Kirby Star Allies

Developer(s)	HAL Laboratory
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Release Date(s)
Nintendo Switch	NA: March 16, 2018 JP: March 16, 2018 EU: March 16, 2018 AU: March 16, 2018
Nintendo Switch	NA: March 16, 2018 JP: March 16, 2018 EU: March 16, 2018 AU: March 16, 2018
Platform(s)
Genre(s)	Platformer
Rating(s)
ESRB	04
PEGI	02
CERO	01
USK	02
ACB	02

Kirby Star Allies <sup>(JPJapanese: 星のカービィ スターアライズ

Romaji: Hoshi no Kābi Sutā Araizu

Meaning: Kirby of the Stars: Star Allies)</sup> is the first Kirby title on the Nintendo Switch, releasing in 2018. The game is a 2D Platformer with the gimmick of Kirby befriending enemies and using their powers in combination to solve puzzles.

Gameplay

The game plays like the past few Kirby entries with Kirby in a 2D plane with the power to swallow enemies to gain copy abilities. The main addition is that Kirby can make his enemies into allies by throwing a heart at one with a max of 3. These allies effectively have the same copy abilities as Kirby would have if he swallowed them. With these allies, Kirby can also mix copy abilities similar to Kirby 64. These Friend Abilities are more effective usually and can usually solve puzzles. Some puzzles with require Kirby to work with these allies to progress. The allied enemies change color in some fashion to match the player.

Copy Abilities

The game includes 28 standard abilities. Additionally, certain enemies can be turned into friends according these abilities:

• Artist (Vividria)
• Festival
• Spider (Como)
• Staff (Jammerjab)
• Beam (Waddle Doo)
• Beetle (Beetley)
• Bomb (Poppy Bros. Jr.)
• Cleaning (Broom Hatter)
• Cook (Chef Kawasaki)
• Crash
• Cutter (Sir Kibble)
• ESP (NESP)
• Secret: Festival
• Fighter (Knuckle Joe)
• Fire (Burnin' Leo)
• Hammer (Bonkers)
• Ice (Chilly)
• Mike
• Ninja (Biospark)
• Parasol (Parasol Waddle Dee)
• Plasma (Plugg)
• Stone (Rocky)
• Suplex (Bugzzy)
• Sword (Blade Knight)
• Water (Driblee)
• Whip (Wester)
• Wing (Birdon)
• Yo-Yo (Gim)
• Sleep

Friend Abilities

Similar to the Mix abilities from 64 or Squeak Squad, Kirby can combine his powers with a Friend to create new more powerful abilities. With a full team, special abilities can be used to solve puzzles

Dream Friends

As a post-game reward, the player can play as other Kirby characters. Several characters will be added postrelease. The known characters so far are:

• King Dedede
• Meta Knight
• Bandana Waddle Dee
• Kine, Rick, and Coo (March 28)
• Marx (March 28)
• Gooey (March 28)
• Dark Meta Knight (July 27)
• Daroach (July 27)
• Adeleine (July 27)
• Magolor
• Taranza
• Susanna Patrya Haltmann
• Francisca, Flamberge, and Zan Partizanne (Available after Heroes in Another Dimension is completed.)

Plot

Spoiler warning: The following information contains spoilers. Please read at your own risk.

In an attempt to revive Void Termina, Hyness and his cult break the Jamba Heart in multiple pieces and scatter them across the galaxy. Hyness order Francisca, Flamberge, and Zan Partizanne, his three generals, to find the piece of the Jamba heart to finally awaken their sealed master.

Some of the pieces arrives to Popstar and corrupt King Dedede, Whispy Woods, and Meta Knight while the manifestation of one of the four spears used by the legendary heros to seal Void Termina land on Kirby and give him the power of the Friend Heart. Kirby manage to free his friend from the Dark Heart but the three generals arrives on the planet and gather the hearts before being defeated by Kirby. The generals flee with the hearts and begins to search for those that landed on other planet.

Kirby follow them and eventually defeat them and Hyness. Hyness realise that the Jamba Heart is not complete and sacrifice himself along with the generals to bring it back with their ill intent. Void Termina who is usually a neutral deity is incarnated as a world destroyer by the negative emotions that led to Hyness' sacrifice. Kirby use the four spears to create the Star Allies Sparkler and defeat the mindless god.

Levels

World 1: Dream Land

This area takes place in Kirby's country: Dream Land. King Dedede is the boss of the area. During his second phase, he transforms to Buff Dedede from Devil Kirby.

• Level 1 - Green Gardens: A basic stage that teaches the mechanics of the game. The music is remixed from Kirby's Dream Land's Green Greens.
• Level 2: An underground level.
• Level 3 - Honey Hill:
• Level 4:
• Boss - Castle Dedede: Kirby and his friends have to head through Castle Dedede to free King Dedede

World 2: Planet Popstar

Kirby and his friends explore the rest of the planet. Meta Knight is the boss of the level.

• Level 1
• Level 2
• Level 3
• Level 4
• Level 5 (Boss) - Sacred Square: Kirby and his friends have to travel to the Sacred Square, at whose end the Lone Swordsman himself awaits.

World 3: Jambastion, Fortress of Shadows

The Jambastion has landed on Planet Popstar! Kirby and his friends break into the battlestation!

• Level 1 - Gatehouse Road
• Level 2:
• Level 3:
• Level 4:
• Level 5:
• Level 6 (Boss): Kirby and Zan Partizanne face off!

World 4: Far Flung Starlight Heroes

Kirby and his friends head out to space.

Reception

Kirby Star Allies received "mixed or average" reviews on Metacritc garnering a metascore of 73/100 based on 83 critics. While on whatoplay.com, it holds an aggregate score (playscore) of 7.61 based on 52 trusted critics.

Sales

As of the end of April 2018, Kirby Star Allies sold 1.26 million copies making it a million seller in less than two month. As of the end of June 2018, Kirby Star Allies reached 1.89 million copies sold, which makes it the seventh most successful 1st party Nintendo Switch game at the time. As of September 2018, Kirby Star Allies was pushed down to the eight place by Mario Tennis Aces, but still managed to sold 2.10 copies worldwide. As of December 2018, Kirby Star Allies sold over 2.42 million copies worldwide, making it the tenth most successful Nintendo Switch games.