Kirby Super Star Ultra

Rating :E

Score: 9.0/10.0

As most fans already know, one of the best Kirby games was made for the Super Nintendo (aka SNES, aka Super Nintendo Entertainment System). Now that classic every fan loved is available for the DS only.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Kirby series, here’s the basics: you’re a pink ball with feet and arms who can steal your enemies’ abilities by eating them. It’s a formula that’s been unchanged for over a decade. The original Kirby Super Star was special, though, because it wasn’t based on the one long adventure other Kirby games used. Instead, you had several short stories with multiple mindless – but fun – minigames.

Nintendo must have decided it was time for a taste of pure nostalgia. The DS version remains nearly unchanged. You still get all the games available in the original, but with a few extras. All are packed with slightly updated graphics, and new amazing looking cutscenes. The music stays the same too, still the same basic, but oh-so-classic, upbeat Kirby music. New music is included, but the classics are what this game’s about.

Kirby Super Star also included another element never used again until something similar appeared in Kirby and the Amazing Mirror about nine years later: the buddy system! You could copy an enemy’s power, then actually turn the power into a friendly version of the copied enemy! A second player could jump in and play the role of the ally. It might have been the first time in video game history gamers could be the enemy! This feature returns in Kirby Super Star Ultra.

The only real notable thing (non spoiler related) is the difficulty levels being shown with the story description. The difficulty ranges are from one to six stars. You’ll play games that rightfully get one star, being a breeze to get through. You’ll also play games that rightfully deserve six stars, being challenging for masters of the original. Of course, you unlock the easier ones first, to ease you into the six star challenges.

This game is a treat for anyone who has ever enjoyed a Kirby game. The gameplay will leave you feeling nostalgic for months. Fans of the series owe it to themselves to check this out, while new gamers should give this game a fair try.