Kirby Super Star Ultra Review

Summary:

Not quite "Ultra" but still a good time.

Pros:

+ Most games add a unique element

+ A lot of content for a Kirby game

+ Lots of powers and partner ability

Cons:

- Level design/enemy placement is random/bland

- Combat is somewhat unrefined

- Powers don't differentiate enough in most cases

Review:

[Originally written for Zentendo in October of 2008.]

If you ask me for my thoughts on Kirby's career, I can sum it all up in one statement: good platformers for more casual players, but lacking stellar level design and fresh ideas overall. I have played many of Kirby's adventures and have enjoyed them well enough, and Kirby Super Star on the SNES was probably my favorite one, since it added some new twists to the standard formula. This fan favorite has been given new life on the DS -- is it worth picking up, or would you be just as fine digging up the old cartridge? And for that matter, is it worth playing in the first place?

Kirby Super Star Ultra immediately separates itself from most platforming titles with one odd and unique aspect: it is a series of smaller platforming chunks broken up into different styles, all using the same graphics and gameplay engine. For the most part, the modes are unique, each with their own quirks to try and add some spice to Kirby's hungry lifestyle. Before we get to the specifics of each one, let's talk about the main game mechanics. This is standard platforming fare, with running and jumping combined with Kirby's innate tendencies of swallowing enemies and absorbing their powers. There's a lot of different abilities here, and for the most part, they are unique and have their own special attacks, etc. Unfortunately, for the most part, there's not many places which make specific use of certain powers (a small handful use a very few amount) and it's largely a matter of personal preference whether you want to use the Sword or Bomb or what-have-you. Some of the abilities gained from these powers don't really do much to help, either -- why does Kirby need to stick to the wall as a Ninja when he can float endlessly?

In this title, Kirby can transform an ability he sucks up into a partner (which can be controlled by another player), which is interesting and helpful. This trait, along with the varied powers, makes Kirby Super Star focus a lot on combat -- there's even a couple of extra modes which are nothing but a long series of battles. Combat can be enjoyable when you find powers you like, but it tends to be too easy or too tedious. This makes it targeted to the younger crowd, for sure, and it's as if one will never die, but it's still disappointing that even "boss" battles are mostly very easy. The other side of the coin is that many attacks (such as dashing attacks or aerial moves) often end up with the player getting hurt, since they involve charging into an enemy. This happened many, many times in my time with the title: I'd try to use a combo attack (which rarely ever comboed), nick the enemy, then be stuck within his hit box and be thrown to the side. It equates to many of the attacks making no sense. Other more nit picky issues involve the fact that running is done by double-tapping, which is fine, except when you need to jump (ie: all of the time) because when you land, you must re-initiate a dash. While this is fine in Smash Bros. (a platforming fighter), it doesn't feel very good in a rough-terrained level in a full platforming game.

Taking a look at the variety of modes available helps make some of these features more forgivable. The mostly bland "Spring Breeze" (which is simply a remake of Kirby's Dream Land on the Game Boy) is not the brightest of notes to start off on for experienced players but is a good introduction to new Kirby players or young gamers as a whole. Dyna Blade is essentially more of the same with a slightly higher difficulty. Gourmet Race is a 5-minute-ish dash against Dedede along three brief courses, gobbling food the whole way. Revenge of Meta Knight is a quicker-paced adventure taking place across the Halberd (the ship that has become rather famous in Smash Bros. Brawl) and a couple of other locations, while The Great Cave Offensive is one of the more attractive pieces of this package. A nice hour or so of platforming exploration, The Great Cave Offensive is one very large level broken in segments in which Kirby works his way through a very large system of caverns and tunnels and various places, seeking out valuable (and referential) treasure as he goes. Some of the treasure actually requires some skill and thought to acquire, and overall it's definitely one of the best parts of this collection. This mode also features a boss that Smash Bros. fans will find oddly familiar paired with a cute and amusing boss battle that references old RPGs. After that comes Milky Way Wishes, a game in which Kirby can freely explore levels to discover his powerups and collect them -- enemies don't yield them, but once a powerup is collected from a trophy, it can be swapped to at any time.

Upon completion of this main series, a remake of the remake that is Spring Breeze is available entitled Revenge of the King. There's a couple of battle-rush modes, as well, along with a cool little feature called "Meta Knight Ultra," in which players take control of the metallically-masked ball of awesome and blaze through an abridged version of all of the main platforming games using his different moveset. This mode was enjoyable but felt kind of repetitive having just played through the other games -- it would be perfect to play this mode after having left the game alone for a while. Suffice it to say there is a pretty healthy amount of content to this package, especially when considering that it is just a platforming title -- granted, there's minimal amounts of replay value, but still a good chunk of stuff to work through for the genre. There's also the option to play with a friend if you so desire with only one cart as well as play various minigames, but most probably won't bother with the minigames for long.

Now, along with the previously-mentioned technical issues, Kirby does have some other aspects to mention, mainly the level design and enemy placement. As is the case with other Kirby titles (and the SubSpace Emissary in Brawl), the level design here is mostly uninspired and seemingly random. So many points in the game feel inconveniently put together so they don't flow very well, very much like how many attacks lead into the player getting hit unnecessarily. Kirby's main problem -- as it always has been -- is that enemies feel like fodder more than adversaries and the levels and controls just don't have the precision, fluidity, and expert pacing that more superior platforming titles (like the Super Mario games) demonstrate. While the sound, CG cutscenes, graphics, etc. may all set up a slick package, the game design itself still feels lacking in originality, precision, and specific purpose. While this game is a great entry in the franchise and was a cool title on the SNES, it feels a little dated despite its facelift. Kirby's Adventure was a great platformer for the NES, and Super Star was good for the SNES, but compared to many other platformers, this one's not quite the cream of the crop.

Bottom Line:

Kirby Super Star Ultra delivers an adequate platforming experience with Kirby at the peak of his platforming game -- lots of modes, solid presentation, lots of powers, variations on the main concept...But, like Kirby titles before it, a new coat of paint and some extra modes can't hide the fact that Kirby's outings generally lack the finesse and expert execution of other titles in the genre. This is definitely worth checking out for Kirby fans and platforming fans alike, especially if they missed the original SNES title -- this a good game with a fair amount of content and variety to it, packed with great presentation and some efforts at unique ideas, it just lacks the extra punch and polish in level design and game ideas that set certain platformers apart from the rest of the pack. Like Kirby himself, you'll likely find yourself swallowing it up in one gulp without noticing the little spices sprinkled on it because many of them don't matter. Younger gamers and those new to platforming (or gaming in general) will find a good time, as will many other gamers, but compared to the originality and brilliance of Canvas Curse, even what is arguably Kirby's best platforming fare still feels a little bit stale.