Vimm's Lair: DS Reviews - Kirby Super Star Ultra

Nintendo DS
Kirby Super Star Ultra

Graphics:
Sound:
Gameplay:
Overall:
7.88
7.88
8.07
8.00
Votes: 59
Reviews: 1


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Reviewer: ReesesInPieces Date: Dec 12, 2022
Kirby Super Star Ultra is an enhanced remake of Kirby Super Star, bringing a new art style, more games, FMV cutscenes, and more. Released in 2008 for the Nintendo DS, this game became one of my favorite Kirby games, and despite some nitpicks and small problems I think this is one of the best Kirby games. The amazing lineup of varied games make this entry in the series one of the most replayable, and I can't recommend it enough.

Graphics: 8
The game uses sprites and the same general art style from 2002's Nightmare in DreamLand. Despite being slightly overused at this point, I think it works nicely on the DS's screen and the art style still looks really good. The backgrounds are a huge step up from Super Star, filled with detail and vibrant colors unlike the CGI backgrounds in the original game. All the new sprites made for Ultra fit perfectly with the ones which were reused. The new FMV cutscenes look very nice (especially for 2008), but when I watched them on my DS Lite the actual graphical quality of the videos was all over the place. In general, the graphics are very nice and appealing to the eye, with no part feeling out of place with the others.

Sound: 7
Most of the soundtrack of Kirby Super Star Ultra is remixed from Kirby Super Star's soundtrack. All the arrangements sound good, with classic tunes like Green Greens, Float Islands, Revenge of Meta Knight and Meddlesome Marx sounding better than ever. The added songs for new gamemodes steal the spotlight however, with the Masked DeDeDe and Galacta Knight themes being standouts. However, my problem with the music is that much of it doesn't stick to me. Many songs were not memorable, and I probably couldn't remember a big chunk of the soundtrack after turning the game off. The sound effects all get the job done, and copying an ability or making a new helper is made even more satisfying thanks to the sound effect that plays. However, some sounds are much louder than others, which might have been done because of the importance of the actions themselves, but in my opinion it's still really annoying. Overall the sound in this game is decent.

Gameplay: 10
Kirby Super Star is well known (perhaps most well known) for having a plethora of smaller games as opposed to one big game. Super Star Ultra improves upon this already unique facet by adding even more games and minigames, making it hard to go back to the original game. All the game modes are a blast to play through, with each having distinct differences that keep them fresh. Getting into actual gameplay, Kirby feels perfect to control. Nothing feels too floaty or too rigid, and every move in Kirby's arsenal is important. Copy Abilities are numerous in Ultra, with each Ability adding a new moveset (and hat!) to Kirby, with few feeling useless or inferior to others. The Helper System makes for fun Ability combinations, and allows for 2-player co-op across every single game! The gameplay in Super Star Ultra is fine-tuned and honed to perfection.

Overall: 8
There are definitely flaws with this game. Sound balancing is off, a big chunk of music is forgettable, and there's an overused art style. However, I love this game and it's an amazing experience. A plethora of Copy Abilities and games always keep Ultra fresh, and co-op in every game is a serious plus. The art style, while overused, is nice looking and a step up from the original. Some music is forgettable, but an equal amount will live rent-free in your head. The pros of Ultra strongly outweigh the cons, and the easy difficulty makes it recommendable and accessible to gamers of all ages.