Kirby is one of Nintendo’s more interesting franchises. It’s not as well known as Mario or Pokemon but apparently does well enough to warrant new iterations in the franchise. The cute loveable pink marshmallow is back and this time, he’s in the cockpit of a Mecha in Kirby Planet Robobot.
Story, out of nowhere.
Planet Robobot, just like any other Kirby game, doesn’t bother with a plot other that a general setup. Dreamland is under attack by alien forces, turning everyone into robots and everything into industrial looking parts. On top of all that, there is a giant robot in the sky with five appendages drilled into the ground. Kirby, of course, decides to put a stop to all this and heads out for each and every appendage. Every appendage is a world and Kirby goes through five levels and a boss with one of the levels being one of the legs of the mechanical giant. Up until world three, the only bit of plot seen in the game is the game’s opening, after that however there suddenly is text dialogue. It’s really weird to suddenly see dialogue appear so late in-game. Nonetheless, the dialogue is short and harmless. The final boss does feel the need to give a long speech and such a meaningless motive players will immediately forget it happened. Then lastly there is this half-assed attempt at an emotional parting between Kirby and the Mecha but this is done so quickly and one-folded that players won’t even bother to care. Again it comes out of nowhere but, at no point, it’s annoying or manages to pull down the experience so all is good.
The story just kind of appears out of nowhere.
Fun to its mechanic core.
This Kirby game plays pretty much exactly as Triple Deluxe…but with a mech. Kirby can jump,float and inhale enemies to then copy their ability. When Kirby copies an ability he gains a certain power and multiple new ways to take down his enemies. The myriad of ways Kirby can take down enemies is almost overwhelming. It’s fun to experiment with all the powers and ways you can dispose of enemies. Enemies die in one hit so there is not that much room to experiment on them. Bosses on the other hand are a whole different story. Bosses take a lot of punishment so it’s here where you can use the powers to their full potential.
At some points in the levels, Kirby comes across a Mecha that gains the ability of its rider. So when Kirby decides to control one of these bots they gain the ability to copy enemies’ attacks. The mechs can’t copy as many abilities as Kirby or even utilize as many moves but is a blast to use. The mech itself does more damage and crazy attacks but in exchange for that he can’t float and has to do with a double jump. The parts where Kirby uses a Mecha are predetermined in a level so don’t expect to use it in any other spots. The Mecha is incredibly and makes things feel a bit fresher. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to add the Mecha as a main gameplay element in future titles.
That being said Planet Robobot still has those certain elements other games have that players seems to lament. Some powers are more useful than others and the level of difficulty still ranges from tying your shoes to riding your bike. But despite all of that the vast amount of powers and the joy you get while using the Mecha greatly eclipses the rest.
There also is a huge amount of extra game modes to enjoy yourself with. Some are more fun than others but all of them still manage to be enjoyable at the least. There is Team Kirby Clash in which you can team up with other players and choose one of four different Kirby abilities and fight against several bosses. after every fight your Kirby can level up several of his stats. Another mode unlocked after the player finishes the game and is called Meta Knightmare Returns. In Meta Knightmare Returns. The player plays as Meta Knight going through some of the stages of the main game.
Kirby Planet Robobot is fun in its purest form.
The game is just so much fun.
Cybernetic beauty.
The Kirby series have always been very colorful and feature cute and creative creatures. This game is no different except that is features a neat mechanic coat of paint. Bronto Burts, Scarfy and even Waddle Dees feature cybernetic implants. Green greens went from green grass and big trees to metallic and riddled with pipes and metal plates. It gives the old and colorful levels a cool new style while still maintaining the bright colors. Graphically Kirby looks great thanks to its aesthetics. This is also one of the only 3DS games to actually utilize the 3D capabilities. Kirby switches from fighting in the foreground to eradicating his enemies in the background through the use of warp stars. While 3D is not necessary it does help to differentiate the enemies in the fore- or background. Enemies are slightly darker when they are on a different plain but amidst all the jumping and fighting you might try to avoid an enemy that isn’t there. There are a lot of other neat uses of the 3D effect and it’s all optional. The music is on another level. Its tunes are great. All of them sound differently and all of them are so much fun to hear. It doesn’t do anything really different but what it does it does exceptionally well. Planet Robobot is a pretty, colorful and endearing world.
Great designs and nice colors make this a good looking game.
Closing note:
Kirby Planet Robobot is an amazing game. The only “flaws” it has are that some powers are less useful and the game is incredibly easy. Other than that, it’s a lot of fun to obtain powers, experiment with them and fight bosses with them. The Robobot is a neat new addition that’s a ball to use. The Robobot feels incredibly powerful despite not actually being that which is fun. The soundtrack is amazing and the visuals are familiar and colorful but now mechanized. A “plot” coming out of nowhere is a bit jarring but it’s nothing more than that, literally. It’s a bit hard to explain exactly why Planet Robobot is so amazing. Its level design, while solid,with masterpiece levels, and the Robobot, while incredibly fun, aren’t really reinventing the wheel. In its core Kirby games have always been fun. But the addition of the robot mechanic, the huge amount of moves you get from one ability, the music and visual theme of the game all work so well and make it such a fun game.
8.5/10
If you are interested in other games similar to this one you might want check out these reviews:
