The original Star Stacker is a bland falling blocks game, but this update adds some much-needed spice.
To be fair, the core conceit to Star Stacker was never bad, just very straightforward. It's really quite easy to sandwich stars or other blocks between Animal Friends, so you don't arrive at that same hook you get out of something like frantically searching the board for matches in Panel de Pon. It's the same sort of relative mindlessness and monotony you get out of something like Candy Crush Saga, only with fewer power-ups or aesthetic flourishes to disguise its simplicity. Star Stacker GB may have had some of Dedede's very best animations, plus those nifty splash images of Kirby and friends playing, but little else.
But Super Star Stacker overhauls the experience in a lot of little ways. Most obvious is the game's story mode and the consequential emphasis on competitive. Now you finally have that sense of urgency the original game was largely missing, trying to make combos quickly enough to fill your opponent's well with blocks. Obvious too is the gorgeous new art direction, clearly taking cues from Dream Land 3. And the story, while simple, is fun. I know most people these days are gonna play it in Japanese thanks to Nintendo Switch Online, but I'll be forever grateful I had the opportunity to play a fan translation, which explains Dedede's decision to shoot the little star guy out of the sky as a "brilliant prank".
Admittedly I still don't think much of Super Star Stacker - it's a pretty simple game with little iteration, and for as cute as the story is, it doesn't add much. But given the context of its original release - a download-exclusive title for the Super Famicom - it was all right.
Technically speaking, Gryll remains one of the few Kirby bosses I've never beaten. For a Dural-type boss, it's weirdly easy to get to her, so... maybe I'll beat her some day?
To be fair, the core conceit to Star Stacker was never bad, just very straightforward. It's really quite easy to sandwich stars or other blocks between Animal Friends, so you don't arrive at that same hook you get out of something like frantically searching the board for matches in Panel de Pon. It's the same sort of relative mindlessness and monotony you get out of something like Candy Crush Saga, only with fewer power-ups or aesthetic flourishes to disguise its simplicity. Star Stacker GB may have had some of Dedede's very best animations, plus those nifty splash images of Kirby and friends playing, but little else.
But Super Star Stacker overhauls the experience in a lot of little ways. Most obvious is the game's story mode and the consequential emphasis on competitive. Now you finally have that sense of urgency the original game was largely missing, trying to make combos quickly enough to fill your opponent's well with blocks. Obvious too is the gorgeous new art direction, clearly taking cues from Dream Land 3. And the story, while simple, is fun. I know most people these days are gonna play it in Japanese thanks to Nintendo Switch Online, but I'll be forever grateful I had the opportunity to play a fan translation, which explains Dedede's decision to shoot the little star guy out of the sky as a "brilliant prank".
Admittedly I still don't think much of Super Star Stacker - it's a pretty simple game with little iteration, and for as cute as the story is, it doesn't add much. But given the context of its original release - a download-exclusive title for the Super Famicom - it was all right.
Technically speaking, Gryll remains one of the few Kirby bosses I've never beaten. For a Dural-type boss, it's weirdly easy to get to her, so... maybe I'll beat her some day?