Kirby: Star Allies Review

What Happens in Kirby: Star Allies?

Kirby: Star Allies follows the titular character on his new adventure. In this story, a sinister force tries to awaken a god, releasing it from its shackles. Its prison in the shape of a heart shatters and sends its shards to Dream Land. There, the purple hearts begin infecting the minds of friend and foe alike, turning them evil. However, all hope is not lost. Kirby absorbs a heart shard that sealed the evil Jamba heart, which allows him to reverse the effects and make new friends. With his new allies, Kirby begins his journey to save Dream Land.

Who Are the Characters in Kirby: Star Allies?

Kirby: Star Allies follows our titular character on his journey. Kirby is a kind-hearted being who wishes to be friends with everyone that crosses his path. Along his journey, Kirby befriends various characters, such as King Dedede and Meta Knight. These characters are typical Kirby villains, but in this game, these characters join Kirby on his journey. Besides these characters, Kirby also journeys with characters from previous titles as well.

Kirby: Star Allies Review

In terms of Switch games, this one doesn’t rank at the top of any list. Kirby Star Allies is a decent game filled with some classic characters. The new villains and different storylines do add to the plot, but it is still the same Kirby.

The attacking dynamics of this game are pretty darn basic, with a whole bunch of button mashing. This is one of the simpler games I’ve played in a while, and it’s this simplicity that adds to the lack of difficulty outside of a few boss battles. The simplicity does make it a fun game to play with others, up to four players.

The simplicity of the controls carries over to the storyline, but it was nice to see some improvements on this front. The beginning is the same classic Kirby storyline, but it morphs into something completely different, and I was impressed with the length.

For a game that is fairly easy to beat, 7 hours was more than I was expecting. The addition of those new villains was huge, and the final boss battles were really great. It’s the first time, all game, that we get away from the basic button-mashing controls, and move into a battle that requires at least a little bit of skill and thought. 

The ability to play with some absolute units was awesome. Having Meta Knight on your team made every level a lot simpler and, as someone who played as Meta Knight in the original Super Smash Bros., it was really cool to see him in action.

Now, let’s get into the mini-modes. The 4 main mini-games are really solid. Guest Star is a fun mode that allows you to try and go through as many levels as possible without dying, and I found it to be a fun way to play some more without playing through the campaign again.

Probably my favorite mini-game, The Ultimate Choice. This is your classic boss fight after boss fight. You pick your difficulty and try to get through that many boss fights with just some food and some allies. It is the most difficult but the most difficult to take a shot at. Star Slam Heroes and Chop Champs are actually mini-games of different varieties. They are both fun, but simple, almost a Super Mario Party vibe to them. Enjoyable all around, but not something that will bring you back to Kirby.

Overall, the main story mode is decent but predictably if you are familiar with Kirby. If this is your first Kirby game, it’s going to be a blast. The game is pretty easy to pick up, and it’s the perfect game if you are looking to just relax and cruise through some levels. If you are looking for strong storylines or complex levels and controls, I’d check out Super Mario Odyssey.