Pros: Simplistic but high quality and accessible 2D platformer with four total stages plus a final boss area. It's charming with cute graphics and very readable art design, where the screen is filled with detail but you're never confused on what anything is or where to go. It's really really well designed, and is one of the shining examples of Game Boy, and 2D platformers, especially as a starting point for newcomers. Flying feels great, suckin' up enemies and objects feels great, the bosses are big and engaging, and the music is just, iconic, it's iconic. This game itself, is an icon.
Cons: Again, it is simplistic and short (though it does contain a well made hard mode), and that may not be enough for some. And later games in the franchise, have in many ways, supplanted this one. But I still find value in this more limited version, one without copy-abilities or multiplayer.
What it means to me: This was my first Kirby game, played it when it first came out, I even remember seeing the tv commercial, and wanting the game because of it. Kirby was really cool! And I, a little, what, five or so year old, loved how accessible this game was for me. Far more than any Mario game, the sprites were big, I could see everything on that difficult to see pea green Game Boy screen, it was cute (I love cute), there was no timer to add stress, and I could just fly over any scary pit I'd come across with the press of a button, I could just... fly, at any time. Flying alone, made me LOVE this game, and I thought of it as, for some reason, superior to every other 2D sidescrolling platform game, well, when I was five or so I thought that anyway, haha. But hey, maybe I still agree with that. Kirby's Dreamland is an all time classic, was the start of a legendarily iconic franchise, and it's near and dear to my heart.
Cons: Again, it is simplistic and short (though it does contain a well made hard mode), and that may not be enough for some. And later games in the franchise, have in many ways, supplanted this one. But I still find value in this more limited version, one without copy-abilities or multiplayer.
What it means to me: This was my first Kirby game, played it when it first came out, I even remember seeing the tv commercial, and wanting the game because of it. Kirby was really cool! And I, a little, what, five or so year old, loved how accessible this game was for me. Far more than any Mario game, the sprites were big, I could see everything on that difficult to see pea green Game Boy screen, it was cute (I love cute), there was no timer to add stress, and I could just fly over any scary pit I'd come across with the press of a button, I could just... fly, at any time. Flying alone, made me LOVE this game, and I thought of it as, for some reason, superior to every other 2D sidescrolling platform game, well, when I was five or so I thought that anyway, haha. But hey, maybe I still agree with that. Kirby's Dreamland is an all time classic, was the start of a legendarily iconic franchise, and it's near and dear to my heart.