What timing.
When we were out in Japan for the
Spaceworld event, Nintendo also released Koro
Koro Kirby for the Game Boy Color.
This was a big release for two reasons
– it's the first exclusive Game Boy
Color game featuring the cute pink
creampuff released for the system, and it
also is the first game cartridge to have
a motion sensor built into it. It's this
motion sensor that makes the game
extremely unique and an amazingly fun
game to play.
Nintendo
has just released this game as Kirby's
Tilt 'n Tumble, and you better get to
the store right now – you haven't
played anything on the Game Boy Color
quite like this.
Features
Huge
worlds with puzzles and
end-bosses
Five
mini-games
Three
cartridge save slots (SRAM, no
battery)
First
cartridge with motion sensor
Only
for Game Boy Color
Seems King
Dedede has stolen the stars from the
night sky, and Kirby doesn't like that
one bit – so he leaps down from the
clouds back down to Dreamland to rescue
all the stars from that nasty bird. But
he's going to need your help…big
time. See, this time, Kirby isn't going
to have any control over himself. He
can't walk or run, only roll – and
that's where you come in. By tilting the
system in any direction, you affect the
entire world he sits on. Essentially the
whole world becomes one of those tilting
wooden labyrinths, and Kirby is the metal
ball.
When you
first turn on the system, the game
informs you to keep the system as flat as
possible – this is the calibration
check. If this isn't done properly, the
motion sensor built inside the cartridge
will reset its neutral point at whatever
position you're holding the system at
that point. Since the game is simulating
a slanting slope when you tilt the
system, it's best to keep the system at a
perfectly flat position.
After
this, you're ready to rock and roll…literally.
Each level is laid out where you must
roll Kirby through a series of platforms,
bumpers, holes, conveyor belts and more
– all by tilting the system. The
motion sensor is completely analog –
if you tilt the system just a little bit,
Kirby will roll slowly down the gentle
slope you create. Tilt the system at a
harsh angle, and the gravity will affect
Kirby a lot mor, causing him to roll
faster down the slope. You can make Kirby
jump up into the air by flicking the
system quickly back – the problem
here is, you lose sight of the screen for
a split second when doing this, so you
better be quick. The action button comes
into play when Kirby lands into a hole
– push the button and he'll spring
out of it. You can also make Kirby spit
puffs of air at enemies at certain points
in the game with the button, but other
than these functions all gameplay happens
by tilting the system.
Don't
think for a second this tilting feature
is a gimmick – it's an integral part
of the gameplay, and it really makes
Kirby original and a lot of fun. The
designers built the game around this
sensor instead of putting a sensor into
the game, and it really shows – you
honestly cannot do this game accurately
by using the D-pad (which is only used
for menu selections and sliding the
camera ahead or behind the action). Since
you cannot zoom Kirby around the mazes
without screwing up, patience is needed.
Of course, you can't take your sweet time
– the clock is ticking. Learning the
controls is key to this game.
What's
more, the designers packed as much
variety as possible to each of the
world's levels – in some worlds you
bounce around pinball bumpers, in others
you must jump from moving cloudbank to
platform. Some worlds have screwed up
gravity where you'll stick to the
undersides of gratings until you can flip
out through a hole in the floor. Any
conveyor belts? Oh, you bet. Though the
platform elements will challenge your
system handling, you'll also have to deal
with the hovering enemies out to knock
Kirby off the ledges.
And let's
not forget the mini-games that's in Kirby's
Tilt 'n Tumble – if you meet
certain criteria in the main game, you
can gain access to a bunch of small
challeges that use the motion sensor. For
example, Kirby's Balloon and Kirby's
Multi Ball. Kirby's Balloon is a
target-shooting challenge where you must
tilt the system in order to maneuver a
crosshair over floating balloons. Fire
arrows by using the A button, and reload
by flicking the system back. Pop as many
balloons in the set time to score points.
In Kirby's Multi Ball, you simply roll
multiple Kirby balls into craters on the
playfield – the better you are, the
more balls you have to worry about, and
the shorter the time you have to do it.
Other games include The Kirby Dance,Kirby's Hurdle Race, and Kirby's
Chicken Race -- they're all pretty
silly, but they shake up the action quite
nicely. The graphics are very cute, but
excellent – HAL rendered Kirby at
many different angles to give the
illusion that he's rolling around in
every direction. Since he's not a ball
but a being with arms and legs, they had
to add these to give the game character.
The game is patterned off every Kirby
game on the market, so happy checkerboard
and clouds are the normal fare in
Dreamland. Kirby will also blurt out some
digitized voice throughout the adventure.
The only
negative to the game has everything to do
with the overall design – you're
limited to where and how you can play the
game, really. Since you have to tilt the
system in various slants, you have to
make sure that you have enough room light
to see the screen. I've played the game
outside and in a hotel room with no
problems, but on the plane it was a
little difficult because of the position
you have to hold the system – it's
not exactly a game you can sit in your
most comfortable position and play. You
have to prepare to play Koro Koro Kirby.
It's this design that makes this game extremely
difficult to play -- it has a high
learning curve, and you'll die a lot.
Patience is the name of this game --
luckily, you'll have dozens of
opportunities to score extra lives. You
won't be running out of them any time
soon...if at all.
But that's
my complaint, really. The game is an
outstanding one, not only because it
brings Kirby to the Game Boy Color, but
also because it introduces a new
technology to the portable market –
the designers milked the motion sensor
for everything it can offer. I'm
absolutely sure that other designers can
use this chip for other functions –
racing or flying games perhaps? I'm all
for it – and what's more, the chip
will be used in Game Boy Advance titles
as well.
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