Developer: HAL Laboratory
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: March 16, 2018
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Genre: Friendship
Multiplayer: Up to 4. Friends only, no haters.
Motion Controls: Yes (for mini games)
Pro Controller Compatible: Yes
HD Rumble: Yes
amiibo: Yes (get collectible drops, nothing exclusive)
Video Recording: Yes
Demo: Yes
eShop Download Size: 2.8GB
Game Download/Official Site: Europe | North America | Japan
Reviews: Here
A quick note about control options:
Kirby Star Allies is all about friendship. You play it with friends, you make new friends. Designed as a multiplayer experience, the game is played with four characters either controlled by person friends or up to three CPU friends.
Who are these characters? Well, one of them is Kirby. The rest are his friends. What friends though? Anyone he wants to be his friend, of course! Because Kirby can make new friends literally at the push of a button! By throwing hearts at enemies, Kirby can befriend them to join his group of other friends to face the adventure ahead.
Kirby combine his current copy ability with the ability of one of his friends (or all of them in some cases) to create a stronger (or unique for the big one!) ability to really bring the point home that friendship conquers all.
You know what friends also do? Give you free content updates! That's right, new classic friends will be added via game updates after launch such as Rick, Kine, and Coo from Kirby's Dream Land 2, Marx from Kirby Super Star, and Gooey from Kirby's Dream Land 3.
In addition to Daroach and Dark Meta Knight making their entrance with the second free update, there is, in fact, another Dream Friend duo ready to enter the spotlight: a pair whose presence has been long missed, it's Adeleine & Ribbon from Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards!
Adeleine has the ability to bring anything that she paints to life, and Ribbon the fairy possesses a mysterious power that allows her to fly. These two have a really dedicated, long-time fanbase. Back in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, they played an important role in the story, but you weren't able to control them yourself. Now that they've become Dream Friends, they can be player-controlled for the first time ever!
Adeleine and Ribbon fight using their unique powers, occasionally joining forces. Adeleine relies on the power of her paintings to attack. It's far more potent than Kirby's Artist Copy Ability, so expect to see some moves that will really color you impressed. More details on that later!
And then there's Ribbon. She shares her power with Adeleine so they can glide through the air together. Sometimes they even team up to unleash a combined attack!
Just like in the original game, they don't have much in the way of stamina, which can make their adventure particularly tough. Still, they're an interesting duo – all it takes is a few brush strokes to turn the battle around! With the power to create all sorts of paintings and a unique ability that stands apart from the rest, they really are a true "dream" friend.
What's more, if you play with Adeleine & Ribbon as Guest Stars after completing the main story, you'll get to take on brand-new maps! Have fun painting your way through classic Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards stages specially arranged for Kirby Star Allies. There's a very memorable map at the end which fans may remember, so look forward to that!
New Dream Friends Daroach, Dark Meta Knight and Adeleine & Ribbon aside, the second free update also introduces plenty of new game elements.
The update will be available for download on July 27 – not long at all!
Jambuhbye for now!
-Yuki Endo
Adeleine has the ability to bring anything that she paints to life, and Ribbon the fairy possesses a mysterious power that allows her to fly. These two have a really dedicated, long-time fanbase. Back in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, they played an important role in the story, but you weren't able to control them yourself. Now that they've become Dream Friends, they can be player-controlled for the first time ever!
Adeleine and Ribbon fight using their unique powers, occasionally joining forces. Adeleine relies on the power of her paintings to attack. It's far more potent than Kirby's Artist Copy Ability, so expect to see some moves that will really color you impressed. More details on that later!
And then there's Ribbon. She shares her power with Adeleine so they can glide through the air together. Sometimes they even team up to unleash a combined attack!
Just like in the original game, they don't have much in the way of stamina, which can make their adventure particularly tough. Still, they're an interesting duo – all it takes is a few brush strokes to turn the battle around! With the power to create all sorts of paintings and a unique ability that stands apart from the rest, they really are a true "dream" friend.
What's more, if you play with Adeleine & Ribbon as Guest Stars after completing the main story, you'll get to take on brand-new maps! Have fun painting your way through classic Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards stages specially arranged for Kirby Star Allies. There's a very memorable map at the end which fans may remember, so look forward to that!
New Dream Friends Daroach, Dark Meta Knight and Adeleine & Ribbon aside, the second free update also introduces plenty of new game elements.
The update will be available for download on July 27 – not long at all!
Jambuhbye for now!
-Yuki Endo
In typical Kirby tradition, beating Story Mode once unlocks some additional modes offering new ways to enjoy the game with more challenges. For one, there is a new take on the tried and true Arena Mode, called The Ultimate Choice here, in which Kirby and his friends face off against bosses in succession. This time, you can set the difficulty with a slider to best suit your demands (the highest difficulty levels need to be unlocked by completing the Guest Star mode).
Additionally, there is the equivalent to the Meta Knight and DeDeDe Modes from the previous games, this time called Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go!, in which you play a slightly condensed version of Story Mode (5 levels with remixed enemies) as one of the other friends (pick from any of the 30 characters) set to a timer for high scores.
Then there are the sub games (Star Slam Heroes and Chop Champ) that you can also play with your friends or play by yourself while your friends just give you emotional support.
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