Kirby's main power is to inhale an enemy, and then spit him back out. For instance, eating a tire will allow Kirby to turn into a wheel to mow over enemies, eating a flame monster can turn Kirby into a fireball, eating the knight will give Kirby a sword, etc. There are well over twenty different powers in the game, most of which are very cool and go beyond the variety of the various suits in Super Mario Bros. 3. Each stage has a main screen, which contains doors to go into sublevels. This is where all of the action takes place.
Most stages have anywhere from four to seven levels, so the game is of considerable length.
You only have a restart a level if you run out of lives. The graphics are very, very colorful, and well animated. All the bosses are well detailed, as are the backgrounds. The music fits the cuteness and zaniness of the game, with a variety of drums and bongos in the background. The sound effects in the game are varied, although not especially noteable.