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Why is Kirby Called So Easy?

DarkestLink

Darkest of all Dark Links
Joined
Oct 28, 2012
So the other day I was playing Kirby Return to Dreamland. And after discussing it with various people and reading a few reviews, a lot of people called this game (and Kirby in general) a very easy experience. It's repeated time and time again, much more than I see for Zelda. And I just don't get it. Is Kirby hard? No. But's a lot harder than Zelda. At least I died several times in Return to Dreamland. Overall, Nintendo games are pretty easy. But Kirby's easily as hard as Mario is and much harder than Zelda. So why is it always called so easy time and time again?
 

Kirino

Tatakae
Joined
Jun 19, 2010
Location
USA
I've always found Kirby games pretty easy. I've only played Return to Dreamland, Squeak Squad, and Super-Star Ultra, but all have been easy. There were some hard moments, but, for the most part, Kirby games are pretty low on the difficulty scale. Why do you believe that Kirby is harder than Zelda? Zelda seems much harder to me.
 

DarkestLink

Darkest of all Dark Links
Joined
Oct 28, 2012
I've always found Kirby games pretty easy. I've only played Return to Dreamland, Squeak Squad, and Super-Star Ultra, but all have been easy. There were some hard moments, but, for the most part, Kirby games are pretty low on the difficulty scale. Why do you believe that Kirby is harder than Zelda? Zelda seems much harder to me.

Because I died a few times in Kirby. I haven't died in Zelda for a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time. Also, the arena seems far more challenging than anything I've face in Zelda (with the exception of AoL).
 

Austin

Austin
Joined
Feb 24, 2010
I've only played three Kirby games, the NES Kirby (Mirror of Dreams Return or something like that. Kirby game titles are far too similar), Kirby 64 and Kirby's Epic Yarn. I've also played Air Ride but I doubt that counts. Both the NES Kirby and Epic Yarn were extremely easy compared to other games released at that time. Kirby 64 however was moderately challenging. I'd say that overall it's not really intended to be a challenging series of games.
 

Aerauro67

That God of Yellow Foxes
Joined
Oct 28, 2012
Location
Twilight Palace
I think Kirby has its ups and downs. The only game I found hard was Kirby: Mass Attack. That could get difficult at times.
I've also played Nightmare in Dreamland, Superstar Saga, and Squeak Squad.
Nightmare in Dreamland was a really easy game, for it was like all the other original Kirby games. Squeak Squad was the same deal. But Super Star Saga was a bit complicated since it was several Kirby stories put into one game.
 

Ventus

Mad haters lmao
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Hylian Champion
Playing Kirby & the Amazing Mirror alone for 96 hours, I have died far more times than I ever did in every Zelda combined (this includes AoL). I've played so much of the Kirby series and I have to say, the difficulty is definitely beyond the Zelda type. The things are that health is VERY sparse in the Kirby series whether the 2D platformers or even the spin-off racer Air Ride, actions take up significant amounts of frames (and I say frames because I cannot stress enough that doing an action which takes 12 frames to complete will likely result in you taking damage), and the enemies deal decent amount of damage even through base contact.

I wouldn't say Kirby series is SUPER HARD, but it's moderately challenging whereas the majority of Zelda games are SUPER EASY. :I
 

Kirino

Tatakae
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Location
USA
Because I died a few times in Kirby. I haven't died in Zelda for a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time. Also, the arena seems far more challenging than anything I've face in Zelda (with the exception of AoL).

It's not just about how many times you've died. There are other things to take into consideration when determining difficulty. New Kirby games have been pretty easy, while new Zelda games have been average when it comes to difficulty. Older Kirby games have been average, while older Zelda games(LoZ-MM) have been pretty difficult.

But difficulty is subjective, so whatever.
 
Completing the story mode in Kirby games is not difficult and it never has been. As with most platformers, the challenge derives from obtaining all the hidden goodies and collectibles.

The only Kirby game I'd classify as semi-difficult is the Gameboy original due to the lack of copy powers.
 

DarkestLink

Darkest of all Dark Links
Joined
Oct 28, 2012
It's not just about how many times you've died. There are other things to take into consideration when determining difficulty.

Gonna name any? The only two factors I can think of are puzzles and combat. Kirby isn't really a puzzle game and when was the last time we've died in Zelda?

Older Kirby games have been average, while older Zelda games(LoZ-MM) have been pretty difficult.

LoZ yes, but I've never died in MM. Zelda games have been getting very easy since the 3D age. Kirby games have gotten a little easier too, but they're closer to their 2D counterparts. They aren't hard, but at least there's reason to die in them. LA was the last Zelda game where dying was excusable...and that's 4 games in out of 16.

But the 3D games (especially OoT and MM) gave you little reason to die. Not only were the enemies incredibly weak, and easy to dodge. But OoT gave you 3 easy-to-get bottles that would completely revive you (fairies all over the place). So even if you were terrible at these games and lost your hearts, you'd have 3 back up fairies. MM was even easier with 5 easy-to-get bottles and extremely overpowered masks.

The strongest enemy between OoT and MM can take out 3 hearts...assuming you didn't take the easy-to-get Great Fairy power up. In Kirby, basic enemies take 20% of your health (some took half) and there was actually a decent chance of getting hit.
 
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Akuhime-sama

What's Life Without Adult Humor?
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Hmm.. I think generally Kirby games are "easy", but if you are a perfectionist in those games (like me) you'll find some of the tasks extremely difficult...
But I think what makes them think it's "easy" is because despite the fact you die, you can try and try again. Some games make you go back to a whole save spot before, and don't allow you to pick up where you were... (Namely Paper Mario...god, I have to constantly save in that game) >_> .....or it could just be because the "child-like" gameplay and stuff that makes it feel/seem easy? I don't know, but I have played quite a few Kirby games and I would say, some are easy, and some are a little harder... (in general)

(as for Kirby, I've played Kirby's Adventure, Dreamland 3 (a tiny bit), Super Star and Super Star Ultra, Canvas Curse, Squeak Squad, Mass Attack, Epic Yarn, and Return to Dreamland)
(And Air Ride, but that's not a main-title Kirby)
 
Joined
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Kirby game are very easy in my opinion especially Returns to Dreamland,even hard mode was easy(except for some boss fight).The only parts from kirby games that are harder then Zelda are the boss fights in general.
 

DarkestLink

Darkest of all Dark Links
Joined
Oct 28, 2012
But I think what makes them think it's "easy" is because despite the fact you die, you can try and try again. Some games make you go back to a whole save spot before, and don't allow you to pick up where you were... (Namely Paper Mario...god, I have to constantly save in that game)

True, but not only is Paper Mario the exception (Mario and Zelda let you try again too) but you're also less likely to die in that game.

>_> .....or it could just be because the "child-like" gameplay and stuff that makes it feel/seem easy? I don't know, but I have played quite a few Kirby games and I would say, some are easy, and some are a little harder... (in general)

By olden times standards, yeah, the Kirby games are pretty easy. I mean comparing LoZ-LA to the original 4 Kirby games, yeah, I died more in Zelda. But now? SS is supposedly one of the harder Zeldas these days and I still didn't die in it. Return to Dreamland was one of the easier Kirby's and I still died a few times.
 
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Oh look, the "I didn't die therefore the game is easy" argument. Have you ever thought that maybe dying in Kirby games is just a lot easier? Zelda throws up to 20 hearts on you and 99% of the time you're not even fighting enemies. Kirby is a platformer where enemies, traps, pits, spikes, and all that good stuff is constantly bombarding you.

Anyways, Kirby has always been a strange case when it comes to difficulty. Bosses have a lot of spastic patterns and there can be some tricky platforming sections... you know, you're right, why do people call Kirby easy?
 

DarkestLink

Darkest of all Dark Links
Joined
Oct 28, 2012
Oh look, the "I didn't die therefore the game is easy" argument. Have you ever thought that maybe dying in Kirby games is just a lot easier? Zelda throws up to 20 hearts on you and 99% of the time you're not even fighting enemies. Kirby is a platformer where enemies, traps, pits, spikes, and all that good stuff is constantly bombarding you.

...Yeah. Kinda why it's harder, really.

Same reason the old Zelda's are harder. You were constantly being attacked by enemies with traps at every turn. The difficulty sure as hell didn't come from the puzzles.
 
Nintendo has the 'kiddy' thing going on as far as the majority of ignorant gamers go but Kirby is the franchise that is pretty much aimed at the kids. Kirby is really a my-first-video game/platformer and it has served him well. I'll admit a few of his games can be brutal in places and the placement of enemies often gives you no choice but to take damage and it can wear you down. the traps also spring on you unexpectedly for insta-kills (Return to Dreamland was one of the worst for this) but then Kirby swings the other way too, in epic Yarn for example, you can't die. you can try but that game doesn't have a game over screen...

Kirby was easy in the day but more recent games have upped the ante recently and he can be farely challenging now, but most of us who played kirby in the early years never really had a problem with our unfounded gamers skills and his games. In fact, Kirby's funPack/Superstar was th first game i completed and there are a good six games on that cartridge.
 

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