as much as this game has its flaws, i do really appreciate everything it goes for. i absolutely love the crayon-esque art style and i wish more games would go for that these days. the heart-star mechanic is fun too, putting a little emotional weight into a fairly standard collectible. i like helping little guys!! (and also samus aran. i guess) dark matter and zero are two of my favourite characters in the franchise, and i love the tonal shift that comes with their inclusion (one of the only kirby characters that's allowed to bleed). the animal friends are a lovely addition too, and i had a blast trying out all the different copy abilities with each of them (kine my beloved<3).

on the other hand, some of the level design can get repetitive at times, especially when it comes to the theming. they could have done more to make each feel unique: i remember them more for the sidequests than anything. alas, i didn't come to a kirby game expecting a super deep experience. the last thing i'll say is that the movement can be a little awkward at times. nothing major, but i find it difficult sometimes to drop through platforms and such.

overall though i loved this game from start to finish. such is the beginning of a new kirby hyperfixation (it's over for me).

way longer than the previous parts, but to make up for it: a solid half hour of gameplay buried in a mountain of shit. there's a sequence near the start and a boss near the end that i think are actually really cool and well done! otherwise, more of the same. catnap is built up to be this huge villain and then doesn't really do that much and then dies. visuals are good. glad to see the return of subtitles so i can actually figure out what's going on. still don't care about the lore though! it's mid

this chapter was a little better? got more story which was still uninteresting but the puzzle designs are kind of neat. green hand my beloved... really really don't like mommy's design and the fact that she sounds straight out of a bad porno. i wish she would stop talking forever. oh well. at least i didn't have to listen because there were no subtitles this time. grappling is absolutely broken, in a bad way. most of the minigames and the final chase (which seems to be a running theme in this franchise) were bullshit, though i liked the part where pugapiller was there. he's my bud. graphics are still great and the death-by-meat-grinder was very cathartic and well-animated.