Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble Review
Developed by: HAL Laboratory and Nintendo R&D2
Published by: Nintendo
Available on: Game Boy Color
Review by: Jake Beatrice
A great game without a home
In collaboration with the other More Than Friends members for our Kirby month, I decided to play and review one of the more obscure titles in gaming’s pinkest franchise. Kirby Tilt ‘n’ Tumble on the Game Boy Color is easily Kirby’s strangest entry, as it requires the player to physically tilt the handheld to control him. This Game Boy Color oddity proves itself as a hidden gem for the platform, but is notably hindered by an unfortunate glaring issue.
Tilt ‘n’ Tumble is a top-down perspective platformer with eight worlds consisting of four levels each. Fortunately, the game continued to surprise me with sheer variety in its level design. Even in the later stages, I was caught off guard by the well-paced introduction of new stage hazards and new ways to control Kirby. Fans of the Mario Galaxy and Mario 3D Land games may enjoy the emphasis on gameplay variety. On top of this, in typical series fashion, an assortment of amusing mini-games is also available. They only act as distracting pace-buffers between stages, but their presence further increases the value and variety of the overall package.
Surprisingly, the game does get rather challenging towards the end, requiring the player to meticulously balance Kirby across mobile cliff-high platforms without guardrails, and to manage multiple timers at once. The death-timer in each level can often prove to be the greatest hazard, depending on how quickly Kirby races past each bumper and monster. On top of that, there’s quicksand that encumbers movement and kills in ten seconds, water currents that propel the player backwards and drown Kirby in three seconds, springboards that launch him into the air; the list goes on and on. It’s when each of these elements merge together that the true fun and fair challenge of Kirby Tilt ‘n’ Tumble shines. In the more difficult segments, successfully guiding Kirby through all obstacles feels like an acquired skill. Virtually no other game experience carries over to this GBC title, meaning I had to completely teach myself, from the ground up, how to play.
Unfortunately, this brings us to the game’s only notable shortcoming – its hardware. The motion sensor itself works great, and there isn’t even an annoying “lump” present in other motion-controlled Game Boy games like WarioWare: Twisted. No, the problem here is the Game Boy Color itself. First off, Tilt ‘n’ Tumble will only work properly on exactly a Gameboy Color. It is not compatible with an original Game Boy, the Game Boy Advance SP’s cartridge slot is on bottom instead of the top (which reverses the tilt controls), and the cartridge on an original Game Boy Advance juts out far beyond the chassis, which causes the controls to feel just a teeny bit off. For this reason, I specifically went out of my way to purchase a Game Boy Color exclusively to play Tilt ‘n’ Tumble.
Most importantly, the Game Boy Color’s lack of a screen light is an unavoidable affair when playing games that require motion control. The first several Game Boy consoles are infamous for their dark screens. Many of us have memories of perfectly positioning our handhelds so exquisitely as to not only be able to see the screen, but also as to not directly reflect the light source. The constant need to tilt the console exacerbates this problem, often bringing visibility to levels of nonexistence when Kirby needs to make a life-or-death sharp turn. “But Jake! I can just use my worm light! Everyone had one as a kid!” Sure, you can use your old lighting accessories, but needing to tilt the console continues to be an issue. When I had attempted using mine, the back of the bulb was relentless in its mission to cover the screen during moment-to-moment gameplay. In any other Game Boy Color game, I can just put the light off to the side and get comfortable.
(Check out the bottom of this page for adoption information)
It’s unfortunate that such a well-designed and entertaining game would be ruined by something completely exterior to the game itself, but that is precisely the most egregious pitfall of Kirby Tilt ‘n’ Tumble. If you have a perfect lighting setup or a modified Game Boy Color, this is one of the best titles in the handheld’s library. For everyone else, I cannot give a recommendation before listing some serious drawbacks. With no 3DS or Switch port in sight, I’m sad to report that Tilt ‘n’ Tumble is a great game without a good home. This Kirby is in desperate need of adoption.
RATING: Alright
This game is "okay" and merely average. Consider picking this one up during a sale.
There are hundreds of Kirby's in need of a loving home. (About 1,000 to be exact.) Cast aside thanks to back-light and motion control issues, these Kirby's lack the dreamland that other, more fortunate Kirby's are privileged enough to enjoy. With the help of More Than Friends, you can adopt a Kirby today! Click the link below to find out how:
