Kirby: Planet Robobot

Genre: Platformer

Players: 1-4 Competitive (Local Wireless), Street Pass Support

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Review:

Kirby: Planet Robobot, released on Nintendo 3DS in 2016, is a family-friendly Platformer that re-uses a lot of the mechanics and gameplay elements from its predecessor, Kirby: Triple Deluxe, while adding a new story about a takeover of Kirby’s home planet by an invading force of robots, as well as a new mech suit that Kirby can get at some points in the game’s levels.

The mech suit here is a fun new addition to the gameplay, but one that doesn’t drastically change the game design too much – the mech can break blocks that Kirby cannot, and it can be powered up by copy abilities independent of Kirby’s own copy ability power-ups. Players will also find points in the levels they’ll be forced to leave it behind, ensuring it’s always only a temporary upgrade. However, while it may be a tad gimmicky, it is nevertheless a lot of fun seeing what new powerful moves the mech suit will get when combined with a different copy ability.

Beyond this, Planet Robobot basically plays like Kirby: Triple Deluxe 2… which isn’t at all a bad thing, as that was a superb Platformer with solid level design and that made great use of the 3DS’s stereoscopic 3D, as does Planet Robobot. On balance, I think I may enjoy Triple Deluxe a tad more as that game’s “supernova” ability felt like more of a natural progression of the series’ gameplay than this game’s mech suit, but honestly both games are superb.;

I suppose I should mention this game’s other game modes, Kirby 3D Rumble and Team Kirby Clash. Kirby 3D Rumble is a fun exploration of Kirby mechanics in 3D that’s unfortunately more focused on fighting enemies in single-screen arenas than in actually being a Platformer, and it can be completed in all of 10 minutes. Team Kirby Clash is a co-op Action-Platformer with RPG elements that has Kirby and friends (either multiplayer via local wireless or computer-controlled AI) fighting boss enemies… though unfortunately the gameplay here feels far too stiff and sluggish to be all that enjoyable. In other words, while these extras are nice, the main attraction here is clearly the core Platformer gameplay.

There is one other thing to mention here – as with Kirby: Triple Deluxe, the presentation in this game is phenomenal, with some really excellent cartoony 3D visuals with great visual design and a top-notch soundtrack, with great new mixes of classic Kirby themes, as well as some new music that fits the series perfectly.

In short, Kirby: Planet Robobot doesn’t really do much to shake up the series’ usual gameplay beyond what we saw in Kirby: Triple Deluxe, but it doesn’t really need to, since the core gameplay here is still excellent. And while on balance I’d still say I enjoyed Triple Deluxe a tad more than this sequel, this is nevertheless still an outstanding Platformer well worth owning on the Nintendo 3DS.

tl;dr – Kirby: Planet Robobot is a family-friendly Platformer that plays like a direct sequel to Kirby: Triple Deluxe, and while it’s not as groundbreaking as its predecessor, it is nevertheless a superb entry in the Kirby series. Its big new gimmick, Kirby’s mech suit, is just that – a gimmick. However, it is still plenty of fun, with solid level design, great core gameplay, and a solid presentation. Kirby fans should definitely get ahold of this one.

Grade: A-

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