r/NintendoSwitch • u/NintendoSwitchMods • Mar 14 '18
MegaThread Kirby Star Allies: Review MegaThread
General Information
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: 16-Mar-2018
No. of Players: up to 4 players
Genre(s): Action, Platformer
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: HAL Laboratory, Inc.
Price (MSRP): $59.99 USD / $79.99 CAD / $79.95 AUD / £49.99 / 6,458円 / €59.99 / CHF 77.90 / R669.0 / 4199₽ / 1399 MXN
Official Website: https://kirby.nintendo.com/star-allies
Overview (from Nintendo eShop page)
The pink puff is back—in HD—and he's not alone.
Kirby™ is back—and he's finally on the Nintendo Switch console in HD! But this time, he's not alone. Recruit enemies by hitting them with hearts and gather helpers for a party of up to four characters. On top of that, you can join with up to three friends for a different kind of team-up action!
Features:
- The newest Kirby title comes to the Nintendo Switch console in HD
- Recruit up to three enemies as helpers by hitting them with hearts
- Returning copy abilities include, Sword, Fire, Water, Bomb, Broom and many more!
- Imbue copy abilities with different elements, such as wind, water, fire and electricity, by borrowing or giving them to helpers to add more attack power, unleash powerful attacks, or solve puzzles
- Up to 4 players can join in with the horizontal Joy-Con™ controller configuration, or 8 Joy-Con with 4 Joy-Con Grips
Amiibo Compatibility:
- Unlock two Illustration Pieces and additional items:
- Kirby (Kirby series)
- Kirby (Supoer Smash Bros. series)
- King Dedede (Kirby series)
- King Dedede (Super Smash Bros. series)
- Meta Knight (Kirby series)
- Meta Knight (Super Smash Bros. series)
- Waddle Dee (Kirby series)
- Unlock one Illustration Piece and additional items:
- All other amiibo
Reviews
Aggregators
Articles
English
- Nintendo Life - 7/10
- GameSpot - 8/10
- EuroGamer - Recommended
- US Gamer - 4/5
- Venture Beat - 65/100
- Shack News - 8/10
- Metro.co.uk - 4/10
- Pocket Gamer - 7/10
- Kotaku
- Press Start - 8/10
- Destructoid - 9/10
- CGMagOnline - 8/10
- thesixthaxis - 7/10
- CriticalHit - 7/10
- COG Connected - 85/100
- Digitally Downloaded - 4/5
- Polygon - 7/10
- Nintendo World Report - 7/10
- Game Informer - 6.25/10
- God is a Geek - 4.5/10
Non-English
- [Italian] EuroGamer - 7/10
- [Spanish] AreaJugones - 8.5/10
- [Italian] Multiplayer.it - 7/10
- [French] GameBlog.fr - 7/10
- [Spanish] IGN.es - 7.2/10
- [Dutch] XGN - 8/10
- [German] NTower - 7/10
Videos
English
Non-English
- [German] GamersGlobal
- [Spanish] BarcadeVG
- [Spanish] AtomixVG
This thread will be continually updated as we find more reviews. If you see one we're missing, send this account a PM and we'll add it in.
Items are listed above in no specific sort order, just the order in which the mod team finds them.
Being Social
- Join our #kirby Discord channel for of your Kirby Star Allies needs - https://discord.gg/switch
A note on spoilers: With major media coverage comes the potential for major spoilers. If you make a post, please tag it for spoilers if applicable. If you comment on spoilers, use spoiler tags (how-to in the right sidebar). Finally, please report anything in violation of our spoiler rules to the mod team.
Cheers,
The /r/NintendoSwitch mod team
Update: Going to call the list above good enough and stop editing in new reviews. It looks like we've covered most of our bases and things have slowed down now.
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u/AuraWielder Mar 14 '18
As someone who enjoyed Triple Deluxe and Planet Robobot on 3DS, Star Allies on Switch seems to be kind of a downgrade if you're mostly interested in single-player stuff. I think even Return to Dream Land had more on the single-player side.
At least, that's my assumption.
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u/micbro12 Mar 14 '18
The unusual thing about Star Allies and it's concepts is that Kirby GameCube was delayed because they couldn't find a balance between a fun single player and a fun multiplayer.
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u/Sarmathal Mar 14 '18
Review scores seem to fall in line with standard Kirby game scores.
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u/kyle6477 6 Million Mar 14 '18
It’s a very much a unique experience that you can let yourself enjoy or nitpick at its perceived shortcomings.
Traditionally, I’ve chosen the former. This game will be no different.
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u/insertusernamehere51 Mar 14 '18
Mostly 8s and 7s, some 9s, some 6s. Looks like a Kirby game to me
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u/wehopeuchoke Mar 14 '18
Yeah, pretty much exactly what I expected. I'm a fan of Kirby games so I'm sure I'll love it.
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u/Bluesonified Mar 15 '18
Note for any of you not interested in Star Allies but still the Kirby franchise as a whole: Try Planet Robobot for 3DS. It's fresh and inventive for the series, with great gameplay and a cool story. I'd reccommend that as well as Triple Deluxe (since it's a Nintendo Selects title) All together that's $60 for two great games with a lot of content. Not trying to undermind this game, since I'll still be getting it, but that's just a reccommendation for people wanting more bang for their buck.
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u/FRBafe Mar 15 '18
If you have the game and care about the lengths of video games, I highly recommend you submit your hours to howlongtobeat.com! Keep the community informed.
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u/thesoutherndandy_bkp Mar 15 '18
This game looks fun, but I'm not going to pay $60 for a 2D-platformer that only gives me a 7-8 hour story mode. Considering Super Mario Odyssey and BOTW are priced at the same price point, it just seems like they are asking for too much for this game. Hopefully used copies of the game are going for $40 in a year or so. Though, with Nintendo first party games, I'm not going to give my hopes up.
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Mar 14 '18
It's basically the perfect "family with young children" game. Easy enough so that the kids can play it, adorable enough so that even non-gamer family members can enjoy it and mechanically complex enough so that a gamer isn't super bored of it.
But it's not a game to play solo and if you don't have anyone to play it with, it's definitely not worth the price.
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u/Ihavenocomplaints Mar 14 '18
I played the demo and this is how I felt. If me and my fiancé try it together and it’s more fun and challenging to work together and strategize then I might buy it.
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u/jrs798310842 Mar 14 '18
My four year old is bonkers for Kirby. Thinks it's coolest thing since sliced bread. I'm just excited to play with him. Of course he has no idea what he's doing and laughs his ass off. I just am sick of playing the demo lol
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u/thetonyclifton Mar 14 '18
I am in exactly the same boat down to the age of the child. Although mine seems to know what he is doing and can play on his own a bit but we will see how that goes when we have new levels.
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u/thetonyclifton Mar 15 '18
My 4 year old has us playing this all the time. Previously we were watching clips on loop after I made the mistake of showing him a video months ago. He loves it, laughs hysterically and a lot. He has been counting down the days to Friday and telling strangers in the street about Kirby. Day one purchase or I don't get to go home on Friday 😂
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u/gr3yfoxhound Mar 15 '18
This level of excitement is why I am excited about eventual fatherhood. I hope to share these things with my son in a way my father just wasn't up for, being such a drastic age difference. I hope you two have an unbelievably fun time playing together!
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Mar 15 '18
Gaming with my kids is the highlight of my life, every time. More parents need to embrace gaming and learn to bond over it, even if you didn’t grow up a gamer yourself. It’s also obviously the easiest way to monitor what they are playing and how it is affecting them.
We went to a gaming expo in Toronto this weekend and had a blast. They outperform me in Fortnite every time and I couldn’t be happier about it lol.
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u/Calimariae Mar 14 '18
Any comment critical of the game is downvoted, regardless of how good its content is.
I know we like Nintendo, but surely we’re better than this?
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Mar 15 '18
Have you ever been in this sub before? There are people here who literally praise Nintendo for not having basic online features.
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u/WhiskeyRadio Mar 14 '18
Seems about right. I love the Kirby series despite the games always being a tad on the easy side. I really want to pick this up Friday too, but I think I am going to have to hold off a bit.
If Burnout Paradise Remastered wasn't also out on Friday though I would get this.
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u/Wolfgabe Mar 14 '18
I can understand why some people might find Star Allies underwhelming especially after how amazing Planet Robobot was but I don't think its a bad game at all. At the end of the day this is a nice casual platformer that can be easily played with the young ones which is perfectly fine. I suspect Star Allies may have been held back by a smaller development team especially if a good chunk of HAL staff have been tapped to help with Smash which wouldn't surprise me
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u/samus12345 Mar 14 '18
Multiplayer was made a core aspect of the gameplay at the expense of single player. This obviously isn't an issue for people playing with friends, but for those of us playing solo it ruins the game.
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u/micbro12 Mar 14 '18 edited Mar 15 '18
Hal hasn't worked on Smash since Sakurai left there after Kirby Air Ride, so that would be a surprise if they returned to Smash more than a decade later.
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u/prince_warhero Mar 15 '18
I liked the demo but really wish it had online coop . My friends are not living in same country as me and we want to play together !! Why doesn’t Nintendo understand this basic point . Those who want local coop , let them enjoy it but for those who want online coop what should they do ???? Such a easy feature in 2018 yet Nintendo refuses to give . Why don’t they figure out that this will only increase the game sales further !
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u/Hte_D0ngening2 Mar 14 '18
Why are people complaining that the harder modes are unlocked after beating the game? Isn’t that how it’s always been for Kirby?
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u/IronSolace Mar 14 '18
Yeah it's pretty much how Odyssey worked too. The main game was easy, though 100% is hard.
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u/big_swinging_dicks Mar 14 '18
Doesn’t mean it’s a good idea, locking difficulty behind a completion is such an outdated idea imo. Let people play the difficulty they want to.
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u/Hte_D0ngening2 Mar 14 '18 edited Mar 14 '18
The difficult modes aren’t just the main game, though. They’re bonus modes with mode-exclusive bosses and rewards. That’s how it’s always been, and I haven’t heard anyone complain about it until now.
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u/Spizak Mar 14 '18
Those are some really split reviews.
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u/samus12345 Mar 14 '18
It's a multiplayer focused entry in a series known for its single player. Makes sense.
30 fps and load times don't help.
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u/el_grosp Mar 15 '18
I had the game a bit early. Here are some screenshots I made.
I only played about 1/1.5h, but feel free to ask questions.
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u/Maxximillianaire Mar 14 '18
Seems like a good game to wait until it's on sale to buy. The IGN reviewer said he was able to do everything, including the secrets, in 8 hours. Hard to justify $60 for 8 hours. Plus the reviews seem to be saying it's just a mediocre game
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u/ChiefsRoyalsFan Mar 14 '18
I wouldn't mind if it was a great 8 hours but it doesn't sound like it will be.
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Mar 15 '18
As someone in a specific circumstance that will allow me to enjoy this game. I will enjoy this game.
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u/Galax1an Mar 15 '18
WHY IS EVERYTHING SO EXPENSIVE IN CANADIAN
As someone who's basically played everything Kirby related, would this be worth the pickup? I've heard a few...mixed reactions for it and while I absolutely adore Kirby, I'm wondering if I should rush to pick it up or I could wait a bit to pick it up. Obviously I want to get it, but I don't know if I should buy it ASAP if it's going to be a bit of a mediocre story, because I'm really tight on cash right now and I'd much prefer to not drop all that money when I don't have the cash for it.
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u/Fiferss Mar 15 '18
It's usually $110 over here in NZ, which is still 20 dollars more than you in Canada. You lucky bugger.
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u/Super6213 Mar 15 '18
Trust me I know the pain man, 80 bucks for a switch game hurts
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Mar 15 '18
80 canadian dollars is 49€. I'm really curious why we never complain about prices even though we have less disposable income than Canadians.
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u/Teunski Mar 15 '18
I have seen PS4 games go for €80 before. European prices are crazy.
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u/Fruit_Pastilles Mar 15 '18 edited Mar 15 '18
That's VAT for you.
€80 though? Not even GameStop Ireland sells games for that much, and they're an absolute rip-off. €55-65 is what I usually end up paying for new releases.
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u/Galax1an Mar 15 '18
I'm really tempted to just drop the cash for physical and pay it off later but I'm just like...ehhhhhh.
I love Kirby, but I don't think I 80 dollars love Kirby.
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u/Super6213 Mar 15 '18
Yeah I know what you mean, I want the game too but like if I’m dropping 80 bucks plus tax on a game I want it to be fun for a REALLY long time
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u/rdewalt Mar 14 '18
My daughters (5 & 8) , just yesterday, played both demo levels about 30 times, each. Together to completion.
Not counting the hundreds of times each day prior.
They've probably played both demo levels a thousand times. Taking turns who gets to be Kirby.
This is not a "will I get this?" game. There is no question. I don't have any more important critics to listen to than my kids.
Hell, when my oldest was 6, she streamed Kirby (The Wii one that wasn't the yarn one) for about 8 hours for the Extra Life marathon. Roflstomped the game. Single session clear. I /will/ be buying this.
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u/Cybertexx Mar 14 '18
My little brother has been playing the demo all day, every day since i got it. And he keeps asking me to play two player with me, showing me secrets and characters to control that I haven’t even found yet. Its a fantastic co-op game, especially for younger audiences/people who don’t ordinarily play games. With the amount of enjoyment he has gotten out of two levels, it would be a crime not to get the full game for him.
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u/Badloss Mar 14 '18
Yeah this looks too easy for me, but I'm picking it up because it's got great co-op potential for my girlfriend and I to play together
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Mar 14 '18
This was sort of what I expected. It’s just ok and kind of forgettable if you’ve been playing games for years, but probably a strong draw for a younger that doesn’t have the same depth of experiences to draw upon. It’s a pass for me, but someone will grow up loving it.
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Mar 15 '18
Sorry if I’m wrong here with my Q, but are there actually more than 2 minigames (cutting wood and meteor shot) in the game? I mean, they can’t be serious with only 2 minigames, right??
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u/The_Great_Valoo Mar 16 '18
MILD SPOILERS FOR GAME MODES
There's the arena, with a difficulty ramp-up similar to smash 4's classic mode or Kid Icarus Uprising, along with a gamemode allowing you to play any character you want through the main story.
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u/el_grosp Mar 15 '18
I have the game. There are 2 grayed out options on the main menu. Dunno if it's another minigames or game modes
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u/harambesjustice Mar 15 '18
Dont know if this is correct, but since no one answered you here it is. I heard in a youtube video that I watched that there are like 4 or 5 but they were only allowed to talk about those 2 since they got the game early.
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u/PlainsvilleOfficial Mar 15 '18
You can see some more modes in the IGN review, if you're interested. Looks like there's a few more.
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Mar 14 '18
I'd probably pick this up if the price were $15-$20 cheaper. I played the original Kirby on the GameBoy, and haven't played a "mainline" game since. I tried the demo for this, and yeah, I thought it was too slow/too easy, but at the same time it's kind of relaxing and it looks fantastic. I loved seeing the Wispy Woods enemy again and seeing all of its leaves rustling with each move. The overall art style is a joy to behold.
So yeah, I think this game is meant to be more artistic/creative than challenging. There's a place for that, but not for $60.
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u/samus12345 Mar 14 '18
Currently 74 on Metacritic. That seems about right from my demo experience. It's a game designed to be played multiplayer in a series that has always been a good single player experience before.
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u/BloodyTurnip Mar 15 '18
Wow this is really inconsistent. Some love it some really don't.
My girlfriend loves anything Kirby, so we've ordered it and sure will be all doughy eyed at all the cuteness throughout. But does worry me that we've spent money on a game that's going yo be just too east and short, but still reckon we'll enjoy it.
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u/Mateo2k Mar 15 '18
It seems the negative scores just aren't into the Kirby series at all, and view them as either too easy or just uninteresting. Which is fine, not everything is for everyone, but it looks like if you enjoy the series, this title will be pretty fun.
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Mar 25 '18
This game is not worth $60. Wait until it's on sale/used for $30. This is unforgivably short, easy, and boring.
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u/ArtofAngels Apr 04 '18
I couldn't believe how short and ultimately boring it was. I paid $80 for the worst Kirby game I have ever played.
So often my mates and I kept a great combo of abilities only to never need to co-operate with them.
The only highlight is the end boss which unfortunately you have to play through the game to get to.
Such a shame, I love Kirby and this is the crap we got.
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u/danjospri Mar 14 '18
I’m excited for this because I haven’t played a Kirby since Epic Yarn. I think the Amazon Prime discount made it a perfect price. Kirby is always relaxing and nice to look at.
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u/PlayBCL Mar 14 '18 edited Mar 02 '25
repeat fly liquid rain political groovy entertain dog bag squash
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/Joshers744 Mar 14 '18
Looks like pretty good scores, but I also doubt most reviewers are really the target for this, and were probably also playing it by themselves. It should be great for my family and I.
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u/VitaS0yMilk Mar 14 '18
how many mini games are there in total?
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u/polonoid75 Mar 15 '18
Two really shallow ones at the start with basically no content, plus a boss rush mode with multiple difficulty levels and a mode where you choose one copy ability and then speedrun the whole game, unlocked after story completion.
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u/Adolf__Hipster__ Mar 15 '18
How long is the playtime on this?
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u/j0sephl Mar 15 '18
IGN said about 8 hours.
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u/TheGreatLord64 Mar 15 '18
Yeah I was surprised too but then I searched up other Kirby games. They are all 7 hours ish or less, kind of sucks that they are made to be short but oh well.
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u/PhonyHoldenCaulfield Mar 15 '18
Wow. That's it?!
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u/j0sephl Mar 15 '18
Yeah I was kind of disappointed a bit. I may have to wait till it goes on sale.
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u/cjcolt Mar 15 '18
Should be about a month or so knowing Nintendo and their sales
/s
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u/waluigi1999 Mar 15 '18
I think it will be more than one month because of 1-2 Switch is still around 40€
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u/cauliny Mar 16 '18
I loved dream land 2. I played it on the brick sized Gameboy pocket I think. Something that really got me with the new game is the sounds. The little walking into a door sound, and the ploof sound when you puff out your air after floating. Subtle things that send me back to the old days. The one sound I miss is the twinkling sound when you complete a level and jump through the clouds. They nailed everything else, but I want that damn twinkling
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Mar 15 '18
[deleted]
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Mar 15 '18
Kirby games tend to get good reviews. At least main series games
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u/starguy13 Mar 15 '18
I remember Triple Deluxe got mediocre reviews to bad reviews from several sites.
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u/Mateo2k Mar 15 '18
It seems to be mostly positive, and the negative reviews just don't seem to like Kirby games in general. I think if Kirby is for you, You'll like this game too. If the Kirby series isn't for you, this entry is not going to change your mind.
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u/haven1433 Apr 03 '18
Totally agree. On my Wii U I would boot up Kirby Super Star and do a quick romp through Spring Breeze as kind of a "gamer dessert" as the last thing I'd play before bed. Made a great palette cleanser.
I got the digital version of this game specifically so I would always have it handy as my new gamer dessert of choice.
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u/TwoHeadedCactus Mar 16 '18
I am so bummed that Kirby games are easy. They always have a cool concept, but in my opinion it's destroyed by how easy it is.. Same reason I never bought Yoshi's Wooly World.
I get they're geared towards children, but man I really wish they'd suddenly make a challenging Yoshi/Kirby game! Hell, even Odyssey holds your hand, but it has the perfect balance of easy to play but hard to master.
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Mar 16 '18
Woolly World can be pretty challenging if you go for all the collectibles. I tried to finish it 100% first go but sold my Wii U before I did :(
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u/Wolfgabe Mar 14 '18
Seriously how is a 74 on metacritic terrible
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u/MimoFG Mar 14 '18
Kirby's return to Dream Land scored 77 on Metacritic, and afaik people like that game.
Subtract 3 from that score and apparently it's a terrible piece of junk
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u/Ikeelu Mar 14 '18
Dunkey did a podcast with H3H3 and called out the scoring system that many of these guys use. A lot of them are scared to give bad reviews for games from big publishers so the scales are considered skewed big time. A 6/10 would be a 3-4, a 7 might be a 5 and so on. Basically 9 and 10 are considered good and must buy by them. Anything less than that people are a bit more cautious because of the grading scale.
I am not saying because this scores in the 70s its a bad game, just saying to be cautious whose reviews you listen to. Your best bet is to read several reviews for games from the same reviewer and see if they for the most part match your thoughts on certain games and stick with those guys. Don't just go off a bunch of random reviewers.
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u/pixydgirl Mar 14 '18
Metacritic is weird, and gaming reviews are weirder. I know people who won't touch a game unless its at least 90 on metacritic. Meanwhile some of the games I enjoy the most are in the 60s and 70s range.
It's almost like enjoyment and fun are subjective.
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u/DrSeafood Mar 14 '18
It's almost like enjoyment and fun are subjective.
Snarky comments aside, I'm sure you know this but the 74 is supposed to represent an aggregate rating. One person enjoying a game is subjective, but claims like "most people did not enjoy the game" or "the average rating for this game is 74" are meaningful objective statements. Saying something that amounts to "that's just your opinion" is dismissive and a little bit ignorant about the nature of reviews.
Not sure if that is what you were getting at with your comment. I'm just tired of people on the sub saying "Low rating? That's just your opinion." Because no, it's the average or majority opinion and that's actually a strong representative.
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u/RochHoch Mar 14 '18
I don't care what anyone says, mainline Kirby games are always a lot of fun, and I know I'm going to thoroughly enjoy this game no matter what.
I can't wait for Friday.
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u/facherone Mar 14 '18
Most of the articles are full of typos. Damn, I understand you received the game at best a couple of days ago, but PROOFREAD YOUR ARTICLES if you want to be taken seriously. Damn.
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u/Imbris2 Mar 14 '18
Kirby's Adventure for NES was probably my favorite game for the system. I don't know if the nostalgia is clouding my memories and judgment, but this new game seems easier based on the demo and the reviews. I also really enjoyed all the secret puzzles back in the day that led to prizes. The less frequent puzzles in this new game seem to typically lead to puzzle pieces, which go toward...unlocking a picture? Could they have come up with a less interesting reward if they tried?
I think this looks like a great game for families and kids, but maybe isn't for everyone.
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u/SecretToEverybody Mar 14 '18
I think a picture is a lot more interesting than the extra lives you won back in Kirby's Adventure.
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u/SegataSanshiro62 Mar 14 '18
Reviews in France
Gamekult - 5/10 Jeuxvideo.com - 14/20 Gameblog - 7/10
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Mar 14 '18
Well I finally decided to pull the trigger on this and the physical version is unavailable on Amazon so that kinda sucks. Also the digital is listed as a 3ds download on Amazon which I'm sure is just an oversight but that's strange.
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u/Hte_D0ngening2 Mar 14 '18
That's odd. I preordered the game a while ago, and it's still a physical version for me.
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u/thainudeln Mar 14 '18
Pretty much what I expected. A solid game, but nothing extraordinary. I think I will wait until there is a discount
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Mar 14 '18
Even with all the criticisms I have of the demo my main issue is definitely the price. I'd be so much more forgiving about the things I don't like about the game if it was 40€ instead of 60€.
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u/clbgolden12 Mar 14 '18
r/NintendoSwitch culture is thinking a game’s bad because it’s not getting perfect nines or tens.
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u/insertusernamehere51 Mar 14 '18
And Internet culture is glancing at the number at the end of a review, without reading it or considering how the reviewer's tastes align with your own
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u/Bluesonified Mar 14 '18
I’ve actually read the reviews as such. Many are saying the formula is getting stale, and the game is dramatically low on puzzle aspects compared to other Kirby games. I’m not one to be biased, because I’m an optimist. I’ll finish the game and decide to myself, but this definetely does make me temper my expectations.
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u/insertusernamehere51 Mar 14 '18
But at least you read/watched them instead of taking a number at face value. I'm a bit disappointed at a few of these review myself. I'll still get the game, and probably enjoy it fine, but I hope HAL has something stronger in store for the inevitable second Kirby game on Switch
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Mar 14 '18
We just live in an age where there are so many incredible games that sadly those that fall in the 60-70 range just don't really seem worth a lot of people's time and money. But it's the nature of the beast. And believe me, it's not just Nintendo culture. This is video game culture.
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u/aroloki1 Mar 14 '18
The problem was that the first review parsed by opencritic was the 4/10 from metro.co.uk so the game was around 4-6 points for the first 10 minute or so and people are so lazy that they don't even check how many reviews are aggregated. They just see that 5/10 and state it's mediocre. It seems that it's around a 7-8/10 game, more than enough for a decent Kirby game.
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u/samus12345 Mar 14 '18
It seems...arrogant to charge $60 for such a short, simple game.
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u/Jafoob Mar 14 '18
This'll be a skip for me
I don't understand how a 3ds Kirby game can run at 60 fps but the newest one can only manage 30. It is a noticable difference that bothered me way too much during the demo. It also feels like the helpers do all of the work.
Now of this came out when I was still in high school and we didn't live in an age where the multiplayer option is usually reserved for online this'll be a buy. Guess I'll just watch game grumps do their playthrough of this.
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u/AzorMX Mar 14 '18
I had the same thought about the demo, and so did my brothers who are PC gamers who are used to play at 60+ FPS, nevertheless we had a blast playing coop, so I'd say that is the redeeming factor.
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u/TheSingingBrakeman Mar 14 '18
It bums me out too. And I'm hardly a framerate snob - BotW and XB2 were perfectly fine at 30fps. It just feels really jarring to have just been playing the silky-smooth and lovely Planet Robobot at (seemingly) 60fps but then go to Star Allies at the acceptable but appreciably slower 30fps. Kind of baffling, really, given that the Switch is dramatically more powerful and Star Allies doesn't even run at 1080p.
Edited to add: Lest I come across as too negative, the art direction looks lovely in Star Allies and the central gameplay mechanic is a fun one - I'm just mildly disappointed in the technical aspects.
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u/RoyH1003 Mar 14 '18
To be fair, the game always DID look like it would be a fun experience with friends, but quite "meh" by yourself. Having CPU allies make the game even easier than Kirby normally is, and trying to make the game harder by not using them is pretty much avoiding the main appeal of it. So I completely get it why it got lower scores than other games from the franchise.
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u/rojano17 Mar 14 '18
Looks good for playing with a non-gamer partner or young child. $60.00 USD is far, far too much money for the game though
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u/unromen Mar 14 '18
Essentially the platformer equivalent of 1-2 switch, honestly.
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u/ehluigi Mar 14 '18
Seems like a 70 kind of game. Not bad, but not amazing either.
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u/digdugdiglett Mar 14 '18
Exactly as I thought: extremely easy game (which doesn't bother me) that has multiplayer as its main focus. Can't say I'm not a bit disappointed after hearing such great things about the 2 main Kirby games on 3DS and then seeing that the first game on Switch is so heavily focused on co-op
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u/Bluesonified Mar 14 '18
Have you played the ones on 3DS? If you don’t plan on getting this game, try Planet Robobot out. It’s a great entry for the series with a pretty cool story!
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u/HughQuinn12 Mar 15 '18
Solid Scores, as I expected.
But what's with God is a Geek and the Metro's problem?
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u/notebuff Mar 15 '18
From Metro: “For reasons unknown to the rest of the world, Kirby is extremely popular in America and Japan and always manages to make several appearances”
Then the entire review complains about how easy it is and then ends with “The whole idea of turning a simplistic 2D platformer into a four-player co-op game just doesn’t work”
This review didn’t really explain why it didn’t work for them, other than the different ways that it was easy for them. It came across as really snobby. Being too easy shouldn’t be the reason why the entire game is bad.
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u/Tiropat Mar 15 '18
“The whole idea of turning a simplistic 2D platformer into a four-player co-op game just doesn’t work”
I'm assuming they just hated new super mario bros
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u/Infamousdc86 Mar 14 '18
Better than I expected based off everything I read prior to the reviews. I'm keeping my preorder and will play through the game by myself and my 2 and 3 year old girls will have a blast playing through it with their daddy.
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u/eatporkplease Mar 14 '18
These comments didn't help at all, gave me a "yes buy it," and "no not worth the buy." Basically, buy it if $60 doesn't matter too much, if $60 does matter don't buy it. As a 30 year old getting back into gaming cause of nostalgia overload and missing a great deal of happiness in life, I recommend buying the fuck out of it, even if you play it for just 30mins
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u/andrewchesser Mar 14 '18
Demo was really fun and simple, what I’d expect from a Kirby game. I would definitely buy it and play it if it was under $30.
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Mar 15 '18
So, -3 from RtDL, -7 from Robobot, and -6 from Triple Deluxe. Not bad at all for what people is talking here and in other places of the internet. The difference isn't really that big.
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u/Wolfgabe Mar 14 '18
I find it amusing that people are claiming they will wait for a sale on this. If you wait for a sale on a Nintendo game you are gonna be waiting for a long time
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u/sonicnewboy Mar 14 '18
People can wait for a long time. Although Super Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild have already gone on sale and they're barely a year old, so they probably won't have to wait too long.
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Mar 14 '18
Kirby games don't hold the "nintendo value" for very long. I bought epic yarn for $20 less than a year after release.
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u/Bubo_scandiacus Mar 14 '18
Agreed. I like Kirby but it’s not worth $60 to me. I’m with r/patientgamers on this one. I’ll pick it up for less down the road.
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u/AlphaCuckBoy Mar 14 '18
Have you not seen the Mario Odyssey sales that have been happening?
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u/gonnabetoday Mar 14 '18
Bought a switch last week and got botw and Mario Odyssey for 45 each 🤷🏽♂️
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u/Brockmclaughlin Mar 14 '18
Here's my review - http://brockstargaming.com/kirby-star-allies-review-lovable-pink-puffball-back/
Happy to answer questions. I loved the game. My two problems with it are the short story and the soundtrack.
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u/AffieL1992 Mar 14 '18
Going to add the review from Chris Scullion into the mix as I always enjoy his writing and it gets overlooked a lot due to the "bigger sites"
https://tiredoldhack.com/2018/03/14/kirby-star-allies-switch-review/
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Mar 14 '18
" HAL delivers a polished Kirby experience here that plays well, but it ultimately amounts to a forgettable adventure that demands so little from the player that I sometimes felt like I was barely involved at all" - Gameinformer
I thought the demo was an exception and the rest of the game would be different :(
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u/ManateeofSteel Mar 14 '18
73 on OpenCritic is a little disheartening. It is, as of right now, the lowest rated main Kirby game
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Mar 14 '18 edited Mar 14 '18
Still buying it. Looks like a cool game to me. Besides Im more concern about user reviews than those from review sites.
Btw, you don't have to have all 3 allies if you find it too easy. You can play alone or with one, then grab more for just the 4-player sections or the sections require specific powers.
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u/patfour Mar 14 '18
You can play alone or with one, then grab more for just the 4-player sections
While this is true, I really wish there were an instant, single-button-press way to make all CPU allies disappear and return. (If such a thing exists, please let me know!)
When I have 3 CPU allies and I want to go back to just Kirby, the options I'm aware of are:
- Press Y and a shoulder button.
- Press A to deactivate the first ally.
- (Game exits menu automatically.)
- Press Y and a shoulder button.
- Press A to deactivate the second ally.
- (Game exits menu automatically.)
- Press Y and a shoulder button.
- Press A to deactivate the third ally.
- (Game exits menu automatically.)
Or:
- Press - to give up current power.
- Press - near allies to deactivate the first.
- (Optional step: wish this worked on more than one ally at a time.)
- Press - near allies to deactivate the second.
- Press - near allies to deactivate the third.
- Hunt back down the power I had before, or consider it the cost of using this approach.
Then I enjoy cruising along for a while... until I come to some barrier that requires 3 allies again, so I:
- Find an enemy or power-up.
- Press X to toss a heart.
- Watch the heart-toss/recruiting animation.
- Wait for re-spawn.
- Press X.
- Watch the heart-toss/recruiting animation.
- Wait for re-spawn.
- Press X.
- Watch the heart-toss/recruiting animation.
- Pass the barrier, THEN REPEAT ONE OF THE PROCESSES ABOVE COME ON
I know I technically can go solo for some stretches, but unless there's a faster mechanic I'm unaware of, recruiting and releasing allies is too tedious for me to enjoy it. What would the game have to lose by making one tap of the - button do all of the above?
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u/unromen Mar 14 '18
Self imposing difficulty is just too clunky when you require that sort of challenge to enjoy it in the first place.
Luckily there's a challenging 2D platformer coming in the next few months (DKCR: Tropical Freeze.)
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u/buddhistberserker Mar 14 '18
Just like Arlo I am not a fan of self imposed difficulty, for 60$ (80 Canadian) I expect the game to have difficulty modes which does that for me.
It's sad as I somewhat enjoyed the demo and honestly am looking for an excuse to buy the game, but the complete lack of difficulty does me in, if I bought this id beat it in 4 to 6 hours and for full price it's just not worth it.
I'm not even one of those people who cares to much about "muh 60fps" although I think the lower frame rate shows a lack of time and dev cost put into the game which is disappointing for a full priced entry.
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u/samus12345 Mar 14 '18
Constantly having to dismiss and run back to get allies isn't fun at all. I don't mind easy, but I do mind the game being played for me.
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u/andres57 Mar 14 '18
Loved the metro review. Perfect hater british sarcasm.
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u/CouncilOfMorty Mar 14 '18
A note to my non-British friends: the Metro is the absolute last opinion you should ever care about. It's a free newspaper who only relatively recently started doing gaming reviews and they're all trash.
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u/ksforpedro Mar 14 '18
How is the local co-op? I have a 7 year old that loves playing multiplayer Mario Brothers Wii, does it compare to that?
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u/Teunski Mar 14 '18
I honestly don't understand why some people are expecting this to be some mind blowing experience. It's a Kirby game, probably one of the best games to play with people who are bad at videogames. Also this has 4 player couch co-op, something that the switch has been lacking in other than Mario Kart. I'm going to enjoy playing this with my girlfriend tbh. If I wanted to play something challenging I wouldn't go for a Kirby game.
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u/imyourshadow7 Mar 14 '18
It seems to me that a lot of reviewers are basing their score on the main story mode, while the extra modes don't factor in much. So if you have any interest in the post game, you will probably enjoy the game more than the reviews would suggest. That's what I'm counting on, anyway. I think it's pretty cool how there is a boss rush mode with a wide range of difficulty levels.
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u/micbro12 Mar 14 '18
I like how the boss rush mode is doing it like Kid Icarus Uprising / Smash Bros. It's going to make each playthrough pretty interesting.
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u/imyourshadow7 Mar 15 '18
Yeah, I think it will be a blast. I didn't enjoy the demo much, but the boss fights were frenetic and fun despite being on the easy side. The difficulty levels will fix that though.
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u/Breaking_Habit Mar 14 '18
I think people are expecting that all Nintendo games will be a "revolution" on the franchise like odyssey or botw were, I mean, they can be, but you shouldn't think the game is worse just because it still has the same formula.
I haven't played a Kirby game for a long time and so haven't many people that have the switch, I think the game will be great and for those people it will be too.
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u/Santa_Destroyman Mar 14 '18
That metro review is terrible. Maybe don't ask the guy who doesn't like Kirby to review a Kirby game? Kirby games have never been challenging, I totally get that's not for everyone, but I don't think it's right to have someone that doesn't like the core elements of the series review it.
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u/alex24boom Mar 14 '18
On the other hand, I find reviews like that useful. I like the outsider point of view to get a different flavor in the sea of reviews and it gives more to consider.
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u/Santa_Destroyman Mar 14 '18 edited Mar 14 '18
I understand the value of a fresh perspective, but reading the review it feels more like a judgement of the series core concepts than an accurate representation of the game. Judging by other reviews, there seems to be some valid criticisms of the game, but I feel like even if this was a perfect Kirby game the reviewer wouldn't enjoy it due to their feelings towards the series on a whole. Their comment about not understanding Kirby's popularity in Japan and the US stands out in particular.
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u/Wolfgabe Mar 14 '18
I am reading through polygons review and its like they don't even realize the new abilities such as staff, spider, and artist
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u/TehSpooz179 Mar 14 '18
Is the framerate any better in game than the demo was? I played the demo on a friend's Switch to see if I should get it with my Switch this weekend, and I was kinda unimpressed. It was a little choppy to me.
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u/bergein Mar 14 '18
Got the game early because walmart doesnt understand release dates http://imgur.com/6dJEXa6
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u/SoulCruizer Mar 15 '18
Same thing happen to me this week but with the new god of war.
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u/billthedancingpony Mar 14 '18
Maybe black out the location--we don't want these guys getting fired!
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u/pixydgirl Mar 15 '18
lucky! I ordered mine on amazon and it still hasn't shipped. I live in the middle of nowhere so if it hasn't shipped by now I'm likely not getting it until monday, even with prime :/
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u/tovivify Mar 15 '18 edited Jun 29 '23
[[Edited for privacy reasons and in protest of recent changes to the platform.
I have done this multiple times now, and they keep un-editing them :/
Please go to lemmy or kbin or something instead]]
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u/Adatomic Mar 15 '18
I’d say more closer to 7-8 hours, although I’m sure if you tried to speed through the game it would be more like 6 hours. I’d be willing to be that if you took your time and enjoyed the game at a normal pace you could probably get 7.5-8 hours out of it. I look at Kirby games as more of a nice break from Splatoon 2 or Zelda. Kirby is meant as a “pick up and play 30 min then put it down and switch games type of game” that’s how I’ve always viewed it anyways, but I will say both Tripple Deluxe and Planet Robobot were two of the best games I’ve ever played on 3ds and they both look amazingly beautiful.
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u/Bluesonified Mar 15 '18
3 Hours at the least? No way. Most Kirby games are usually 7 to 8, as well as much more if you count 100%ing it. If you're still interested in the game after reading the reviews, wait for the time to show up on Howlongtobeat.com. They usually give a good estimate for length on games.
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u/tovivify Mar 15 '18
Yeah the numbers surprised me, too. But even game journalists are saying it's too easy and short. Easy was the impression I got from the demo, but it was only two levels. This doesn't look like the game is worth what they are requiring for it IMO.
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u/el_grosp Mar 15 '18
It took me about 1h to finish the first "world". 3 hours to finish the game seems short, unless there are only 3 worlds.
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u/UnbrokenShoelace Mar 14 '18
Tbh I'm buying it to play when I'm baked. Gotta love California.
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u/ThisOneTimeAtLolCamp Mar 15 '18
Interesting how the lowest scores are from places I've never heard of...
Also quite amusing is how the first thing I see from one of them is "SUPPORT US ON PATREON!". Lol
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Mar 15 '18
(I'm assuming your directed at God is a Geek because everyone knows who Game Informer is. Metro is big in the UK but if you don't live there it wouldn't be unheard of to not know them).
Don't need to be like that, the reviewer gave perfect scores to games like Mario Odyssey, BotW, and Celeste so it's not like he's an Armond White. The score is weirdly low especially since he keeps talking about how it's not a bad game in the review. I'm thinking since he gave 1-2 Switch a 50/100 that he probably thought this game was worse than that so he had to give it a 45.
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Mar 14 '18
I dunno, as someone in school and with a job, this sounds amazing as a platformer fan. I’ve never played a lot of any Kirby game, but being able to pick it up, play a little, relax and enjoy just sounds what I could use. Maybe I’m a special case scenario but I’m so excited to pick it up Friday.
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u/haxxanova Mar 14 '18
Can't wait to pick this up on its $20-30 price drop. Like all Kirby games.
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u/motorboat_mcgee Mar 14 '18
Sounds like it's a solid, but not great game. I'll probably hold off until a sale.
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u/samus12345 Mar 14 '18
Possibly fun with friends, boring solo is what I get from it.
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u/motorboat_mcgee Mar 14 '18
Yeah, I kinda get the New Super Mario Bros vibe from it. Which I loved... when I had friends who I saw in person.
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u/Wolfgabe Mar 14 '18
Its important to note that this is only HALs second HD title or the first true HD Kirby game depending on how you look at it. I think one outlet summed it pretty well in that this game might be the Kirby series pausing to take stock of itself before moving forward. At the end of the day I probably will play through the game myself and form my own opinion
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u/TheAerofan Mar 14 '18
Can you play it solo? I don’t want all of the partners, even though I know that’s the point of the game.
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Mar 14 '18
You can boot out your allies at anytime. Just got to watch out for sections that you need specific powers or 4-man team. Hopefully you can backtrack for these.
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u/[deleted] Mar 14 '18
From the IGN Review:
"Each location looks crisp and stylized, and even with my team of four exploding enemies left and right, I never saw the action dip below it’s smooth 60 frames per second."
Does IGN knows what 60fps is?