Kirby Super Star

"Hee hee hee! Hyenas!"

Kirby Super Star combines several games in one. This review refers to the cart as a whole unless otherwise noted.

Graphics: (ten out of ten)

The graphics are up to Kirby standards. Dream land is beautiful, with reflective water, rays of light leaking into the forest, etc. The ''hostile'' enviroments are very harsh (which is appropriate) and mechanical. Very nice. Effects are pretty good, and the paint attack is awesome (flashing rainbow colours! OOOOHHHH!). The Crash attack is unfortunately sort of wimpy, but that's minor.

Sound: (ten out of ten)

Just as good as Kirby's Adventure. The music is BEAUTIFUL! A nice appropriate soundtrack, it fits the game nicely. And there aren't any of those annoying voice-overs! Thank you HAL and Nintendo, for not following Capcom's awful example! Anyways, Kirby's vaccuum sound is less grating on my sensitive hyena ears.

Story: (nine out of ten)

Sorry, Kirby, but I just can't give a perfect score here. There are some good stories, like that of Revenge of MetaKnight (part of this game), which continues the tale of Dynablade (also part of this game) and Kirby's Adventure (on NES). The cinematic style and flow make it a thrilling ride! The other games are pretty good too, except the Great Cave Offensive, which had almost NO story, and Milky Way Wishes, which was really cheesy.

Gameplay! (a full and absolute ten of ten!)

It's a Kirby game, what do you think? Lots of cool powers, high-speed action, and lots of secrets to find! Now, powers can have varying effects depending on how they are used. Dashing can change the type of attack. The sword has rapid-strikes, slashes, spinning attacks, diving strikes, and a running stab. The cutter is no longer just a boomerang, but a multipurpose blade that can be used at close ranger. The fireball and fire abilites from KA have been bundled with some new moves in the form of the new power Fire. The backdrop has become the suplex, and the attacks are even more varied than usual. The parasol has drill attacks and charges. Very awesome.

Spring Breeze:

Just like Kirby's Dream Land. The levels are very similarly themed, but now there are powers that can be used. There is actually a limited amount of special abilities to choose from, but it is good for beginners.

Dynablade:

Classic KA-style Kirby. The enemy museums return to give you free powers, there are the familiar secret switches that expand new areas, and multiple levels. Unfortunately, it is not very long and doesn't have the familiar level intro screens.

Revenge of MetaKnight:

Like an movie (in a good way, like Metal Gear Solid). An unfolding plot, fluid transitions from level to level, dynamic events, a cameo appearance, dialogue from the game's villians... It's just plain thrilling. There are some variations on the Kirby structure; for example, the first boss battle is ''scripted'', the engines activate and Kirby gets blown away. The ending is very cool, with the exciting high-speed chase and then watching the Halberd ship go down in flames... With a great music theme too.

Milky Way Wishes:

This one is weird. Instead of a copy ability, Kirby must find statues which give permanent powers. The levels are rather unique, and there is a sort of space shooter level featuring Kirby on a warp-star like space-fighter. It's still pretty good, although the story is awful.

Replay (high)

There's lots of variation, great action, it's all worth playing again and again and again. It would be nice if the game were longer, though.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 09/27/02, Updated 09/27/02