Every animal Buddy here is amazing. In many ways they are their own games. They change the feel and affect what puzzles you get. Their moves and properties are slightly different and then get modified by Kirby’s powers. It’s great and the biggest boon to this game. The minute I realized using rock with Nago the cat is drumming me and using rock with Rick is rolling? It changes your play style and that moment to moment gameplay change is what I love. Especially when you can carry powers in new levels from previous ones with previous animals not found in the new level. I wasn’t good enough to do that all the time but it was always a sense of success when that happened. Seriously can we just praise that using pitch is literally Kirby using him like a remote control ?!?! Gosh is this design work charming as hell.
I will admit , that the levels themselves feel not too memorable. Well let me rephrase the locals in the first 2.5 worlds aren’t anything I will remember but I will remember the objectives. See the additional piece that Kirby Dreamland 3 has is hidden objectives. At the end of each stage there is a person or item that will reward you if you did the hidden objective. It feels so rewarding if you did it by accident or just based on the level select icon you could figure it out. But admittedly so, it’s very esoteric. It gives them replay value , and you start playing with the eye open to look for moments or things that seem fishy. I like this more than collectibles (I mean you get a collectible but it’s not the same). Instead you feel like you are solving a puzzle than just being extremely skilled. I will say puzzles as worlds evolved felt more and more confusing, and I didn’t feel compelled to do 100%, but I can also see a small itch to try.
The detriment to this game has a lot to do with speed. Kirby is slow, and at first I felt that the critique that the game being slow was bad was unwarranted, I am starting to understand why they exist. In world 1&2 going T the speed/pace of Kirby movement is actually something that synergizes with the puzzle elements of the levels. I would go slowly and just kinda look for opportunities with the expectation that the game won’t be challenging in just completion. Instead going for 100% would be challenging . This worked until levels 3 and beyond. Certain obstacles to just finish the level without the puzzle required nimble platforming skills, and that felt like it was working against how Kirby moved. The animal buddies help increase the pace but sometimes feel like interruptions to certain platforming challenges . This Interference vibe persists with how I began to feel with the copy abilities by . The copy abilities outside of 2 of them really slow you down and the animal buddies open it up but in later portions of the game with more challenging platforming or more tricky enemy placement, it feels like going solo no power was not just viable but more flexible and rewarding.
Lastly, Ado is amazing. The final boss battles are challenging and memorable. This is a neat game with neat ideas with a stronger second half. However the nitpicks pile up and I can’t sense whether or not doing this again will be satiating , and 100% is not my thing.
I will admit , that the levels themselves feel not too memorable. Well let me rephrase the locals in the first 2.5 worlds aren’t anything I will remember but I will remember the objectives. See the additional piece that Kirby Dreamland 3 has is hidden objectives. At the end of each stage there is a person or item that will reward you if you did the hidden objective. It feels so rewarding if you did it by accident or just based on the level select icon you could figure it out. But admittedly so, it’s very esoteric. It gives them replay value , and you start playing with the eye open to look for moments or things that seem fishy. I like this more than collectibles (I mean you get a collectible but it’s not the same). Instead you feel like you are solving a puzzle than just being extremely skilled. I will say puzzles as worlds evolved felt more and more confusing, and I didn’t feel compelled to do 100%, but I can also see a small itch to try.
The detriment to this game has a lot to do with speed. Kirby is slow, and at first I felt that the critique that the game being slow was bad was unwarranted, I am starting to understand why they exist. In world 1&2 going T the speed/pace of Kirby movement is actually something that synergizes with the puzzle elements of the levels. I would go slowly and just kinda look for opportunities with the expectation that the game won’t be challenging in just completion. Instead going for 100% would be challenging . This worked until levels 3 and beyond. Certain obstacles to just finish the level without the puzzle required nimble platforming skills, and that felt like it was working against how Kirby moved. The animal buddies help increase the pace but sometimes feel like interruptions to certain platforming challenges . This Interference vibe persists with how I began to feel with the copy abilities by . The copy abilities outside of 2 of them really slow you down and the animal buddies open it up but in later portions of the game with more challenging platforming or more tricky enemy placement, it feels like going solo no power was not just viable but more flexible and rewarding.
Lastly, Ado is amazing. The final boss battles are challenging and memorable. This is a neat game with neat ideas with a stronger second half. However the nitpicks pile up and I can’t sense whether or not doing this again will be satiating , and 100% is not my thing.