Kirby Star Allies (Switch, 2018)

Familiar side-scrolling Kirby fun on the Switch with great co-op options.

Nostalgia Factor: High. I’m a huge Kirby dweeb.
Difficulty: Very easy. There’s some challenge on the final boss if playing solo, but co-op allies greatly reduces difficulty.

I enjoyed Star Allies quite a bit. It’s a very well-made Kirby game. It feels very similar to Return to Dreamland, but noticeably more polished. It’s one of the better looking games on the Switch, with detailed foregrounds and backgrounds. The cinematics looked nice too, though they are even more impressive in Kirby and the Forgotten Land.

Star Allies has one of the best Kirby soundtracks to date. Of course, I will always be partial to Jun Ishikawa’s classic Kirby Super Star soundtrack. However, Hirokazu Ando proved himself in taking the lead with the Return to Dreamland soundtrack, and his Star Allies soundtrack brings even more clarity and quality to that sound. Ando does a great job re-working Ishikawa’s classic Kirby melodies, but he’s crafted his own unique Kirby sound as well. I regularly re-visit the robust Star Allies soundtrack. I enjoy listening to it while I work.

Kirby games are typically not very story-driven, but Star Allies injects a little more lore and story than most Kirby games. Shinya Kumazaki has done a fantastic job at the helm of the Kirby series ever since he took over with Return to Dreamland.

Co-op in Kirby games has come a long way since Sakurai first introduced 2-player co-op in Kirby Super Star. Shimomura dropped the ball with Kirby 64, but Kirby and the Amazing Mirror brought the possibility of four multi-colored Kirbies playing simultaneously. Squeak Squad also lacked multiplayer in the main game mode, but then Kumazaki brought it back with Return to Dreamland. Additional players could choose to play as Meta Knight, King Dedede, Waddle Dee, or another Kirby. Star Allies has upped the ante even more by allowing up to 3 co-op players to use any of the game’s many copy abilities. This is an impressive feature that’s worth noting.

I liked pretty much everything about Star Allies except for the lack of difficulty. I suppose that’s just sort of the philosophy behind Kirby games — super easy games that serve as a good on-ramp for young or casual gamers. Easily shredding through levels is fun, cathartic even, but I continue to long for a Kirby title that brings some real challenge. The length of the game also leaves you a bit wanting. I burned through Star Allies in about 6 hours. There’s some incentive for re-playability, but more worlds and primary content would’ve been welcome.

Other fun additions include the ability to charge up your allies’ weapons, some interesting (though very easy) co-op puzzles, and the enjoyable sequences where Kirby’s allies form a big ring in order to smash through the level. Interestingly, Kumazaki has continued the tradition of the surprisingly creepy final boss, with a fun shooter sequence that hearkens back to Kirby Super Star.

Overall, this is a great Kirby title with fantastic co-op options that any Kirby fan will enjoy.