Kirby Super Star Ultra

Relive the SNES glory days on your DS!

Posted 4 years ago By - Jay Acevedo

Kirby Super Star Ultra for the Nintendo DS is a remake of 1996 SNES “Kirby Super Star” game and while it won’t win huge awards, this new and improved version of a forgotten classic comes in a time where Nintendo fans are patiently waiting for the return of their favourite pink-puffed character. Fear not, this addictive game will not only keep you busy until a true new Kirby arrives but will also make you regret not playing it twelve years ago. Here’s our review.


Gameplay

See, Kirby Super Star was released during the transition from the SNES to N64, so most of the people will think it’s a new game, but it isn’t. Most of the features from the SNES game have been brought back to the DS by Hal Laboratories. No, it’s not a port but see it more as a remake of a true classic. The game is compiled of several separate mini-games, each with their own unique and addictive gameplay elements. One will have you searching for treasure, another will have you find copy pedestals to use abilities rather than inhale foes, and another will pit you against every boss in the game, one at a time.
If you’ve played this game on the SNES, you’ll be happy to know that the original seven adventures and mini-games are making a comeback along are four brand new modes and a few extra mini-games.

Among the returnees there’s The Great Cave Offensive where you have to solve puzzles and collect the 60 different treasures spread throughout the game and Milky Way Wishes where you’ll be unable to copy abilities from enemies and must instead find them hidden throughout the game. Other modes include Helper to Hero, where you fight several bosses one at a time while controlling one of the Helper characters, the TRUE Arena featuring the entire roster of new bosses exclusive to the DS version and Meta Knightmare Ultra, where you traverse all the game’s levels as Kirby’s mysterious sword-wielding nemesis Meta Knight.

On the multiplayer side, Kirby Super Star Ultra offers the option to play all the mini-games cooperatively with up to three friends either with the one cartridge download play feature or with each one having another copy of the game. Both features work very well and add an interesting replay value to the overall Kirby DS experience.

Finally, as most of the platformers delivered by Nintendo on the DS, Kirby Super Star Ultra controls are excellent, intuitive and responsive at all times. Flying, pulling special moves, throwing stuff, everything you used to do with the SNES game is easily doable here. But Kirby Super Star Ultra has one flaw that isn’t major but did get on my nerves. If most of the challenges seem innocent and too easy at times, some of them will be hard to do or complete. The fluctuation of the difficulty levels won’t damper your love for the pink-puffed hero but will discourage you if you’re trying to have a 100% completion rate on the game, which will give you enough replay value.

Graphics & Sounds

Visually, Kirby Super Star Ultra looks pretty much like the original game, only better. Kirby Super Star Ultra starts by showing off its new CG cut-scenes scattered throughout the game, creating a stronger presentation than the SNES could have done during its glorious days. Overall, the colourful aspects of Kirby are all here, graphics are simple but it has this “charm” that is impossible to resist. It doesn’t have to be groundbreaking or over-top presentations, it stays true to his original roots and that’s good enough for me and for every Kirby fan out there.


Like the graphics, a lot of the original audio has also been transferred to the DS version, so fans of the franchise will be in known territory. The music and effects matches the cheerful and colourful world of Kirby as the classic bouncing, flying and inhaling sounds from the cute character can be heard.


Value

Like I said in the gameplay paragraph, having a 100% completion rate it’s the main goal when playing a Kirby game. Although this game is a tad more difficult than some other Kirby titles, the challenge level doesn’t hurt the overall gaming experience and leaves you wanting for more. And since this DS version can be played cooperatively, well, it’s even better. 30$ for this game isn’t too shabby, really.

Conclusion

It sure feels good to see Kirby again. Although the game isn’t an original title, Nintendo has done everything in their power to give the DS players something that they will keep playing for hours, until a new Kirby game hits store shelves. Until then, this one will not only do the trick but will also give you the chance to re-experience a classic game that sadly missed the attention it deserved.

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