Kirby's first appearance on
Nintendo's
Game Boy Advance comes in the form of the 2002 release
Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land (aka
Kirby: Fountain of Dreams in
Japan). However, this is not a new adventure but an enhanced port of the 1993
NES release
Kirby's Adventure. While at first glance this may seem like a waste to some, re-releasing
Kirby's Adventure is actually a smart move on
Nintendo's part. Seeing as how the original game debuted in 1993, many game players had moved on to the
Super NES and abandoned the 8-bit library that was still continuing to grow in favor of new, flasy 16-bit titles. With K:NiDL's release early in the
GBA's life cycle, the game will finally get the respect and enjoyment that it deserves.
The core of the game is a direct port of Kirby's Adventure. All of the levels, powers, and core gameplay remain the same. However, all of the graphics and music have been overhauled and enhanced in the style of Kirby Super Star to make the most of the GBA's abilities. All of the sprites are larger, with bosses being absolutely huge. Kirby now wears hats that represent the power he has absorbed from an enemy. Backgrounds are fully animated and the menu panel at the bottom of the screen has been removed to make room for more gameplay on the small screen.
One of the biggest changes from the original game are the new bonus rounds. The bonus rounds from KA have been replaced with new ones: a hot potato style tennis game and a Kirby's Air Ride type racing level. The battle arena and enemy museum remain, however. Also new to the game is the inclusion of multiplayer mode. Four players can take control of a Kirby and battle it out in the main game or in the new bonus rounds. The extradifficult "Extra Mode" from the original game also returns, and beating it unlocks a new secret: "Meta Knight Mode", where players can replay the game using the evil Meta Knight instead of Kirby.
Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land was released in December 2002. Even if you mastered the original Kirby's Adventure all those years ago, this enhanced version is still worth a play.
References:
Playing the game
http://db.gamefaqs.com/portable/gbadvance/file/kirby_changes.txt