

There’s a lot of water being treaded here. In that sense, you can almost see Star Allies as the series pausing to take stock before leaping ahead. (The core Kirby games skipped Wii U altogether, with only the wonderful but decidedly nontraditional Kirby and the Rainbow Curse repping the franchise on that ill-starred console.) There’s no denying that, as with every classic franchise, experiencing familiar characters and beats through glossy high-fidelity visuals has a certain compelling charm all its own. Yes, somewhat surprisingly, Star Allies marks the first time HAL Laboratory and Nintendo have published a traditional Kirby platformer in HD. It pulls together well-worn themes and elements while leaning on two key factors to make it feel fresh: high-definition graphics and four-person multiplayer. Instead, it comes off as something closer to a recap of 25 years of Kirby history. You can cancel the subscription at any time, for instance, right after you've played through Kirby's Adventure, Kirby's Dream Course, Kirby's Dream Land 3, and Kirby Super Star.As the series’ first major outing on Switch, Kirby Star Allies seems like the kind of game that would have been designed with an eye toward pushing Kirby into the future.

More of an old-school player? A Nintendo Switch Online subscription gives you access to hundreds of NES and SNES titles, including four retro Kirby games. There are new transformations and new locations to discover. You can run through the main story solo or with up to three other players. If you prefer the classic style, there are plenty of 2D platformers on the Nintendo Switch to enjoy. Instead of being a simple sidescroller, this one takes our pink friend into a 3D space where he can platform and fight enemies in new ways. If you're only going to get one of his games, I recommend Kirby and the Forgotten Land. This round little dude has starred in some of the biggest classics through the years, and the fun continues with Nintendo Switch. Each Kirby style has different skills to help the team out. Up to four players get to take on enemies with over 100 quests to play through.
