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GoNintendo 'End of Day' thought - Kirby: Planet Robobot review

by rawmeatcowboy
26 May 2016
GN Version 5.0

Time for me to call it a night. Things went a little later than usual tonight due to my internet going wonky. I don't know what happened, but things eventually got fixed. Now I'm super tired and really hurting for some sleep! See you in a few, short hours.

I've always enjoyed the Kirby series. I think it holds a unique place in the gaming industry as a franchise that isn't too challenging, but still provides a lot of fun. Ever since the release of Kirby's Return to Dreamland, I feel like the franchise has been better than ever. Each main game after that outing has been pretty much outstanding in my book. Then I saw the trailer for Kirby: Planet Robobot...and I became a bit nervous.

We all have our first impressions of a game when it's initially announced. We see artwork, screens or a trailer and form some sort of opinion. Now I'm not dumb enough to let that first impression spoil a game for me, but I will say that I didn't really dig what Kirby: Planet Robobot was about. The idea of using mechs to get around and battle in a Kirby game seemed like it just wouldn't jive. Something about it felt shoehorned in to me, and I couldn't place my finger on why. That said, I kept my overall open mind for when I actually got to sit down with the game.

Now that I've put in ample time with Kirby: Planet Robobot, I can say that I totally get it. To tell you the truth, Kirby: Planet Robobot totally turned around my expectations. While I went into it being a bit nervous and apprehensive, I've come out completely sold on the idea. The entire mech mechanic adds much more than surface value to the experience. I don't know that we'll ever see Kirby jumping into a mech again, but I can say that I'd really love to see it return in the future. This approach added yet another truly interesting wrinkle to the Kirby universe.

At it's heart, Kirby: Planet Robobot is still a traditional Kirby game. You're going to be doing everything you've come to love and expect from the series. There's plenty of platforming to be had, abilities for Kirby to swallow up and collectibles to drive you mad. The game is never really going to get challenging, but that's something we all understand about the franchise. There may be some boss battles that get your blood pumping a bit, but nothing that's going to have you tossing down your 3DS in anger. Kirby games tend to be easy on the twitch gaming and heavy on content, and Planet Robobot follows that approach.

Of course, along with all of that traditional Kirby content comes the inclusion of mech suits. The best part about the addition of mechs is that they aren't just a surface feature. You don't jump into a mech every few levels and do nothing of importance with them. The mech gameplay is very well intertwined with the game. The vast majority of levels will feature some sort of mech content. You may end up piloting a mech for an entire stage, or find that select portions of levels have you using a mech. The mech content is very evenly spread throughout and makes the overall adventure feel unique and fresh.

As you know, Kirby games are all about transformations, and the inclusion of the mechs gives you a brand-new way of seeing all sorts of new transformation abilities. We're all familiar with the powers Kirby gets when swallowing certain enemies, but now you see those powers in all-new ways via the mech. When you happen upon an enemy with a power, you can scan them with your mech to earn some of their abilities. Take the umbrella, for example. When Kirby gets the umbrella, he uses it to float around and attack enemies with. When you have the umbrella ability in your mech, you are outfitted with giant umbrella-like blades on the top of your mech that allow you to both take out enemies and fly around. Seeing how these transformations impact your mech is a real blast, and there's even some new enemies/transformations in general for regular Kirby to enjoy.

The mech itself has a really great sense of weight and power behind it. Stomping around in that big machine feels absolutely wonderful. With that added weight comes extra strength as well. Mech Kirby is able to punch through obstacles and enemies that he normally can't deal with when on foot. You'll be able to punch right through cars and buses on busy streets, destroy giant boxes that block your way and even crush platforms underneath your giant feet. The mech suits do an excellent job of making you feel super powered and unstoppable. Plus they're just plain fun to stomp around in!

Levels themselves have special mechanics that you can only take advantage of in the mech suit. In some instances you'll happen upon giant screws. Again, you can't do anything with these if you're regular Kirby, but you can interact with them via the mech suit. Sometimes screws can be undone to release platforms, other times you'll turn a screw to rotate a platform to give you a new path ahead. There's even screws that can be spun in both directions to create a makeshift elevator. These little snippets are sprinkled throughout the experience and help create some unique light puzzle elements to spice things up.

All of these classic Kirby abilities and new mech elements help to create some of the most varied and engaging levels yet in a Kirby game. All the environments are so much fun to explore, even moreso if you're trying to hunt down all the collectibles. Every location you visit is filled to the brim with little touches to make it feel alive. On top of that, almost everywhere you visit is beaming with bright colors and vibrant landscapes. Nintendo is definitely known for colorful games, but Kirby: Planet Robobot really drives that point home. The locations you visit are just as visually stunning as they are engaging via gameplay.

As I mentioned, there are indeed collectibles here to grab. Some of those collectibles come in the form of cubes that are actually necessary to acquire. These cubes help to unlock doors in the overworld that allow you to progress through a world. Collect enough cubes to unlock a door that takes you down the path to a boss battle, and then eventually to another world. Thankfully, these cubes are really never that hard to find, plus you don't have to find all of them to unlock your main path. If you DO happen to collect them all in each stage, you'll unlock a brand-new bonus stage that wasn't available on the map before. It gives you extra incentive to scour each map and find every cube hidden. Thankfully, each stage very clearly indicates how many cubes are tucked away for you to find.

There's also the sticker/stamp collection content that is similar to what we saw in Kirby Triple Deluxe. Stages are littered with stickers for you to collect. Some of them are run-of-the-mill sticks and others are quite rare ones for your collection. You can tell by the color of the icon you pick up, which can be silver or gold. At the end of each stage you'll get to see just what stickers you picked up along the way. This collection aspect is completely optional, but I'll be damned if I didn't feel compelled to try and hunt out every sticker possible. My collection is growing quite large, but I still have a lot of work to do!

One element of the traditional Kirby experience that seems to have gotten leveled-up is the boss battle section. The bosses in Kirby: Planet Robobot are really interesting. Almost every fight is multi-tiered, with enemies completely changing design, tactics and even scenery when you deplete a portion of their health bar. It makes a single boss fight feel like 3 different experiences in one. I was honestly surprised to see just how many different ways certain bosses could be changed up during a battle. It helps to keep you on your toes, and also breaks up any monotony you might experience from the standard 'learn pattern, attack' routine.

On top of all that, there's bonus mini-games for you to enjoy. There only mini-games in name, because they actually offer quite a lot of content. There's a Meta-Knight time attack mode, a boss rush mode, an RPG-light multiplayer mode and even a 3D puzzle/platforming mode. Each one of the modes is worth a look, because they all add in something new to the experience. I think the real standout here is the Kirby 3D Rumble mini-game, which is puzzle platforming in a 3D environment. You're tackling enemies and collecting medals to try and get the best score possible, but how you defeat those enemies can mean the difference between a big score and a low one. It's a great mode to return to time and time again to try and best your run from last time.

I really can't offer up enough praise for Kirby; Planet Robobot. It completely did away with any issues I had just from viewing trailers. The mech gameplay is honestly a blast and a very welcome addition that I'm going to be sad to see disappear in the next game. Kirby: Planet Robobot is another excellent entry in the long-running franchise. It's smartly designed, expertly crafted and extremely hard to put down. It's the type of game that makes you want to hunt out every little secret and collectible you can. You just don't want your time with it to end. With Kirby: Planet Robobot's marriage of new gameplay ideas and tried-and-true content, Kirby just keeps getting better and better. This is a must-have for any self-respecting Kirby fan!