N-Philes

Kirby and the Amazing Mirror

Posted by Kenny.

Being as big a Kirby fan that I am, I have to say that I was considerably disappointed with the remake of the original NES version of Kirby's Adventure thrown at us as the first outing for the GBA. We've seen enough of those with Mario and Zelda, and while I can't say I'm surprised, I was disappointed nonetheless. Fortunately Hal Labs has not been idle since then, and this time the developer has brought Kirby along for a brand new game. Kirby and the Amazing Mirror is the next in the franchise that tries to bring our favorite pink sponge back to his former glory, this time allowing your friends to tag along for the ride.

No Pulitzers will be handed out for the story in the Amazing Mirror, which is fine for me since it means a quicker entrance into actually playing the game. The Mirror World gets invaded by a dark presence that shatters the world's mirror, sending the shards to opposite ends of the planet. Somehow in his attempts to prevent this, Kirby gets sickeningly sliced into four parts, but rather than gushing blood and guts, our walking plush toy gains four times the power by splitting into four separate Kirby's. It is certainly convenient this time around, as the Amazing Mirror is a massive game, and our puffball needs all the help he can get.

Kirby and the Amazing Mirror is about as formulaic Kirby action as you can get. You suck up enemies in this side-scrolling adventure, absorbing their abilities to use as your own either to defeat harder foes or to solve puzzles. For example, Sword Kirby may be needed to cut wires while Hammer or Stone Kirby may be required to pound pegs that open new areas. Added into the franchise are a couple new abilities, such as the UFO Kirby, who whisks around in a cute flying saucer with deadly mounted charging lasers. These new copy abilities aren't necessary for solving puzzles but they're fun to use anyway, and really that's what matters.

A few new abilities and even a new adventure isn't the big draw this time around. Instead, Hal expanded the scope of the game four-fold by allowing up to four players cooperatively put the mirror of Mirror World back together, one shard at a time. By pressing the R button at any time, Kirby will literally pull out a cell phone and call "himselves" (or is it his other selves?) who are exploring other areas of the world. If his friends decide to answer the call, which is signaled by a phone ring and flashing icon at the top left corner of your buddy's GBA screen, he will automatically teleport to your location. Good thing Kirby packs four transportation cell phones with him at all times, you know, in case something like this Mirror World catastrophe happens. This feature becomes absolutely vital throughout the game, as more often than not you'll run into an obstacle that you do not have the appropriate tools to overcome. Fear not, since your friend may happen to contain the ability you need. Call him up, and God willing, he will respond to aid you. Likewise, you may encounter an extremely tough boss – there are a lot of those, or I just suck at this game – that you are incapable of defeating on your own. Well four puffballs are always better than one.

To say playing cooperatively is a nice addition would be an understatement. For Kirby and the Amazing Mirror, it becomes a necessity. This may be a bad thing for folks who are unable to gather enough friends with the same game to play with, because the Amazing Mirror is really geared towards that type of experience. If you have no one to play with, or have tarts for friends, you may be in trouble since this title is not accessible for ‘doing your own thing.' To say you can't play the Amazing Mirror on your own would be a lie, however working with friends is not only more entertaining, it ends up becoming less frustrating as well. This is true for two reasons. First of all, the AI for the unmanned Kirbys', that is to say the ones not controlled by a player, not only look like marshmallows but possess the IQ of one as well. I'll say flat out that they're so dumb. Whenever you call, they'll come whether you want them to or not, and all they will do when they arrive is steal abilities you wanted, and (mercifully) jump into a pit to kill themselves. It's almost as if Nintendo programmed these guys to be complete losers, so you'll try harder to find real friends to play with.

Occasionally you'll encounter areas that absolutely require at least two players, and while the AI Kirby's in the Amazing Mirror are designed to know what to do in those instances, it takes a while before the gears turn and they help out. Sometimes the game glitches and they don't help out at all, leaving you to your own devices, crying for some aid as they go off stealing abilities and jumping into pits. The other reason why this game is not suited for one player is because it was designed with multiplayer in mind. The game is much bigger than your average handheld Kirby title, a feature that is usually associated with rainbows, candy-apples, and all the goodness you can get in a videogame, because that means you get more for your money. Perhaps not as big as Kirby Superstars (the best version in my opinion), Kirby and the Amazing Mirror at times can feel a little too big and convoluted. With a heavier emphasis on exploration, finding secret notes and maps and other Kirby necessities, the game requires a lot of backtracking if you wish to do more than just beat it. But even that alone is quite a feat to accomplish, and for a single player this task becomes more than daunting, it's absolutely overwhelming. The map helps to organize things but takes a while to understand, and after that you'll find yourself wishing for more clarity. Ironically, you have to find the map within the area level before it can be of any help, something I managed to avoid doing for two of the nine stages in the game.

Along with the standard adventure, Kirby and the Amazing Mirror also offers up a couple of mini-games, something of a tradition for the franchise now. There is Speed Eaters, Crackity Hack, and the always awesome Kirby Wave Ride. Speed Eaters is a tribute to gambling, as you and your other Kirby selves greedily sit at a dinner table waiting for the main course. Once it is revealed, whoever presses the A button fast enough is awarded with the meal. Depending on how fast you press and how slow your opponents are, you can either gobble up the entire meal, or manage only a piddling serving. Here's the chance part: sometimes the chef will yuk it up by replacing your well-earned meal with some bombs. So even though this game is all about speed, you can actually be penalized for being the fastest. Awesome idea. Anyway, Crackity Hack tests your sense of timing by setting up several meters that go up and down, which you must hit when they are charged to their maximum. The winner is the one with the highest powered slam. Kirby's Wave Ride is definitely my favorite, as you compete against your opponents on a Star surfboard, riding the waves in this quaint race. By jumping off waves at the right moment, you earn yourself boosts. None of these mini-games are drastic changes from Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland, aside from the aesthetics, but they're fun to play nonetheless.

Speaking of aesthetics, Nintendo raised its own bar for the first remake of Kirby for the GBA, and there was no way the company was going to let it drop for Kirby's second iteration. That said, Kirby and the Amazing Mirror retains all of the charm of the series, with bright, lush environments, endearing enemies, and cute Kirby animations. The cartoony look is exactly like Nightmare in Dreamland, with a little Link cap from the Legend of Zelda if Kirby eats a sword enemy, or a twister cap if he swallows a tornado enemy. You'll recognize several of these costumes from the Saturday morning Kirby cartoon show that Fox broadcasts. I have no idea if that show is still running. Anyway, along with the visuals, Kirby and the Amazing Mirror continues the cheery music that the series is known for. Surprisingly, there are several new tracks along with the familiar ones. The diversity in music is more varied than you usually find in Kirby titles, either that or I'm hearing things, and while it can become painfully upbeat at times, the style is what we've all come to expect.

This game gets an N-Philes score of B+.

I believe this is a Kirby title that does do the series justice. If you enjoyed the previous iterations of this franchise, there's very little reason not to like this one. Granted, Hal Laboratories and Flagship tried to shake things up with a multiplayer concept that ended up making it less accessible for lonely GBA owners, but it's still a great Kirby game. My problem may have spawned from playing the game with a friend first, then going back and taking it on solo. I became too accustomed to having a dependable friend to play with, and was surprised with the idiocy of the AI that I relied on for single-player. The fact that the game is not necessarily more fun, but more playable with a friend means to me that the focus was on the multiplayer aspect. It's still a solid game that is more positive than flawed, and is definitely worth checking it out, especially to those aching for a new Kirby adventure. Or was I the only one?

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