Game:

Kirby's Star Stacker (1997)

Duration: 13:45

4,938 views

0

Originally released for Game Boy (where it was released outside Japan as "Kirby's Star Stacker"), "Kirby no KiraKira Kids" for Super Famicom is a Japan-only update to the GB puzzler, released late in the system's life cycle between 1998 and 1999, and later released for the Wii Virtual Console in Japan in 2010. It is one of the few Kirby titles not released overseas, which has made it a hot collectors item which typically goes for triple-digit prices.

The game is a fairly simple drop-style puzzle game where you must use Kirby's animal friends (Rick the Hamster, Coo the Owl, and Kine the Ocean Sunfish) to eliminate stars from the playing field and either attack/outlast your opponent or last as long as possible in different modes. To make eliminations, stars must simply be sandwiched vertically or horizontally between two or more of the same animal tiles, or you can simply match two or more of the same animal tile without any stars. Alternate drop speeds and stone blocks help complicate matters and offer a bit more to those looking for a challenge, but this game as a whole is more suited for beginners and those new to drop puzzlers. In addition to the main modes and features of the GB game (Round Clear, Vs., Challenge, Time Attack, Rules, and Records), the game features an additional Ohanashi (Story) Mode where you defeat each opponent and enjoy a simple plot.

In the Story, Kirby is just lounging around Planet Pop Star when Hoshi-kun (Star) is flying through the sky. King Dedede, as mischievious as he is, spots Hoshi-kun and decides to blast him out of the sky. Hoshi is caught by Dedede's cannon fire which causes it to break into pieces (Hoshi no Kakera or "Star Fragments") that scatter across the land. With its power divided, Hoshi can no longer stay in the sky and falls to the ground, with Kirby luckily breaking its fall. Pleading for help, Kirby travels with the fallen Hoshi-kun to find the other star pieces, which are now in the hands of Dedede's followers. If you can defeat Dedede and his six followers without losing, you get a chance to fight "Grill the Onion Witch" after the main ending, who is the true last boss. If you manage to win (you only get one chance per play), you get a slightly different ending and can use Grill in Versus Mode.

The Audio/Visuals are fairly mediocre by SNES/SFC standards; they are serviceable and a modest improvement over the GB game, but for one of the system's very late titles and considering the pedigree that the Kirby series possesses, it could've been considerably better than it is. Even still, the game is enjoyable due to its variety of modes and battery-backed records. Its steep price tag almost ensures that only diehard Kirby fans and collectors will want to track it down for purchase, but if you can find it for a price you deem acceptable, it's an adequate puzzle game.