The story plays out in typical Kirby fashion, that being extremely charming (near cotton candy vomit inducing, and for once I mean that in a good way), and never gets in the way of why you and I pick up a Kirby title to begin with: gameplay and style.
Hal Laboratories has always been known for making incredible games with well-established mechanics that border on perfection (Kirby... need I go on?). Even though Kirby hasn't been sucking, eating, and mimicking in quite some time, I'd argue he hasn't done it better than here. All of the enemy abilities you would expect to copy, such as hammer, sword, fire, rock, even the adorable-yet-uesless sleepy ability, all make a return here and they're as great as they ever were. There are new abilities to copy as well, and they really mesh well with the classics. As in Kirby's appearance is changed based on who he has viciously digested and copied, and they all look awesome. There really is something fantastic and viscerally satisfying about the traditional Kirby gameplay design, and it's really a blast here. Level designs are stupendous despite their simplicity and when combined with Kirby's puffball float-jump and his copying, it all makes for a truly memorable experience. I haven't had this much fun with a Kirby title since Super Star Ultra. Each copied ability has a range of contextual attacks depending on if you're attacking while standing, aiming, running, and jumping, which makes for a rather deep experience when you consider the many abilities you will acquire over the course of the game. Boss fights are as satisfying and epic as ever in Kirby's history.
There are some new features in the gameplay that are worth mentioning here too. For instance, remember how intuitive and satisfyingly implemented shaking your Wii-mote was in Donkey Kong Country Returns or New Super Mario Bros. Wii? Kirby's Return to Dreamland utilizes that action in much the same way. Some enemies are huge or glowing, and need Kirby's new Wii-mote shaking "super suck" to vacuum them up. Once digested, these foes allow Kirby to perform some truly ridiculous super moves, such as a sword that obliterates most of the screen or a massive fire-breathing dragon(!), and so on. Kirby's super suck ability is also useful for getting rid of impenetrable brick walls. These new abilities aren't really ever forced on you though, and don't feel gimmicky in the least, thank goodness.
If you have friends alongside you, there has been considerable effort put into co-op should you fancy such a thing. Other players can play as Meta-Knight, King DeDeDe, and Bandana Waddle Dee (who wields a spear). Of course, none of these characters can copy enemy abilities, but they each utilize their own weapons and modes of combat to bring to the fight. This makes for a truly unique experience for each player, as totally different complimentary strategies can be implemented. Players 2-4 can also just play as a differently colored Kirby as well, and that's a blast too. The co-op in this game really reminds me of the old days of gaming. Tails' role in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 comes to mind. Lives and progress are only penalized if player 1 dies, and if anyone else does, they immediately respawn next to Kirby. This design really harkens back to a time when playing a game co-operatively was all about having fun together rather than getting a great score or everyone being punished for one person's mistake (and subsequently beating the tar out of that one person). I love it. I always give games extra points for being a great opportunity to bond with my wife, and this game has already done that in spades and I'm sure will continue to do so for a long, long time (Epic Yarn was great for that too). We have had a blast playing this together so far.
Artistically and graphically, Kirby's Return to Dreamland is fantastic. Kirby games are usually the last hurrah for any Nintendo system, historically, and have always been the beaming example of what those consoles were capable of. Now, it seems with the Wii's console lifetime nearing its end, Hal Laboratories really knows how to squeeze out every last drop of capability the Wii has, even seemingly surpassing it. This is one gorgeous game, regardless of the simplistic art style and decidedly under-powered system it's on. It's vibrant and colorful, very stylistic, and nostalgic, which is exactly what I want from a Kirby game. When developers focus on art design over graphical limitation, it always makes for a better experience, and is why many of this generations' most beautiful games have been on the Wii (Metroid Prime 3 and Muramasa: The Demon Blade are both great examples of that). The music is exactly what you'd expect and want from a Kirby title, catchy, cutesy, and joy inducing. I don't think the soundtrack is quite as memorable as past titles, but it is still quite good and fits in the soundtrack canon.
Kirby's Return To Dreamland is a remarkable game. I bought it as soon as I could find a copy from my local *cough cough* because I just couldn't wait (lots of confusion regarding when, exactly, this game released. October 24th, 2011, was incorrect for many stores, evidently). I suspect that many of you are like me here. I grew up loving Kirby's many, varied adventures in Dreamland, from the original 2 Gameboy Dreamland titles, to the SNES classics, to the DS remakes, to Epic Yarn, and now this. It has been quite a ride (on a star, maybe?). It's not a particularly long title. Conceivably, one could beat it in seven hours or so on their first attempt. Of course, there's lots of incentive to keep coming back for completionists. I'd say it's a very good value, and I'm a relatively poor, newly-wed young man who has to pinch pennies. For Kirby purists, the timeless, refined gameplay, beautiful, imaginative art/sound design, and overall charm of Dreamland and its citizens will be enough to make this particular entry a real stand-out for Nintendo's pink mascot. As a longtime fan of Kirby, I look forward to playing this game over and over for years to come, and I give it the highest recommendation. Buy it, devour it, and be entranced by this gloriously triumphant return to Dreamland.
Belum ada komentar untuk "Kirby's Return to Dream Land (Video Game) newly tagged "wii""
Posting Komentar