Kirby as a concept won me over the second I learned about this impossibly adorable puffball's signature abilities. However, what few Kirby games I tried or watched didn't click with me, I would find them rather insipid when compared to similar games. That was until I gave this one a go. Its potpourri of modes are fun, varied and don't overstay their welcome, and it has sheen up the wazoo. Also, Meta Knightmare Ultra is sick as fuck.

Several of this game's power-ups are glaringly underused, and the potential of those which aren't is seldom tapped into. They could've been that little bit more audacious and revamped most of the game around these unique mechanics, seeing as they could be real game changers. What is more, the game didn't need to be this solid in the first place. The world is arcane (to a fault at times) in terms of gameplay, story and aesthetic. Backtracking was a particularly hazy and wearisome crucible.

Conquering the island of Melanat feels like such an unforeseeable fortune at first, you'd never have an inkling of that. Little by little, exhaustively exploring it while covering all the bases, it dawned on me: I had seen it through. Long live Alexander!

I signed Neymar before it was cool

The Mother series is full of love, from the first melody until it's over. Mother Earth was the first Mother song I remember hearing, it being Ness' and Lucas' victory fanfare in Brawl. Take a Time Passage from 2008 to 2020, Mother being the last game I played in the series. Coincidentally, I beat it the day before my great-grandmother passed away.

This is Metroid 4, the sequel to Super Metroid. It fucks.

The way this game basks in the Pokémon fever it set off makes it the most Pokémon Pokémon game, and consequently one of the most remarkable in my eyes. Pokémon as the game formula we know wasn't meant to be but what the first 2 gens brought to life.

IDM FOREVER

I find it really funny that the friend with and against whom I've played Pokémon Showdown the most is the one I could read without fail in Among Us

When the music switched from Red Heart to Haachama Cooking Song, I felt that. Jokes aside, Mogu Mogu is a highlight, there's a bunch of tight corner ground pound boosts which allow you to breeze past a sweet portion of the level. The fact that each character has their own sound effects is the cherry on top.

Objectively speaking, the best game of all time

The apparent shortcomings of the Game Boy contribute to SR388's eerie vibes in a dumbfounding manner, shining ever darker. I'm glad this game isn't a so-called Metroidvania the way its prequel wanted to be and its sequel transcended as being. I'll take the Metroid every time.

Rex should've made it too but PYRA & MYTHRA I LOVE THEM

I wanted Byleth to make it in eventually and their reveal was so bad it still managed to upset me

This game literally began building the house from the roof, no foundations whatsoever