Like most other Kirby games, Kirby's Adventure is a platformer, or a side-scrolling game. Kirby has six hit points; this means Kirby can sustain up to six attacks from enemies before he dies and loses a life. If he loses all of his lives, the game is over. Enemies can damage Kirby simply on contact or by way of projectile attacks. Any non-boss enemy that makes direct contact with Kirby is automatically destroyed. While most enemy attacks deal one point of damage (out of six) to Kirby, some attacks, generally dealt by bosses or mini-bosses, can deal two points.