Replaying this after playing the original made me realize that Ultra is a really good remake, but I'd put it around the same score due to most of it being the same and due to my opinions on the new main games:
Revenge of the King: I quite like this one. I'm a big Dedede fan and Masked Dedede comes from this but nothing super crazy either. I guess I'm a little biased here but ehhh, more in favour of this game.
Meta Knightmare Ultra: I don't know if this is a hot take or not, but I don't like this one. It's basically NG+ but with Meta Knight and that'd be fine and all but it doesn't feel like enough for me to want to play the game again as weird as it is to say. Galacta Knight is cool though.
Helper to Hero: A good concept but again, not something I particularly love. I mean, playing as the Helpers is pretty cool but I feel like there's more that could've been done rather than a smaller version of The Arena.
The True Arena: Definitely the best one, the harder versions of each boss along with the four new bosses saved for the end makes this a great way to finish off the game.
My opinions on the main games are sort of all over the place, but that doesn't change how well made this game is, I just feel like it's rated a little lower than I would've wanted to after revisiting it, but it's still a fine game nonetheless. Overall, this remake has great qualities to it but the new main games are sort of all over the place for whether I like them or not.
Revenge of the King: I quite like this one. I'm a big Dedede fan and Masked Dedede comes from this but nothing super crazy either. I guess I'm a little biased here but ehhh, more in favour of this game.
Meta Knightmare Ultra: I don't know if this is a hot take or not, but I don't like this one. It's basically NG+ but with Meta Knight and that'd be fine and all but it doesn't feel like enough for me to want to play the game again as weird as it is to say. Galacta Knight is cool though.
Helper to Hero: A good concept but again, not something I particularly love. I mean, playing as the Helpers is pretty cool but I feel like there's more that could've been done rather than a smaller version of The Arena.
The True Arena: Definitely the best one, the harder versions of each boss along with the four new bosses saved for the end makes this a great way to finish off the game.
My opinions on the main games are sort of all over the place, but that doesn't change how well made this game is, I just feel like it's rated a little lower than I would've wanted to after revisiting it, but it's still a fine game nonetheless. Overall, this remake has great qualities to it but the new main games are sort of all over the place for whether I like them or not.
A game stuffed with content, probably one of Kirby's best games out there. The DS version alone has a lot of my playtime due to Helper To Hero.
Peak 2D Kirby. Marx is literally me ðŸ˜ðŸ˜
This was my first Kirby game and I think this was a great intro into the Kirby franchise. Plenty of smaller games to play with tons of different styles and feels. Shorter games, longer games, mini-games, arenas, small levels, big and interconnected worlds, music player, and even something similar to new game+. Plenty of variety and something for everyone. I was a bit sad to learn that other Kirby games did not feature the teammate mechanic, but that’s ok.
Every time I play a Kirby game I'm always blown away by the polish and Super Star Ultra has polish in excess. each ability has a particularly fleshed out moveset compared to prior games with unique but intuitive controls for each, and they're all pretty satisfying to use because of how unreal the visual and sound design is in this game, not to mention how tight and deliberate Kirby's controls are on their own (and Meta Knight is a whole lot of fun in his own right being the Vergil to Kirby's Dante). the attention to detail is unmatched. the music is so cracked it's unfair—i don't think I've heard a better game soundtrack in my life. it's a great example of that infinite Nintendo money put to good use. I only wish it weren't so easy, and that I played it as a kid. play co-op if you can.
This is THE quintessential Kirby game. If someone wants to try just a single Kirby game, you point to this one. Everything that pretty much becomes a mainstay in the franchise most likely stems from this one.
It just plays so well. The difficulty is JUST right and there is the added bonus of drop in Coop. Almost every copy ability is satisfying to use and the artstyle is gorgeous. Level design is some of the best in all of Kirby.
I love how levels are presented as "episodes" each with their own gimmick. Like the the tutorial episode is called Spring Breeze, which is a modern homage to Kirby's Dream Land. Then you have a more traditional Kirby episode like Dynablade. Then the Great Cave Offensive episode which is exploration based, encouraging you to find all treasures before completing the level. My personal favorite is Milky Way Wishes which kind of plays like a Kirby metroidvania that has you exploring planets to find copy abilities as permanent upgrades. All of these episodes hit and absolutely do not miss. It also has the benefit of keeping the game feel fresh all the way through.
The original Super Star is a 9/10 (4.5 stars) as it was almost perfect, but just fell short of having enough content to completely satisfy me. With Kirby Super Star Ultra, it not only comes with better QoL features and visuals, but you have FOUR extra hard hard mode episodes - which easily elevates this game to a perfect score. Having a nice extra CHALLENGING post game with cool unlockables after beating the main game gives Super Star so much more life and is the definitive way to experience this game.
It just plays so well. The difficulty is JUST right and there is the added bonus of drop in Coop. Almost every copy ability is satisfying to use and the artstyle is gorgeous. Level design is some of the best in all of Kirby.
I love how levels are presented as "episodes" each with their own gimmick. Like the the tutorial episode is called Spring Breeze, which is a modern homage to Kirby's Dream Land. Then you have a more traditional Kirby episode like Dynablade. Then the Great Cave Offensive episode which is exploration based, encouraging you to find all treasures before completing the level. My personal favorite is Milky Way Wishes which kind of plays like a Kirby metroidvania that has you exploring planets to find copy abilities as permanent upgrades. All of these episodes hit and absolutely do not miss. It also has the benefit of keeping the game feel fresh all the way through.
The original Super Star is a 9/10 (4.5 stars) as it was almost perfect, but just fell short of having enough content to completely satisfy me. With Kirby Super Star Ultra, it not only comes with better QoL features and visuals, but you have FOUR extra hard hard mode episodes - which easily elevates this game to a perfect score. Having a nice extra CHALLENGING post game with cool unlockables after beating the main game gives Super Star so much more life and is the definitive way to experience this game.