After the sadly underrated and not very well-received third Dream Land game, Kirby returns on the N64.
No sooner does the game begin that Ripple Star, a planet populated by Fairies, is engulfed by the ever-returning and seemingly-not-wanting-to-die Dark Matter. A fairy named Ribbon try to save the Great Crystal, the sacred treasure of Ripple Star, but Dark Matter smashes the crystal into numerous pieces and sends them scattering all over the galaxy and sending Ribbon careening into Pop Star.
On Pop Star, our hero Kirby is watching falling stars in the night sky. Two of the crystal fragments fall, one of them landing in front of him and the other hitting him in the back of the head. Ribbon comes down along with the first one, and Kirby finds the second one. When they put the two pieces close to each other, they react by shining brightly and combining into one slightly bigger crystal. With day breaking and with a very clear understanding of what has to be done, Kirby is all too eager to help as he and Ribbon chase the rising sun to a brand-new adventure.
Level 1 - Pop Star
Stage 1
You know the drill here: you can inhale enemies and either spit them back out at other enemies or swallow them to steal their powers, assuming they have one. You can fly in the game, but unlike previous titles in the Kirby series, you can't do it forever.
Collecting stars will bring you closer and closer to a 1-Up, just like in the second and third Kirby's Dream Land games. Unlike those games, where you have to pick up a few and they aren't as commonplace, here they're much more easy to come across, but you'll have to pick up thirty of them to fill up the star counter at the bottom and get your extra life.
You'll be introduced to the Burning power as soon as you start the stage. It is one of seven abilities you'll be able to use in the game. Kirby 64 was also the first game to let you combine two powers, and sadly, no other game has allowed for it since. You can combine two of the same power for greater strength and effect or two different powers for interesting abilities. You can also take an inhaled enemy out of your mouth and throw them to do some damage to another enemy, or get abilities by having two enemies collide as well
Burning (red): This lets Kirby turn into a fireball that shoots forward. (Combining two Burnings makes for a bigger fireball.)
Stone (brown): This lets Kirby turn into a rock version of himself. If any enemies run into him, they'll take damage and/or die. Of course, Kirby will be slower than he usually is as a result. When in mid-air, you can use it above an enemy to squash them, as always. Cancel out of the stone form by pressing B again. (Two Stones makes an even bigger - and even slower - Stone Kirby.)
Ice (blue): This gives Kirby ice breathe that can freeze enemies into ice cubes, which Kirby can touch to send them forward and hopefully into another enemies.
Needle (orange): Kirby spawns a whole bunch of spikes around his body. He cannot move while he uses it. (Combining two Needles makes various sharp things like a bumble-bee stinger, a cactus and a Swiss Army Knife protrude from Kirby's body to make for a slightly longer range.)
Bomb (black): Allows Kirby to throw a bomb. (Two Bombs let Kirby shoot up to three homing missiles at once. Hold B to produce more than one.)
Spark (yellow): Kirby produces an electric force field that will zap anything that comes in contact with him. You can move around slowly while using it, but the field is slightly larger when you stand still. (Two Sparks allows foe an even bigger force field that works the same way.)
Cutter (green): Allows Kirby to turn the center of his body into a boomerang. (Two Cutters allow for an even bigger one.)
You can also ditch the power at will and turn it into a crystal, which you can toss at enemies, especially those with other powers to create a two-tone crystal.
You can lose your ability if you die or take too much damage. If the former happens, you'll be back to normal and you'll have to work to get it back. If the latter happens, you can still get it back, but you'll have to chase after it to get it and swallow it again to regain it.
The flame guys run back and forth and give you the Burning ability. The green spiky guys will roll towards you and give the Needle ability. The black guys with the white shoes just slowly pace back and forth. The pink enemies with the hair bows will bounce up and down. The Bronto Burts (the pink guys with the wings) can fly and can even be aggressive enough to fly right into you. The little green guys with the short red tentacles on their heads blow bubbles upwards and just get in your way. The yellow guys that shoot boomerangs are named Sir Kibble, and these series mainstays give you the Cutter ability.
Combining Flame and Needle turns into a bow with a flaming arrow. Hold the button down to dictate the angle that the arrow is shot. This can take down airborne enemies when used well.
Combining Flame and Cutter creates a giant burning zweihander. The swing is pretty fast, but Kirby can hold the sword by pressing Up. He'll move more slowly and be vulnerable from the sides, but anything that touches the sword immediately takes damage and/or dies. The sword can also be thrown forward, too, and Kirby can produce another one whenever you press B.
Along the way, you'll find Crystal Shards. These are shards of the Great Crystal, and there are three Shards per stage. The first one in this stage is in plain view towards the start. If you've already picked up a shard, it will be replaced by a blue star, which is worth 5 yellow ones.
The cabin at the end of the first section leads to a mini-boss battle for the second one. It's a larger version of the little black enemy from earlier, and he just stands there are normal-sized version of himself spawn throughout the room. If you don't have an ability, just inhale these guys and spit them back out at him. If you have an ability, this is a piece of cake. When the red life meter for the boss that replaces the star counter goes down, the boss is destroyed.
The third section takes you back outside and introduces you to Shotza, the indestructible cannon that fires cannonballs in one of eight directions. If you inhale or destroy the Star Blocks below them, they'll come down to ground level. The Star Blocks can be used as ammo to spit at enemies. The Poppy Bros. (the gys with the hats that throw bombs) give you the Bomb ability. Use it to blow up the rock in the stream near the end of this section to get the second Crystal Shard for this stage. The rock is color-coded black to hint that you need the Bomb power-up to blow it up.
If you need health, pick up a food item. They'll restore one unit of life. You have six hit points in this game like in the rest of series, and if you lose all of them, you lose a life. The Maxim Tomato (the red tomato at the end of the first section) is the only food that completely replenishes your health.
The fourth section is one-time only, and here, you'll meet Waddle Dee. He finds a Crystal Shard, and when he looks at it, he becomes possessed by Dark Matter. When Kirby and Ripple catch up with him, he has already transformed into Waddle Doo. Inhale the stars that Waddle Doo makes when he runs into a wall to damage him if you don't have an ability. Don't let him touch you. When you beat him, he'll be back to normal, and you'll get the third Crystal Shard for this stage. Waddle Dee will then tag along on your quest.
At the end of every stage is a mini-game. This is just like the mini-game at the end of every stage in [i]Kirby's Dream Land 3[/i], where you jump to the item that you want. Aim Kirby towards the item that you want, then gauge how far you want Kirby to jump when he starts swinging his arms. The further back his arms are, the longer the jump will be. Besides stars for your star counter, 1-Ups and healing items, there are collectible cards. Each card is a picture of a character from the game, both friends and foes, that also provide biographies. You'll be playing for a while to collect them all, but it's a huge badge of honor to do so.
Stage 2
Go to the left at the start for a star.
The enemies with the umbrellas will just gently float down. The rock enemies that are, well, made out of rocks will give you the Stone ability. The moles will dig out of the ground and scramble towards you, and they're fairly quick to boot. The spiked balls that move up and down are called Gordos, and they're indestructible. Get them out of your way if you can. The green tear-drop shaped enemies with the yellow circles for hands are Sparkys, and they'll give you the Spark ability.
Combining Bomb and Cutter gives you shurikens that explode upon hitting and stunning an enemy.
The second section takes place inside a tree, where you'll climb up to the second section.
The cocoon enemies will drop down and slowly make their way up. Be careful, because sometimes they can take you by surprise like they do during their first appearance. The snowman enemies give you the Ice ability.
Combining Rock and Cutter gives a drill projectile that will send you flying forward for as long as you hold B. Release the button, and it becomes a projectile that flies forward.
Combining Bomb and Spark lets Kirby turn into a walking light bulb, both figuratively and literally, whenever you hold B. You can only hold that form for a few times before the bulb breaks.
In the third section, Waddle Dee will help run the lift to the other side. Collect the stars, and when you see three stars leading downward, drop down to get the first Crystal Shard for the stage. When you're in the tree, drop down to reach the end of the fourth section. There's a Maxim Tomato and a 1-Up if you need them.
The fifth section is a giant version of that pink enemy with the red bow tie. It's just like the mini-boss from Stage 1, and when you beat it, don't leave the room immediately. You'll get the second Crystal Shard of the stage for your efforts.
You'll then meet Adeline the painter. A Crystal Shard falls, and when she picks it up, Dark Matter pops out of her painting and possesses her. The enemies that she makes will come after you, but if you inhale them and spit them back out, you'll kill them. She'll then produce a painting of the ice dragon boss from the second game. When it spits out ice cubes, inhale them and send them back at it. Adeline will then make a Dark Matter cloud. When it produces smaller clones of itself, inhale the clones and spit them back at it, and fly over the dive attack that it performs occasionally. When that's done, Adeline will come after you herself. You can either slide into her by holding Down and pressing A, or you can fly above her and let her run into the wall. Regardless of how you get her de-possessed, you'll get the third Crystal Shard. Again, if you have an ability, this is made simpler. Adeline will then join you in your quest.
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