Kirby Super Star Ultra – NDS – Review

If video games were quantified as sugary treats,
Guitar Hero would be brownies – rich, delectable, and enjoyed by almost
everyone. Halo would be a cake – tasty, traditional, and best served at
parties. Kirby, the only pink hero from within Nintendo’s vast line of
mascot characters, may very well be a good companion for a cup of hot
chocolate. But despite his round, puffy shape, Kirby is no marshmallow.
Rather, his games are like a small piece of cheesecake – wonderful while it
lasts, but afterwards…well, where did it go?

Kirby: Super Star Ultra is a remake of the
SNES game, Kirby: Super Star. Now in most cases, remakes are no replacement
for a full-fledged sequel. Surely this – nor any other Kirby game – can
compete with the highly innovative Kirby: Canvas Curse (released for the
Nintendo DS in 2005). But if the enemy-inhaling, power-mimicking gameplay is
what you’ve been craving, and if varying unique touches – such as the
ability turn a power-up into an AI-controlled ally – are to your liking,
Super Star Ultra is super fun.

As opposed to one adventure with several
worlds, Super Star Ultra offers six primary modes and three sub-games, all
of which are fairly short. The idea is that by giving players more than one
mode (or more appropriately, more than one adventure) to choose from,
they’ll keep players engaged longer. This was a smart move, as it also
allowed the developers to create additional play styles without interfering
with the traditional Kirby gameplay.

One such addition, Gourmet Race, is Kirby’s
take on the Sonic the Hedgehog competitions where two characters race
through the same stage. The “gourmet” aspect comes from Kirby’s insatiable
taste for life, most notably the life of an enemy… (This is where the creepy
Halloween music starts to play. Just kidding!) During the race, he’ll eat
various snacks and desserts to prove his hunger prowess at the end of the
stage. But you’ve also got to cross the finish line first since both food
and goal-crossings calculate Kirby’s entire score. In single-player mode,
you race against King Dedede. However, kings like to be one in control, so
in a two-player game, the second contestant will have to settle for a yellow
Kirby.

Run yellow Kirby. Run!

But don’t let that make you think this isn’t
a true Kirby game. While it does offer a few diversions, the majority of the
modes are true action/adventure experiences. Starting with Spring Breeze
(the only mode you can play in the beginning), Super Star Ultra brings us
back to familiar lands. The main goal sounds easy enough: reacquire the food
that King Dedede has stolen. Along the way to accomplishing this goal,
players will have the chance to inhale more than a half-dozen different
enemies, all of which contain a unique power. Whether it’s the ability to
set things on fire, to punch with super strength or throw bombs like a
pointy-eared hero named Link, Kirby’s gameplay is as lovable as ever.

The level design is good but by no means
unexpected. Super Star Ultra is primarily a side-scroller and occasionally
an upward-scrolling adventure where Kirby must climb (jump/float) through an
environment to reach the goal. This is used really well in the Revenge of
the Meta Knight mode, which takes place entirely within an aerial
battleship. But there are times when it feels like you’re traveling
elsewhere, thanks to an intricate set of passageways (displayed in the form
of rectangular doors) that take you to a multitude of locations. Many look
nothing like the ship. Some appear to have a spaced-out or in-the-clouds
appearance, while others will make you think you’ve returned to Terra Firma.

Another mode, Milky Way Wishes, prohibits
Kirby from gaining abilities through enemy inhalation. Instead, players must
find items called Copy Essence Deluxe. Each time one is found, Kirby gains a
new ability – permanently. His permanent abilities may be changed at
any time with a touch of the bottom screen.

The Pokémon parody is
hilarious.

Note that each of these modes contain unique
levels and environments, as well as slightly different objectives (very
slight). All of this is great, and will surely appeal to Kirby fans young
and old. But there are a couple of minor issues to consider, starting with
the sub-games. If you don’t like simple tap-the-screen-with-no-real-purpose
mini-games, you won’t like these either. Second, in most of the modes, Kirby
has the option to turn any ability into a fully functional ally. As cool as
this is, it allows players to kick back and let the ally do all the work
during a boss battle. That makes the game much easier than it already was,
which is huge considering that this is a Kirby game, a series known for
being easy to complete (Canvas Curse excluded). Also, most of the
multiplayer features require multiple game cards, which is disappointing for
a first-party game.

Review Scoring Details for Kirby: Super Star Ultra