![]() forging ahead is easily the series’ most ambitious unfortunately, the low world count undermines any such grand presentation, and that’s especially a shame given the vast scope of the final world. Without getting into spoilers, how the game contextually frames Kirby and co. The world progression, too, plays a part, and I suspect it may be the biggest factor of all. (Still, credit’s due where credit’s due - the game builds off the level-ending bosses we first witnessed in Triple Deluxe and was further refined in Planet Robobot at the very least, it’s enough to make the final world the rollercoaster it is, which brings me to my next point… When the game forces the team to unleash Friend Train and Friend Wheel maneuvers to bulldoze the opposition, it is thrilling and interesting when we’re solving easier-than-usual puzzles and cutting through bosses like butter, we can’t help but feel we’ve done this before. When considering how HAL previously pulled off those stellar concepts, I can only assume concessions were made to accommodate the four-player feature - I think of how Return to Dream Land‘s Super Abilities were exclusive only to one player (and even then, only to Kirby), and perhaps HAL wanted to balance the playing field in these more simplified levels. Star Allies highlights the partner system as its main feature, but this recycled idea is hardly as innovative or organic as this past decade’s Super Abilities or Robobots, and so a weary sense of familiarity arises. The result is an explosion of activity and colors, with the gang plowing through hordes and fusing their powers together (Sizzle Bomb! Zap Staff! Curling Stone!)Īll good fun, but its application to level design is where things get shaky. While this isn’t the first time we’ve had four-player co-op (that would be 2002’s Nightmare in Dream Land), returning faces such as Burnin’ Leo, Broom Hatter, Gim and even Chef Kawasaki render this game’s co-op the most dynamic yet, as Kirby can change partners on a dime - a process done by throwing hearts as enemies - to solve puzzles or just for kicks. ![]() As opposed to two-player co-op, however, up to four players can join Kirby’s journey (meaning, Kirby and three pals). Star Allies makes an initially strong case in reviving what’s perhaps the series’ most beloved mechanic: Kirby Super Star‘s partner system, wherein Kirby’s former foes team up to rampage about. In the presence of exciting Copy Abilities and what’s easily the most unique method of progression in years, I say this with some regret, but that Kirby’s latest adventure comes up short is an undeniable feeling I’ve been wrestling with, and it must be called to attention. Or…not? To say Kirby Star Allies fails in adhering to the series’ appeal would be a gross misunderstanding - the world and characters remain sickeningly sweet, it grants generous handicaps to ease the fledgling gamer along, and most of all, it’s great fun to play - and yet, there’s something missing in its DNA. With Kirby Star Allies for Nintendo Switch appearing to be more of the same, it seemed the status quo would truck on unchallenged. ![]() At last, HAL Laboratory had mastered his design ethic for Kirby games being easily approachable, but difficult to fully master (beating Planet Robobot‘s True Arena is no small feat!) all the while fattening them up with compelling side-content (Kirby Fighters!). Since 2011’s arrival of Kirby’s Return to Dream Land, the pink puff has been experiencing something of a Golden Age - the Wii game and both 3DS entries ( Triple Deluxe and Planet Robobot) were the first post-Masahiro Sakurai iterations to successfully build upon (and arguably even surpass) the formula he left behind. ![]() Can Kirby’s friends make this his best adventure yet? ![]()
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