It’s hard to find a more consistently charming character than Kirby.
The pink puffball has truly come into his own over the years, and it seems Nintendo
has taken notice considering the sheer amount of Kirby games that have been released.
But it’s always the new mainline Kirby that gets fans the most excited, especially after
the sheer quality of Return to Dream Land, Triple Deluxe, and Planet Robobot, with each
game building off the previous to create some of the best games in the series.
This has created a huge expectation on Star Allies.
Can it match the bar of quality that’s been raised so high?
Is it different enough to bring in returning fans and newcomers?
While I don’t have all the answers yet from my brief playtime so far, it’s hard not
to be enraptured by Star Allies almost immediately.
Kirby is a series that thrives on taking the known and remixing it just enough that it
still feels fresh.
And that’s absolutely the case once again.
Running, floating as much as you want, a slide kick, and sucking up enemies to take their
powers is all here, but it’s the new elements that make it feel a little different.
And this time, that comes in the form of your allies.
At any time, Kirby can throw a heart at enemies to make them join his side, very much like
the mechanic from Kirby Super Star.
But rather than just one friend, you can have up to three, each with the full moveset of
whatever enemy they happen to be.
But in addition to this expanded friend mechanic, the Star Allies can combine their abilities
to create even more powerful attacks.
This doesn’t mean that every Ability can combine with every other, there are limitations
depending on what you’re using, and the game outlines this if you go into the pause
menu.
Most weapon-based powers like Sword, Whip, and Cutter can have elements added to them
like water, ice, and fire.
This changes up their properties and can even make certain enemies easier.
If one’s on fire then a water or ice attack will defeat it much more quickly than using
more fire on it.
The same applies to most elements adding just a little more thought into the combat even
though it’s possible to ignore it.
There are other combinations as well that are a bit more unique like ESP and Stone to
throw around a massive rock of death or Fighter which grabs a nearby ally and throws them
around the stage to wreak havoc.
It’s immediately fun to experiment and see the possibilities and makes for a constant
reward cycle in the same vein as the Robobot Armor.
It’s naturally integrated into the experience allowing you near full control over how you
complete a level.
Setpieces come in the form of Friend Platforms where all four allies come together to create
a special combination.
This could be the friend circle that barrels through everything in its path, the Friend
train which can travel straight up walls, or even the Friend Star which makes gameplay
more like a shooter although the stars you fire take on different properties depending
on who’s in the lead.
They’re short but help break up the standard gameplay.
I’ve only played the single player so far, but your computer controlled allies do a good
job...most of the time.
They attack what they need to and follow the context clues of the level.
In fact, they’ll solve puzzles with a little prodding if they have right combination of
Abilities.
However, they often take extra hits from hazards as they try to follow along and don’t always
understand when you want to combine certain powers.
It’s perfectly playable, just annoying at times.
Although you can jump on the CPU friends to take control and solve any puzzles that might
be giving you trouble.
Star Allies is still fun, even in single player.
All these elements have come together for something that feels like it has a ton of
potential although I do have a few nitpicks beyond the AI.
Each time you enter a door, there’s a short loading screen before the next area.
They’re not long, but they do feel like they break up the pacing somewhat.
Boss fights, while definitely a highlight of the game, can become a chaotic mess and
I’ve lost sight of myself multiple times.
Again, these are mainly minor issues.
In my time with Star Allies so far, I’ve completed the first three worlds and been
consistently blown away by the graphics and music.
Kirby in HD looks phenomenal with so much detail going into every level.
The characters might be simple, but everything just pops with so much personality.
Yeah, it might only be 30fps but that hasn’t once hampered my enjoyment of the game.
And the music is fantastic as well, which is really no surprise.
But I did find it interesting how much of it goes for an atmospheric tone.
It’s still incredibly catchy though, knowing exactly which moments need pumped up for even
more excitement.
I could easily keep talking about Star Allies, but I’ll save that for the full review.
However, if you’re concerned that Nintendo’s been showing too much of the game, rest assured
that there’s still plenty of tricks up their sleeve.
In fact, I’m pretty sure that I’ve seen nearly everything from their preview coverage
already in the first three worlds.
There’s still much more to see after all that.
And honestly, I just want to keep playing more and more.
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