The pink blob returns and lands on the Nintendo Switch! The preview left us craving for more but did the rest of the game live up to our expectations? Did Kirby Star Allies on Switch mix up the formula enough without losing its classic feel? Well… Take a deep breath and press down!
In our preview we discussed the all new mechanic where you can blend friend powers and copy abilities to discover new powers and to attack foes or advance in some clever puzzles. A welcome new addition that works well and left us baffled at how fun this seemingly simple new addition is and how deeper it expands the classic Kirby gameplay.
Now I grew up with the very first Kirby games and I remember playing them on long road trips in the backseat of my parents’ car. I had a lot of games for my Gameboy but Kirby was the game that I always kept for these long trips to France. The game was simple in terms of controls and I always looked forward for my battles with Whispy Woods. I always played Kirby until my batteries ran out. In all honestly I hadn’t played another core Kirby game until Star Allies. So you can guess I was in for a surprise…
There are loads of new copy abilities that were made with the new friend system and friend powers in mind. The animations on these (broom power grants you a surfboarding cat animation when you dash forward) are absolutely fantastic, even on the “old” ones! Not only are they extremely satisfying to look at but they open up for some puzzle gameplay to find hidden doorways and you will have to replay certain levels to find all of them. Now don’t worry if you have a child that wants to play along or alone, there are handy tips and hints available in-game on how to advance through certain puzzles. But for me personally it was a lot more fun turning these off completely and trying out different friend powers and abilities by myself or with friends.
The first levels in Dream Land and Planet Popstar are fun to browse through and learn the powers especially if you’re playing drop-in, drop-out co-op because you can mess around a lot and try different things. But once you get to the other worlds you will have to work together to survive! Especially the levels in “Far-Flung Starlight Heroes” will test your friendship for working together or even against each other if you have those kind of friends!
If you want to collect every puzzle piece including the rainbow colored pieces you will need some friends to help you out by combining powers. You can always count on the AI which is in my opinion brilliantly executed except in some levels containing lava and/or giant moving blades. For some reason the AI loves throwing itself into those without hesitation.
“Kirby Star Allies is a true homage to Kirby’s 25-year old legacy while adding depth and innovation without losing its roots!”
Kirby Star Allies does a great job at staying true to its core formula while adding new things to play with! Old bosses and recurring enemies will offer you a trip down memory lane while still staying fresh since you can defeat them by using all the new powers and friend abilities! Especially when you add elemental powers to your weapons you will see their life bar shrink in seconds! So plan your attack well and you will be unstoppable! The new foes like Flamberge will throw her fire power at you while Zan Partizanne will try to zap your party with lightning. It’s up to you to gather a party with elemental supremacy to make these battles easier for you and your friends. It’s a small addition at first sight but it gives a lot more depth to the franchise and makes even the older familiar bosses fun to replay! There’s even more nostalgia to discover and the game feels like an homage to everything that Kirby stood for in these 25 years but it is the most innovating at the same time!
While the game is fun with the fast working AI it doesn’t come close to playing the game with friends or family! Here at the office I had been playing for an hour when another crew member came in and joined in on the action by pressing L+R on a spare Joy-Con and the drop-in/out co-op worked seamlessly. It is an absolute blast playing together and I think this is the best game for kids to play with their parents! It’s so simple yet clever and for the more hardcore fans there is a lot of depth with all the copy abilities and friend powers to discover! The Nintendo Direct showed us that there’s even more content coming as part of the 25th anniversary and with the addition of the Dream Friends/Helpers and the amazing mini games you will replay every single level again just to find everything and try everything!
A game to be enjoyed with friends, family and foes!
