Lost Classics: Kirby Super Star (SNES)

Perhaps one of the last great Super Nintendo platformers, Kirby Super Star went above and beyond other games of its kind in terms of content. While most games simply offered huge overworld maps, this game divided its content up into 9 different games, each with their own distinct gameplay features. Although it can be beaten in a weekend, the game is still one of the best in the series. For those of you who don’t know about Kirby, he’s a little pink puff ball who swallows enemies. He can then either take on their powers for himself or spit out the enemy for use as a helper character, who can then be controlled by a second player.

The first five main games feature Kirby’s signature platforming gameplay. The first one, Spring Breeze is even a remake of the original Game Boy game (however a few areas of the game, including an entire level have been removed). The Greate Cave Offensive is an exploration-heavy game in which Kirby and a helper ally search for treasures. Dyna-Blade and Revenge of the Meta-Knight are more straight-forward action games, with much of the latter taking place on a warship. Milky-Way Wishes, the last of the main games you unlock, features an overworld with several different planets. In this game, you can’t take an enemy’s powers by swallowing them, but by finding special pedistals and selecting them from a sub-menu instead. The final stage is a side-scrolling space shooter a.k.a. R-Type.

The last four games in on the cartridge are minigames. Gourmet Race is a one-on-one race against King Dedede to reach the end while eating the most food. Samurai Kirby is a reaction-timed button press game. Megaton Punch is another timed button press game, as you must release the button at the exact moment to release a powerful punch. The Arena, which unlocks after you beat the five main games is an endurance match against all of the bosses.

This game is geared toward younger gamers, but older gamers will enjoy it as well. Fans of 16-bit platformers should definently seek this one out, and it has a pretty good chance of hitting the virtual console.