Kirby Super Star

"Kirby in classic gameplay, multiplayer, minigames...what's not to like?"

The third game in the Kirby series, Nintendo instead to make a different type of game. For those who have played the first two, you will know how the games are side-scrollers where you play as a pink ball which eats things to continue in the levels. Nintendo did not steer from that, but instead they put in some different types of games as well. I really like the idea, in fact I think this is the best of the Kirby games, as well as one of favorite SNES games ever.

For the graphics they basically used the sprite models from the original Kirby and gave them a nice upgrade. You will notice that the sprites are MUCH larger than the originals, and the character animations are much smoother and more detailed. The backgrounds are alot more detailed than they once were. And when I say that, I mean a LOT. They look rendured! The enemies also look much more detailed, but some new ones have also been added, so that is a nice touch.

This Kirby game tries to encourporate a story, but it still doesn't really work. Each different game you choose from has its own story, all of them leading up to one big one if you complete all of the game. As far as I can figure, you complete all these different tasks/games in order to fight the final boss. In one of the stories, you are racing the king. In another, you are stopping your old rival--Meta Knight--from conquering Dreamland. Nothing too deep to find here. On to the next category.

Ah, the gameplay. The game really shines here. It took the basic concept of the original Kirby and progressed it. When you play through the side-scrolling games you will notice it plays just like the original. Same basic area, same enemies, same moves, etc. However, now there are more intense puzzles, some harder bosses, a couple new jobs for Kirby, etc. If you havn't played a Kirby game it is a very weird experience. Rather than just simply killing the enemies, you can instead eat them and gain their best abilites. So, if you eat a Cutter warrior, you will gain his head scythe, and become Cutter Kirby.

This game does even more with that. First of all, they add one of my favorite classes, the Ninja Kirby. Secondly, as a tribute, when you become Sword Kirby, you now have an elf hat which bears a startling resemblence to Link's hat. Now, for my favorite new feature. Say you find a super rare ability which you know will help you later, but you really want a common one for some odd reason, or vice versa. Well, you can have both! Now, by pressing the right button, you can encourporate the power you just received into a computer controlled partner!!! So, not only will you be able to get the power back later if you need to, but now you have a partner on your side to womp some enemies for you! Your partner will take on the appearence of whatever creature it is you ate. This is especially helpful when you eat a Hammer Bros, so your AI partner is a huge thug which can kill anything in one swipe.

But that's not all folks. The good folks at HAL had to make it even better, and make the game multiplayer! So, we all know what that means. Wanna play with a friend? Computer partner being a moron? Well, poof! Your friend can now control your partner! Is that awesome or is that awesome? Even cooler is that both of you have your own life systems, so one of you can get some fruit and then give some health to the other! But nope, we're not done yet! There is a special secret two man combination, where if one player is Kirby and the other is a wheel, Kirby can actually jump onto the wheel and ride it, activating a secret motorcycle Kirby!

But enough about its new features. The other games are extremely interesting as well. One game is a race against King DeeDee where you both run through the level getting past obstacles, trying to make the best time but trying to collect as much fruit as you can as well. In another game, you go against a computer opponent (or your friend) in a quick-draw Samurai duel! And finally, in my favorite minigame, you power up your characters in a Karate chop contest to see who can split the Earth! That's some nice variety for any Kirby fan.

Sound and Music are another nearly flawless aspect of the game. I simply love the music. Maybe it's because it fits the levels so well. Maybe because they are such interesting little melodies that never get annoying. Or maybe its the fact that I loved the Kirby stage from Super Smash Bros and once I found out that the tune came from this game I listened to it for nearly 3 hours straight. I'm not sure which one it is, but in all likelyhood...it's the latter. In any case, the music is great. Sound effects work great too. The nice little ''sucky'' sound when Kirby goubles up enemies. Or the boingy sound. They all sound so cartoony, but that's never a bad thing.

As for Replay Value...well, you should have that figured out. There are several different games to choose from, all of which except 1 are two-player. The games are addictive and you can play them many many times without ever getting tired. There is even a special percentage meter of how much of the game you have completed, and some secrets can only be unlocked by beating everything and getting 100% to see the true ending. And, even when you get the ending, there's always the Samurai duel minigame and the Megaton champion minigame to keep you occupied for a long while.

Overall, this is one awesome game. It took what was good about the first Kirby game, put in some more minigames, made it about finding all the secrets to get the real ending, and made it two player. What else could you want? Even with the release of Kirby Crystal Shards for the N64, I still think this is the best of the Kirby games. This one did everything perfectly, however the first one was still more innovative. But then again, the SNES was never known too well for innovation.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/25/03, Updated 01/25/03