Skip to main content

Kirby Star Allies review - a delightfully detailed throwback

To HAL and back.

Eurogamer.net - Recommended badge
HAL Laboratory delivers a brilliant chemistry set of a 2D platformer.

Perhaps the biggest marvel of Kirby Star Allies is that games like this still exist at all. This is an unashamedly old-school platformer, brought home with the kind of sparkle and polish that's synonymous with Nintendo and its close affiliates, yet wipe away that syrupy surface and you've got something deliciously weird - a fever dream of a game, with sugar sweet backdrops patrolled by waddling electrical plugs that are just begging to be swallowed and consumed so that you might absorb their powers and spit out sparks of your own.

It's brilliantly strange, the kind of thing that was ten-a-penny back in the early 90s from which Kirby's roots grow - and the very 2D platformer roots which Star Allies strives to go back to. At the core, this is a continuation of the series when it was still under creator Masahiro Sakurai's stewardship, and it maintains his everything and the kitchen sink approach to design where there's a chaos of delicate details, delivered in some wilfully light action.

It holds an innocence that was once thought lost, but in truth there's been an abundance of it in recent years - Star Allies is the latest in a line of revivals that began with 2008's Super Star Ultra (itself a remake of the SNES' Super Star), subsequently carried on with Return to Dream Land and the brilliant 3DS duo of Triple Deluxe and Planet Robobot. That gaggle's director, Shinya Kumazaki, returns with Star Allies to revive some of that same magic again, while throwing a few more ingredients into the pot.

The music is beautifully wistful, returning to old themes in a way that's sure to stir the heart of long-time fans.

If you've already spotted parallels with the New Super Mario Bros. series, another 2D Nintendo revival, then Star Allies cements the link even further with its focus on multiplayer. This is a game built around four people coming together - when played solo, CPU takes up the vacant slots - and creating a noisier brand of chaos than we've seen in more recent Kirby games. When everything's bubbling along together, it's an effervescent mix.

Star Allies, at its heart, feels like the 2D platformer reimagined as a fantastical chemistry set. As Kirby, you can once again inhale and absorb the abilities of your enemies (and on doing so, you've a fairly broad new moveset to draw upon). You can friend enemies, tossing a little heart over their heads that summons them into your group, and - in a direct lift from the DS' Squeak Squad and Kirby 64 - you can mix abilities together. The alchemy can seem at times endless.

Which can sit a little awkwardly with the breeziness that's a part of every Kirby game. Star Allies is a pushover of a game that never really presents any real difficulty and given how so many other 2D platformer revivals - think the likes of Celeste or Super Meat Boy - are all about the challenge, something like Kirby is always going to bemuse as many as it bewitches. You get out what you put in, though; Kirby Star Allies is the kind of game you could happily muddle through without ever engaging with any of its considerable breadth, or you could just as easily take your time to tinker with each little element and delight in the pops, fizzes and bangs that result.

The numerous bosses present the closest thing to a challenge, and some of Star Allies' biggest spectacles.

The latter approach is essential to finding every unlockable and little secret that's nestled within Star Allies' many levels, and this is often where the game's at its best, presenting fun-sized puzzles where you're invited to figure out whatever compound of abilities is necessary to access jigsaw pieces or entire new levels. Beyond that, the fundamentals of Star Allies' platforming are a tad floaty and imprecise - or, indeed, you could choose to float over many obstacles by simply puffing up Kirby's cheeks - but this isn't ever really about pixel-perfect leaps. Developer HAL Laboratory does much of the heavy lifting for you, allowing you to kick back and splendour in Star Allies' gentle breeze.

And that breeze whisks you all the way to Star Allies' electric climax - I won't spoil it, of course, but it is fantastic - in a half dozen hours or so. There's more beyond that, of course - double that figure if you want to go back and unlock everything, while there's also a gaggle of mini-games, the best of which are saved for post-game unlocks and where you can even find something approaching a challenge. Really, those later modes just serve to underline how well-crafted the myriad details are in Kirby - how each character and their associated abilities, of which there at least 28, offers a new way to play.

There are some caveats, of course - after the 60fps action of the 3DS outings for Kirby, it's a strangely retrograde experience seeing Star Allies stick to something around 30fps for its action, a move that smarts all the more seeing as the game's menus and post-level screens play out at 60fps themselves. There's also the fact that many will bounce off Kirby's soft edges, not seeing the point of a game in which you're caressed through and one that never really asks too much of the player. It's kid's stuff, really - but if you've any love left for the kinds of far-fetched wonder we all used to play as kids, then Kirby Star Allies can be pretty sensational.

Read this next

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com