- Nintendo 3DS / Rated E / $39.99 / released June 2016
- OFFICIAL SITE: kirby.nintendo.com
- PURCHASE LINK: Amazon
- FINAL: You WANT this game. 4 out of 5 stars
Nintendo’s pink puffball Kirby returns to your 3DS in his first portable adventure since 2014’s “Kirby: Triple Deluxe.” In “Kirby: Planet Robobot,” Kirby’s homeworld is under attack from a malevolent technological force, and the suction-powered sphere must work his way across cities and skyways in order to save his planet.
“Triple Deluxe” was a solid adventure that made great use of the 3DS’s three dimensional graphics, and “Robobot” really increases the amperage. Stage after stage showcases smart level design built with an eye towards fun use of 3-D. Giant springs shove Kirby out of the screen. Cars appear on the horizon line and accelerate directly at you. Not only are various enemies positioned to take advantage of three dimensions, but most levels let Kirby hop between foreground and background layers that bring real depth to the visuals. “Robobot” looks good even if you turn the 3-D off, but it was definitely built with that feature in mind.
The chief gimmick for this outing is that Kirby frequently takes the pilot seat of a giant mech suit, which ties into the technological theme. When in robot form, Kirby can heave large blocks and twist apart oversized screws, but the best bit is that the mech can absorb enemy powers just like Kirby himself. The longstanding center of the “Kirby” games is that Kirby inhales an enemy and then gets to borrow that baddie’s attack; for example, suck up a fire-based enemy and Kirby gets to toss fireballs. Now the mech can absorb these same abilities, resulting in a collection of blinged-out robot suits with even more destructive attacks.
The main storyline mode of puffball vs machine is a solid handful of hours to complete, although tracking down all of the hidden objects and secret levels will add plenty more hours to your clock. There are stickers to collect (which can be affixed to your mech suits) and a bunch of post-game modes to keep you busy. Not to give too much away, but “Planet Robobot” even has a space flight sequence that’s a better “Star Fox” than the latest “Star Fox” game.
“Robobot” supports Nintendo’s amiibo figures, letting you scan any amiibo – even the trading cards – while playing. As long as Kirby is not in a mech suit, the scan will immediately give him a power-up (probably themed to the toy, like the Link amiibo giving Kirby a sword) as well as a health boost. There seems to be no limit to your scans, so feel free to use your amiibo collection to brute-force your way through any of the game’s trickier sections.
“Kirby: Planet Robobot” is a great game to hand off to kids because it is very forgiving in difficulty, but there’s enough extra goodies packed in there to appease grown-up gamers. This is a very typical “Kirby” release, with just enough fresh tricks to keep you interested.
“Kirby: Planet Robobot” will be in stores this Friday in North America.
This review is based upon product supplied by the publisher. Images courtesy Nintendo of America.
