Dreamland 3 is one of the most charming games you'll find, but it suffers from extremely easy difficulty and simplicity.

User Rating: 7 | Hoshi no Kirby 3 SNES
By The_Deepblue | Review Date:
The first two Kirby's Dreamland games were released for the original Gameboy. The third installment made its way onto the SNES home console. As always, you play as the pink little puffball, Kirby. Kirby can suck in enemies and steal their powers. There aren't as many powers to obtain in this game as other games in the series, and not many great ones at that. You can turn into a stone, spiked ball, fire ball, electric ball, use an umbrella and broom, for example. Thankfully, to compensate for the lack of good power-ups, Kirby has his group of buddies to help out. Kirby and his friends are a very weird group. You got a giant hamster, an owl, a bird, a fish, a cat, and a pink thing that looks like Pinky the Ghost from Pac-Man. Yeah they're cute and cuddly, but with Kirby and a power-up, they can do some freaky stuff. Like the cat jumping around on an umbrella like its a pogo stick. Though the combinations of attacks are fun to use, they really aren't necessary.

That's because Kirby's Dreamland 3 is a soft cakewalk. The game will rarely have more than several enemies on screen, and nearly every enemy takes only one hit to kill. Kirby can also float through an entire level if it's one that is wide open without boundaries. Dreamland 3 is a pure bred plat-former. You don't need to think about what to do, but simply react. Kirby's visual style walks a fine line between charming and childish. Hal must have been getting advice from their 6 year old daughters for level and character design. Even the boss characters are cute and cuddly. Dreamland 3 walks on the charming side of that fine line however. It's one of the most colorful, gorgeous looking games from the SNES/Genesis generation. Similar to Yoshi's Island's artwork, but not as crisp, and with more bright vibrant colors. The music is what it is. Delightful, catchy, forgettable, but it works.

So is Dreamland 3 worth your time? If you like fun, easy, simple-minded plat-formers, then Kirby may be up your alley. I like a good challenge as much as the next guy, but Dreamland 3 has a world that is easy to get lost in. The game is very short however. It's important to consider that once you complete in this game in a possible 1-3 sittings, that there may not be much you will want to come back too. It's as linear and thin as can be, but it's charm, great control, great visuals, and "just plain fun" gameplay, make it an SNES gem.

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