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Kirby's Kira Kira Kids Original CD Masters :: Review by Charles
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Album Title: | Kirby's Kira Kira Kids Original CD Masters |
| Record Label: | Tokuma Japan Communications | |
| Catalog No.: | TKCA-71255 | |
| Release Date: | October 22, 1997 | |
| Purchase: | Buy at eBay |
Overview
You would have to be the hardest of hardcore fans to ever own this album right here. This album is based on the Kirby's Star Stacker (aka Kirby's Kira Kira Kids), which was released for the Game Boy and remade for the Super Nintendo late in both console's lives. The music is taken out of the Game Boy game, but features a few changes and enhancements. I would barely even recommend this album to fans, and I'm sure the people that would like it already have it.
Body
First of all, any theme that happens to be even remotely good is also a repetitive one or an unchanged reprise from a previous game. There are a couple of tunes that are original and catchy, but some repeat after every four measures. "Easy" is one of the main themes of the album in that it that plays over and over again as you solve you puzzles. Many other themes are just fillers despite the album containing 28 tracks. Some like "Easy" are somewhat catchy, but that's pretty much all they are. They have a nice Kirby feel to them and would maybe be on par with an average Kirby theme in a regular game.
There are a couple variations of the title track on the album. In its original incarnation, it is a cute little track that essentially serves as the theme song for the game. Besides being cute and catchy, it also has nothing more going for it. It's like Kirby music stripped of every element but the obvious. I hear it and I smile, but then realize that that, after smiling for a second, I heard the same melody five times over! I think it's unacceptable for music like this to lead a music album.
This soundtrack comes from a Game Boy game, so the sound quality is quite ancient sounding. I understand using beeps and boops for simplicity purposes, but at times it feels like the composers were a little lazy too given the soundtrack is a remastered one. It also feels like Hirokazu Ando saved all his good composition ideas for Kirby Super Star and threw all his lesser ideas in this spin-off game. I guess it makes sense to put the better themes in the better game, but it sure doesn't make the most pleasant album.
Summary
Unless you are a Kirby swag collector or want to listen to a couple of 30 second catchy pieces, I do not recommend Kirby's Kira Kira Kids Original CD Masters. Some pieces actually had potential and I hated to see them go to waste by not being as nearly developed as they should have been. There is definitely some Kirby charm in this album and that's good, but you have to dig deep to discover any of that charm.
