When Nintendo started porting their major IPs from the 2D SNES to the 3D 64, a lot of fans questioned how well certain series would transfer.  Especially with series like Metroid and Kirby.  It's true that Mario and Donkey Kong ported nicely, with their gameplay mechanics largely in tact comparatively.  But the major concerns were series like Kirby, where the focus was on doing more than just skilfully platforming.  So when Nintendo released the game as a 3.5D side scroller featuring the ability to mix and match powers like an indecisive fan character, the community at large reacted with an overwhelmingly positive view.  

    Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is (as previously mentioned), a 3.5 sidescroller based around consuming enemies to gain powers, which in a new twist, can be combined to form more effective or unique powers. And while the mechanics are fairly well designed, the story is lacking.  One day, while Kirby is of course eating, a magical crystal falls from the sky and is later explained to be part of some fairies crystal...sort of.  There's no voice acting or subtitles for any of the games cutscenes, so a large amount of the story is inferred via character interactions and facial expressions.  Leaving this as one of the most minimal plots for a Kirby game to date.  Not to say that's a bad thing, especially as this style of storytelling works in the games favor, leaving more space for things like powers and enemy designs as well as keeping the pace of the game fairly fast, reducing the amount of time spent not in stages.

  A hitherto unheard of premise for the Kirby series, Kirby now has the ability to combine up to two powers he has gained from suction.  Whether it's pulling a giant flaming sword from the ether or turning Kirby into a curling puck, these powers help Kirby bypass enemies and platforming challenges.  Additionally, they tend to be very fun to use and serve multiple purposes or have multiple functions.  For example, not only is his new refrigerator form invincible and can one hit ko most enemies, but the food it spits out can actually be picked up by Kirby to restore health, making most levels a breeze.  But what helps these powers stand out is the games controls, which feel tight and intuitive, as well as highly responsive.  I can safely say that any deaths I suffered from this game were of no fault to the controls, just my own ineptitude. 

As one progresses through these areas, you're also bound to notice the gorgeous 3D rendered level designs.  Sure not all of them were fantastic, most noticeably the water themed worlds tended to have bland and repetitive scenery set pieces, but a good number of the levels included--especially in the winter themed planets, provided wonderful and imaginative landscapes that more than made up for the newfound linearity the game brought in comparison to it's SNES predecessors.  

That being said, the games linear playstyle is a huge step back from the SNES era Kirby games, which featured great maze like levels complete with alternate routes, tons of hidden goodies, and platforming puzzles which required the player to obtain certain enemy powers. In fact, the only time anything remotely similar happens in Crystal Shards is when you occasionally come across a large checkered or single color brick that can only be broken with a matching colored power.  A puzzle which isn't even that difficult considering that, in another departure from previous entries, you can backtrack through 90% of the game and get the required powers from a respawned enemy.  Otherwise, you could beat almost all of the levels in game without absorbing a single enemy.  

Furthermore, as much as I praised the ability to combine different standard powers into new super powers earlier, the system suffers from some serious power balance issues.  And as much as I'd like to believe that these powers were created as jokes, it felt more degrading to think that I'd wasted time trying to smash one enemy with another enemy just to get that double power star.  For example, fireworks kirby has an impressive looking attack that does very little damage in a small range around kirby.  In fact, the range is so small you're actually likely to bump into an enemy and lose the power anyways. Or Lightbulb Kirby, who runs forward until he hits an enemy...At which point you take damage and lose the ability.  There's at least one joke power to every two good ones unfortunately, but it doesn't detract from the game any more past that initial disappointment.  

It's a good thing there are plenty of ultra useful powers as well too, considering the games difficulty curve when it comes to bosses is especially well constructed.  Even though you could get through almost any level without sucking up a single bad guy, you'll want to anyways for these boss creatures.  Since trying to take them down without acquiring one would be an exercise in self-flagellation.  Starting out easy and exhibiting typical boss traits, they start to evolve from planet 2 onwards till the Final Boss resembles nothing you'd expect from this game so far.  A fight I won't spoil because it truly has to be seen to be believed, and carries on the classic Kirby tradition of "Cutesy game, nightmare inducing end boss".  

While it wasn't a flawless transfer from 2D to 3D by any means, sacrificing it's complex level designs for linear platforming challenges made trivial by Kirby's natural ability to float and having some lackluster designs in places, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is still a Nintendo 64 gem that  I could heartily recommend to any gamer from any age group.  Even today it's  cartoony adorableness has withstood the test of time remarkably well, and will likely be remembered fondly for a long time to come.  Which is why my overall review score for this old school classic is an eight out of ten.  

Wow! I will not exaggerate my words: this review is a masterpiece. The fact that you do not use The "classical" format of a review (dividing into The metrics) makes your review such an easy read, like a story. Also, you give plenty of comparison with other Kirby games and how it is so different.