Kirby Star Allies

I don’t think HAL is very interested in drastically altering the Kirby formula at this point, and that’s perfectly fine. Not every creation is going to be a masterpiece, but for the most part, all of the console iterations have a special degree of love and care that shine through. Kirby Star Allies is cute, gorgeous in its own special way, and fun to play. It’s par for the course.

Nintendo’s beloved pink blob Kirby is making quite the debut on Nintendo Switch with Kirby Star Allies. While Kirby’s recent handheld adventures, like Kirby: Planet Robobot have been great, the last couple console outings, like the Wii U’s Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, have been pretty disappointing. Fortunately, that changes with Kirby Star Allies. Featuring a more traditional Kirby-style side-scrolling adventure with a 2.5D perspective and up to four-player local co-op, this is one Kirby game that fans have been clamoring for.

The name Kirby Star Allies isn’t just for show. Whether you’re adventuring through Dream Land with up to three friends or playing with competent AI teammates, Kirby’s ever-rotating group of uniquely powered pals are the real stars of the show here. The creative ways you can combine abilities never gets old, which means there’s great potential for replayability especially with friends. I just wish the final boss battle hadn’t come just as the puzzles were starting to give me a challenge.

Fans will love Kirby Star Allies' cameos from every corner of the franchise, and new players will find the platforming imminently approachable. While this adventure may not be as deep as some of Kirby's 3DS outings, it sure does bring the joy.

Friends with benefits.

A gentle reminder that the only ship worth a damn is friendship.

If you have kids, Star Allies is as obvious a recommendation as they come- they will love to play it, either solo, or with you, and it will lead to some great times and memories for everybody. On the other hand, seasoned gamers and long time Kirby fans won't find much that is substantial here.

Kirby Star Allies feels like a greatest hits collection rather than its own unique experience. It takes inspiration from the majority of classic Kirby games and while it doesn’t have quite the level of scope that Kirby Super Star had back in the day, there’s a great amount of fun to be had. It’s certainly more fun with friends and is well made, having plenty of nostalgia for the pink puffball’s fans, but it’s certainly the easiest Kirby game in years.

Kirby Star Allies is a solid debut for the character on the Nintendo Switch, but it left us wanting more. Our review...

Kirby Star Allies won't bring any new fans to the series. It sticks to the tried-and-true gameplay strictures of the franchise for better and worse. Co-op is nice, and the HD visuals do bring Kirby's world to life in a fresh way, but overall this is a totally by-the-book sequel that adds little of value other than a chance to play another Kirby game.

The Kirby franchise has one thing really going for it right now. Kirby is fun to play no matter what. HAL and Nintendo can really put whatever they want around Kirby, and no matter how successful or unsuccessful it is, it would be nearly very difficult for me to give it a poor score as long as I’m going to be floating around, sucking up enemies, and using fun copy abilities. That formula is timeless. That said, Kirby Star Allies is one of those times where what is on offer aside from the classic gameplay isn’t that appealing.

Kirby’s games never seem fair on the enemies but this tiresome and poorly balanced co-op platformer offers little chance of fun for them or you.