What is Kirby: Planet Robobot?
Kirby: Planet Robobot is a platforming adventure starring the lovable pink eating machine, Kirby. The game begins when a mysterious spaceship arrives on Kirby's home planet, and sets about mechanising everything in sight, turning everyone and everything into robots! Never one to avoid a challenge, the intrepid Kirby sets off on a quest to return his home to its former glory, even if he did somehow manage to sleep through the whole attack...
How do you play Kirby: Planet Robobot?
A simple platformer, Kirby: Planet Robobot sees you running, jumping and hovering your way through brightly coloured 2D levels, taking out enemies as you go. In traditional Kirby style, you get to make good use of Kirby's absorb powers to suck up and swallow certain bad guys, letting you steal their powers in the process. Netting you everything from swords and bombs, to wings or even a doctor's outfit, each power gives Kirby a unique set of attacks and abilities. Besides being an entertaining way to dispatch enemies, these powers can also help you progress through the level, or may also be necessary to open up secret areas to find hidden collectables: the fire ability, for example, can be used to light fuses on cannons, which Kirby can hop into to blast to a new area.
Kirby has another trick up his sleeve too, in the form of his new Robotic mech suit. Stolen from the invading aliens, this suit gives him some serious smashing power, letting him bash his way through certain objects, lift heavy blocks, or take out big bad guys. Much like Kirby himself, the Robotic Armour can scan enemies and use their abilities as its own, adding another layer to the puzzles you'll find along the way. A nice touch is the ability to customise your mech suit with collectable stickers, found hidden in and around Planet Robobot's levels.
How easy is Kirby: Planet Robobot to pick up and play?
In the grand scheme of platforming games, the Kirby games are amongst some of the easiest, and most accessible out there - and Planet Robobot is no different. A simple, light-hearted adventure that's more about exploring and finding all the hidden secrets than it is about pixel perfect platforming and challenging boss fights, Planet Robobot is a pretty gentle experience. Kirby himself is actually a pretty tough guy, and can take quite a few hits before he gets defeated, while health restoring pickups are plentiful - as are extra lives, should you run out of health, or miss a crucial jump. The many hidden collectables add an extra level of challenge for players who want a bit more complexity from their games, but on the whole, Kirby: Planet Robobot is an easy-going adventure for all ages and abilities.
As an added bonus for the youngest of the young, there's also virtually no reading involved here, save the menus and the odd bit of tutorial text. With a story told entirely through wordless animated cutscenes, Kirby: Planet Robobot is accessible for everyone, regardless of reading ability.
As with most Nintendo games, Kirby: Planet Robobot is a family-friendly adventure with nothing remotely untoward inside - no bad language, no blood and gore, and no sex references whatsoever.
Any violence is off a cartoonish, light slapstick-style combat where Kirby swipes at enemies with swords, clonks them with boxing gloves, or fires arrows in their general direction. His unique absorb ability, meanwhile, lets him inhale and swallow enemies to steal their powers. Attacks are accompanied by impact sounds and bright flashes of light, while defeated enemies simply disappear in a puff of smoke.
Age Ratings
Format Reviewed: Nintendo 3DS
