Kirby's Dream Land (1992)

Developer: HAL Laboratory
Publisher: Nintendo, Playtronic
Platforms: Nintendo 3DS, Game Boy
Genres: Platform
Rating: 3.9 of 5, 183 player ratings
Main story: about 45 minutes
Completionist: about 1.5 hours
Where to get it: Nintendo eShop

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A cheerful, easy-going platformer where a round pink hero floats through fantasy worlds to reclaim stolen food from a greedy king.

colorfullightheartedkids-friendlyclassic platformerwhimsicalarcade-stylebreezy

About

The gluttonous King Dedede has stolen all of the food from the inhabitants of Dream Land for a midnight feast, so Kirby, a resident of Dream Land, goes to retrieve the food and stop Dedede. Kirby's Dream Land plays like other platformers of the 8-bit and 16-bit era of video games: Kirby must use various natural abilities and occasionally external abilities or items while heading toward the goal at the end of each level. Like many 1980s-era platformers, the player can accumulate points, with an extra life granted when the player has enough points. However, because Kirby lacks a save function, scores are not recorded. Also, there are no save files, so the player has to start over again when the Game Boy is turned off, if the player chooses to return to the title screen after a Game Over, or if the player resets the game. All levels are played on a two-dimensional plane, letting Kirby move only left, right, up, and down. Kirby can walk, jump, and fly. Kirby can also inhale objects and enemies, swallowing them or spitting them out as projectiles.

Screenshots

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This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.