Looking at my notes, I finished Vice Project Doom, Kirby's Adventure, and Kirby Super Star all on the same day. They're not particularly long games, but my personal game journal is nothing if not irrefutable documentation that I don't have a life. This is especially chilling to me as Kirby Super Star is multiple Kirby games in one! At least that's what they tell you on the box. In truth, they're all pretty short, and while you'll walk away with a paltry playtime, at least none of them overstay their welcome.
Also this came out in 1996? What's with all these Kirby games coming out so late? Unlike Adventure, I wouldn't describe Super Star as being particularly impressive from a technical standpoint, but it is just about as fun. Overall the game modes here feel a bit half baked, but they're still enjoyable (with the exception of the Great Cave Offensive which stinks.) Milky Way Wishes and Revenge of Meta Knight are the two stand out modes, the former a more traditional Kirby adventure packed with some fun copy abilities, and the latter being a surprisingly exhilarating mode that places anti-work hero Kirby under a time limit to destroy Meta Knights ship before he "puts an end to Dreamland's lazy lifestyle." There's also Spring Breeze, which is an updated yet abridged version of Kirby's Dream Land. I've never played the original Dream Land so I don't have a good point of reference, but I thought this was a decent way to open up the game and I had a pretty good time with it.
There's a few competitive multiplayer modes, and they're fine for what they are, but not something you'll be putting a lot of time into. They're still cute though, and that's just something you can come to rely on with Kirby. Even at the series most lackluster, there's a real love for the character that shines through in how Kirby, his friends, and Dreamland itself are represented.
Kirby Super Star's various modes all toy with different ideas of what Kirby can be, but none of them fully commit in a way that makes those ideas feel as realized as they could be. To make an analogy that I feel is appropriate for Kirby, Super Star is like a buffet. There's a wide range of flavors you can sample, and a few of them are pretty good, but quantity takes priority over taste. Sometimes pigging out at a buffet is exactly what you want though, and if you find yourself in the mood to flit around between some fairly short Kirby themed experiences, you can't really go wrong with Kirby Super Star.
Also this came out in 1996? What's with all these Kirby games coming out so late? Unlike Adventure, I wouldn't describe Super Star as being particularly impressive from a technical standpoint, but it is just about as fun. Overall the game modes here feel a bit half baked, but they're still enjoyable (with the exception of the Great Cave Offensive which stinks.) Milky Way Wishes and Revenge of Meta Knight are the two stand out modes, the former a more traditional Kirby adventure packed with some fun copy abilities, and the latter being a surprisingly exhilarating mode that places anti-work hero Kirby under a time limit to destroy Meta Knights ship before he "puts an end to Dreamland's lazy lifestyle." There's also Spring Breeze, which is an updated yet abridged version of Kirby's Dream Land. I've never played the original Dream Land so I don't have a good point of reference, but I thought this was a decent way to open up the game and I had a pretty good time with it.
There's a few competitive multiplayer modes, and they're fine for what they are, but not something you'll be putting a lot of time into. They're still cute though, and that's just something you can come to rely on with Kirby. Even at the series most lackluster, there's a real love for the character that shines through in how Kirby, his friends, and Dreamland itself are represented.
Kirby Super Star's various modes all toy with different ideas of what Kirby can be, but none of them fully commit in a way that makes those ideas feel as realized as they could be. To make an analogy that I feel is appropriate for Kirby, Super Star is like a buffet. There's a wide range of flavors you can sample, and a few of them are pretty good, but quantity takes priority over taste. Sometimes pigging out at a buffet is exactly what you want though, and if you find yourself in the mood to flit around between some fairly short Kirby themed experiences, you can't really go wrong with Kirby Super Star.