The first Kirby game was Kirby's Dreamland released for the Gameboy in 1992. It is another platform game similar to Mario and Sonic. The gameplay is slightly different in the way that Kirby can inhale enemies and spit them at other enemies. He can also fly over certain areas which makes the game more interesting and fun than a lot of others. Although, this is a very short game without much content except for the Extra Game. The graphics for Kirby's Dreamland were also extraordinary considering this was an 8-bit Gameboy. I got to borrow this game from a couple of kids in my neighborhood sometime not long after it was released.

It had to be around the time I started 4th grade, and I had just gotten the Gameboy along with Tetris and Super Mario Land that summer for my 9th birthday. I enjoyed Kirby's Dreamland quite a lot, but I never had time to sit down and finish it. I did come close, and I liked how easy the gameplay was over Super Mario Land. The question is: do I still consider this game to be as good as it was back then? 

Graphics 9/10: Even though the game is in black and white, Kirby's Dreamland still looks amazing. Everything including the sprites and backgrounds are full of detail. There was a lot of effort put into making this game look like no other game that had been previously released on the system. Several of these same sprites would appear again later that year in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. Both games look fantastic on the black and white Gameboy, but Kirby's Dreamland was the one that got things going. The only downside is that the game is in black and white unless you play it on a Super Gameboy.  

Music 10/10: Kirby's Dreamland also has some classic 8-bit Gameboy music. The track for the first stage would be played again and again throughout the Kirby series. King Dedede's theme is also very memorable. These two tracks are my favorite, but all the songs in this game are good. The soundtrack has a lot of variety, and all of it is good if not great. There isn't one dull or boring sounding song in the whole game. Just like with Super Mario Land, Kirby's Dreamland has some of the most memorable 8-bit Gameboy songs ever.

Gameplay 10/10: In Kirby's Dreamland, there is no time limit, you can take multiple hits, and even fly over certain parts of the game. As mentioned above, Kirby inhales his enemies and spits them at each other. In this game, he cannot copy their abilities like he can in the other Kirby games, but this still provides a great way to progress through the levels and fight the bosses. The way Kirby can fly over bottomless pits makes it easier to get to where you are trying to go. You can also play this game as long as you want because there are unlimited continues. I didn't like how there were no bonus levels or items to collect, but the mechanics of this game make it one worth playing.

Even though Kirby's Dreamland only has about 20 mins. worth of content, (unless you count the impossible to beat Extra Game) all of it is very original. All 5 levels offer different backgrounds and themes. The stages all look different and have their own boss for Kirby to fight. Kirby's Dreamland may be short, but the stages are still pretty creative with their own themes and bosses. It is a game that is easy to play but still offers some challenge to it. I never was able to defeat King Dedede when I played the game as a kid, and this was as far as I got.

Although now, I can beat Kirby's Dreamland pretty easily. Pressing the Up button makes Kirby float, and I like how he can swallow enemies and spit them at other enemies. This is similar to what Yoshi did in Super Mario World but probably better. In later Kirby games, Kirby could even copy the enemies' abilities after he swallowed them. The gameplay in this Kirby game is still pretty satisfying. The stages have variety and are fun to play, and the same goes for the mechanics of this game. It is simple and straightforward without being too easy.  

Story 3/10: The story of Kirby's Dreamland is that King Dedede has stolen the food from the inhabitants of Dreamland. Kirby must get back the food and save Dreamland from King Dedede. That's really all there is to the plot of Kirby's Dreamland. It isn't very impressive and is one of the game's weaker points. It was pretty obvious that Nintendo was still experimenting with the characters and hadn't developed things very well yet. The storyline is always a problem in a lot of the first games in a series. These plots and characters aren't thought out very well to begin with. Although, in Kirby's Dreamland there is almost no storyline.  

Content 2/10: Kirby's Dreamland consists of only 5 levels! They are: Green Greens, Castle Lololo, The Float Islands, The Bubbly Clouds, and Mt. Dedede. In Mt. Dedede (the game's final stage), Kirby has to fight all the game's bosses again until he can finally fight King Dedede himself and beat the game. The main part of Kirby's Dreamland just consists of these 5 levels which usually takes an average of about 15 to 20 mins. to complete for experienced players.

For me, this is the only part of the game worth playing, and I usually like to end it here without playing the frustrating Extra Game. That game is worthless and just amounts to re-playing the normal game with a ridiculous amount of difficulty! This is another downside to Kirby's Dreamland, and it really hurts the game. You don't have much content or storyline to this first game. It still isn't a bad game, but there isn't much to it.

Difficulty 3/10: Kirby's Dreamland was designed to be a pretty simple game. It is easy to pick up and learn the controls and mechanics. The gameplay is pretty smooth compared to a lot of other games on the Gameboy. Kirby can float over bottomless pits, and he can also use this ability to avoid enemy attacks. The bosses are pretty challenging, but once you learn their pattern, they're not that hard. Kirby's Dreamland has the right amount of challenge and difficulty. If I would have had more time with it when I was 9 years old, I would have beaten it. King Dedede was the hardest part, but he was the final boss which makes sense.

Overall 6.8/10: The first Kirby game isn't all that great of a game overall. It is a game that is lacking in plot and depth/content. The graphics are cool and so is the soundtrack, and it is a very fun game to play. It is easy but not too easy. Kirby's Dreamland never gets repetitive or dull, but it feels like it is over before it even begins! That is the most disappointing part of this game. Later on, Kirby's Adventure would be released on the NES, and that game did a lot more to develop the series better. This game was a start but is probably my least favorite.