Kirby: Planet Robobot

Kirby and friends return for another fun and action-packed adventure, this time blasting off into the great unknown of space. Kirby: Planet Robobot sees the round and squishy hero Kirby battling across his entire home planet after a spaceship launches a full-scale invasion. Gearing up for adventure and using the brand new Robobot Armor, Kirby sets on an epic adventure to defeat the invaders and save Planet Popstar once again. Consistently fun and easy to play, Kirby: Planet Robobot is another excellent addition to the franchise.

Main Game Features

• 2.5D platforming action
• Suck up enemies and use their powers
• 3 modes and 2 mini-games

Story

Kirby: Planet Robobot increases the scope of the Kirby franchise, launching our hero from the confines of Dreamland as seen in games like Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland and Kirby's Return to Dreamland. In Kirby: Planet Robobot, the happy Planet Popstar is invaded by a giant spaceship called the Access Ark, which plants five bases around the globe. After Meta Knight and King Dedede fail to fend off the Access Ark, only Kirby can destroy it and prevent Planet Popstar from succumbing to its control. Along the way, he encounters characters both new and old on an interstellar journey of adventure.

Like Kirby: Triple Deluxe, the story in Kirby: Planet Robobot is straightforward on the surface, but contains quite a bit of complexity the further you progress. What starts as an assumed alien invasion spirals into a huge conspiracy involving a mega-corporation, advanced computers, and futuristic technology. Despite the sci-fi grandiosity, the plot is still presented in an easy-to-understand way, so you won't get overwhelmed. At the very least, you can completely ignore the story and still get a great experience.

Gameplay

Kirby: Planet Robobot builds on the existing Kirby formula in some fun ways, including new abilities to use in combat, interesting 2.5D level design, and more. Besides jumping and floating through the air between various platforms, Kirby can also inhale his foes and use their powers, constantly changing his arsenal of abilities. Planet Robobot introduces some new transformations to play with, including the Poison and ESP powers. However, the biggest new addition is the Robobot Armor, which enables him to destroy obstacles and blast through enemies with ease. The Robobot Armor can also copy enemy abilities, making it an impressive piece of offensive tech.

Like in Kirby Super Star, Kirby: Planet Robobot contains multiple mini-games and a few unlockable modes to round out the experience. The two new mini-games are “Team Kirby Clash” and “Kirby 3D Rumble”, both of which offer unique styles of gameplay different from the core game. Once you complete the story mode, you'll also unlock Meta Knightmare Returns, a harder version of the base story where you play as the blade-wielding antihero Meta Knight. You can also attempt the challenging boss rush mode called The Arena, where you have a limited amount of health to defeat as many bosses as possible.

Conclusion

Kirby: Planet Robobot is a fun and inviting platformer that smartly uses its sci-fi setting to offer some cool new concepts. The Robobot Armor is one of the best additions to the Kirby franchise ever, leading to ridiculously fun fights and interesting puzzles.

Pros

• Robobot Armor is super cool
• Fun sci-fi setting
• Both unlockable modes are great

Cons

• Very easy to beat
• Not enough Robobot action
• Repetitive puzzles