Released for the NES in 1993, Kirby’s Adventure sported fresh, addictive gameplay with impressive graphics (for the system) and compelled gamers to put down the SNES controller and dust off their old 8-bit systems. Kirby’s only NES game holds a dear place in my heart, and when I found out that the “new" Kirby game was actually a handheld port of KA — something I’d been begging for since the days when the Zelda Oracle series was planned to be a trilogy and Crystalis GBC was pending release — I had to break down and buy the Japanese import. While the GBA edition isn’t without its problems, Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland is a wonderful title well worth owning.

Kirby’s Adventure helped found many of the aspects seen in later Kirby games, so newer Kirby fans should feel right at home. The story is simple: King DeDede has tampered with the Fountain of Dreams and its Star Rod, causing a wave of insomnia throughout Dreamland, and Kirby must venture to restore the Star Rod and put it in its proper place. The game revolves around Kirby’s ability to inhale enemies. Kirby can spit what he inhales back out as a weapon, but his special powers are the real meat of the game. By swallowing an enemy, Kirby can obtain its special power (if it has one), providing him with a variety of nifty attacks. While the powers may lack the depth found in Kirby’s Super Star, one must note that Kirby’s Adventure introduced the copying ability to the series; adding the multitude of extra moves found in KSS would have severely tampered with the game’s authenticity. Along with his sucking and copying abilities, Kirby will use his flying, sliding and swimming skills in his quest to save Dreamland from sleeplessness.

With lush backgrounds and brilliantly detailed characters and levels, the visual enhancements are unarguably the most prominent update. Though there is still some original artwork, much of the graphic style is based on Kirby’s Super Star — most notably the various costumes accompanying power-ups. Kirby himself is extremely fluid thanks to his numerous frames of animation. Kirby’s headbands now flap in the wind as he runs. Fire Kirby’s flaming head sizzles and pops as he scorches his enemies. Rock Kirby’s tassel elegantly sways as he climbs a ladder. Even without a power, Kirby’s various standard motions are remarkably smooth. Admittedly, other characters don’t get quite the same treatment, but none come off as choppy. Animation is much scarcer in the level art, which consists of static (but beautiful) backdrops behind almost completely static levels.

However, the graphical updates do have one notable fault. Just as in the original, many of the stages have secret rooms—but the revamped graphics don’t always conceal their entrances as well as the 8-bit version did. Some veterans are bound to become irritated when they find that the secret that once eluded them for an eternity is now painfully obvious. Finding all of the game’s secrets will challenge newbies, as many are still hidden just as well, but when blocks that once matched the wall are now crumbled and suspicious, you would have to be a moron not to notice.

Visuals are far from the only thing Hal bothered to change: for better or for worse, Hal also tampered with the game’s level design. Roughly half of the stages have added, extended, replaced or rearranged rooms. Extended rooms include a few more platforms and baddies that go well with the original’s content, while new rooms take the idea even farther. But perhaps most interesting are the rearranged sections, which utilize certain aspects found in the source material and present them in a different way. There is also a handful of rooms (I counted four) that have been slightly changed to — you guessed it — make things easier. Two of the rooms I spotted are short a few spikes, while the others harbor an extra enemy or two that just happen to provide a power useful for reaching a nearby secret area. One of the rooms also contains an abridged version of a nasty little section found within. Although the added and altered sections are enjoyable, the visual and environmental changes designed to aid the player end up doing just the opposite by slightly diluting the healthy sense of exploration and challenge that made the game so special on the NES.

Gameplay and controls have been notably tweaked here and there as well. Some of Kirby’s powers have been altered for the better: UFO is now more sluggish underwater and shoots beams that go through walls at full intensity; Backdrop Kirby now tackles his enemies for the grab instead of inhaling them; Needle is actually useful now with its extended range and scrapped time limit; and one or two other powers seem to have slightly extended ranges. Also, the ball of fluff now recovers from spitting and exhaling quicker, which is both good and bad as it actually makes a few specific areas more accessible. Platforming freaks like me will likely notice other more insignificant changes such as Kirby’s reduced vertical swimming capabilities, the now-standard option of pushing A in midair to initiate flight and the nixed ability to destroy secret switches with an attack.

Kirby’s audio has also been improved. Whether by hardware limitations or by choice, many instruments retain their old-school synthetic flavor while providing crisper and more varied timbres. A few modeling more traditional musical instruments add to the mix. The compositions stay true to the original, and gamers will even find a few borrowed from other Kirby games at climactic moments! The end result usually sounds great, but a couple of the orchestral samples seem lifeless in a few spots. With the exception of the strangely underwhelming wheel noise, sound effects are equally entertaining and truly have that authentic Kirby feel. As far as potentially annoying voices go, Kirby only makes a peep when hurt or using Mike power, and his voice is mixed very softly, so no one should have any complaints. The aural experience won’t constantly blow gamers away like other GBA games have managed to do, but the game’s audio is still high quality and makes for good listening.

In addition to the aforementioned changes, the GBA remake also sports some completely new features. Two of the mini-games, Crane Fever and Egg Catching, have been replaced with a hot-potato and a rail-grind racing game. While the excluded games will be missed, the two new games are enjoyable and support single-cart multiplayer along with the classic Quick Draw. The game also features a 4-player co-op mode where friends can play through the entire game together, though this requires a separate copy for each system. In addition, players should do their best to complete the game, as those who succeed are rewarded with a VERY special surprise NOT to be missed.

While Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland has a few setbacks in comparison to Kirby’s Adventure, it still has the same addictive qualities that made the original a hit. With its various improved and added features, Kirby’s first Game Boy Advance game has more than enough to compete with Zelda and Mario during the holiday season.