Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

Young gamers will love the bright, colorful graphics in this game, which is 2-D with some 3-D foreground and background elements. Kirby is joined by plenty of friends who will aid in his quest to recover the pieces of an important shattered crystal.

While the levels are a bit too easy for older gamers, the gameplay in Kirby 64 is original enough to entertain all ages. Kirby still has an appetite for enemies, sucking them up and spitting them out, but he can also swallow them, inheriting abilities such as fire and cutter. Also, Kirby can now combine enemy powers, often with hilarious results. For instance, electricity plus stone turns Kirby into an electrifying little light bulb. Sure, you don't need to use all these powers, but they're still fun to play with. --Robb Guido

Pros:

• Whimsical 2-D graphics
• Kirby 64's copy and combine abilities result in some unique and varied gameplay

• May be too easy and too cute for older players

Fear not. Kriby 64 is a gorgeous and entertaining game. I had lots of fun playing it, cutesy as it may seem. This is probably the best sidescrolling game ever; everything looks 3D, and the view actually pans and zooms as Kirby moves along. Unlike the highly cartoonish Yoshi's Story, this game manages to suck us into its colorful and whimsical worlds.

The plot involves Kirby's attempt to stop Dark Matter(again) by finding all the broken shards of a powerful magic crystal. Accompanying him on his quest are a cute little gut named Waddle Dee, a fairy named Ribbon, a painter named Adeline, and Kirby's old nemesis, King Dedede, who is apparently trying to make up for his villainous past. Their journey takes them to far distant planets, and some very wierd locales.

Kirby 64 takes things from previous Kirby games and improves upon them. Perhaps the best element of the game is Kirby's copying ability. Not only can he steal the powers of his enemies, but he can actually combine them to create new, outrageous abilites: he can turn into a refrigerator, shoot guided missles, transform into a gigantic snowflake, or weild a Dark Maul-esque lightsaber -- to name but a few. As for levels, the game includes the usual meadow/volcano/underwater/mountain/etc. levels, plus some inventive new ones. My favorites include an evil shopping mall, a vast desert UFO, and an oily sewer system.

The enemies are fun, the bosses are inspired, the music is extremely cool, and the cinemas, while wordless, are well-made and entertaining. All in all, this is a great game for Kirby fans and those who need a break from the likes of "Resident Evil." I really enjoyed it, and I'm confident that many others will too.

PS: Did I mention the multiplayer mini-games?
(Ah, the magic words!)


The Pinkster Returns With New Attacks   June 5, 2000
37 out of 45 found this review helpful

When Nintendo released word on Kirby, the little rubber-esque pink ball that can suck in enemies (but you should know that) would be on N64, I flipped. This game is the funkiest Kirby game yet. In one instance, the Kirby trend will start to rise, and *POOF!* the trend will peak again. In the game, you can do the classic: suck up enemies, use their attacks, and fly. But a new feature has been added: the ability to mix two attacks. You can suck up enemies in all sorts of ways to help whip down the enemies. Kirby may very well become a popular name again.


What A Great Game!   November 2, 2000
16 out of 18 found this review helpful

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, is a very fun and interesting game. I enjoy playing it a lot. My favorite part is the end when you are on the picnic blanket and you have to jump onto what you want. I already beat the whole game. I enjoy trying to collect all of the enemy cards. I like it when you have to beat the boss. In the beginning it was so hard but once you beat it and play it over and over again, you really start to get the hang of it. I think the easiest star to beat was Pop Star because it has really easy levels. Another easy one to beat was Ripple Star. It only had four levels and they were all easy. My favorite enemies to copy are the snowman and the spiky guy. By mixing those two together, you get a snowflake. There were some things that I couldn't figure out but I got most of them in the end. I think that buying Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards was a very worth-while experience.


A really cool game even for a girl   October 12, 2000
9 out of 10 found this review helpful

Kirby is da bomb, I love this game. It is so much fun, there are 6 planets and 4-5 levels in each. Pop star, Rock Star, Aqua Star, Neo Star, Shiver Star and Ripple Star. At the end of each level you get to play a bonus game where you have to option to select the Enemy info card. There are a total of 81 cards. Also there are 3 different mini games. They're real entertaining too. Kirby gets to combined its powers and eat its enemies, he could fly and do all kinda stuff. The purpose of the game is to collect all 100 crystals. There are lots of symbolisms in this game. You might need to purchase the Kirby 64 The Crystal Shards Strategy Guide to find them all. But overall the game is really easy, even my brother a 5 years old enjoyed it.