Kirby’s Adventure

Something for the experienced player

In a later Nintendo interview, Masahiro Sakurai explained that he added Copy abilities to give experienced players more to do while retaining simpler inhaling and spitting for beginners. Released in 1993, the game also belongs to the NES library’s overlap with the 16-bit generation, beyond this chapter’s main window.

Borrow a different way through

Floating gives you time to examine a stage before committing to its ground-level hazards. Copy abilities then provide reasons to come back down: a sword makes one approach appealing, a wheel encourages another. Losing a power rarely ruins a run, which makes trying an unfamiliar one an easy decision. Doors, switches and sub-games interrupt the forward march often enough that the adventure feels like a place to poke around.

This is an inviting starting point if the repeated deaths in Castlevania or Contra are wearing thin. Try a power until you understand its limitations, then willingly trade it for another. Searching for every switch can wait until you have enjoyed the main route.