Demakes are one of my favourite parts of the Retro Gaming scene, especially when someone takes a modern game featuring a character that we've had for decades and transforms it into an experience for an older console. Some of my favourite Kirby memories were times spent playing on the Game Boy as a kid, and this demake of the Pink Peril's latest Switch adventure for the GBC is a fun nod to the good old days of handheld gaming.
This is Efraitor's first demake, turning the first level of Forgotten Land from an HD marvel into an 8-bit masterpiece, and it really does feel like an alternative version of Kirby's Dreamland.
That is, until you get to play as the car that Kirby part transforms into!
Integrating the car into the demake was probably the most important part as it's one of the most memorable and talked about parts of the demo and clips shown off prior to the game's release. It's fun seeing it from a 2D perspective and that the scene is still so recognisable.
The game is short, but it's free to download and play on any emulator or on your GBC via a flash cart. The colours instantly take me back to my childhood, and the initial cutscenes do a pretty good job of telling the beginning of the story too.
There's no sound, which is a little disappointing. I know it's only the initial level of the game that's available in the Switch demo, but it would have been cool to have had an 8-bit soundtrack too. Still, the gameplay is sound, and as a demake, it works very well!
Head to Itch.io to check it out for yourself!
