Kirby Super Star – Definitive 50 SNES Game #26

Click here to view our list of the Definitive 50 SNES games. Links to each video and write-up are included.

Kirby Super Star was released for the Super Nintendo in September of 1996. This stellar Kirby outing was later remade for the DS, and is now available on Wii’s Virtual Console. It takes 26th place on the list of Definitive 50 SNES games.

Fans familiar with Kirby’s other outings will not be surprised by the basic gameplay of this title. Super Star plays much like the NES and GameBoy games that came before it. Much of this game is spent moving Kirby left to right and sucking up and/or smashing enemies, not to mention having a great time.

What sets Kirby Super Star apart is that it’s a cohesive collection of nine smaller games. Seven of these are plays on the familiar Kirby platformer, and two are smaller mini-games.

The game intended to introduce players to Kirby Super Star is “Spring Breeze.” This game is a shortened remake of Kirby’s first game, the GameBoy’s Kirby’s Dream Land. This is a chance to ease you back in to Kirby, and remind you of some of Kirby‘s most iconic levels and characters.

An interesting twist on the Kirby platformer comes in “Gourmet Race.” This is actually a three-level race against King Dedede. You have two goals here: get to the finish line first, and grab as much food as you can along the way. Points are awarded for both. You can return to this game to try to best your own high scores.

In “The Great Cave Offensive,” you’ll be tasked with cave exploration, trying to escape the caverns you’ve fallen into, while scrounging for 60 hidden treasure chests.

The two mini-games of Kirby Super Star are “Samurai Kirby” and “Megaton Punch.” These can be a fun distraction if you’ve had enough of platforming. In “Samurai Kirby,” you must quickly tap a button upon seeing an exclamation mark show up on screen to beat your opponent. In “Megaton Punch,” you must time your button taps so that they sync with on screen moments, with the objective of building up a stronger punch.

Another interesting innovation of this title comes in the form of “helpers.” These allies are created by stealing the powers of enemies and spinning them off into a second player which can be either computer or friend controlled. Helpers apply the abilities of your sucked-up opponents to beat back your enemies.

Kirby Super Star is one of the strongest entries in the Kirby franchise. His familiar platforming antics are given new life in this title thanks to the unique twists afforded by the games-within-a-game format.