Developer: HAL Laboratory Publisher: Nintendo Release: 09/96 Genre: Platformer
Kirby had a strange start to his SNES adventures. His first outings on the Nintendo’s 16-bit wonder were a puzzle game and strange version of miniature golf. While they were certainly not bad games I do not think it is a stretch to say they were not what anyone was expecting. He certainly took his time but Kirby finally got his 16-bit platforming adventure near the end of the system’s life with Kirby Super Star. And just like all of the pink one’s games released so late it is fantastic and one of the best platformers of that era.
Kirby Super Star is a collection of seven game modes and two minigames. While a few differ in their gameplay and focus for the most part this is still a side scrolling platformer. Despite that each mode still provides a somewhat unique experience. Spring Breeze is the most traditional as it is a remake of Kirby’s Dreamland. Dyna Blade is a mini Super Mario World style adventure. Gourmet Race sees Kirby challenge King Dedede to a race to see who can eat as much food possible while The Great Cave Offensive is a metroidvania style hunt for treasure. Revenge of Meta Knight is a story driven adventure as Kirby assaults the titular knight’s flying fortress. Only after you have completed the rest can you access Milky Way Wishes. This is the longest mode and almost functions as a sequel to Kirby’s Adventure with a twist. That’s a lot of content.
Regardless of the mode you play they all use the same mechanics. Kirby retains his ability to inflate himself to fly and exhale air to attack. Most importantly the copy ability introduced in Kirby’s Adventure returns. There are a total of twenty-four enemy powers to copy with some rarer than others. Many returning favorites like sword, beam, and cutter are joined by cool new abilities such as mirror, plasma, and suplex. Kirby Super Star gives these abilities more depth with special attacks activated using simple button commands. Most powers have at least three special attacks but some have as many as ten! These are extremely cool and lead to so much experimentation it is mind boggling.
But wait there is more! With the press of a button Kirby can sacrifice his power to create a helper to fight alongside him. This helper uses that ability and aggressively attacks enemies. They are a bit dumb but very useful to blitz bosses or tank damage. Kirby can gain a new ability and even switch with the helper as long as they are alive too. Even better a second player can control the helper for coop action. The helper system is probably the coolest feature in the game and one that I cannot applaud enough even if it makes the game easier.
I like that even though most of the game modes are traditional platformers they all offer something unique to differentiate them. Dyna Blade looks simple at first but has many secrets making it more expansive than it appears. I really like Revenge of Meta Knight the most. The timer adds a sense of gravity to the proceedings and the bits of story updating your progress are funny. The clock is generous but the frequent auto scrolling segments and such do a lot to speed up the pace. Milky Way Wishes changes things by making your copy powers permanent as you collect them, meaning eventually you will have a massive arsenal to utilize as the situation dictates. This could have been an entire standalone game on its own. That it is part of this package makes the overall collection that much stronger.
The one I am the most shocked is so enjoyable is the Great Offensive. Or maybe I should not be. Kirby works surprisingly well in a metroidvania format thanks to the variety afforded by his copy powers. This is a compact experience and so the game avoids a lot of tedium of back tracking by regularly providing a selection of different powers around the map. There are usually multiple abilities to solve a particular puzzle. Yet at the same time if you want to find all the treasure you still have to bring specific abilities when appropriate. They pack a lot into this hour long adventure: it both manages to feel expansive and offer a sense of progression while not overstaying its welcome.
Gourmet Race is the only lackluster game in the bunch. In a vacuum it is solid as it is simple. But it is obvious that it is only fun in short bursts as evidenced by its brevity. Gourmet Race has more in common with the minigames that round out the package which I found more interesting. Samurai is a return of the quick draw minigame from his NES adventure. Megaton Punch is a comedic take on block crushing to see who can break their blocks the hardest. The winner is who can damage planet Popstar the hardest! The Arena is a boss rush with limited healing chances between bouts and a random selection of powers. Normally I avoid these but here completing it unlocks a sound test which is worth it as the music is excellent.
Difficulty has always been a touchy subject when it comes to Kirby games. The majority are incredibly easy but usually have a higher difficulty that unlocks after completion for those looking for a challenge. Kirby Super Star is no different but the difficulty varies per game. Most lean toward the easy side as you will rarely ever be without some creative power. The presence of a Helper makes it that much simpler. They are a bit stupid but will make short work of most enemies and bosses alongside you. The one exception that has a notable spike is Revenge of Meta Knight. The assault on Meta Knight’s ship has an urgency to it as they step up their efforts to block your path as you progress. With its auto scrolling segments and sparse fruit there is less room for mistakes and I like it.
In Closing
Kirby Super Star is a phenomenal game and one of my favorite SNES games of all time. As a platformer it is exceptional. As an overall package it is impeccable. Kirby Super Star delivers more bang for your buck than you can imagine. Nintendo and HAL Labs could easily have only included only two or three of the modes present and it would still be great. But with all 7? It provides hours of varied entertainment and gets one of my highest recommendations.
