Kirby: Star Allies
Nintendo Switch He had a first year with acclaimed and exciting exclusives that allowed him to gain an important place in the market. Naturally, Nintendo does not want this good moment to end, so he decided to give the initial signal to his second year with Kirby: Star Allies , a new adventure developed by HAL Laboratory.
Without shining any more in the Nintendo for Switch catalog, Kirby: Star Allies is a fun and endearing adventure that, thanks to its attractive visual section, a lot of attention to detail and a good design that makes the low difficulty of its levels not represent an obstacle to fun, it will earn a place in the hearts of fans of the franchise and the fans to the lateral displacement platforms.
As you see, in many ways the history of Kirby: Star Allies It seems to be a simple pretext to get Kirby out on a new adventure and justify his ability to make friends. However, it is a series of events that, like the most recent installments, expand the lore of the Kirby universe a little. Keep in mind that HAL Laboratory is aware that not all players pay attention to the history of this franchise, so they only spend the necessary time. So, although it is simple, the plot at no time becomes tedious and thus players have the option to concentrate on the gameplay.
Friends had never been so necessary
In Star Allies the game system continues to revolve around 2 concepts: you are a pink ball with the ability to fly and you can absorb the enemies to appropriate their powers. In this way, the main novelties of Star Allies they are the possibility of allying yourself with enemies and the abilities of friends. The first is a new game mechanic in which Kirby can throw a heart to his rivals to transform them into kind beings and then form a team with 3 other individuals. This has several objectives: the first is to be able to use the skills of friends, which are activated at certain points of the levels to break walls, form bridges or create a powerful ship in the form of a star. In addition, it is possible to combine Kirby's powers with those of his companions to solve problems or eliminate enemies more easily. Finally, having allies close to Kirby allows you to have a backup of skills to absorb at the necessary time.
On the artificial intelligence of the allies in Kirby: Star Allies I have no major complaints. At the moment of combining skills your allies know who can do it and only they will react to your call. When your power can be combined with those of several partners, the game will give priority to the one you have known first. Also, I was surprised that they turned out to be competent warriors when it came to fighting bosses, so there were no moments when I felt like a burden. The only problem I found was that sometimes I wanted to absorb an enemy and my allies interpreted it as a sign of war, so they ran to eliminate it. Fortunately, it was a matter of getting ahead of myself a little and returning to get a second chance to get his power.
Your allies will help you improve your skills
The design of levels of Kirby: Star Allies It is simple, fun and effective. Their scenarios are linear and to complete them it is simply necessary to get from point A to point B. The interesting thing is that they have several doors that take you to secret rooms where you can get rewards -like prints that create illustrations made by artists who have worked in the series- or open secondary routes in the main map. In addition, most scenarios are full of personality and have small elements that make them different.
An important part of the magic of the levels is that the abilities open a range of possibilities that leads you to experiment. For example, there are parts with grass that hide a door or a prize; As much as I tried, Kirby's absorption ability was not effective in removing it, so I was forced to analyze the surroundings in search of a solution. So, by exploring a little I will find enemies whose abilities seemed to have the potential to help me accomplish the mission. After a little experimentation I discovered that ice and electricity are not effective, but fire and swords, yes. The example is very simple to present a problem that is solved with pure common sense, however, the levels of Star Allies they present situations a little more complex and there are even cases where you will be surprised by the impact that some skills have on the environment.
The different skills open a range of possibilities that leads you to experience
A point to keep in mind is that you can not complete the game with Kirby alone and there are sections where it is essential that you get allies to progress. Most of the time they are situations that require 3 partners to use friend skills, but there are also doors that you can not cross unless you are accompanied by other characters. These obligatory sections usually separate Kirby and his allies so that each one explores a different part of the area and opens the way to the rest of the characters. It is an idea with bittersweet results, since it is fun when you play with other people, but when you are with artificial intelligence it is an element that feels soulless.
One of the negative details of the levels is that most battles against bosses and mini bosses are ordinary. These are fights that feel generic because they only require you to hit the villains without rest. Although the first occasions are fun, after a while they become tedious and repetitive.
Kirby: Star Allies It has 4 main worlds that are divided into 40 levels, which are connected by means of an overworld that gives freedom to the players, but offers little to those who venture. My initial impression was that these were attractive worlds that would reward me with substantial surprises, but instead I found very beautiful areas that only hide a few stars that help you to obtain lives. It is impossible to deny that this is a considerable improvement over past deliveries, however, I can not help but think that it is a wasted opportunity to make your world feel bigger and more attractive even though it was conceived as a linear game .
Virtually all modes of Kirby: Star Allies They have multiplayer options, but in the campaign this feature really shines. It is an experience that changes considerably when you play with friends (especially if you meet with 3 other people), since communication and coordination is important. I do not mean that it is a multiplayer where you have to design complex strategies, but it is one where you and your friends will learn the function of each skill and understand what they have to do in each case. Depending on the personality of your colleagues this can have 2 results: an experience where fun is chaos or one in which they reach the point where verbal communication is unnecessary to coordinate and combine skills.
The campaign Kirby: Star Allies It is a bit short. It took me about 7 hours to complete all the levels and find their main secrets. The good thing is that this is not all it offers, since it has several game modes that will make you return to it once you have finished it.
Beyond the main campaign
One of the additional modes is ¡Todos con ????! and in it you have the possibility to choose any of Kirby's allies to complete a series of scenes that present elements seen in the 4 worlds, as well as several surprises. What makes it different is that it has a chronometer that will measure how long it takes to complete each scene and all the scenarios. I found it a fun way that gives a new face to Star Allies by forcing you to change the skill and I think it has the potential to become one of the favorites of the players, since they will have fun looking for the best character and breaking the best times of others. The sad thing is that the community will have to share its records through social networks or forums, since Star Allies it lacks leader boards.
The Arena, the boss endurance mode of past deliveries, is also back to Kirby: Star Allies , but with some changes. In the first place, it is now known as The Warrior Dilemma and once you unlock it you will be able to face a certain number of bosses in 7 levels of difficulty. Do not be fooled, although the battles against bosses are simple in the campaign, the fact that you have to overcome them all without dying makes that, in its highest difficulties, The Dilemma of the Warrior is a real challenge where you will do everything possible to avoid being hit. One of its attractions is a scoring system to compete with other players, in addition to those who complete it will be rewarded with illustrations.
Every Kirby game must have mini-games and Kirby: Star Allies It is not the exception, the problem is that its offer is very poor, simple and, frankly, I found it boring. During my time with Kirby: Star Allies I only started them on 2 occasions - to try them alone and then play them with friends - and I very much doubt to do it again. I think their problem is that they are sinful and that there is no element of real interaction between users that motivates competitiveness. Each player does his thing and in the end he only expects to have been the best of the 4, but let me detail them so you know what I'm talking about. The first is Duel of Axes, which consists of cutting down a tree as quickly as possible and dodging the caterpillars and Gordos that are in it. The minigame has 2 control schemes: the first is the traditional one, with which you use the analog stick to move Kirby from side to side and press A to cut. The second option is to use movement controls and the only difference is that to cut with the ax you must move the Joy-Con.
The second mini-game is Heroic Starfetch, where your goal is to use a bat to save the planet from a meteorite that comes close to destroying it. So, you will have to press A when the Kirby power bar is at maximum and then move the Joy-Con to move the meteor away. The winner will be the one who sends it to fly at a greater distance.
Move your JoyCon and save the world!
Sweets for the eyes
In theme of presentation, Kirby: Star Allies It has the refined Nintendo seal, so you can expect a splendid art direction that puts a lot of attention to detail with little things like Kirby's outfit changes depending on whether he's swimming or diving or the characters are full of paint after being attacked by a specific enemy.
Kirby: Star Allies is Kirby's first major release for a high-definition console, so there is a world of difference between the look of this release and that of titles for 3DS or Kirby Return to Dream Land . One of the elements that helps to achieve this is its new lighting system that makes scenarios, character models and textures in high definition look more vivid. The negative detail of its graphic section is that it runs at a rate of 30 frames per second, however, I think it was a sacrifice that was worth it - if it allowed the visual section to look like that.
On the other hand, the soundtrack of Kirby: Star Allies is composed of new catchy songs and arrangements of songs that at this point are inseparable from the franchise. As a result we have a package that, although it has a couple of forgettable themes, mostly presents good songs that immediately infect you with the sweetness of Kirby's world. The cherry on the cake is the celebration of the history of the franchise to musicalize some secret areas with the original versions of themes of the soundtrack of past deliveries.
Another success of Kirby: Star Allies is that it makes effective use of the unique features of Nintendo Switch. So, it is a game that you can enjoy without problems in portable mode and that takes advantage of TV mode to make your graphics shine. In addition, it has a simple control scheme that makes the multiplayer enjoy comfortably anywhere with the Joy-Con divided.
A good start to Kirby's story on Nintendo Switch
Kirby: Star Allies is far from being the best game of the genre in Nintendo Switch and it does not represent the jump that series like The Legend of Zelda Y Super Mario Bros . they gave in this arrival to this new generation. However, the best elements of the series shine in him, so it is difficult not to consider it one of his most outstanding deliveries and a good start of the franchise in the new Nintendo console.
We are talking about a game that, without a doubt, is recommended, especially for those who are looking for a fun experience with little challenge or for those who enjoy games that present collectables that are not impossible to find. In addition, the multiplayer offer of your campaign is ideal to have a good time with people who have never played a video game, be it your family, a group of friends, your partner or small children. If you're still not sure what a game is for you, I recommend that you download your eShop demo and discover it. Keep in mind that this is a very basic version with only 2 scenarios, but they are enough to give you an idea of the essence of Kirby: Star Allies .
