My only gripe is that the puzzles inside optional secret rooms aren’t exactly challenging because the necessary characters are often standing patiently nearby. Having the right ability or ally in the right place often led to discovering hidden areas and treasure. They would also react to any puzzle elements they could tackle on their own: a water ally would busy himself dowsing flames, while the the hammer-swinging Bonkers would smack down on any pegs. Simply holding my weapon aloft would trigger any elemental allies in my group to shuffle over and supercharge me and any other non-elemental teammates. Initially, I was worried I’d have to direct my team by myself (and you can, by having Kirby piggyback on an AI ally to manually control them), but instead I found them quite reactive to their environment. The constant variety of intriguing yet intuitive puzzles, and the allure of seeing what each new enemy could do, kept me swapping out allies or changing Kirby’s current abilities.Ĭombining moves to solve puzzles is also where the AI partners of Star Allies surprisingly shine. Giant bomb on a rope blocking your path? Only cutting moves will sever that rope - but you’ll also need to make sure your cutter’s been supercharged by a fiery ally to light the fuse while cutting the rope.
There are plenty of roadblocks along your side-scrolling adventure, and it’s only by using the right abilities in tandem that you’ll be able to forge ahead, or find secret areas. Just using your team to demolish enemies is fun in its own right, but Star Allies takes a clever approach to making sure you’re constantly rearranging your group. His ability to infuse weapons with wind attacks with his broom, apply a water buff with a splash of his bucket, or even use a vacuum cleaner to send my friends ricocheting around the screen to destroy everything in sight. Other allies can fulfill specific roles like healing or grappling, but my favorite is the Broom Hatter.
With so many team combinations and weapon/element combos, the first few hours were full of surprises as I discovered what a newly swapped-in ally could bring to the fight.Īrenas practically explode with fiery projectiles, hazardous elements, and hilarious team attacks. Elemental effects can also be used to counter enemies’ defenses, like dousing a flame-wreathed shield with water to make a big enemy easier to take down. When Kirby is using a weapon ability like a Cutter and holding it in the air, allies can strike at it to enchant your attacks with new effects and increased damage. Arenas practically explode with fiery projectiles, hazardous elements, and hilarious team attacks, but thanks to the well-defined art style things never got so out of hand that I couldn’t pick out my character from the chaos.Įach of the almost two dozen enemy types you can entice to your side embody one of the many abilities Kirby can copy, like the sword-wielding Blade Knight or the ice-blasting Chilly. Together you’ll tear through the vibrant and energetic levels, and the resulting melee begins to feel more like a very cute beat-‘em-up than a traditional Kirby platformer – especially when tangling with the varied and creative bosses and minibosses. So while Kirby may start solo, you soon ally with up to three more fighters who’re controlled by your friends or a helpful AI. In addition to Kirby’s trademark copying power in which he absorbs the abilities of enemies he slurps up, you can now toss hearts at enemies to turn them to your cause, letting you use their abilities at the same time. Whether it’s working together to solve environmental puzzles or charging up weapons, this engaging and colorful co-op platformer allows everyone to shine in a whimsical adventure that ends just a bit too quickly. You can mix, match, and combine abilities to reach greater heights than a Kirby game ever has before. With up to four players controlling him and his new elementally powered friends, Kirby Star Allies gives him a lot to work with. As Nintendo’s chameleon character, Kirby is only as interesting as the abilities he copies.