Kirby arrives to fatten (and fatten) the Nintendo Switch catalog with another of his adventures. He does it in his best-known field, the platformer, with an adventure that is not alone, but in the company of those who had always been his enemies. Moral: his love can with everything … and it is possible that also with you.
Perhaps the best approach from which to focus an analysis of Kirby Star Allies lies in evaluating what the user expects from your proposal. I say this mainly because, at this point, I doubt that anyone thinks of the pink ball and they get memories of great platform challenges, capable of making them sweat because of the difficulty. It has always been about rather relaxed titles, a feast of amorousness both visual and playable.
This new title for Nintendo Switch does not depart from this conception. It is a friendly game, which is made to be enjoyed in the company of the smallest of the house. It is not a bad thing. As I mentioned recently in the playable impressions of Kirby Star Allies , I have always believed that there is a video game for every moment, and without a doubt this Kirby is indicated to play with family, with a partner, and if you hurry me with friends . It is not a difficult game, nor does it pretend to be. It is not intended to reward the lone gamer for his great feats, but to encourage him to relax, share some Joy-Con, and open his heart to the friendly character from HAL Laboratory .
It is not corny. Much of the interest in this saga has been based on the fact that, in one way or another, you like Kirby and the aesthetic that is associated with it: a pastel rainbow of sensations in which, now, hearts predominate . By pressing a button, our character launches his infinite feelings of friendship towards his enemies, making them join his cause. In the end (and this is the beauty) it is something like a message of gratitude to more than 25 years of history. However, and far from the playable friendliness of the game, which is not in itself criticizable, what is missing is more desire to innovate, to propose another twist. In this sense, Kirby Star Allies seems to settle for satisfying newcomers, without taking too much account of those who have loved him for so long.
Cooperative platforms! Kirby Star Allies Launch Trailer
Pure playable loveKirby Star Allies looks a lot like previous video games in the franchise. Gobble up enemies, copy their abilities and advance through lateral and vertical scrolling platformer levels. It is a lifelong “made in Kirby” level design . The novelty is that now we can be accompanied by up to three characters controlled by AI, which can also be managed by players, giving a maximum of four participants via local .
Kirby Star Allies is a friendly game made to be enjoyed in the company of the little ones in the houseThe solitary experience is not recommended, due to the lack of pace and challenges. Really when the game starts to pay off is when other players start joining the game. The reason is completely logical, and has a lot to do with the socialization capacity of this type of experience. The local cooperative is currently undervalued in the industry, but luckily Nintendo is one of the developers who still rely on this form of offline gaming. It is important. Simply making comments about the game already adds a lot to the experience, and this Kirby – like the previous ones – greatly appreciates this type of interaction.
Kirby Star Allies is a beautiful video game, but also quite conservative.
This is not to say that solo users should abandon the idea of playing Kirby Star Allies, but it is clear that they have not been the goal of the developers. Not at least during the main adventure . It can be finished in 5-6 hours without major problems, and the collectibles are not complicated. There is some puzzle that requires the use of a certain skill, but in general everything is quite affordable. It would be quite benevolent to talk about the difficulty curve, since I arrived with more than 100 lives on the credits screen.
One of the biggest innovations is the combination of powers, something that opens up new gameplay possibilities.
Only once the game is over do a couple of options appear aimed at users looking for something more … The first of these post-game options is a time trial mode in which we overcome a series of chosen levels, accumulating power-ups, and this is what is interesting. There is one that increases speed, another increases attack, and one more resistance. With them, the game becomes more intense. The second option is the typical time-attack against bosses , one after the other, with the particularity that we can choose between various degrees of challenge. A couple of competitive mini-games are also featured, for up to four participants, but so short-lived that they are not worth dwelling on.
The overall experience lasts more than ten hours , which is equivalent to a few afternoons, but it is convenient to remember that Kirby Star Allies is more oriented to users who want to enjoy in company, without major pretensions. Maybe many of you who are here are not interested in something like this, but I can assure you that there are many houses in which this type of proposal fits perfectly. Of course, what cannot be ignored, and this is the most objectionable, is that this Kirby has not managed to take a step further in the series: in fact, it contributes very little.
The other great novelty of Kirby Star Allies is the ability to turn enemies into friends.
The transformations of Kirby and his friends (circle of friendship, train of friendship, ladder of friendship, ship of friendship …) are the most noteworthy at the level of news, but it stays there … The game is really surprising in its section audiovisual . Graphically it is a parade of situations with a fascinating color combination, something that has always been key in this license. The taste is great, and within the same world we have a diversity of scenarios, which speaks very well of the effort dedicated in artistic terms.
The exact same thing happens with music , which is exceptional. Some melodies remain for the memory, and we do not doubt that in future video games they will be used, because the work is splendid. There are new compositions for the most part, but also others resampled from the classic video games. In general, a composer line is followed that knows how to accompany the beauty of situations, but does not stop when proposing moving themes and with touches of epicity.
In the end, you can’t say that Kirby Star Allies is a bad video game, far from it. It has the quality of HAL Laboratory’s own productions , although in this case a greater involvement and risk capacity should be required. In this sense, we are facing a very conservative production, which continues to eat the same. And we all know that a good diet is based on variety, and why not: trying new things. If not, tell good old Kirby …
“Okay”
Kirby: Star Allies
9.2
Readers
(2)
Kirby Star Allies adds one more adventure of the pink ball to its long history, but… does it justify its presence? Perhaps it does not contribute much, and it is conservative in its proposal, becoming a somewhat flat video game, with an absence of challenges for the lonely user. However, it is a recommendable experience if you play in company, thanks to a cooperative that gives you a few afternoons of enjoyment, more if you like the character of Kirby and everything he represents.
- Good cooperative experience: the best of the title by far.
- Interesting post-game content, with a higher level of challenge.
- The character and setting modeling is a delight.
- Great job in terms of melodies: quantity and variety.
- The challenge is practically non-existent during the main adventure.
- It innovates very little within the Kirby platform formula.