Kirby Super Star Ultra for the DS really does nothing to change my fondness for Kirby's colourful adventures - he's still quality entertainment. But as a remake of the classic SNES Kirby game of the same name (sans Ultra), it inevitably and disappointingly does little to expand or evolve the franchise. It fails, for instance, to incorporate more use of the DS's touch screen functionality into the main gameplay. That said, itis nice to see the classic retro title renew its shelf life, andNintendo has absolutely given it a much-appreciated spit and polish.
You'll see this most in the presentation, from the vibrant animated sequences, through to the in-game graphics, which have been knocked up a notch from the SNES version; they're colourful and vivacious, in the true spirit of Kirby. Indeed, the visuals are very much to the standard of the other Kirby titles on the DS, so fans are sure to be pleased.
Upon entering the main menu you're given the option of six main games, and three sub-games on the side; these are listed as being Spring Breeze, DynaBlade, The Great Cave Offensive (personal favourite, but we'll get to that later), Gourmet Race, Revenge of the MetaKnight and Milky Way Wishes. Those familiar with the SNES version of the game will recognise these titles as being the six original playable games on Kirby Super Star. Only Spring Breeze, the first of the main Super Star Ultra games has been unlocked for your gaming pleasure, and gaining access to the others is a matter of completing each game to unlock another. Each varies in difficulty but all are considerably easy to master and finish. Dedicate a good day or so to them and you should soon have all six games unlocked to play at your leisure.
Of course, it would be a bit of a shame if Nintendo was to leave the Kirby remake at that; although the six original games are good fun and provide a considerable amount of entertainment, there are a further four game titles to unlock once you have completed the last of the original games. Thankfully, these get considerably more challenging and are really the key in any debate over whether or not this is just another Nintendo remake.
The games are fairly similar and of the standard Kirby fare, with each basically being a matter of working your way through a certain amount of platform stages with Kirby at the helm, eating away your enemies and copying their many varied talents until reaching the stage boss. As well as stealing the abilities of your enemies, you can also enlist the aid of a helper who can take over any hand-me-down powers you no longer want or need. Not only is this useful, it also makes for good multiplayer. Once defeating all the bosses and completing all the stages, you then reach the final boss battle of the game. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, these early boss battles are super easy and won't take much effort or discerning thought. The key usually being a matter of having the right copied ability to defeat them, usually within seconds. Don't let their effortlessness disillusion you though – as aforementioned, there are plenty more challenges and surprises in Kirby Super Star Ultra's hidden four titles to keep you occupied.
Although all the games have a concurrent style of gameplay, they each have their slightly different twist on your objective. A fine example being The Great Cave Offensive; a firm favourite of mine for the very reason that it actually involves a certain level of thinking and not just mindless button crunching (not to say that's not fun in its own right). The Great Cave Offensive breaks from the usual left to right movement of the game to give the player more freedom throughout the stage. In order to complete it; you must find your way through some labyrinth style environments, performing a type of treasure-hunt en route. The stages have 60 treasure chests strewn throughout them, usually in obstructed or hard-to-reach locations; meaning it plays like a puzzle game as you determine how best to obtain each chest – usually a case of using the appropriate ability borrowed off a nearby enemy. Each chest you collect adds to your score, and of course your completion percentile – definitely incentive for replaying the game.
Speaking of replay value, it must be said that Kirby Super Star Ultra is also good fun over Wi-Fi. It never hurts to have game-share, either. The game allows for up to four players in your choice of sub-games and two players in the main Kirby games. If you're lucky enough to have more than one friend (good for you I say), you can all take part in the sub-games on offer. There are three; Kirby Card Swipe, Kirby on the Draw and Snack Tracks. All of these incorporate the DS touch screen resulting in some mild mannered fun with friends or flying solo.
Verdict
For those of us with ADD, Kirby Super Star Ultra is a pretty well-rounded (pardon the pun) platformer for the DS. Its collection of games are short enough to constitute leisurely and casual play, but at the same time they’re satisfyingly addictive. The sub-games are a little bland, however, and leave one with the impression that they were included simply to adhere to incorporating the touch screen features on the DS version - not necessary and not really that exciting if you’re playing against the computer. I’d suggest opting to playing with a friend, although if you have a friend to play the game with, you might as well stick to the main collection as they are significantly more enjoyable.
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Kirby Super Star Ultra AU Review
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Clara Barraza