Kirby Super Star Review

Kirby Super Star

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: HAL Laboratory Platform: Super Nintendo Entertainment System Players: 1-2 Release: 1996 Genre: 2D Platformer / Action Rating: 8.3 \ 10.0: Great

Above are Kirby and Waddle Doo playing co-op

When I became a Kirby fan, I found that Kirby Super Star was hailed as one of the best games in the series. When Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition was released, I had a chance to experience this classic, as well as Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. While I  don't quite agree with that claim, it's still a great game. The concept is original, and it's a great one: Super Star is eight minigames, some not very mini, into one! These games are Spring Breeze, a remake of Kirby's Dream Land (now with color and copy abilities!); Dyna Blade, a small series of traditional stages topped off by a boss fight;  The Great Cave Offensive, a full-blown Metroid-style treasure hunting adventure; Meta Knight's Revenge, a series of time trials through the Halberd; Gourmet Race, a series of races against King Dedede that also requires you to pick up as much food as you can; Megaton Punch, a contest against an enemy in which you must carefully time button presses in order to punch the ground with more force than your opponent (look into the crowd in the background and you may spot a cameo from a Nintendo stars including Mario and his pals and Samus Aran); Samurai Kirby, a timing-based challenge in which you must time a shuriken throw to beat your foe; The Arena, a gauntlet of increasingly difficult boss fights that has made its way into future tiles; and Milky Way Wishes, a short but fun platforming adventure. The game's 16-bit colorful and detailed visuals are among the best of the era, a pleasant touch. You'll also be treated to some of the most recognizable music pieces in history of the franchise, most notably the Gourmet Race theme, the complete version of King DeDeDe's theme, and the Marx battle theme. All of the platforming games support co-op. By pressing a button, Player one (Kirby) can transform their copy ability into the ability's corresponding enemy (Waddle Doo for Beam, Poppy Bros. Jr. for Bomb, etc.). However, this can be a frustration, as your partner may be impatient to get back in the game when they die, and in order for that to happen, you may have to sacrifice your hard-earned ability. Additionally some of the games can get boring and difficult. Even so, Kirby Super Star is a classic, and any Kirby fan is foolish not to give it a try!

Ups
Eight games in one!
Great 16-bit visuals
Amazing music
Co-op capabilities

Downs
Co-op is also flawed
Games can get boring and difficult

Also available on Wii and Wii U (via Virtual Console)

ESRB:  E Content: Mild Cartoon Violence Price: $8.00 (Wii) (Download) / $7.99 (Wii U) (Download)