Given my propensity toward cute games, the declaration in the header above probably strikes a few of you as odd.
Sadly, I can't really explain to you why it took me so long to acquire a copy of--or even play--this particular platformer, other than I just wasn't all that keen on this Kirby character when he first arrived on the scene back in 1992, and that lack of interest prompted me to ignore him and pretty much every one of his games until
Kirby's Canvas Curse piqued my interest a few years ago.
Even after I had that change of heart--which was bolstered by the release of
Kirby's Epic Yarn and
Kirby's Return to Dream Land--about the little squeeze toy, though, I still couldn't be bothered to pick up the GameBoy cart that introduced him to the world.
That's mainly because I'd always imagined a "mainline"
Kirby game without the series' trademark--the ability to take on enemies' powers--would be a waste of time. Then, a couple of months ago, I watched a video of
Dream Land's first stage. I liked pretty much all of what I saw, of course, but what pushed me from "like" to "love," strangely enough, was seeing a couple of
Grizzos--one of which had a Poppy Bros. Jr. on its back--hop to and fro in the most adorable manner.
So, I ran out--well, directed my browser to eBay--and bought a copy of the Japanese version of
Dream Land, which is known in that part of the world as
Hoshi no Kirby, or
Kirby of the Stars.
Its packaging, as you can see in the photos shared throughout this post, is simple but effective. I especially like how the illustration that sits behind Kirby (on the front cover) looks like it may have been made out of fabric. (A precursor to the aforementioned
Epic Yarn, perhaps?) That said, I think I prefer the even more simplistic cart-label art to the box art.
The back of the
Hoshi no Kirby's packaging is pretty darn appealing, too--or at least I think it is.
I still haven't played a ton of the game, I'm embarrassed to admit, but I've played through a small handful of stages, enjoying every second of the experience, and as a result I can assure you I'll return to finish the rest of them sooner rather than later.
Do any of you consider yourselves to be fans of
Hoshi no Kirby or
Kirby's Dream Land? If so, please share your thoughts about why that is in the comments section of this post.
See also: '
I guess I've come around to Bubble Bobble Junior's box art as well as its gameplay'
11 comments:
Hm... I didn't think they made him pink until the NES game. Shigeru Miyamoto wanted him to be yellow, but there's already a round, all-consuming video game character with that color...
I don't have the Kirby cartridge, but do own a Kirby collection for the Wii with that game and five others. Got it for five bucks, with the art book included! Man, I love bargain hunting!
I think you're just thinking of the NA box art for this game, Jess, which features a white, rather than pink, Kirby. He definitely started out as pink in his home country, though, as you can see here.
Also, man, am I glad Miyamoto didn't get his way and make Kirby yellow. Ew!
BTW, if you like the Kirby games included on the Kirby Wii collection well enough, I'd highly recommend picking up either Kirby's Epic Yarn or Kirby's Return to Dream Land for the the same system. Both are among my favorite games released for the Wii :)
While it's not one of my favorite Kirby games (mostly due to the lack of a copy ability), Kirby's Dreamland is a fun portable game that can easily be beaten in one sitting. Kirby's Adventure on the NES still stands as my favorite of the series.
Oh, I agree. It's not my favorite Kirby game either. (That would be either Kirby's Adventure, Kirby's Epic Yarn or Kirby's Canvas Curse, I think.) I do like it more than I initially thought I would, though!
I love the jp box art! I bought Kirby's Dreamland for my brother *cough (actually for me)* back when it came out and i used to how fast i could run through the game on the car ride to school. Did you ever see the Kirby's Adventure commercial where it basically was Epic Yarn?
But Return to Dream Land is so hard to find! I didn't even know it existed until a year ago!
I suspect Nintendo's going to do with RTDL what they did with Xenoblade Chronicles and port it to the 3DS. The *New* 3DS. -_-;
Kirby face looks so small, I think I might find this design cuter than the modern one.
Is it? I bought it at launch, so I guess I've never really thought about how hard it is to find, etc.--until now!
As for RTDL coming to the new 3DS, I don't know if I agree with that. I mean, the 3DS already has Triple Deluxe, which basically looks like RTDL.
I certainly wouldn't be opposed to seeing another Kirby game on the system, though!
Huh, I didn't even realize that until now, Sam. You're right! I'm not sure I prefer this Kirby design myself, though...
I loved playing Kirby's Dream Land as a kid. Back in the day on the old grey Gameboy. Long road trips on the back seat were enjoyable thanks to this awesome pink cute guy! Thanks for reminding me of those times.
You're very welcome, Erik! Stupidly, I avoided this game until this year. As a kid/teen, I thought it was too cute or something. Now, though, I love this little guy :)
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