Kirby doesn’t talk much, but when he does say something, it’s typically something cheerful. He is a very cheerful character, but gets serious when his planet is being attacked. He’s willing to lend a hand to any stranger that comes asking for help, never giving it a second thought. It’s all these reasons and more why Kirby is a lovable character. The pink puffball first appeared on the Game Boy in Kirby’s Dreamland. He then made the jump to color in the NES’s Kirby’s Adventure. Since then, he has appeared in numerous games, becoming a flagship Nintendo title. He makes the jump to Nintendo’s latest console, the Switch, in Kirby Star Allies.
The story in Star Allies follows a mysterious being unleashing dark energy objects called “Jamba Hearts” onto Planet Popstar. These hearts affect many of the inhabitants of the planet, including King Dedede and Meta Knight. Kirby awakens to the horror, and runs off, gathering friends along the way, to rid Popstar of the Jamba Hearts and stop the mysterious menace. The story isn’t too different than previous games in the franchise. But, one can always expect a great climax in Kirby games, and it’s no different in Star Allies. Is everything else about the game great? Star Allies is a fun platformer, bringing the Kirby elements that puts the series above the standard side-scroller. However, much like contemporary Kirby games, there are not enough innovations in Star Allies to call it an amazing game.
The Switch is Nintendo’s best system graphically speaking, meaning Kirby gets to shine in HD glory. The levels are beautiful with outstanding detail. Highlights include Castle Dedede and Reef Resort. Accompanied by a fantastic soundtrack, I was reminded of Kirby’s Epic Yarn, which featured lovely levels complemented by a wonderful soundtrack. The level design in Star Allies is often simple, but at this point, one does not expect much challenge from this series. Kirby then has to deliver in the “simply fun to play” category, and Star Allies succeeds in this regard.
Pretty levels would not be able to make up for substandard gameplay. Star Allies has the same level of high quality gameplay as previous Kirby games. If you’ve played Kirby’s Return to Dreamland or the more recent Planet Robobot, you know what to expect. The biggest feature of this game is the ability to turn foes into friends with the push of a button. When this happens, up to three characters (controlled either by the AI or human players) can follow Kirby. It’s similar to summoning a Helper in Kirby Super Star, but in this case, the allies bring with them a power first introduced in Kirby 64: the power to combine abilities.
Star Allies make good use of Kirby’s friends in three scenarios. One of them is making a bridge to help a Key Dee get to a door, another turning the characters into an unstoppable wheel, and the final one is the best: the friends riding together on a “Friend Star.” These Friend Star sequences are a blast, adding a high-octane feel to the game. The Friend Star is put to especially good use in the climatic boss battle. Since we’re on the subject, Star Allies continues the tradition of having an epic climax. In the final showdown scene, the player really gets a feel of Kirby’s determination to beat the opposing force.
For a couple of more positives, the game’s implementation of extra stages is a nice feature. The final extra stage has a nice tribute to Kirby’s Dreamland. (It’s a shame it wasn’t longer.) As already touched upon, the soundtrack is strong. You’ll hear the familiar themes, but also plenty of great new ones. The final few levels have some fast-paced themes to contrast the more softer sounds. One of the greatest examples of quality music is the beautiful Reef Resort theme, which once again evokes memories of Epic Yarn. This is the strongest soundtrack in a Kirby game since Epic Yarn.
As it’s been made evident, Star Allies follows the Kirby formula closely, but often too closely. The game does not often feel that different from its predecessors. If this was the first ever Kirby game, it would be fantastic, revolutionary even. But the fact is that it’s not the first. Kirby has been the star of numerous platformers, so it’s near baffling that Star Allies doesn’t introduce more innovations. It is possible to keep the same formula while revolutionizing it. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey did that for their respective franchises. Super Mario Odyssey was the same fundamentally as previous Mario platformers, but Odyssey took risks and delivered things that separated it from past games. Breath of the Wild kept the core aspects that have made the Zelda series appealing, while also reinventing them. These games did not stray from their fundamental concepts. Rather, these games built upon the concepts and gave us something familiar, but also brand new.
There is something I like to call the New Super Mario Bros. 2 effect. While New Super Mario Bros. 2 was a fun game and competently made, it made no progress in gameplay design from the previous two New Super Mario Bros. installments. It was essentially almost the same game. Hal Laboratory seems content on playing it safe with Kirby. There’s no reason why Star Allies couldn’t have been the revolutionary game for Kirby. The pieces are there – the epic climax, the Friend Abilities, the Friend Star- but these things are often sandwiched with an often too familiar atmosphere of normalcy. To give credit, Star Allies is not the New Super Mario Bros. 2 of Kirby. (That would be Triple Deluxe.) But, Hal seems to be in the NSMB2 mindset, which is delivering more of the same without reinvention. There are enough unique aspects of Star Allies to keep it from being called a copy of previous games, but more innovations would have been welcome.
While the friends are fun (and adorable) to have around, there are a couple of drawbacks. For one thing, you might find sometimes that they destroy an enemy you were planning to absorb. They also make already easy boss fights easier. Since we’re on the subject, the game reuses bosses too often. (You’ll be seeing Mr. Frosty more than once.) One more negative is the length. Kirby games are not typically that long, but one expects more from a $60 game. The story mode in Star Allies is about five hours, which is not terrible, but still on the shorter side. You can go back and collect the Picture Pieces and find the Big Switches, but since these are incredibly easy to find (players hoping for a challenging scavenger hunt will be disappointed), chances are you’ll find most of them on your first playthrough without losing much time. The game does feature some bonus sub-game modes, with perhaps the most notable being a boss rush called ‘The Ultimate Choice.’ So, there is some after-game content, but the main story mode needed to be a little longer.
Kirby Star Allies is not the revolutionary Kirby game as Mario Odyssey was to the Mario series. But, Star Allies is still a lot of fun. The levels are nicely designed, and accompanied by a stellar soundtrack. The power to combine abilities makes a triumphant return, which enhances the already solid gameplay experience. While the main story mode is almost always not that difficult (you’ll probably never see the game over screen, and have collected over 100 lives by the end), there is some challenge to be found in the climax. Plus, game difficulty is not the sole indicator of quality. Epic Yarn was even easier, and that game is a masterpiece. What Star Allies unfortunately lacks is innovation. There are some great, innovative aspects, but the game needed more. Also, one can beat the story relatively quickly, making the $60 price questionable. (Breath of the Wild and Odyssey are at least double the length.) But overall, I had a good time playing Star Allies. It goes down as one of the more memorable Kirby experiences in recent years.
In recent years, Sonic as a franchise has been out of its prime. The last main game was Sonic Lost World, which wasn’t that great. To makes things worse, SEGA then released a new version of the series called Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, which was critically panned. Things started to look up last year in July when two new Sonic titles were announced. One of those titles was Sonic Mania. Similar to the underrated Sonic the Hedgehog 4, Mania was going to bring Sonic back to his Genesis roots. Mania took it one step further than Sonic 4, using the retro art style and sprites. The game saw release this year, and it ended up being a nice nostalgic trip reminding players why they fell in love with the franchise in the first place.
Mania has an impressive 13 zones. Eight of those are remastered while five are new. First, it was an interesting idea to remake old zones and even remix the themes. It’s nice to hop right back into Green Hill Zone and Flying Battery Zone. Stardust Speedway is iconic, but like in Sonic CD, it’s still a little uneven. Oil Ocean was intense, as it forces Sonic to watch out for the smoggy atmosphere that takes over the screen. So, it’s fun seeing some of the old zones back. At the same time however, it would have been great to see more original zones. In a new game, there should have been more original zones. Generations already had the idea of bringing back older zones. But, this isn’t a make it or break it deal as the old zones are still fun to play through, and the new ones are well made. Mirage Saloon Zone is a highlight.
Like the Genesis games, Mania puts an emphasis on speed. The player will be blasting through at many parts, but there’s also careful platforming. Getting squished is easy if one isn’t careful. The last zone, (not counting the secret final zone) Titanic Monarch, has plenty of platforming, forcing the player to slow down and carefully navigate the area. It’s a tough balance the Sonic games have to maintain, because on one hand the player wants to zoom through as the fastest video game character alive. On the other hand, just blasting through would make the game easy and quick. Mania nicely balances sonic-speed gameplay and platforming.
Boss battles in the Sonic series have been more on the challenging side. (Who could forget the Death Egg Robot at the end of Sonic the Hedgehog 2?) It’s the same with Mania; each boss is well designed and provides a quality challenge. One highlight is the encounter with Metal Sonic at the end of Stardust Speedway. It’s fast paced and intense, especially if you’re not able to hold on to your rings. Another highlight is Heavy Magician at the end of Mirage Saloon, where it impersonates classic Sonic characters Fang, Bean, and Bark. Oh, one can’t forget playing a round of Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine against Eggman himself at the end of Chemical Plant Zone. Multiplayer is a nice feature, and Mania also has a competition mode, which is always welcome. The soundtrack is fantastic, from the remastered themes to the original ones.
Overall, Sonic Mania does a stellar job bringing back the original Sonic style of gameplay. It looks and plays like a Genesis title. It’s evident from the start that the developers care a great deal about the franchise. Though there’s too many old zones in comparison to new ones, they are almost all a blast to run through. Acquiring the Chaos Emeralds is a hard endeavor, so those wanting to get the true ending are in for a genuine challenge. If you’ve been absent from the series for awhile or just want some classic Sonic, Mania is worth the purchase. Sonic is finally back with a title worthy of his 25th anniversary, which looks to continue later this year with Sonic Forces.
When one hears the name “Zelda,” one thinks of a princess, adventure, and dungeons. There’s also another word, and that’s “quality.” Since its inception in 1986, The Legend of Zelda has cemented itself as one of the greatest in the adventure platformer genre. Every main 3D console game has received critical acclaim, from Ocarina of Time to Skyward Sword. The small console ones have too been well liked. The latest game, Breath of the Wild, had been highly anticipated since its unveiling. It looked to be the first game in a long time to shake up the core gameplay. Sure, every game has its unique gimmick, but Breath of the Wild looked to overhaul a lot of key things. It’s one of the most ambitious games Nintendo has ever produced, and one of the company’s finest.
When talking about some of the core concepts about Breath of the Wild, Director Eiji Aonuma in an interview with The Verge, stated that “…from the very start of Breath of the Wild, we wanted to, and set out to, create a world that wasn’t only vast, but where everything was connected. So you really could freely explore the world, without these barriers or gaps imposed.” These comments sum up what makes Breath of the Wild unique among Zelda titles: the vast open world. It takes Termina Field from Majora’s Mask to another level. It is such a great concept: if you see something in the distance, you can actually run to it and climb it; it’s not just decoration for the background. One can spend hours running around the map. In fact, it’s possible to not even explore the whole thing if the player is just set on following the core narrative. Nintendo succeeded in delivering a world that encourages players to check every inch of.
The Zelda series is known for its epic storylines, and Breath of the Wild continues in like manner. Hyrule was ravaged by “Calamity Ganon” 100 years ago, and Link has finally awakened from his slumber. Now Link has to take back the four Divine Beasts, eventually battling Ganon and freeing Princess Zelda from her burden of sealing the villain at Hyrule Castle. It’s a similar storyline, but also different and engages the player from beginning to end. It really feels like you’re part of something big as you hear the backstory from Impa early in the game.
After talking to Impa, the core part of the game begins: going to different areas and freeing the Divine Beasts from Ganon’s control. It’s smart how Nintendo did this; each area is placed far away from each other on the map. This forces the player to explore Hyrule. So, if players for some reason had no intention of exploring, they would still get much sightseeing.
As for knowing where to go, there are yellow indicators pointing Link to his destination. This was welcome, because sometimes in Zelda it can get a bit confusing where to go next. Breath of the Wild is more straightforward than Ocarina of Time. However, it’s not linear like a Crash Bandicoot level. Instead, Breath of the Wild almost perfectly balances having the player figure out what to do and being straightforward. Yes, there is an indicator on the map of where to go. But it’s up to the player to maneuver around obstacles and plan how to traverse tall mountains. The only part I was confused about was getting to Goron City. Link would soon heat up upon entry without the right clothes. I would be burning up looking for the shop at the city, where I would purchase the right attire to actually be able to live in the area. That worked, but it didn’t feel like that’s what the game wanted the player to do. Or maybe it was. Either way, getting to the different areas tested the player’s ability to plan on the go.
The dungeons are of shorter length than the average Zelda dungeon. This is a good thing, because it can take awhile, almost 40 minutes even, to get to the next area. If the dungeons were super long as well, that would have been too much. The dungeons instead are just the perfect length. The length also doesn’t affect the level of brainstorming players must do in order to complete the dungeons. Zelda games are known for its dungeons and forcing players to consider how to use the tools at their disposal. Each dungeon in Breath of the Wild makes the player think, and every time a breakthrough would occur, it was a truly happy moment.
There’s a boss at the end of every main dungeon. Breath of the Wild isn’t the easiest game out there, and the bosses are evident of that. They are genuinely challenging. (One won’t forget facing Waterblight Ganon.) Arrows are a key aspect in facing these bosses, and that’s another thing making this Zelda game unique among other entries. Link can find arrows out in the open (of course, he can also purchase them) and also weapons. These weapons, from a woodcutter’s axe to tree branch, eventually break. It would be a shame to have everything break or run out in the middle of a boss battle; that’s why players want to stock up and carefully use different weapons throughout the game. This adds another layer of strategy as players trek through the 30 hour story.
As for Link himself, he plays similarly to previous incarnations. The biggest difference is that he can now jump. It’s a little strange to see him jump after all these years. (Then again, he’s always been able to jump in Super Smash Bros.) Another change is that Link has unlimited access to bombs, and can even stop some things from moving. These are nicely implemented for puzzles and boss fights. On the giant map there are many mini-dungeons called Shrines, which also serve as checkpoints Link can warp to. These are great because running back and fourth across the map would grow tiresome. Entering and completing these mini-dungeons are optional, but doing so will eventually give Link more stamina and hearts. Those things are important, so they’re a good incentive for players to complete the Shrines. Another new feature is cooking food. There’s a lot of food in the open to replenish hearts, and cooking adds special benefits. It’s an interesting feature that, once again, adds a layer of strategy.
The final boss battle is epic and provides a satisfying finale. The award to greatest Ganon boss fight still belongs to Twilight Princess, but Breath of the Wild’s was well done as well. (The final Light Arrow shot won’t soon be forgotten.) Actually getting to Ganon is one of the most well done parts of the game. Getting to the top of a ravaged Hyrule Castle with some of the classic Zelda theme playing was intense. Unfortunately, acquiring the Master Sword is optional. Characters make mention of it, but it’s a side quest. It should have been a main quest because completing the game without it just doesn’t feel right.
Overall, Breath of the Wild lives up to its grand presentation. The open world is one of the best, encouraging players to run around and see what they can find. The story is enthralling and full of memorable characters. The soundtrack is also great. There are many variations on the Zelda formula, but they never feel out of place or different just to be different. That’s because there’s a level of quality and class to the gameplay and story, as one would expect from a Zelda title. Link’s mission to take back Hyrule from Ganon is epic. Breath of the Wild makes the case for game of the year. Though, with Super Mario Odyssey coming out in October, Breath of the Wild is going to have big competition.