trashh
1990
Note: Played on the Mega Man Legacy Collection.
Disappointment: The Game. After Mega Man 2, I thought the series would reach the same heights, at least in the NES era, but I hoped that it would stay a consistent quality. But no, Mega Man 3 feels like it drops a lot of the features that made 2 so great and tries to make it more like 1, in all the worst ways possible.
Before I complain though, I do wanna give a compliment to the story. This is the first game where there's a slightly more apparent narrative, and by that I mean there's text at the very end, but it's more than we've gotten before. Proto Man is a very cool character and I really hope to see more of him in future games. Also I was not expecting Wily to literally die, though I am curious how he'll come back.
First is the combat. It's alright, but a notable step down. The abilities in this game are less interesting and versatile. I get they couldn't just copy the ones in 2, and it's hard to come up with good concepts, but I don't know man. None of the abilities really stood out. In 2, each had a purpose but they could be used in a variety of situations. Air worked like a shotgun, Wood was a shield that became a powerful projectile, Quick obliterated bosses and groups of enemies, etc. I found myself constantly switching between them to get through levels, not because I had to but because it was fun. In this game though, the abilities just feel clunky. Snake, Gemini, and Spark are good examples of this, being really slow or way to specific to be useful.
The bosses also show a downgrade. In 2, the bosses were easier than in 1, but were more advanced. They also still had weaknesses, but you also could take them down with any weapon you wanted without much trouble. In 3 though, it feels like they just decided to go back to 1's design. If you don't use the ability the boss is weak to, you'll be doing chip damage. The bosses also move super fast in this game, which I generally wouldn't have a problem with if half the abilities didn't move like snails.
The enemies in this game also suck. Some of them are fine, but a lot are really annoying. They decided that in this game, a lot less enemies would die in a single hit. It sounds good on paper, but when these enemies appear as, if not more frequently than one hit enemies, do a shit ton of damage, have annoying movement patters, and are small, than it becomes unbearable. Enemies are also more oftenly placed at annoying spots where you can't hit them well. I can't remember any specifics right now since the game is kinda blending together in my head rn, but I know there's a good few like this.
The level design also feels worse. None of it was particularly fun, and once again it felt more like 1. It's not nearly on the same tier as 1, I never got too angry from the levels themselves, but I certainly wasn't enjoying them as consistently as 2 either. The only stage I remember truly enjoying was the one with the projectors from 2's final boss, which I thought was a fun gimmick that expanded upon the one found in 2. Surprisingly though, I found the Wily levels to be pretty enjoyable. Ignoring the bosses at the end which were pretty consistently annoying, I had a fun time going through the stages, though they were also very very short which played a good part.
I think the part of this game that's easily worse though are those 4 levels that unlock after you beat the main 8 guys, but before the Wily stages. Seeing Mega Man 2 bosses again was kind of neat, but the stages themselves were really bad and boring. They basically slightly remixed the original levels, making them overall more difficult but notably shorter. Also these levels all have 2 bosses in them, so if you get a game over you have to fight all the bosses again. At this point of the game I was save state scumming so it didn't really effect me.
Also, the most disappointing aspect; the music. I didn't realize that 2's composer dipped after that game and never returned to Mega Man, so going into this game and not hearing the same style of incredible music was disappointing. I did like the game's main theme and Proto Man's theme though.
Mega Man 3 is overall a step down. It feels like a worrying setup for how the rest of the NES era is going to go. I really am hoping that they learn from their mistakes and shift more towards a fun and slightly easier but still thrilling experience (also please add the difficulty options back, that was such a random removal).
Disappointment: The Game. After Mega Man 2, I thought the series would reach the same heights, at least in the NES era, but I hoped that it would stay a consistent quality. But no, Mega Man 3 feels like it drops a lot of the features that made 2 so great and tries to make it more like 1, in all the worst ways possible.
Before I complain though, I do wanna give a compliment to the story. This is the first game where there's a slightly more apparent narrative, and by that I mean there's text at the very end, but it's more than we've gotten before. Proto Man is a very cool character and I really hope to see more of him in future games. Also I was not expecting Wily to literally die, though I am curious how he'll come back.
First is the combat. It's alright, but a notable step down. The abilities in this game are less interesting and versatile. I get they couldn't just copy the ones in 2, and it's hard to come up with good concepts, but I don't know man. None of the abilities really stood out. In 2, each had a purpose but they could be used in a variety of situations. Air worked like a shotgun, Wood was a shield that became a powerful projectile, Quick obliterated bosses and groups of enemies, etc. I found myself constantly switching between them to get through levels, not because I had to but because it was fun. In this game though, the abilities just feel clunky. Snake, Gemini, and Spark are good examples of this, being really slow or way to specific to be useful.
The bosses also show a downgrade. In 2, the bosses were easier than in 1, but were more advanced. They also still had weaknesses, but you also could take them down with any weapon you wanted without much trouble. In 3 though, it feels like they just decided to go back to 1's design. If you don't use the ability the boss is weak to, you'll be doing chip damage. The bosses also move super fast in this game, which I generally wouldn't have a problem with if half the abilities didn't move like snails.
The enemies in this game also suck. Some of them are fine, but a lot are really annoying. They decided that in this game, a lot less enemies would die in a single hit. It sounds good on paper, but when these enemies appear as, if not more frequently than one hit enemies, do a shit ton of damage, have annoying movement patters, and are small, than it becomes unbearable. Enemies are also more oftenly placed at annoying spots where you can't hit them well. I can't remember any specifics right now since the game is kinda blending together in my head rn, but I know there's a good few like this.
The level design also feels worse. None of it was particularly fun, and once again it felt more like 1. It's not nearly on the same tier as 1, I never got too angry from the levels themselves, but I certainly wasn't enjoying them as consistently as 2 either. The only stage I remember truly enjoying was the one with the projectors from 2's final boss, which I thought was a fun gimmick that expanded upon the one found in 2. Surprisingly though, I found the Wily levels to be pretty enjoyable. Ignoring the bosses at the end which were pretty consistently annoying, I had a fun time going through the stages, though they were also very very short which played a good part.
I think the part of this game that's easily worse though are those 4 levels that unlock after you beat the main 8 guys, but before the Wily stages. Seeing Mega Man 2 bosses again was kind of neat, but the stages themselves were really bad and boring. They basically slightly remixed the original levels, making them overall more difficult but notably shorter. Also these levels all have 2 bosses in them, so if you get a game over you have to fight all the bosses again. At this point of the game I was save state scumming so it didn't really effect me.
Also, the most disappointing aspect; the music. I didn't realize that 2's composer dipped after that game and never returned to Mega Man, so going into this game and not hearing the same style of incredible music was disappointing. I did like the game's main theme and Proto Man's theme though.
Mega Man 3 is overall a step down. It feels like a worrying setup for how the rest of the NES era is going to go. I really am hoping that they learn from their mistakes and shift more towards a fun and slightly easier but still thrilling experience (also please add the difficulty options back, that was such a random removal).
1989
Note: Played on the Mega Man Legacy Collection.
I had a lot of expectations going into this game. I've heard it be called the greatest game of its era, and to this day it is still plenty of people's favorites. Playing a game with such a legacy can be a little daunting, however overall I think this game lives up to what people say about it.
In every single way, it is an improvement from the original Mega Man. I genuinely cannot think of a single aspect of the game that the original does even slightly better. On every front, Mega Man 2 just dominates. Better level design, better bosses, better abilities, better movement, better graphics, better menus, better music, etc. All of it is just so fucking good.
The combat in this game is a notable step up. While I found it surprisingly good in the original, it's even better here. The levels, enemies, and bosses all compliment the combat perfectly too. And in a twist I never expected, this game almost never cough cough Wily levels cough cough). I never once even felt the urge to use save states, which I admit I used occasionally in the original.
And the music, oh god. I already knew about this game's OST before, and heard many of its tracks. However hearing them all play in context as intended was a truly amazing experience. I could go on for paragraphs about how great it all is, but I think everyone knows how great it is. The only thing I will say is that I really wish the game's composer came back. Learning that he only composed for this game in the entire franchise hurt.
Also, I loved this game's final boss. The Wily Robot 2 was alright, but that Alien fight, got damn. Even though the fight itself was pretty meh, the pure spectacle of it was incredible. Wily seemingly turning into an alien (or a robot as I first thought) and flying around as the background turns into stars flying by at a million miles per hour was incredible. I was not expecting a fight like this to happen at all, nor for it to be as well executed and atmospheric as it was.
This game is obviously not without its flaws however. I think my biggest complaint is easily the Wily levels. Compared to the consistently fun and engaging -Man levels, Wily just left me disappointed. Coherent design is dropped in favor of more Mega Man 1 style levels. The game is still very generous with checkpoints and healing, making it not too bad to go through, but I was still in the end pretty disappointed. If the levels were on par with the rest of the game, this game could easily be a 9/10.
Overall, Mega Man 2 is a great game that deserves its iconic status. I can't imagine playing a game this good back in the NES area, it blows every game from the era out of the water. If you're able to get past a little bit of difficulty, then this game is a must play.
I had a lot of expectations going into this game. I've heard it be called the greatest game of its era, and to this day it is still plenty of people's favorites. Playing a game with such a legacy can be a little daunting, however overall I think this game lives up to what people say about it.
In every single way, it is an improvement from the original Mega Man. I genuinely cannot think of a single aspect of the game that the original does even slightly better. On every front, Mega Man 2 just dominates. Better level design, better bosses, better abilities, better movement, better graphics, better menus, better music, etc. All of it is just so fucking good.
The combat in this game is a notable step up. While I found it surprisingly good in the original, it's even better here. The levels, enemies, and bosses all compliment the combat perfectly too. And in a twist I never expected, this game almost never cough cough Wily levels cough cough). I never once even felt the urge to use save states, which I admit I used occasionally in the original.
And the music, oh god. I already knew about this game's OST before, and heard many of its tracks. However hearing them all play in context as intended was a truly amazing experience. I could go on for paragraphs about how great it all is, but I think everyone knows how great it is. The only thing I will say is that I really wish the game's composer came back. Learning that he only composed for this game in the entire franchise hurt.
Also, I loved this game's final boss. The Wily Robot 2 was alright, but that Alien fight, got damn. Even though the fight itself was pretty meh, the pure spectacle of it was incredible. Wily seemingly turning into an alien (or a robot as I first thought) and flying around as the background turns into stars flying by at a million miles per hour was incredible. I was not expecting a fight like this to happen at all, nor for it to be as well executed and atmospheric as it was.
This game is obviously not without its flaws however. I think my biggest complaint is easily the Wily levels. Compared to the consistently fun and engaging -Man levels, Wily just left me disappointed. Coherent design is dropped in favor of more Mega Man 1 style levels. The game is still very generous with checkpoints and healing, making it not too bad to go through, but I was still in the end pretty disappointed. If the levels were on par with the rest of the game, this game could easily be a 9/10.
Overall, Mega Man 2 is a great game that deserves its iconic status. I can't imagine playing a game this good back in the NES area, it blows every game from the era out of the water. If you're able to get past a little bit of difficulty, then this game is a must play.
1987
Note: Played on the Mega Man Legacy Collection.
I'm going to be honest, I wasn't expecting to like this game in the slightest. I went in with the lowest of expectations and just wanted to push through so I could play Mega Man 2 and beyond. However, I found myself surprised at a pretty decent experience. Nothing that great, but it holds up well to this day.
For the first half of this game I was actually having a lot of fun. For a NES game, I was surprised at how tight the movement, combat, and especially ability switching was. While I think some of the abilities could've been handled a bit better (especially bomb), they still all hold unique purposes in battle. I found myself switching between them a lot more often; changing to Cut to hit groups of enemies, changing to Ice to freeze enemies and jump past, using electric to obliterate everything, etc. This game is most enjoyable when you're jumping from ability to ability, and in that aspect it's fantastic. And as alluded to earlier, switching between abilities is super fast and responsive, especially for an NES game. It takes a second at most.
The visual style is generally great and pretty charming too. All the stages are very unique and have different obstacles and structures to fit their themes, with the most notable being Flame Man's stage being built around more stage hazards rather than actual enemies, which was a nice change of pace.
The stages were generally fun too, though I have some big things to say about them later in the review. For now though, I thought they were decent. In terms of level design, they're pretty well made. Going through them and platforming is pretty fun. I even thought gimmicks like the fire pillars or the dropping platforms were enjoyable. I will say though, I do not like those jumps with roofs; they're just extremely annoying.
Also one final compliment, the game is surprisingly lenient. I was expecting ball crushing NES unfairness, but no the game really helps you out a lot. Specifically with deaths; instead of the game just restarting or some shit, your just sent right back to the start of the stage, with all the abilities you had still available and now fully recharged. The game also gives out a very generous amount of HP and ammo; after any difficult part there's almost always a big heal. I very much appreciated these aspects, and they're probably the main reason I was able to push through the bad.
The music is sadly unnotable. I can't recall a single track from the game. None of it was bad per say, its just that all the tracks were basically kinda just bland. Luckily the series didn't stay like that for much longer.
However, this game is definitely NOT without its flaws. Starting small, I hate the little slide you do while moving. It makes sense during the Ice Man's stage, but it's slightly there at all times and it's slightly aggravating. Secondly,
However, all those prior problems are dwarfed by my biggest issue: the enemies and hazards. Most of them are alright an unnotable. However, there are some that genuinely wanted to make me pull my hair out. Those fucking floating laser robots who shoot you down on ladders, those heads that swoop down in swarms at the worst possible angle where you can never hit them, those helmet guys with the terrible timing... I could go on.
There's also the bosses, who I thought were pretty flawed. I think the bosses having weaknesses to elements was actually a really neat idea. It encourages experimentation and diversity. However, at the same time they also made your normal blaster super weak against bosses, so your first is always guaranteed to be a bit of a slog. And also, some bosses resist abilities, so you have to make sure to use the right one. The ability issue is not the main focus, however, as I think the bosses are generally just badly designed. On almost all of these bosses, you're guaranteed to take damage. Ones like Flame Man and Guts Man are particularly bad; the former being basically impossible to dodge and almost always taking half of your health even with ice spam, and the ladder shaking the ground constantly, causing you to be immobile while he chucks giant boulders at you that are nearly impossible to dodge. Luckily the fights aren't that long, however fighting them again in Wily's tower was pretty painful.
However even then, all of these enemies pale in comparison to the worst: the robot turret platforms. Whoever designed these pieces of trash is a terrible person. First of all, these platforms seem to count as enemies rather than actual platforms, so you can get him by them if you touch them anywhere but the top of their head. Hell, I got hit by them before even if I didn't hit their sides, they're overall just super buggy and inconsistent. Secondly, there's the stupid ass turrets. Just because they though janky ass platforms weren't good enough, they decided to make them shoot out bullets. Luckily these bullets don't do much damage, are slow, small, and are not frequently launched. However that still didn't stop me from being thrown off multiple times by them. And lastly, there's their paths. Rather than giving them a consistent pattern to follow, they decided that the best idea would be to give them paths they could follow, but randomize which direction they went in while on the path. This means that if you're unlucky (if you're like me and had to do this part multiple times just to do it, trust me, it's inevitable), then sometimes you'll just have to sit there for 30+ seconds waiting for the damn platform to move in the direction you want. And not only that, but you also have to pray that the other platform is cooperating too and so happens to line up. And while all of that is happening, you're being shot at constantly and have to jump, and if you even slightly mess up the jump or get hit, then it's instant death.
Now you may be thinking "if there's platforms as annoying as these, surely they can't be that common right?". 14. There are 14 of these damn platforms in the game. And if you think that's a low amount, scroll up to what I just said about the platforms and imagine doing that 14 times without dying. And if you die? Well, you have to do those platforms all over again. I hope you can see now why I genuinely despise these fuckers, and how they single handedly took off an entire point from the game by their mere existence.
Mega Man is overall a decent game. Even for its time, as we would see very soon, it wasn't that great and still had lots of room for improvement. For a first game in an iconic series though, it's a fantastic start that immediately introduces so many of the series' staples.
I'm going to be honest, I wasn't expecting to like this game in the slightest. I went in with the lowest of expectations and just wanted to push through so I could play Mega Man 2 and beyond. However, I found myself surprised at a pretty decent experience. Nothing that great, but it holds up well to this day.
For the first half of this game I was actually having a lot of fun. For a NES game, I was surprised at how tight the movement, combat, and especially ability switching was. While I think some of the abilities could've been handled a bit better (especially bomb), they still all hold unique purposes in battle. I found myself switching between them a lot more often; changing to Cut to hit groups of enemies, changing to Ice to freeze enemies and jump past, using electric to obliterate everything, etc. This game is most enjoyable when you're jumping from ability to ability, and in that aspect it's fantastic. And as alluded to earlier, switching between abilities is super fast and responsive, especially for an NES game. It takes a second at most.
The visual style is generally great and pretty charming too. All the stages are very unique and have different obstacles and structures to fit their themes, with the most notable being Flame Man's stage being built around more stage hazards rather than actual enemies, which was a nice change of pace.
The stages were generally fun too, though I have some big things to say about them later in the review. For now though, I thought they were decent. In terms of level design, they're pretty well made. Going through them and platforming is pretty fun. I even thought gimmicks like the fire pillars or the dropping platforms were enjoyable. I will say though, I do not like those jumps with roofs; they're just extremely annoying.
Also one final compliment, the game is surprisingly lenient. I was expecting ball crushing NES unfairness, but no the game really helps you out a lot. Specifically with deaths; instead of the game just restarting or some shit, your just sent right back to the start of the stage, with all the abilities you had still available and now fully recharged. The game also gives out a very generous amount of HP and ammo; after any difficult part there's almost always a big heal. I very much appreciated these aspects, and they're probably the main reason I was able to push through the bad.
The music is sadly unnotable. I can't recall a single track from the game. None of it was bad per say, its just that all the tracks were basically kinda just bland. Luckily the series didn't stay like that for much longer.
However, this game is definitely NOT without its flaws. Starting small, I hate the little slide you do while moving. It makes sense during the Ice Man's stage, but it's slightly there at all times and it's slightly aggravating. Secondly,
However, all those prior problems are dwarfed by my biggest issue: the enemies and hazards. Most of them are alright an unnotable. However, there are some that genuinely wanted to make me pull my hair out. Those fucking floating laser robots who shoot you down on ladders, those heads that swoop down in swarms at the worst possible angle where you can never hit them, those helmet guys with the terrible timing... I could go on.
There's also the bosses, who I thought were pretty flawed. I think the bosses having weaknesses to elements was actually a really neat idea. It encourages experimentation and diversity. However, at the same time they also made your normal blaster super weak against bosses, so your first is always guaranteed to be a bit of a slog. And also, some bosses resist abilities, so you have to make sure to use the right one. The ability issue is not the main focus, however, as I think the bosses are generally just badly designed. On almost all of these bosses, you're guaranteed to take damage. Ones like Flame Man and Guts Man are particularly bad; the former being basically impossible to dodge and almost always taking half of your health even with ice spam, and the ladder shaking the ground constantly, causing you to be immobile while he chucks giant boulders at you that are nearly impossible to dodge. Luckily the fights aren't that long, however fighting them again in Wily's tower was pretty painful.
However even then, all of these enemies pale in comparison to the worst: the robot turret platforms. Whoever designed these pieces of trash is a terrible person. First of all, these platforms seem to count as enemies rather than actual platforms, so you can get him by them if you touch them anywhere but the top of their head. Hell, I got hit by them before even if I didn't hit their sides, they're overall just super buggy and inconsistent. Secondly, there's the stupid ass turrets. Just because they though janky ass platforms weren't good enough, they decided to make them shoot out bullets. Luckily these bullets don't do much damage, are slow, small, and are not frequently launched. However that still didn't stop me from being thrown off multiple times by them. And lastly, there's their paths. Rather than giving them a consistent pattern to follow, they decided that the best idea would be to give them paths they could follow, but randomize which direction they went in while on the path. This means that if you're unlucky (if you're like me and had to do this part multiple times just to do it, trust me, it's inevitable), then sometimes you'll just have to sit there for 30+ seconds waiting for the damn platform to move in the direction you want. And not only that, but you also have to pray that the other platform is cooperating too and so happens to line up. And while all of that is happening, you're being shot at constantly and have to jump, and if you even slightly mess up the jump or get hit, then it's instant death.
Now you may be thinking "if there's platforms as annoying as these, surely they can't be that common right?". 14. There are 14 of these damn platforms in the game. And if you think that's a low amount, scroll up to what I just said about the platforms and imagine doing that 14 times without dying. And if you die? Well, you have to do those platforms all over again. I hope you can see now why I genuinely despise these fuckers, and how they single handedly took off an entire point from the game by their mere existence.
Mega Man is overall a decent game. Even for its time, as we would see very soon, it wasn't that great and still had lots of room for improvement. For a first game in an iconic series though, it's a fantastic start that immediately introduces so many of the series' staples.
Mother 1 was a very pleasant surprise. I wasn't going in expecting much, but I came out loving it. Objectively speaking this game isn't all that good. Annoying random encounters with no consistency, annoying enemies with incredibly tough skills (ESPECIALLY later ones), excruciating death mechanics, and overall really cryptic and hard to figure out what to do. However idk man, I just love this game a lot.
First off, the gameplay itself. This game is surprisingly open. You can really go anywhere if you know how, though chances are you'll be obliterated by tougher enemies if you stray too far off the path. You can bypass some sections though, most notably I'm pretty sure you can get Ana before Lloyd by simply going through the train tunnels, which have really powerful enemies, but honestly they're not that bad.
The overall exploration is fun too. While there's not too much to find, you'll still be rewarded by checking wherever you can. The map you have always hints you on what you can find, but never guides you explicitly.
This one is a bit harder to describe, but I really like the world interaction with this game. It incorporates minor things to make this game include the minor inconveniences of life but in a way I enjoyed, like having to scan your card every time you use the ATM, having to budget your limited allowance from your father while also making sure not to carry to much in the event of death, or managing items with the little pocket space you have. I found these things pretty charming and immersive without ever getting annoying, though obviously I wouldn't want every RPG to do this exact same thing.
And of course, there's combat. Outside of the actual engagement process of battles, which I think is a tad obnoxious and annoying, the combat itself is really good. It starts out simple, but the addition of buffs and debuffs, PSI, items, and others add a lot to the combat. You're given so many choices for every battle, though it does somewhat make me wish there were more bosses. I never felt there was a true test of skill; even the final boss is basically just an endurance test where you don't actually fight.
Next is the story. I did enjoy it, though I do think it could've been paced better. You basically don't learn anything about what's truly happening until you get EVE, where the story and lore explode all at once.
I really loved the characters though. There's not much to them but they're all really enjoyable for what you do get from them. Hell, some of them have decent motivations too. Teddie in particular I liked. He's the leader of the BB gang in Ellay (haha), however after a sick dance routine from your party, he bursts into the club and tries fighting Ninten one on one, where he gets defeated,only to join Ninten out of respect (right before he kicks Lloyd out of the party for being a nerd) and wanting to avenge his parents who died on Mt. Itoi. However during your time with him, he grows more and more attached to your group, until he gets accidently shot by Lloyd in a tank while trying to save the group, and then was hospitalized. It was pretty sad seeing him bedridden, and the somber theme didn't help.
There's also the general cast outside the main one, which is great. The game is filled with lots of great and funny dialogue. Despite this game's very janky dialogue, I still really enjoyed it.
This game is also surprisingly atmospheric and emotional. There's the Teddy stuff I mentioned above, but there's also shit like Youngtown, which is a village of children who are all sad and crying because their parents were abducted by Giegue. The older kids are trying to calm them down and take responsibility, but even they're terrified of the idea of never seeing their parents again. The song in the village really helps too.
Finally, there's the soundtrack, and holy shit is it amazing. It's one of my favorites of all time now. There's so many songs that go unnecessarily hard for what they are. The second half of the factory theme in particular always hits me deep, it's a scarily fantastic part in an otherwise decent track. I'm going to stop here since I don't want to just list off tracks for 5 paragraphs, but trust me this ost is fantastic.
Overall, this game is heavily flawed. It really shows its age in a lot of areas, and because of that I'm giving it a 7/10, since i like my scores to be as objective and understanding as possible. However, to me personally, this game is special. It's easily my favorite NES game, and I think it'll be a hard bar to top. If you can get over old JRPG jank, then I highly suggest this underrated gem.
Edit: You know what? Fuck it, bias over objectivity, I'm changing my score to a 9!!!
First off, the gameplay itself. This game is surprisingly open. You can really go anywhere if you know how, though chances are you'll be obliterated by tougher enemies if you stray too far off the path. You can bypass some sections though, most notably I'm pretty sure you can get Ana before Lloyd by simply going through the train tunnels, which have really powerful enemies, but honestly they're not that bad.
The overall exploration is fun too. While there's not too much to find, you'll still be rewarded by checking wherever you can. The map you have always hints you on what you can find, but never guides you explicitly.
This one is a bit harder to describe, but I really like the world interaction with this game. It incorporates minor things to make this game include the minor inconveniences of life but in a way I enjoyed, like having to scan your card every time you use the ATM, having to budget your limited allowance from your father while also making sure not to carry to much in the event of death, or managing items with the little pocket space you have. I found these things pretty charming and immersive without ever getting annoying, though obviously I wouldn't want every RPG to do this exact same thing.
And of course, there's combat. Outside of the actual engagement process of battles, which I think is a tad obnoxious and annoying, the combat itself is really good. It starts out simple, but the addition of buffs and debuffs, PSI, items, and others add a lot to the combat. You're given so many choices for every battle, though it does somewhat make me wish there were more bosses. I never felt there was a true test of skill; even the final boss is basically just an endurance test where you don't actually fight.
Next is the story. I did enjoy it, though I do think it could've been paced better. You basically don't learn anything about what's truly happening until you get EVE, where the story and lore explode all at once.
I really loved the characters though. There's not much to them but they're all really enjoyable for what you do get from them. Hell, some of them have decent motivations too. Teddie in particular I liked. He's the leader of the BB gang in Ellay (haha), however after a sick dance routine from your party, he bursts into the club and tries fighting Ninten one on one, where he gets defeated,only to join Ninten out of respect (right before he kicks Lloyd out of the party for being a nerd) and wanting to avenge his parents who died on Mt. Itoi. However during your time with him, he grows more and more attached to your group, until he gets accidently shot by Lloyd in a tank while trying to save the group, and then was hospitalized. It was pretty sad seeing him bedridden, and the somber theme didn't help.
There's also the general cast outside the main one, which is great. The game is filled with lots of great and funny dialogue. Despite this game's very janky dialogue, I still really enjoyed it.
This game is also surprisingly atmospheric and emotional. There's the Teddy stuff I mentioned above, but there's also shit like Youngtown, which is a village of children who are all sad and crying because their parents were abducted by Giegue. The older kids are trying to calm them down and take responsibility, but even they're terrified of the idea of never seeing their parents again. The song in the village really helps too.
Finally, there's the soundtrack, and holy shit is it amazing. It's one of my favorites of all time now. There's so many songs that go unnecessarily hard for what they are. The second half of the factory theme in particular always hits me deep, it's a scarily fantastic part in an otherwise decent track. I'm going to stop here since I don't want to just list off tracks for 5 paragraphs, but trust me this ost is fantastic.
Overall, this game is heavily flawed. It really shows its age in a lot of areas, and because of that I'm giving it a 7/10, since i like my scores to be as objective and understanding as possible. However, to me personally, this game is special. It's easily my favorite NES game, and I think it'll be a hard bar to top. If you can get over old JRPG jank, then I highly suggest this underrated gem.
Edit: You know what? Fuck it, bias over objectivity, I'm changing my score to a 9!!!
2021
The only reason I tried out this game in the first place was just leave a negative review because of the company, which if you don't know, I suggest looking it up on YouTube. But anyways, I decided to try it out after noticing they made it free to give it a fair shot, since I'm like that with games. It still sucked.
It's probably one of the most soulless, corporate production line games I've ever played. Even the likes of EA and mobile game companies would be appalled and look down upon the idea of putting a merch link directly on the title screen.
As for the game itself, the gameplay seems fun at first but it get really repetitive really fast, which is funny considering the chapter only lasts 30 minutes. I like the idea of the puzzles but they just don't really do anything with them. Though maybe the gameplay would be better if this game wasn't complete jank. Terrible physics, multiple clipping issues, and the hand things feel horrible to use, they never do what you want. The last puzzle in particular is heavily brought down by this.
And there's the chase scene, which is meant to be the climax and highlight of the chapter but I could barely get through it due to an annoying use of invisible walls everywhere. There's some paths you should just straight up be able to go through but because the game doesn't want you to there's an invisible wall, which leads to an annoying segment that drags on. I get that the confusion was probably the point, but there's better ways to do that, like having more winding hallways or putting what may seem like paths on first glance but they're actually blocked vents, or something like that.
And speaking of the chase scene, there's the titular Poppy Playtime himself, who is just a really boring and bland design that is so painfully obviously made with the sole intention of being sold as a toy. Outside of the somewhat threatening height, there isn't a single aspect of his design that's interesting or scary in the slightest. He feels like the embodiment of every mascot horror character of the past decade, but at least characters like Bendy or Baldi have unique memorable aspects and styles that make them memorable; Poppy is just a cardboard cutout to push out as a mascot of the game. The only part I liked about him were his animations, but I'll get to that later.
This game also just has a really uninteresting world and story to me. Maybe it's because I'm tired of this FNaF type of story telling, but this game doesn't try to do anything different from those games, just another big business with a shady secret below the surface that involves dead children for some reason. I get it's subjective, but it's nothing I've never seen before.
The only compliment I can give is that the visual design of this game is overall pretty good. Great models, textures, animations, and I like the look of the factory as a whole. Sucks none of this artistic value is applied to the rest of the game.
Overall just don't play this game. I'm glad I waited to play so I didn't have to send a single cent of cash towards MOB Games. Speaking of that, I find it hilarious that they made Chapter 2 $10 dollars despite promising the future chapters would be $5, completely screwing over people who bought the game beforehand. Good sign of a company that respects its audience.
It's probably one of the most soulless, corporate production line games I've ever played. Even the likes of EA and mobile game companies would be appalled and look down upon the idea of putting a merch link directly on the title screen.
As for the game itself, the gameplay seems fun at first but it get really repetitive really fast, which is funny considering the chapter only lasts 30 minutes. I like the idea of the puzzles but they just don't really do anything with them. Though maybe the gameplay would be better if this game wasn't complete jank. Terrible physics, multiple clipping issues, and the hand things feel horrible to use, they never do what you want. The last puzzle in particular is heavily brought down by this.
And there's the chase scene, which is meant to be the climax and highlight of the chapter but I could barely get through it due to an annoying use of invisible walls everywhere. There's some paths you should just straight up be able to go through but because the game doesn't want you to there's an invisible wall, which leads to an annoying segment that drags on. I get that the confusion was probably the point, but there's better ways to do that, like having more winding hallways or putting what may seem like paths on first glance but they're actually blocked vents, or something like that.
And speaking of the chase scene, there's the titular Poppy Playtime himself, who is just a really boring and bland design that is so painfully obviously made with the sole intention of being sold as a toy. Outside of the somewhat threatening height, there isn't a single aspect of his design that's interesting or scary in the slightest. He feels like the embodiment of every mascot horror character of the past decade, but at least characters like Bendy or Baldi have unique memorable aspects and styles that make them memorable; Poppy is just a cardboard cutout to push out as a mascot of the game. The only part I liked about him were his animations, but I'll get to that later.
This game also just has a really uninteresting world and story to me. Maybe it's because I'm tired of this FNaF type of story telling, but this game doesn't try to do anything different from those games, just another big business with a shady secret below the surface that involves dead children for some reason. I get it's subjective, but it's nothing I've never seen before.
The only compliment I can give is that the visual design of this game is overall pretty good. Great models, textures, animations, and I like the look of the factory as a whole. Sucks none of this artistic value is applied to the rest of the game.
Overall just don't play this game. I'm glad I waited to play so I didn't have to send a single cent of cash towards MOB Games. Speaking of that, I find it hilarious that they made Chapter 2 $10 dollars despite promising the future chapters would be $5, completely screwing over people who bought the game beforehand. Good sign of a company that respects its audience.
This review contains spoilers
Note: Originally finished on 12/21/2018 with a score of 7/10. Didn't write a review for that playthrough.
~~~~~~~
"Gurren Lagann but good"
Out of every Kirby game I've been marathoning, Planet Robobot was easily the one I was most excited to revisit. While I remember enjoying it on my first playthrough, I didn't think it was anything particularly amazing. However after replaying it, I easily understand why this game is so beloved. Though, I do think it falls shorts in some areas.
The gameplay is as good as ever, basically no differences from Triple Deluxe, with one major addition: the Robobot gimmick. I actually really love this gimmick, it's easily the best of them from Modern Kirby. It takes a step back from the flashiness and goes fully into gameplay. You'd think half the stages using the armor would get old, but no it stays consistently interesting. The copy abilities are all implemented in interesting ways, and there's unique puzzles every single time. There's also racing levels with the Wheel robot and side shooters with the Jet robot, which are both great. The Robobot armor made the game much more fun to go through overall.
The bosses in this game are a mixed bags full of peaks and valleys. Some of these bosses were pretty disappointing: Susie and Haltmann being essentially the same fight, fighting Meta Knight basically 4 times, half of bosses from the API fight being just exact copies from Triple Deluxe, literally just copy and pasting the Queen Sectonia fight with one new attack, and Galacta Knight being the exact same as his RtDL fight with only a new attack or two. However, these down points are made up for by some of the best fights in the entire series. Clanky Woods, the D3, Haltmann, every single Star Dream phase (including Star Dream Soul OS), and fucking DARK MATTER??? Just some incredibly made fights. Star Dream in particular is easily the best final boss in any Kirby game, bar none. The atmosphere, music, scale, visuals, lore... just everything about the fight is amazing. I especially loved the use of the title screen music for the final phase, it genuinely sent chills down my spine. Also, the return of the shooter style from Crystal Shards was so cool to see too, and I'm glad they utilized it in the best way possible (especially since I didn't enjoy it that much in that game).
Also side note on the bosses, the Arena and True Arena were great too. I liked the more creative approach to it, not only having a set order on the bosses to call back to the older Boss Endurances, but having healing only available with the single inventory slot was a neat idea too, which made the True Arena much more thrilling. This is probably the hardest Arena I've gone through so far. (Though I will say, beating Star Dream Soul for the first time with no abilities only to die to the final attack due to me not expecting there to not be invincibility frames after getting hit was kinda annoying. I didn't mind going through it again though since the True Arena is really fun, but this felt like an oversight since I literally didn't have time to dodge due to the hit animation.)
As usual, this game is aesthetically great. Fantastic music, visuals, and great level variety. The levels follow more generic themes ala RtDL, but the robotic theme makes them feel so unique. The ocean world in particular surprisingly had some of my favorite ideas, with it taking place on a harbor, before you go underground to this awesome glass bottle city. Also bonus points for the casino levels, I love casinos in games.
The last thing I want to mention is the story. While I think the story is really good, especially for a Kirby game, I think there's flaws in how it was told. A lot of the story just didn't make sense to me until I read the Miiverse posts, which spells out a lot of the story in this game. I'm glad they kept their mouth shut about the Nova though, since it's a fun thing to speculate about.
Overall, Planet Robobot is a truly fantastic game. While it definitely has some big flaws, it also has the highest peaks in the series. I don't think it's possible to get much better with 2D Kirby than with this game.
"Gurren Lagann but good"
Out of every Kirby game I've been marathoning, Planet Robobot was easily the one I was most excited to revisit. While I remember enjoying it on my first playthrough, I didn't think it was anything particularly amazing. However after replaying it, I easily understand why this game is so beloved. Though, I do think it falls shorts in some areas.
The gameplay is as good as ever, basically no differences from Triple Deluxe, with one major addition: the Robobot gimmick. I actually really love this gimmick, it's easily the best of them from Modern Kirby. It takes a step back from the flashiness and goes fully into gameplay. You'd think half the stages using the armor would get old, but no it stays consistently interesting. The copy abilities are all implemented in interesting ways, and there's unique puzzles every single time. There's also racing levels with the Wheel robot and side shooters with the Jet robot, which are both great. The Robobot armor made the game much more fun to go through overall.
The bosses in this game are a mixed bags full of peaks and valleys. Some of these bosses were pretty disappointing: Susie and Haltmann being essentially the same fight, fighting Meta Knight basically 4 times, half of bosses from the API fight being just exact copies from Triple Deluxe, literally just copy and pasting the Queen Sectonia fight with one new attack, and Galacta Knight being the exact same as his RtDL fight with only a new attack or two. However, these down points are made up for by some of the best fights in the entire series. Clanky Woods, the D3, Haltmann, every single Star Dream phase (including Star Dream Soul OS), and fucking DARK MATTER??? Just some incredibly made fights. Star Dream in particular is easily the best final boss in any Kirby game, bar none. The atmosphere, music, scale, visuals, lore... just everything about the fight is amazing. I especially loved the use of the title screen music for the final phase, it genuinely sent chills down my spine. Also, the return of the shooter style from Crystal Shards was so cool to see too, and I'm glad they utilized it in the best way possible (especially since I didn't enjoy it that much in that game).
Also side note on the bosses, the Arena and True Arena were great too. I liked the more creative approach to it, not only having a set order on the bosses to call back to the older Boss Endurances, but having healing only available with the single inventory slot was a neat idea too, which made the True Arena much more thrilling. This is probably the hardest Arena I've gone through so far. (Though I will say, beating Star Dream Soul for the first time with no abilities only to die to the final attack due to me not expecting there to not be invincibility frames after getting hit was kinda annoying. I didn't mind going through it again though since the True Arena is really fun, but this felt like an oversight since I literally didn't have time to dodge due to the hit animation.)
As usual, this game is aesthetically great. Fantastic music, visuals, and great level variety. The levels follow more generic themes ala RtDL, but the robotic theme makes them feel so unique. The ocean world in particular surprisingly had some of my favorite ideas, with it taking place on a harbor, before you go underground to this awesome glass bottle city. Also bonus points for the casino levels, I love casinos in games.
The last thing I want to mention is the story. While I think the story is really good, especially for a Kirby game, I think there's flaws in how it was told. A lot of the story just didn't make sense to me until I read the Miiverse posts, which spells out a lot of the story in this game. I'm glad they kept their mouth shut about the Nova though, since it's a fun thing to speculate about.
Overall, Planet Robobot is a truly fantastic game. While it definitely has some big flaws, it also has the highest peaks in the series. I don't think it's possible to get much better with 2D Kirby than with this game.
2014
Great game, but probably the least notable modern Kirby game. There's nothing all too special about it. I thought the stages were quite creative, and the general gameplay was fun.
The bosses are a step up, however there's no real stand outs, outside of the ones in the True Arena. I'm glad they've kept the design to allow for Normal Kirby play, and hell it actually feels like they gave even more opportunities for Kirby to attack in this game.
The gimmick is really uninteresting too. It's literally just a big inhale. The other abilities all have at least some variety or incorporate Kirby's normal abilities into the mix; this one is literally a single button. Outside of a few neat puzzles, it's lame. It overall has around the same use as the super abilities from RtDL, but idk it just felt underwhelming.
DeDeDe Tour is a huge step up from the extra mode in RtDL though. Rather than just playing through the entire game all over again and having to get all of the collectibles again, it puts all the stages into a fun remix mode where you play as Dedede and try to beat every stage in the game as fast as possible, with shortcuts that leap you to the next level if you can find them. Dark Meta Knight (and the overall incorporation of the mirror from Amazing Mirror) was a nice surprise too.
The True Arena is good as always, if not better. This is the first True Arena so far that I've truly struggled on with no copy ability, it took me at least 10-15 tries. The Soul of Sectonia fight, which is easily my favorite in the game, was a complete surprise to me. I had no idea this was in the game, and it was a great fight. I loved all of the Drawcia Soul callbacks, despite the strange connection.
The side games are alright. Kirby Fighters is a fun concept but holy shit, doing it on Very Hard was genuinely aggravating. All the other Kirbys are OP so you kinda have to run until you're given a good opportunity, but they always chase you down so you almost never can. The only fun part was Shadow Kirby, who was very well balanced and a fun challenge, not a broken headache like the rest of the levels. DeDeDe Drum Dash exists, it's just not for me though.
The story was one of the better aspects of this game, and was surprisingly sad. I didn't expect to care much for Taranza but his story is depressing and I hope the best for him (and Sectonia but she's dead so)
One last thing, the music was surprisingly underwhelming. Outside of a stage theme or two and Sectonia's battle themes, I didn't really care for any of the songs in this game, which sucks. None of them were bad obviously, it's just that none stuck out.
Overall, Kirby Triple Deluxe is a good game, but compared to what came before and especially after, it really didn't do anything that special. It might be a solid starting place for new fans, but even then I feel there's much better fitting games for that.
The bosses are a step up, however there's no real stand outs, outside of the ones in the True Arena. I'm glad they've kept the design to allow for Normal Kirby play, and hell it actually feels like they gave even more opportunities for Kirby to attack in this game.
The gimmick is really uninteresting too. It's literally just a big inhale. The other abilities all have at least some variety or incorporate Kirby's normal abilities into the mix; this one is literally a single button. Outside of a few neat puzzles, it's lame. It overall has around the same use as the super abilities from RtDL, but idk it just felt underwhelming.
DeDeDe Tour is a huge step up from the extra mode in RtDL though. Rather than just playing through the entire game all over again and having to get all of the collectibles again, it puts all the stages into a fun remix mode where you play as Dedede and try to beat every stage in the game as fast as possible, with shortcuts that leap you to the next level if you can find them. Dark Meta Knight (and the overall incorporation of the mirror from Amazing Mirror) was a nice surprise too.
The True Arena is good as always, if not better. This is the first True Arena so far that I've truly struggled on with no copy ability, it took me at least 10-15 tries. The Soul of Sectonia fight, which is easily my favorite in the game, was a complete surprise to me. I had no idea this was in the game, and it was a great fight. I loved all of the Drawcia Soul callbacks, despite the strange connection.
The side games are alright. Kirby Fighters is a fun concept but holy shit, doing it on Very Hard was genuinely aggravating. All the other Kirbys are OP so you kinda have to run until you're given a good opportunity, but they always chase you down so you almost never can. The only fun part was Shadow Kirby, who was very well balanced and a fun challenge, not a broken headache like the rest of the levels. DeDeDe Drum Dash exists, it's just not for me though.
The story was one of the better aspects of this game, and was surprisingly sad. I didn't expect to care much for Taranza but his story is depressing and I hope the best for him (and Sectonia but she's dead so)
One last thing, the music was surprisingly underwhelming. Outside of a stage theme or two and Sectonia's battle themes, I didn't really care for any of the songs in this game, which sucks. None of them were bad obviously, it's just that none stuck out.
Overall, Kirby Triple Deluxe is a good game, but compared to what came before and especially after, it really didn't do anything that special. It might be a solid starting place for new fans, but even then I feel there's much better fitting games for that.
Really great game. The general gameplay is as fun as ever, and the gimmick is a little fun too though I wish it could've been explored more and had a little more challenge to it. The bosses are a notable step up, especially the EX forms. This is the first game since like The Crystal Shards that actually feels like its bosses were designed with using vanilla Kirby in mind, and honestly the bosses are a lot better that way. This is the first game since the aforementioned Crystal Shards where I beat The True Arena without any copy abilities, and it was super satisfying.
The story and characters start to get fun here too. While Magolor is obviously meant to be a callback to Marx, I feel like his betrayal felt more personal here. Marx just kind of tells you to save Popstar and then comes in last minute, while Magolor is here from start to finish, and you can even talk to him and he seems really friendly every time. I also love how during this entire game, we're literally just helping the villain out. And then a bit later, you fight the Lor Starcutter, which uses each piece you saved as a different attack, which is honestly one of my favorite fights in the entire Kirby series so far. And the thing is, that fight is just one part in the entire fantastic finale. After this game and Forgotten Land, I've realized just how good Kumazaki is at making an incredibly satisfying ending, and judging by the other games this trend continues and will continue for as long as Kumazaki is director.
Few other things, the side modes are generally pretty fun too. The Arenas are as great as ever, the two minigames are actually really fun and my favorite so far, and the copy ability trials are fun but damn are they hard to get a good score in. Learning that there was a platinum metal after spending hours to get all gold was painful.
The music is as good as ever, shout outs to the Another Dimension theme, it goes so hard. This is the first game where I think the backgrounds start to truly shine as well. One of the most underrated parts of the 2D Kumazaki games is the game's visuals, especially the backgrounds, and this game is a fantastic showcase why. Each one of them are beautifully designed, and it's kinda sad that they put so much effort into a beautiful background as you never get to see it much, but I also appreciate that they still put so much effort into them besides that. If you wanna see them better, I HIGHLY suggest going to noclip.website so you can see them for yourselves, they're incredible even outside the game.
However, that brings me into my main complaint with the game, that being the extra mode. On paper, I love extra mode. A more difficult remixed version of the main story with completely reworked bosses and 1 or 2 new ones. Great! However, the problem comes with how it works. For whatever reason, this mode does not carry over any collectibles or scores from the main story. You have to collect all of the Energy Spheres again, and you have to redo all of the ability stages and the minigames. Why??? When I realized this I immediately lost motivation to continue, but I pushed through purely for the True Arena, which was very much worth it, but god this was just annoying. I understand this is a replay thing, however it locks bosses behind the True Arena, which you can only unlock if you beat the entire mode. I would've given this game a high 8 or even a low 9, but this entire mode spoiled the game slightly for me. I would've had no problems if the Energy Spheres were taken out, but no. They literally just copy and pasted them all from the main story with no differences.
Overall, I truly love this game. I will acknowledge that I have slight bias for this game due to it being my childhood Kirby game, however I think I provided enough specific reasons why I like (and dislike) this game to justify my feelings. This game is a great starting Kirby game and will introduce you to most of what makes the Kirby games so beloved by its fans.
The story and characters start to get fun here too. While Magolor is obviously meant to be a callback to Marx, I feel like his betrayal felt more personal here. Marx just kind of tells you to save Popstar and then comes in last minute, while Magolor is here from start to finish, and you can even talk to him and he seems really friendly every time. I also love how during this entire game, we're literally just helping the villain out. And then a bit later, you fight the Lor Starcutter, which uses each piece you saved as a different attack, which is honestly one of my favorite fights in the entire Kirby series so far. And the thing is, that fight is just one part in the entire fantastic finale. After this game and Forgotten Land, I've realized just how good Kumazaki is at making an incredibly satisfying ending, and judging by the other games this trend continues and will continue for as long as Kumazaki is director.
Few other things, the side modes are generally pretty fun too. The Arenas are as great as ever, the two minigames are actually really fun and my favorite so far, and the copy ability trials are fun but damn are they hard to get a good score in. Learning that there was a platinum metal after spending hours to get all gold was painful.
The music is as good as ever, shout outs to the Another Dimension theme, it goes so hard. This is the first game where I think the backgrounds start to truly shine as well. One of the most underrated parts of the 2D Kumazaki games is the game's visuals, especially the backgrounds, and this game is a fantastic showcase why. Each one of them are beautifully designed, and it's kinda sad that they put so much effort into a beautiful background as you never get to see it much, but I also appreciate that they still put so much effort into them besides that. If you wanna see them better, I HIGHLY suggest going to noclip.website so you can see them for yourselves, they're incredible even outside the game.
However, that brings me into my main complaint with the game, that being the extra mode. On paper, I love extra mode. A more difficult remixed version of the main story with completely reworked bosses and 1 or 2 new ones. Great! However, the problem comes with how it works. For whatever reason, this mode does not carry over any collectibles or scores from the main story. You have to collect all of the Energy Spheres again, and you have to redo all of the ability stages and the minigames. Why??? When I realized this I immediately lost motivation to continue, but I pushed through purely for the True Arena, which was very much worth it, but god this was just annoying. I understand this is a replay thing, however it locks bosses behind the True Arena, which you can only unlock if you beat the entire mode. I would've given this game a high 8 or even a low 9, but this entire mode spoiled the game slightly for me. I would've had no problems if the Energy Spheres were taken out, but no. They literally just copy and pasted them all from the main story with no differences.
Overall, I truly love this game. I will acknowledge that I have slight bias for this game due to it being my childhood Kirby game, however I think I provided enough specific reasons why I like (and dislike) this game to justify my feelings. This game is a great starting Kirby game and will introduce you to most of what makes the Kirby games so beloved by its fans.
This review contains spoilers
Really great game. A culmination of every game that's come before it, resulting in one of the best Kirby games ever. Gameplay is incredibly smooth (though I still slightly prefer the movement of the Flagship games), the abilities are expanded and have a lot more to them, the collections of games are all fun with unique gimmicks to keep them interesting, the bosses are good and have some of the best in the series, and overall the game just has so much charm to it.
I can truly appreciate this game for all it's done and how much it's influenced the Kirby series; and I mean both the original Super Star and the additions in Ultra. The expanded abilities, the Halberd, Marx, Novas, and much more all came from the original, while Masked Dedede, Galacta Knight, The TRUE Arena (and the general difficulty of the mode), and the Soul bosses (Canvas Curse did do a soul boss first, but this was the first game to put in in a mainline game and make it more "final boss but harder and with more moves" rather than "completely original sentient ball fight", though the latter would continue to return in later games) all came from Ultra.
Also final note, this is the first Kirby game in the series where I truly went out of my way to get 100%. I had fun the entire time, and beating Marx Soul for the first time was incredibly satisfying. Also, shout out to Blade Knight for sticking with me all the way through Meta Knightmare Ultra without leaving me once. You deserve more attention.
Overall, this game is really good. Even if you're not a Kirby fan, this game is very much worth checking out.
I can truly appreciate this game for all it's done and how much it's influenced the Kirby series; and I mean both the original Super Star and the additions in Ultra. The expanded abilities, the Halberd, Marx, Novas, and much more all came from the original, while Masked Dedede, Galacta Knight, The TRUE Arena (and the general difficulty of the mode), and the Soul bosses (Canvas Curse did do a soul boss first, but this was the first game to put in in a mainline game and make it more "final boss but harder and with more moves" rather than "completely original sentient ball fight", though the latter would continue to return in later games) all came from Ultra.
Also final note, this is the first Kirby game in the series where I truly went out of my way to get 100%. I had fun the entire time, and beating Marx Soul for the first time was incredibly satisfying. Also, shout out to Blade Knight for sticking with me all the way through Meta Knightmare Ultra without leaving me once. You deserve more attention.
Overall, this game is really good. Even if you're not a Kirby fan, this game is very much worth checking out.
2006
This game shows that the Flagship formula had run it's course after only two games but they kept dragging it on. It still keeps its Adventure inspirations, but in the worst ways possible. The chests are a fun idea, but when you only have 5 inventory slots and chests take up 3 in nearly every level, it becomes kind of redundant. Gameplay is the exact same as Amazing Mirror, so overall alright but some standout annoyances like one hit ability loss. Outside of a more traditional level structure, this game doesn't stand out at all from Amazing Mirror.
Bosses were decent overall, but Jesus Christ that final boss. Never have I been let down so hard by a final boss. It brings a slightly interesting gimmick to the table, and then dies in 20 seconds. I'm not even exaggerating, that's how easy this boss is.
There's also the story. Kirby's story, at least up to this point, has never been that deep. You have little nuggets of lore like Dark Matter, Novas, the Mirror World, etc, but nothing substantial. This game doesn't even attempt to provide an interesting story, or hell any story at all. It completely reduces Kirby's character, who has been shown to be willing to help and heroic, if a but clumsy, to just an idiot child who thinks of nothing but food. And then Meta knight steals the treasure without even trying to explain? I'm fine with giving the benefit of the doubt, but this game doesn't even attempt to have a story, so I can't.
Also, this game is shockingly short. I 100% this game, and I did it by just playing the game normally. I had to replay like 10 or so levels, but that's only because they had that stupid "Guess which door is correct without any hints on which it is!" or the classic "Do this thing incredibly quickly with no former hint or else the chest will get thrown off a cliff and you'll have to completely restart to get it! Also you can't restart our levels if you haven't beat them once, because fuck you".
Overall, this game is a mess. I'm glad that this was the last Flagship Kirby game, because I just wasn't a fan of the mechanics and design of these games.
Bosses were decent overall, but Jesus Christ that final boss. Never have I been let down so hard by a final boss. It brings a slightly interesting gimmick to the table, and then dies in 20 seconds. I'm not even exaggerating, that's how easy this boss is.
There's also the story. Kirby's story, at least up to this point, has never been that deep. You have little nuggets of lore like Dark Matter, Novas, the Mirror World, etc, but nothing substantial. This game doesn't even attempt to provide an interesting story, or hell any story at all. It completely reduces Kirby's character, who has been shown to be willing to help and heroic, if a but clumsy, to just an idiot child who thinks of nothing but food. And then Meta knight steals the treasure without even trying to explain? I'm fine with giving the benefit of the doubt, but this game doesn't even attempt to have a story, so I can't.
Also, this game is shockingly short. I 100% this game, and I did it by just playing the game normally. I had to replay like 10 or so levels, but that's only because they had that stupid "Guess which door is correct without any hints on which it is!" or the classic "Do this thing incredibly quickly with no former hint or else the chest will get thrown off a cliff and you'll have to completely restart to get it! Also you can't restart our levels if you haven't beat them once, because fuck you".
Overall, this game is a mess. I'm glad that this was the last Flagship Kirby game, because I just wasn't a fan of the mechanics and design of these games.
2005
Surprisingly solid. Game is fun overall, though some of the later levels get to be quite annoying. This is the first Kirby game where I actually ran out of lives.
The touchscreen actually works very well for this game, moving Kirby along and throwing him from line to line is actually quite fun.
The minigame bosses were surprisingly fun and were good gimmicks, though the roller painter's was super finnicky. And Drawcia, the only boss in this game, is actually super fun, and scarily good. It's my second favorite boss so far, right behind Dream Land 2 Dark Matter.
I can't give this game a 7 due to how annoying it was to play at parts, but overall this game is really solid. Prepare to get frustrated though, there is some bullshit later on.
The touchscreen actually works very well for this game, moving Kirby along and throwing him from line to line is actually quite fun.
The minigame bosses were surprisingly fun and were good gimmicks, though the roller painter's was super finnicky. And Drawcia, the only boss in this game, is actually super fun, and scarily good. It's my second favorite boss so far, right behind Dream Land 2 Dark Matter.
I can't give this game a 7 due to how annoying it was to play at parts, but overall this game is really solid. Prepare to get frustrated though, there is some bullshit later on.
Ehhhh pretty disappointed with this one. A Kirby metroidvania is a really fun idea but it has a lot holding it back. Very forgettable level design, no upgrades outside health, decent bosses, and for the first time since Adventure, a really annoying final boss. (Specifically the first phase, the second and third are actually quite good).
The game does play very well though, all the copy abilities feel super fun and fluid to use. However, why did they add back losing copy abilites from a single hit? They fixed this in the other games. They also brought back the bad enemy placement, leading to a gameplay experience that just felt frustrating.
I assume this game would be fun with 4 friends, but without emulation it seems nearly impossible to do. Maybe if the Switch gets GBA online, this game can truly shine again. But for now, it's alright, and while it's carrying the Kirby series in a new direction, it's overall a step down from most of the Kirby games before it.
The game does play very well though, all the copy abilities feel super fun and fluid to use. However, why did they add back losing copy abilites from a single hit? They fixed this in the other games. They also brought back the bad enemy placement, leading to a gameplay experience that just felt frustrating.
I assume this game would be fun with 4 friends, but without emulation it seems nearly impossible to do. Maybe if the Switch gets GBA online, this game can truly shine again. But for now, it's alright, and while it's carrying the Kirby series in a new direction, it's overall a step down from most of the Kirby games before it.
Solid game. The ability combining is 100% the highlight of the game, it's very fun combining abilities together, with them all being really creative, though I wish it was slightly easier to. The bosses were overall better, but there wasn't a single standout. Even the final boss was kinda meh. I loved the cutscenes though, and Dedede being playable was awesome.
Shard collecting is alright, but I wasn't a huge fan of the copy ability specific ones. The Adeline puzzles were also pretty fun and clever. Also the feature where you can take abilities and crystals from levels, leave, and have them saved is a godsend, I hope it stays in future games.
Shard collecting is alright, but I wasn't a huge fan of the copy ability specific ones. The Adeline puzzles were also pretty fun and clever. Also the feature where you can take abilities and crystals from levels, leave, and have them saved is a godsend, I hope it stays in future games.
1997
The best of the Dream Land games (excluding RtDL). The stages are really fun, the expanded buddy system is great, the art style is amazing and probably the best looking SNES game, and I even enjoyed the heart stars to an extent. The boss butch was also great, but by god was it hard.
My biggest complaint is that the bosses were kind of a let down, especially the final boss. They're all great fights but compared to Dream Land 2 they're just not as good. Also I feel like the amount of copy abilites was noticeably lacking, but at the same time every buddy has a unique version of every copy ability, so I can accept it.
ALSO GOD WHY DID THEY CHANGE THE CONTROLS AND WHY IS GOOEY SUMMONED WITH THE A BUTTON??? FOR HALF THE GAME I WAS PRESSING A TO JUMP LIKE IN EVERY SINGLE EARLIER ENTRY ONLY TO BE TREATED TO GOOEY'S DUMB ASS
My biggest complaint is that the bosses were kind of a let down, especially the final boss. They're all great fights but compared to Dream Land 2 they're just not as good. Also I feel like the amount of copy abilites was noticeably lacking, but at the same time every buddy has a unique version of every copy ability, so I can accept it.
ALSO GOD WHY DID THEY CHANGE THE CONTROLS AND WHY IS GOOEY SUMMONED WITH THE A BUTTON??? FOR HALF THE GAME I WAS PRESSING A TO JUMP LIKE IN EVERY SINGLE EARLIER ENTRY ONLY TO BE TREATED TO GOOEY'S DUMB ASS
1993
Pretty mediocre; just generally not fun. The enemy design is bad and the game chugs if there's more than two on screen, which there is quite frequently. Bosses were alright but nothing memorable, outside of the final boss which was really annoying. I don't get the hype behind this one.