132 Kirby's Adventure

[Tokyo, Japan]

In the hidden hangout of Sawa Arata and his group in Tokyo, Japan:

Sawa Arata had just acquired KiShin's latest video game, "Kirby's Adventure." He perused the story manual, featuring an adorable pink creature on the cover.

Sawa Arata examined the game cartridge, inserted it into the FamiCom, and was greeted with a surprise. The introduction to Kirby's Adventure displayed on the screen with a white background, accompanied by a message: "First, draw a circle." The scene showcased a perfectly drawn circle before the text continued, "Then, dot the eyes," illustrating the creation of eyes. Subsequently, it instructed, "Add a great big smile," and proceeded to draw the feet and ears, saying, "And presto, it's Kirby!" The drawing transformed into a vibrant main menu, featuring Kirby, the pink character, in the center.

"It seems too girly," one of Sawa Arata's friends, Fukuda Hideo, commented as he observed the television screen.

"I don't think so; it's visually pleasing," another of Sawa Arata's friends remarked.

The group of friends engaged in a discussion about the game's visuals at the outset.

"Well, let's dive into the gameplay," Sawa Arata suggested, initiating the game.

The television screen transitioned to the loading screen, revealing the stage name, "Level 1: Vegetable Valley." A lively animation of Kirby wielding a sword played inside the box, with "Kirby's Adventure" displayed in the bottom right corner. The background surrounding the animation was adorned with pink hues and stars.

During the animated battle where Kirby fought with his sword, the blade was deflected by a pesky enemy, ultimately getting lodged into the title display of 'Kirby's Adventure' in the lower right corner.

Kirby, the spherical character, appeared visibly surprised and opted to swallow the enemy after losing his sword.

Following this, the scene transitioned, showing Kirby floating downwards accompanied by a shining yellow star before eventually touching down.

Sawa Arata and his friends noticed a door labeled with a '1' above it.

Sawa Arata attempted to guide Kirby through the door by pressing the up button, but Kirby ended up moving in the opposite direction. Sawa Arata exclaimed, "Oops, let's try that again." Subsequently, Kirby descended as Sawa Arata managed to lead him through the door, triggering a scene change.

The gameplay proved engaging, reminiscent of titles like Super Mario Bros 2 or 3, but it offered a distinct and unique experience.

Kirby, the circular character, possessed the ability to engulf enemies. In just the first level, Sawa Arata succeeded in absorbing the abilities of the enemy, granting Kirby the power to emit sparks.

As Sawa Arata progressed through and successfully completed Stage 1, Level 1, Kirby, holding a flag, returned to the door marked with '1.' Kirby firmly planted the flag into the ground, causing the background to tremble, and a new level materialized.

Sawa Arata attempted to enter the door with a star, prompting an introductory message: "Crane Fever." Just below it, in the same box, another message read, "Use the button to manipulate the crane and attempt to grab a Kirby! Big ones are challenging but worth it!"

Following this, the scene transformed into a crane machine filled with Kirby figurines, including a notably large one, which was placed inside the machine.

Sawa Arata realized that he could control the crane using the 'A' button. He pressed 'A,' causing the crane to move, and then released it when it aligned with the big Kirby's position.

The crane successfully grasped the oversized Kirby, but it slipped from its grip.

Sawa Arata's friends chuckled, with one of them remarking, "Hehe, look at that, it was quite realistic."

"Hahaha..." echoed the laughter of his friends.

Sawa Arata offered a confident smile and made another attempt. This time, he successfully captured the large Kirby figurine, and it remained firmly in the crane's grip.

Beneath the label 'Bonus,' a big Kirby symbol appeared, signifying a 2UP reward.

As Sawa Arata progressed through the levels, he realized that the gameplay of 'Kirby's Adventure' was notably more user-friendly in comparison to titles like 'Kid Icarus' or 'Metroid.' In fact, Sawa Arata and his friends couldn't help but be reminded of Super Mario Bros. as they delved into 'Kirby's Adventure,' although it still possessed a unique gameplay style distinct from other KiShin video games.

When Sawa Arata's Kirby character collided with an enemy, it lost the ability it had absorbed in level 1.

Undeterred, Sawa Arata continued to play and subsequently acquired the power to throw a boomerang, similar to the cutter ability.

Sawa Arata thoroughly enjoyed the gameplay until he encountered the boss. Overconfident due to the game's simplicity, he believed he could swallow the boss with his Kirby character. Instead, Kirby collided with the boss, failing to swallow it, and consequently losing the ability to throw a boomerang, leaving him defenseless and resulting in a game over.

"Well, it appears there's no way to attack a boss unless Kirby retains an ability from a specific enemy it's consumed," Sawa Arata remarked with a smile.

Fukuda Hideo nodded in agreement and added, "I imagine it will be quite popular among casual gamers at school."

One of their friends chimed in, "That's true."

Another friend mused, "I suppose we don't need to provide gameplay instructions since it's already quite straightforward."

However, another friend disagreed, remarking, "We can't claim it's entirely easy just yet. It might be a good idea to play it more to get a better understanding."

Sawa Arata nodded in agreement and added, "Even if it does seem too simple, there's no harm in providing a detailed guide to the gameplay and the game as a whole for beginners..."

The group of friends collectively agreed with this notion. In truth, they were quite dedicated to researching KiShin's video games and various independent titles, including those of Tora and Suzuki. They had been contracted by manga publishing companies like 'Shounen Jump' to produce content related to video games, given their rising popularity among young people. As a result, 'Shounen Jump' saw increased sales.

Due to their success, Sawa Arata and his friends were now able to afford a modest car. When they arrived at school in their car, their classmates were astonished, and even the teachers were wide-eyed with surprise. The previously troublesome students had transformed into stars, and even the principal praised Sawa Arata and his friends' parents for their success.