When I think of reasons why people would shun Kirby, I can only come up with one. Kirby has always been incredibly cute and the newest rendition is no exception. The story itself proves this point. Ripple Star is in trouble, as the evil Dark Matter invades. Intent on stealing the crystal there, the only hope for survival is for one of the fairies living there to escape. With the crystal in tow, she barely flees from Dark Matter but the crystal shatters in the process. Now it's up to Kirby, helpful fellow that he is, to collect all the shards and free Ripple Star.

Not a 'manly' premise, is it?

The story is not the only thing lacking testosterone. The graphics are high up on the saccharine scale with the use of bright colors and adorable characters. If you look closely though, Kirby's graphics are quite remarkable. The game always runs at 30 frames per second, and even higher during cut-scenes. Characters are modeled incredibly and goraud shaded to keep a simplistic look to the game. Even the backgrounds are noteworthy with a simplified, almost hand-drawn, appearance. Instead of opting for graphical overkill, Hal uses the N64 to make a 3D game as 2D as possible. I think this is quite a pleasing sight, with the only questionable matter being the cutesy characters and backgrounds. I don't mind it one bit personally, but there will be those who balk at Kirby 64 for the pure fact that it looks too kiddie.

If you take a look at the gameplay however, you'd learn that Kirby is far from childish. After playing for only 5 minutes I was already hooked. Kirby has his trademark vacuum-mouth that he uses to suck in enemies. Afterwards, he can shoot them back, swallow them, or absorb powers from the foe. Kirby has other skills too, such as climbing and his patented float/fly ability. What really impressed me though is the ability to absorb and combine up to two powers at once! Not only can Kirby use one attribute by itself, but he can also mix and match powers. This makes for some interesting combinations, such as fire and spark or ice and bomb. Sometimes certain powers are needed to open up hidden paths or find crystal shards. This brings us to main objective of the game: the crystal shards. While anyone can get through the game by going from point A to point B, crystals are important to get to see the real ending. These items can be as easy to find as beating a mid-boss to as difficult as finding two rare powers in the level and implementing them. Searching for crystals extends the life of the game after the first play-through and it's a good thing too. Unfortunately, Kirby 64 is incredibly short and pretty easy if you're a platforming fan. With 6 levels and 5 stages to each level, one would think there would be some longevity to the game. Yet all of the stages are rather easy and, with a few exceptions, the bosses are a cakewalk. It's a good thing Kirby is addictively fun; otherwise I would rate it lower.

Kirby 64's music and sound fits perfectly with the charming graphics. Each power Kirby uses has its own unique sample, and Kirby himself is too cute for words. Then there's all the other bumps and blips, which fit into the game perfectly. What really impressed me though are the music tracks. Some are revised tunes of old Kirby games while others sound completely new. All of them have a happy, airy style and can keep any non-jaded gamer toe tapping. Some may call Kirby's tunes too childish, but I'm sure they never gave the game a fair shot after viewing the graphics. So as long as a person is playing this game, it's safe to assume they'll enjoy every sound.

Before I forget to mention it, a special nod goes to the extras found in Kirby 64. Aside from the crystal gathering, there are enemy cards to collect in the game. I don't know what happens when all of them are found but they can be viewed anytime in the options screen. A theater is also present, allowing players to view any cut-scenes that have been seen previously. Then there's the inclusion of mini-games! Although they're not very involving, it's nice gravy anyway. Plus, I've always wanted a reason to put three friends around a Kirby game.

To wrap things up, let me just say everyone should play Kirby 64. If just for a rental, every gamer owes it to themselves to play a really good 2D platformer. It's especially heart-warming to see a game like this pop up when the genre is an endangered species. And to all the critics who think a game isn't challenging unless it's littered with explosions and guns - give it up. The element that makes a game good is FUN, which is exactly what Kirby 64 is.

· · · Hero