Kirby’s Adventure: 3D Classics Review (3DS)

The fifth in the ongoing 3D Classics series for Nintendo 3DS (as far as we know, more are coming), Kirby’s Adventure is probably the first “real” game for the service, following the somewhat milder releases of Excitebike, Twinbee, Xevious and – puzzlingly enough – Urban Champion.  This time around, we have a real platformer here, one that will take you a little while to get through, whether you’re playing for the first time or revisiting the same game you played on the NES.

Kirby’s Adventure brings back the classic Kirby gameplay that many of his games – including the current Return To Dreamland for Wii – follow.  He runs around, sucking up enemies into his seemingly bottomless stomach and absorbing his abilities.  He’ll need every one of them to unseat the evil forces that have taken over his dream world, basically creating a menace of things.

The level variety is just as fun as we remember it being, with lots of colorful locales to visit and plenty to do.  The extra bonus stages are also a plus, including the cool crane game and the quick draw event, among others.  There’s always room to snag some extra 1-ups, which are nice to have when the going gets tough.

However, this is probably the laziest of the 3D ports we’ve seen to date.  Not that there’s anything wrong with the route the developers at Arika took. The game resembles its classic NES self, but seeing as how other games, particularly Excitebike and Urban Champion, have been fully remastered with 3D high-definition visuals, Kirby’s Adventure feels crammed and a little bit rushed.

That said, the 3D effects that are delivered here aren’t bad.  The game resembles its NES cousin, but little things stand out to show you that a little extra depth has been added, and it doesn’t really distract from the action at all.  Don’t be surprised if other 3D Classics, such as Super Mario Bros. 3, follow this same route and don’t suffer a bit as a result.

One word of warning, though.  If you’re going to play through this game, make sure you control Kirby using the D-pad.  The circle pad doesn’t really do him many favors, as we often found ourselves flying needlessly by pressing up just a little too closely on the pad.  The controls aren't impossible, but if you’re trying to keep hold of a power-up, it can be frustrating to lose it by accident.  Stick with the D-pad and you’ll have no trouble.

Yeah, Kirby’s Adventure: 3D Classics could’ve been a lot more, but sometimes it’s best to just leave some stuff the way it is, namely for the sake of the classic nature of the game.  It’s still one of the better NES offerings around, and seven bucks is a small price to pay for it.  If you need a break from the visually superior Super Mario 3D Land, good ol’ Kirby the puffball will fit the bill.