Cute & lovable pink puffball Kirby is back on Nintendo’s latest console the Switch. In Kirby Star Allies you traverse Dream Land once again to purge it of the darkness possessing it’s citizens conjured up by a mysterious ritual. This time however Kirby has a little help from both friend and foe.

Kirby Star Allies is a 2018 platform game, it is developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo. It is available exclusively on the Nintendo Switch.

Use your Friend Ability to turn foes into allies in Kirby Star Allies.

Before beginning the review I feel that I should mention the fact that Kirby Star Allies is my first time playing a Kirby title, unless of course you count the random playthroughs with the character in Smash. Despite, this it was pretty much what I expected. Kirby isn’t necessarily a difficult game, at least not the most recent entries according to most and ‘Star Allies’ is no different, but Kirby isn’t necessarily about difficulty or challenge. In fact, it’s strongest suit is that it’s a game that’s just meant to be fun and in that regard it most certainly succeeds.

Full of vibrant color and charm, Nintendo’s latest exclusive for the Switch is one which you’ll be investing a ton of time into.

THE GOOD: The first thing that catches your eye about the game is that Kirby Star Allies is a beautifully animated platformer. HAL Labs is no stranger to creating great visuals for their, but with Star Allies it’s a great mix of 2D and traditional 3D art. Even something as simple as fire, ice, and other element effects look absolutely gorgeous. As I previously mentioned Kirby isn’t a particularly difficult video game series, at least not the most recent entries and that’s still true with ‘Star Allies’. However, it more than makes up for a lack of difficulty with it’s ear popping soundtrack, incredible designs, and just plain fun gameplay.

Friends also help Kirby travel the level maps with more advanced group abilities.

THE BAD: Things can get a little too easy, while the target audience is clearly children even the most kid-friendly of games tend to have some difficulty. However in Kirby Star Allies, it feels like you don’t have to do much at all. It also doesn’t help that companion AI is far more advanced than necessary for battle moments. Speaking of companion AI, it’s oddly slow when there’s an environmental puzzle that needs to be solved by certain friend abilities. Granted this is only off by a few seconds, but when it happens as frequently as it does it becomes a bit of an annoyance.

Old friends return to Dream Land.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Kirby Star Allies is fun, full of beautiful art, and has a catchy soundtrack to boot. While it may lack in any real challenge and companion AI in certain situations is off, the overall fun factor more than outweighs it’s few issues. If you’re looking for something simple and enjoyable to play to relax with while on the go then this game definitely takes the top of the list.