Main game
3.49 average rating based on 88 ratings
if you haven't played this game yet wtf are you doing with your life
I really like this game’s adorably odd protagonist, lovely backgrounds and sprites, and unique underwater platforming (which feels quite distinct from Kirby to me, despite that being the most frequent point of comparison). But its lack of challenge, repetitive level design and verbose tutorials restrict its target audience to the very young or very tired. I enjoyed my time with it and might have stuck it out if it were shorter, but I just couldn’t sustain interest past the first few worlds.
The immediate reaction to The Legendary Starfy will be similar to Kirby's Epic Yarn; a sour taste in the lack of challenge and almost seeming to baby the player (I mean, kids are kids but that's no excuse for a good challenge).
However, past the initial world The Legendary Starfy manages to keep up, with a charming story, incredibly cute collectibles, and mechanics that are simple, kind of gimmicky, and really fun without overstaying their welcome. Save for a hidden world unlocked with an infuriatingly short time trial and the anticlimax of not really getting anything from collecting all the treasure chests (spoilers), Starfy does very well with its main game and manages to stand up there with the likes of its similar game character, Kirby.
Looking at the past releases, it may be sensible to rate this lower as a derivative piece, but for us United States newcomers this treat is an extra dose of cuteness we would love to not only recommend to Kirby fans but for any little ones first starting to play with a DS. Put an extra star up there for children, as this game's definitely for them.
I found this game at a local used game store and couldn't pass it up since it was one I could never find back in the day and I had heard lots of good things about it. I was surprised to find that the game wouldn't work on my 3DS, so I had to dig out my old DS Lite to play it. It was strange downsizing to the small screen, but I had a lot of fun with this title. Starfy is super cute and while platformers are probably my least favourite genre, this game didn't leave me frustrated since it was fairly easy with all the save points and short levels. Exploring and collecting the chests and orbs felt rewarding and I even ended up trying the download play, which was quite funny since it only allowed the second player to join for like one level or battle at a time and quickly cut them off when the stage finished. This game still holds up well in 2019 and I'd love to see Starfy make a return to North America at some point in a new title.