Kirby: Planet Robobot (Nintendo 3DS) Review

By Adam Riley 01.07.2016

Review for Kirby: Planet Robobot on Nintendo 3DS

Nintendo and HAL are back with another platform outing for Kirby. The little pink puffball has been used in all manner of genres over the years, excelling on almost every occasion (maybe ignore Kirby Air Ride…), but it is the standard side-scrolling adventures where things really excel. After the impressive exploits of Kirby Triple Deluxe a couple of years ago, can Kirby: Planet Robobot continue the legacy, making for another high quality release?

The short answer is: yes. It really is amazing how fresh everything feels, despite so many Kirby games being released over the years. The core element of being able to absorb enemy powers to use against them or manipulate the surroundings is ever-present, complete with a few new abilities for good measure (Dr. Kirby throwing tablets around is quite a novel inclusion, for instance). This time, though, the reach has been extended to mech-like robot suits, with Kirby able to leap into a large mechanical shell and take a selection of foe's strengths to the extreme.

That is not all, either, since there are all sorts of other intriguing elements mixed in to ramp up the quality levels higher than ever before. There are multiple planes of view, with Kirby switching from the foreground to background via warp stars, plenty of cleverly hidden objects around the various stages, some automatically scrolling levels, areas where a mini-robot needs to be controlled in a different plane to that of Kirby (with it mimicking whatever Kirby does), and even a brilliant shmup effort where Kirby can be piloted around, blasting away at oncoming beasties.

Screenshot for Kirby: Planet Robobot on Nintendo 3DS

Everything is so bright, colourful, wonderfully scored, and extremely inventive. The formula for Kirby titles has been tweaked and polished over the years and Kirby: Planet Robobot benefits considerably from this expertise in development. Even the difficulty level has been upped - not to the point where it will alienate its usually younger audience, but enough to mean that there is far more of a challenge for veterans this time round. On top of this, to add to the longevity stakes, there are lots of special stickers to discover, which can be placed on the mech suits, as well as Code Cubes that must be sought out in order to progress deeper into the world. Throw in some in-depth extras that unlock later on, as well as a skirmish option available from the start for those wanting a break from the standard action, and even a local multiplayer quest-based mode for added spice, and this little bad boy will be draining 3DS batteries for months to come.

Screenshot for Kirby: Planet Robobot on Nintendo 3DS

Cubed3 Rating

9/10
Rated 9 out of 10

Exceptional - Gold Award

Rated 9 out of 10

What an absolute joy to play through. With Kirby: Planet Robobot, Nintendo and HAL have delivered not only a standard Kirby platform outing for Nintendo 3DS that matches the usual high quality levels found throughout the series, but have managed to bring many new elements into the mix to ensure that this is the freshest Kirby to date, merging clever ideas from other genre stable-mates with the traditional qualities everyone knows and loves.

Developer

HAL Laboratory

Publisher

Nintendo

Genre

2D Platformer

Players

1

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  9/10

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  0 (0 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date Out now   Australian release date Out now   

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