Kirby's Dream Course Review - Screenshot 1 of 2

Super NES title Kirby's Dream Course has made it to the New Nintendo 3DS, and we had to see how this non-conventional Kirby title has held up since its initial release in 1994.

Kirby's Dream Course is effectively crazy golf with our little pink pal acting as the ball. Kirby has three lives with four attempts each, and unless you're seriously good you will be using these up in no time. Health points are lost by getting hit by enemies and obstacles and you have to make sure you don't use these up before reaching the exit, otherwise you will return to the beginning. Each hole is surrounded by enemies which you have to defeat in order to make the final stage-ending hole appear.

This game is very unique; in terms of both Kirby titles and other golfing titles there isn't anything that quite compares, even after all these years. Due to this, it might be hard to get to grips with the controls and techniques and there is a tutorial mode which outlines these should you get stuck. The basics are easy enough, you choose the direction, the power of your shot and the back or top spin. However, once you introduce other techniques such as speed boosts and the inclusion of Kirby's copy abilities, it can be a tad overwhelming.

Kirby's Dream Course Review - Screenshot 2 of 2

Copy abilities work much like in other Kirby titles - you can clone from enemies you defeat and use them in game. For example; use the Wheel power to become super-duper fast, or use limited powers such as the Parasol to gain control over Kirby for a short time, allowing him to go exactly where needed. A key factor with Kirby's Dream Course is that it takes tact and strategy; you will find yourself trying to get that precise shot using an exact power level, and although it's not exactly fast-paced it is certainly very fun.

There are eight different courses in total, although it takes a couple of those to get your bearings. Although there isn't much variety in the content the replayability comes from going back to courses and recompleting them with your improved strategy in order to gain gold medals. There is a two player mode on the 3DS, but it doesn't offer anything besides sharing the console to take turns.

The music and graphics hold up well, and offer all the nostalgia expected with SNES Kirby. Of course being such an old game, Kirby's Dream Course does not take up much SD card space on your 3DS and has no technical issues.

Conclusion

Although challenging, Kirby's Dream Course is another enjoyable SNES game to come to 3DS Virtual Console. It manages to cleverly mix the recognisable Kirby tropes with golf, and delivers a more strategic experience than we have known from other titles using the IP. If you like your games fast paced or prefer more 'traditional' sports games, this may not be for you. However, we found it strangely addictive, and well worth a place in your 3DS library.