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Part V: The Golden Portable Years
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Kirby Tilt 'n Tumble
(GBC, 2001)
Nobody would have looked at this title twice if it weren't for one little quirk that had not been used much in a popular portable video game before. Kirby's goal here is pretty much to get a bunch of stars back that King Dedede stole from Dream Land. That's pretty standard storyline fare. However, Kirby needs to roll through a series of mazes to get there. No, he can't walk; he can only roll. But this game plays a little differently than you'd expect. There's not a lot of button-mashing to be had here. Instead, built into the cartridge are several accelerometers that detect when you tilt the Game Boy. When you tilt it left, the screen tilts left and Kirby rolls accordingly. You will need to get him past many obstacles that way. Unfortunately, the sensors only work well when the cartridge is held upright, as in the Game Boy Color. Stick it in the Game Boy Advance (SP model), or worse yet, the Game Boy Player adaptor for the GameCube, and you're going to be playing funny. You would need to lift the GameCube while playing a video game. That's mildly irritating.
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Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
(GBA, 2002)
Kirby made his debut on the Game Boy Advance a year after it was released, but sadly, his first offering was only a remake of a previous Kirby title. At least they selected decent material to work with. This game improves on Kirby's Adventure for the NES with improved graphics and sound, as well as the addition of new single-player mini-games and the ability for more than one person to play simultaneously in the main quest, a feature not present in the original. You'll also be able to unlock a mini-game featuring none other than everyone's favourite heroic foe, Meta Knight! If you liked the original on the NES, you'll likely enjoy this. Even if you never played it, this is an excellent source of Vitamin K (for Kirby).
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FOXBOX Kirby Slide Puzzle
(GBA e-Reader, 2003)
This was available for a limited time as a special offer at Toys R Us locations in FOXBOX promo packages, and was also a free pack-in gift with a certain issue of Nintendo Power magazine. Using the Game Boy Advance's short-lived e-Reader accessory, you could slide a paper card with data encrypted on it to achieve bonuses in certain games, or there could be games all their own on the card. In this case, it's just one of those annoying tile-sliding puzzles that form a picture. Nobody likes these.
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Kirby and the Amazing Mirror
(GBA, 2004)
When "The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures" was released, it was quite popular due to its multiplayer support where each player could control a different coloured Link and traverse through the different regions of Hyrule and help each other out in dangerous situations. Well, the same principle seems to have been applied here. This time around, both Kirby and Meta Knight have traveled to Mirror World to examine a malfunctioning mirror that only reflects the wishes of darkened minds. However, a brutal battle ensues, and the mirror is shattered into eight pieces. Guess what you'll need to collect! This is a standard platformer where four Kirbies are implanted into a maze-type setting, and you'll need to use the powers of all Kirbies to get through (mostly by having one step on a door switch while another runs through -- you can call the rest back to your location by cell-phone somehow). Even as a Four Swords clone, it's still pretty decent.
Check out our Kirby and the Amazing Mirror review for a more in-depth look!
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(Screenshot of 'FOXBOX Kirby Slide Puzzle' provided courtesy of GameFAQs)
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