in 1993, with the original Kirby's Dream Land on Game Boy. Dream Land was one of my absolute favorite games on the handheld, but for some inexplicable reason I strayed away from any and all Kirby games in the years that followed. When I saw the release of Return to Dream Land on the Switch, it triggered my nostalgia for the original Game Boy game, and I was intrigued enough to return to Dream Land myself, to see if a contemporary Kirby game was still the right kind of platforming adventure for me.
My feelings on the game are a bit torn. While Kirby largely played the way that I remembered back in the 90s, it didn't initially captivate me in the same way; it simply didn't feel as novel as it did as when I was 8-years old. Through the first half of the game, I was having a decent time, but I also felt like the platforming mechanics were a bit too simple and somewhat uninspired. Frankly, it just felt too easy. By no means did I ever feel like it was a bad game, but I wasn't necessarily having a ton of fun either. It was at this point I almost walked away from the game with the mindset that I must have outgrown Kirby, and I simply just wasn't the target audience any longer. This was until I hit the second-half of the game.
In the second-half, I really felt like the challenge started to ramp up nicely. It never got overly difficult, but it hit a nice sweet spot where I felt challenged by the levels and even more so by the boss fights. I was starting to feel like the power-ups I was absorbing had a real impact on my gameplay, whereas in the first-half they felt like they were ostensibly just for show. Sure, they all had their unique functions, but I never really felt like I cared what power-up I obtained; but in the second-half, that all changed. I had become quite attached to a few power-ups (my favorites being the mecha and ninja enhancements), and I really felt like I was at a strong disadvantage without them. My feelings toward the game really started to shift at this stage, and by the time I finished the story, I was pleased overall, and I was certainly happy I stuck with it.
After the credits rolled, I thought my journey with the game was finished. While I had played around with a few of the challenge levels, I wasn't compelled to complete those, nor was I interested in any of the array of other side content that the game offers -- this was until I glanced over the newly unlocked "Magolor Epilogue". Intrigued, I booted up this mode to see what it was about. Little did I know I was delving into, subjectively, the most enjoyable part of the game.
While I was torn between the two halves of the main game, Magolor Epilogue won me over almost immediately. This wasn't just side content, it was essentially its own full-fledged game -- albeit on the short side. While it shares some characteristics with Kirby, it plays almost completely different. I found that I enjoyed the platforming sections in this mode a lot more than I had really had on any stage in Kirby's adventure. Moreover, the unlockable and upgradeable abilities had me hooked and kept the game feeling fresh the whole way through. The boss fights also felt like a greater challenge than many of the boss fights in the main game, and I really felt like my progressive mastery over Magolor's wide assortment of abilities was having a profound impact in my ability to defeat them. By the time I had finished the epilogue, it really had me thirsting for more, and it left me feeling as though Magolor deserves his own full-release game, because I was definitely captivated throughout the few hours that this mode offered.
In short, the second-half of Kirby, and the inclusion of Magolor Epilogue really solidified this as a super solid game for me, and I'm pleased that I'm able to still find a lot of joy in Kirby, just as I did 30-years ago. I certainly look forward to venturing into other Kirby titles in the near future.
My feelings on the game are a bit torn. While Kirby largely played the way that I remembered back in the 90s, it didn't initially captivate me in the same way; it simply didn't feel as novel as it did as when I was 8-years old. Through the first half of the game, I was having a decent time, but I also felt like the platforming mechanics were a bit too simple and somewhat uninspired. Frankly, it just felt too easy. By no means did I ever feel like it was a bad game, but I wasn't necessarily having a ton of fun either. It was at this point I almost walked away from the game with the mindset that I must have outgrown Kirby, and I simply just wasn't the target audience any longer. This was until I hit the second-half of the game.
In the second-half, I really felt like the challenge started to ramp up nicely. It never got overly difficult, but it hit a nice sweet spot where I felt challenged by the levels and even more so by the boss fights. I was starting to feel like the power-ups I was absorbing had a real impact on my gameplay, whereas in the first-half they felt like they were ostensibly just for show. Sure, they all had their unique functions, but I never really felt like I cared what power-up I obtained; but in the second-half, that all changed. I had become quite attached to a few power-ups (my favorites being the mecha and ninja enhancements), and I really felt like I was at a strong disadvantage without them. My feelings toward the game really started to shift at this stage, and by the time I finished the story, I was pleased overall, and I was certainly happy I stuck with it.
After the credits rolled, I thought my journey with the game was finished. While I had played around with a few of the challenge levels, I wasn't compelled to complete those, nor was I interested in any of the array of other side content that the game offers -- this was until I glanced over the newly unlocked "Magolor Epilogue". Intrigued, I booted up this mode to see what it was about. Little did I know I was delving into, subjectively, the most enjoyable part of the game.
While I was torn between the two halves of the main game, Magolor Epilogue won me over almost immediately. This wasn't just side content, it was essentially its own full-fledged game -- albeit on the short side. While it shares some characteristics with Kirby, it plays almost completely different. I found that I enjoyed the platforming sections in this mode a lot more than I had really had on any stage in Kirby's adventure. Moreover, the unlockable and upgradeable abilities had me hooked and kept the game feeling fresh the whole way through. The boss fights also felt like a greater challenge than many of the boss fights in the main game, and I really felt like my progressive mastery over Magolor's wide assortment of abilities was having a profound impact in my ability to defeat them. By the time I had finished the epilogue, it really had me thirsting for more, and it left me feeling as though Magolor deserves his own full-release game, because I was definitely captivated throughout the few hours that this mode offered.
In short, the second-half of Kirby, and the inclusion of Magolor Epilogue really solidified this as a super solid game for me, and I'm pleased that I'm able to still find a lot of joy in Kirby, just as I did 30-years ago. I certainly look forward to venturing into other Kirby titles in the near future.