This is perhaps the most reluctant 4.5 I'll ever give - I really want to give it 5, but there's just a couple problems that keep it from beating Planet Robobot for me.
TL;DR: Kirby transitioned flawlessly into 3D, but I would like to see more done with copy abilities and making the screen a bit easier to see. Fantastic game though, I highly recommend it, I don't think anybody will be disappointed with this.
This game is just a pure and absolute joy - an easy GOTY contender for me along with Elden Ring. Kirby transitioned seamlessly into 3D, which almost no other game series can brag about. Movement is fluid and responsive, and each level is well paced, so the game definitely didn't overstay its welcome. You can easily 100% this game without any sort of guide, which is also nice to see. HAL also heard the complaints about Star Allies lacking content (which it definitely did) and made sure that wasn't the case this time - there's a surprising amount to do, more than any other Kirby game yet, I think. A challenge mode similar to Return to Dream Land is in this game with goal times to shoot for, which was delightfully - well, challenging - to beat in that time. Waddle Dee Town has a number of minigames to do as well, which don't take very long to complete, but are required for 100%, and more are added as you progress through the game and rescue more Waddle Dees. It was just so much fun to see it all come together and come back from a level and find more stuff to do.
However, there are a few flaws about this game. I frequently found myself losing track of Kirby on the screen due to how busy it could get sometimes, and would find myself falling into a pit before I even would realize it. Copy abilities are more limited too - in their variety and movesets both. This is probably because of a combination of the transition to 3D not allowing for the same Smash Bros-esque control scheme Kirby games have had for a while now, as well as to justify upgrading copy abilities. While I liked having upgrades - there were some really cool designs - I think I would have preferred more copy abilities in the game over this. Maybe the workshop could have been used to combine abilities Kirby 64-style to make new ones? The reason why I'm less partial to this system is that previous forms of abilities became redundant the moment you upgraded, and it would have been nice to have a reason to go back, but they're significantly lacking in power compared to the upgraded forms and that was kind of sad to see. The ultimate form of the hammer made every other ability almost useless in comparison, and the ultimate form of the sword did that to the hammer, making every boss fight in this game's True Arena an absolute joke and while it was funny at first, it's a little disappointing in retrospect. Ultimate Sword also had an expanded moveset, and made me wonder why other abilities didn't have that too. Oh well.
Overall, I'm really liking the direction HAL has taken Kirby, continuing to make it one of Nintendo's consistently best games and now it can even compete with 3D Mario. As a longtime Kirby fan since my very young childhood, I'm over the moon.
TL;DR: Kirby transitioned flawlessly into 3D, but I would like to see more done with copy abilities and making the screen a bit easier to see. Fantastic game though, I highly recommend it, I don't think anybody will be disappointed with this.
This game is just a pure and absolute joy - an easy GOTY contender for me along with Elden Ring. Kirby transitioned seamlessly into 3D, which almost no other game series can brag about. Movement is fluid and responsive, and each level is well paced, so the game definitely didn't overstay its welcome. You can easily 100% this game without any sort of guide, which is also nice to see. HAL also heard the complaints about Star Allies lacking content (which it definitely did) and made sure that wasn't the case this time - there's a surprising amount to do, more than any other Kirby game yet, I think. A challenge mode similar to Return to Dream Land is in this game with goal times to shoot for, which was delightfully - well, challenging - to beat in that time. Waddle Dee Town has a number of minigames to do as well, which don't take very long to complete, but are required for 100%, and more are added as you progress through the game and rescue more Waddle Dees. It was just so much fun to see it all come together and come back from a level and find more stuff to do.
However, there are a few flaws about this game. I frequently found myself losing track of Kirby on the screen due to how busy it could get sometimes, and would find myself falling into a pit before I even would realize it. Copy abilities are more limited too - in their variety and movesets both. This is probably because of a combination of the transition to 3D not allowing for the same Smash Bros-esque control scheme Kirby games have had for a while now, as well as to justify upgrading copy abilities. While I liked having upgrades - there were some really cool designs - I think I would have preferred more copy abilities in the game over this. Maybe the workshop could have been used to combine abilities Kirby 64-style to make new ones? The reason why I'm less partial to this system is that previous forms of abilities became redundant the moment you upgraded, and it would have been nice to have a reason to go back, but they're significantly lacking in power compared to the upgraded forms and that was kind of sad to see. The ultimate form of the hammer made every other ability almost useless in comparison, and the ultimate form of the sword did that to the hammer, making every boss fight in this game's True Arena an absolute joke and while it was funny at first, it's a little disappointing in retrospect. Ultimate Sword also had an expanded moveset, and made me wonder why other abilities didn't have that too. Oh well.
Overall, I'm really liking the direction HAL has taken Kirby, continuing to make it one of Nintendo's consistently best games and now it can even compete with 3D Mario. As a longtime Kirby fan since my very young childhood, I'm over the moon.