Over the past 30 years, Nintendo’s hero Kirby has built a reputation that goes beyond being pink, round and swallowing anything. Kirby, for the most part, is a series that can be enjoyed by just about anyone, regardless of ability.
an extended remaster of a 2011 Wii game is no different. The next installment for Nintendo Switch is perhaps one of Kirby’s friendliest adventures, offering a slight challenge for solo players, but allowing up to four people to join in the fun at once.
Just as importantly, it feels like the kind of multiplayer mayhem that will keep a kid hooked, but not at the expense of someone more seasoned who just wants to kick back with some light Kirby time.
I recently played at a Nintendo event in New York and had a blast on a chaotic side-scrolling ride with three other people. I could never play solo, and that doesn’t matter. Instead, we blasted through levels with sheer four-player brute force, sucking in and spitting out baddies, stealing their powers, spraying fireballs, and occasionally turning into a giant snowball of death! with cute Kirby eyes!). Every moment seemed like barely contained chaos: Waddle Dee, Meta Knight, and multicolored Kirbys were running all over the screen, eating and blowing everything up.
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As stated, this is an updated version of an older game. Content-wise, it’s pretty much the same as its offspring Wii. However, Kirby has some new copy abilities (his usual powers) to freshen things up. The new Sand ability allows Kirby to launch sand blasts, hide in a protective layer of sand, and even summon a deadly sandcastle. The Mecha ability makes Kirby look like he’s swallowed a Gundam and allows him to throw fireballs, shoot a powerful laser beam, and fly with a jetpack.
Players can also try new mini-games (or, as the creators of Kirby call them, sub-games). I tried a target shooting game called Kirby on the Draw, where you use the Joy-Con as a laser pointer, knocking down targets and aiming for high scores. In Merry Magoland there are a lot of rides in the style of carnival games, in case anyone gets bored with the main story mode.
The most interesting addition is a new unlockable game mode called Magolor’s Epilogue. Featuring the alien visitor from the game’s main story, the playable epilogue allows up to four players to take control of Magolor as he attempts to regain his lost powers. Magolor Epilogue adds a sense of progression to the Kirby formula, allowing players to upgrade Magolor through over 20 levels.
You can’t go wrong with Kirby. And it’s a new opportunity to relive one of the most beautiful adventures of the pink balloon. The game is coming to Nintendo Switch on February 24. A playable demo is now available on the Switch eShop.