It's time to give Kirby's Dream Course its due
You may not like it, but this is what peak franchise performance looks like.
I recently received a video patron request to put together a video tribute to Kirby's Dream Course for Super NES Works. While I'm normally loath to break out of sequence for these video chronologies (especially jumping ahead nearly four years from the current run), this turned out to be an opportune request. Since I've already gone as far out of sequence as is humanly possible with last week's leap ahead to the big Super NES release of the year 2017 (and a Star Fox 2 episode yet to come), I figured, what's a little nonlinear time between friends?
Besides, Kirby's Dream Course is suddenly relevant now, thanks to its presence on the Super NES Classic Edition. It's the game that people will look at and say, "This has no business being here." They're wrong, though. Dream Course gave Nintendo a great excuse to put a sports game on the system without needing to dredge up a literal 16-bit sports game, none of which are actually any fun anymore. It's a fun little game that intersects with a mainstream sport, yet has its own personality and rules. It's precisely the kind of weirdo intersection between brands and genres that makes Nintendo's catalog so interesting.
It's also, like, stupid hard. Anyone who actually sticks with the game beyond the first few courses will find themselves cursing in rage at how eagerly Dream Course shreds their dignity. Kirby looks all fluffy and pink, but don't believe the lie.
Anyway, as you tuck in to spend the next few weekends with your Super NES Classic Edition, don't overlook Dream Course. It's a fun, inventive little game. And with the Super NES mini's save states, you might even be able to finish it.
