Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards Review

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: HAL Laboratory Platform: Nintendo 64 Players: 1 (Story Mode), 1-4 (Minigames) Release: 2000 Genre: 2D Platformer Rating: 8.2 \ 10.0: Great

Above is Kirby using the Flame-Cutter Copy Ability combo

At the climax of the legacy of the Nintendo 64 came the game everyone had been waiting for-- a 64-bit Kirby title! The story has the evil Dark Matter invade the planet Ripple Star. One of the planet's inhabitants, Ribbon the fairy, escapes the sacred Great Crystal. Dark Matter pursues Ribbon through outer space and shatters the crystal, knocking Ribbon to Kirby's home planet of Pop Star, left with only the shards of the sacred treasure. Ribbon goes to Kirby's help, for Dark Matter is still is search of her. It's up to Kirby to collect all the crystal shards, which are hidden throughout the game's worlds. One of the game's most noticeable features are the incredible lush and smooth 64-bit visuals, arguably the best on the N64. You would think Kirby 64 would be a 3D platformer, given its platform, but it's played from a unique 2.5D perspective that series has never seen since. The action is similar to previous entries in the series with a twist that I dearly wish will be seen again soon: you can combine two different Copy Abilities for an all new attack. Cutter and Flame, for example, grants you a flzaming sword. You can also use the same Copy Ability twice for a mega-powerful attack. For instance, Bomb and Bomb lets you hold down the attack button to launch a mouthful of missiles! In another neat twist, if you inhale an enemy, you can hoist it above your head and use it as a weapon-- it's also kind of cruel. Aside from the main game, there's set of minigames that can be enjoyed with 4 players. These games are 100-Yard Hop, in which you must press two buttons to the right timing to hop over puddles; Crop Catch, in which you must catch falling fruit in a basket, and in the process switching places with other; and finally, my personal favorite, Checker Board Chase, in which you chase your opponents across a checkerboard and press a button to make a whole column of blocks fall. Despite all these fun new features, the game feel's rather slow-paced compared to the near-nonstop Iight action I'm used to from Kirby titles-- Kirby literally moves at a  slow pace, which kind of dumbs things down. That alone is a let-down. Additionally, the game can sometimes be frustrating, as some levels will tear through your life counter. Despite the slow pace, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is a great game that no fan of the series should miss.

Ups
Impressive visuals
Creative Copy Ability combo system
Unique game-exclusive features
Fun minigames

Downs
Annoyingly slow pace
Sometimes frustrating

ESRB: E Content: ??? Price: $10.00 (Download)