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Kirby Star Allies (JP) 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 effectivelly 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)
- 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)
Plot
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 tar Allies Sparkler and defeat the mindless god.
Levels
Reception
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.