In 2016 HAL Laboratory released Kirby: Planet Robobot for the Nintendo 3Ds, which uses the same engine and very similar play-style as Kirby: Triple Deluxe, although it introduces a new gimmick that changes the levels and world in a very considerable way: Kirby gets a new robot and you fight against capitalism.

The story, which is pretty unique even for Kirby standards and have Kirby rebelling against a megacorporation that is trying to destroy Planet Popstar just to get money (and other motives that you discover during the final stages), is the perfect excuse to change the usual scenarios you explore, and instead of going through space or natural environments you go through factories, laboratories and even a city, all of them with unique enemies and obstacles that add much needed variety and feel really different from the levels in Triple Deluxe.

Remember to respect the traffic lights

There is also the new mechanic: In some parts Kirby can use its own robotic armor, that can copy abilities, destroy environmental hazards and operate devices that normal Kirby can't interact with. This is a lot more interesting and fun than the Hypernova gimmick from Triple Deluxe , and some levels even have different paths that you can only access if you have or leave the suit, so it isn't just a mandatory mechanic that you are forced to use in some sections, but a power-up that you can sometimes skip if you don't care about getting all the collectibles or exploring the whole world.

And talking about collectibles, this time we have two: The code cubes, which are the ones you need to unlock the boss of every area and EX-stages, just like the Sun Stones from the previous game, and stickers, that are totally optional and you can use to decorate your Robobot armor. However, you can only use two of them at the same time, and they aren't really that noticeable, so the only real use they have is getting the 100%.

Still, at least they are more useful than the Keychains, but to be honest, they aren't fun to complete, as you have two options: Either replaying the same level again and again, or using Play Coins to buy them every time you complete a level, and farming items in a Kirby game isn't exactly exciting. But if you use the Play Coins method during the story mode you'll get all of them before the final boss, so you'll only need to farm the coins!

You can also get stickers playing the other games, which are Team Kirby Clash, where you battle bosses with three other Kirbies, all of them with a classic role from traditional RPGs (healer, tank, melee and mage), Kirby 3D Rumble, where you complete puzzle-like levels trying to defeat as many enemies as you can using the least amount possible of star bullets, and the classic Meta Knightmare Returns and The Arena, where you play an abridged version of the main story using Meta Knight and defeat all the bosses in a row, just like in previous games.

They are as fun as always, although most of them are pretty short, so you'll complete them rather quickly, except The True Arena, which I'd say it's the hardest True Arena until now, even using the cheesiest abilities available (yeah, I'm talking about stone and ESP), so you'll probably need to practice a lot just to arrive at the true final boss with enough HP, but if you defeat it, consider yourself a Kirby master.

In conclusion, I found this game to be a lot better than Triple Deluxe and Return to Dream Land, as it feels really different and innovative even if you have played all the previous Kirby videogames, like I did. The gimmicks are a lot more polished and interesting than previous ones, the level design takes full advantage of the story, which is surprisingly dark and serious if you take the time to read the boss descriptions, and the new characters are more memorable and complex than you would expect, so I definitely recommend playing * Planet Robobot* even if you aren't a Kirby fan.

I played this game after hearing from multiple people that it was an amazing experience. While I did enjoy the game, it ultimately didn't meet the high expectations I had for it.

The gameplay is just simple platforming, with various gimmicks such as background/foreground switching and Robobot armor. While I did have fun with the platforming (especially the feeling of ravaging everything in your path with the Robobot armor), it ultimately didn't feel unique. The game just felt like a generic platformer to me; I couldn't help drawing comparisons between other lackluster platformers such as Chibi-Robo: Zip Lash.

It didn't help that the game felt extremely formulaic. It was simply 5 levels and a boss for each world. I never really felt compelled to do anything beyond progressing forward. There are collectables in each level, but I was never motivated to find them all.

Where I feel the game shines, however, is its boss battles. The bosses have all sorts of outrageous attacks, and it feels super satisfying when you're able to dodge them and land a hit. Some of the bosses do feel more like interactive cutscenes than actual skill-based battles, but it's still satisfying just to see the action that you have some input in.

The game also has an amazing soundtrack. While I do feel that the main leitmotif was a tad bit overused, the music was extremely well-done, fitting the (usually high-paced) mood of whatever situation was occurring. The main boss battle theme especially is probably one of my favorite boss battle themes of all time; it works well with all of the action that occurs during the boss fights.

In conclusion, Kirby: Planet Robobot is good, but it doesn't really stand out among other platformers for me, with the exception of the amazing boss battles. If you like Kirby and/or platformers, you'll like this. But it failed to deliver the mind-blowing experience that I had been told of.

Kirby is such an interesting franchise for Nintendo. On the surface, he seems almost superfluous. His design was intended to be a placeholder by series creator Masahiro Sakurai. His games are platformers published alongside those of Mario, the most successful, accessible and enduring franchise the genre's ever seen.

For these reasons, I tend to forget between Kirby titles just how distinctive, inventive and fun they are. Particularly so with Planet Robobot, which might be the most polished and enjoyable iteration on the basic formula established by Kirby's Adventure.

But it's also one of the most surprising.

I enjoyed this game's predecessor, Triple Deluxe, quite a bit, but I can admit in hindsight that its "hypernova" feature was somewhat shallow... visually delightful, a lot of fun, but essentially a new form of invincibility thrown in for flavor.

By contrast, the Robobot Armor adds a lot more than I was expecting to the game. Aside from the fun that comes from mechanized twists on classic powers or the excitement of increased attack, the armor's abilities differ enough from Kirby's that it makes for some interesting puzzles and a ton of surprises. Just about every level throws some new concept or twist at you, which makes the game feel fresh the whole way through.

I beat the main story with 57% of collectibles in under six hours, which is pretty short, but I'd definitely revisit, and there are a ton of side-games I've yet to explore. If you've ever enjoyed a Kirby title before, it's hard to imagine you'd dislike this one.