Revisiting the four “worst” Kirby games
If you’re deep into the Nintendo discourse sphere online, you might sometimes hear people say “Kirby has no bad games”. And to an extent, that’s definitely true – Kirby’s highs and lows aren’t as far apart compared to other Nintendo franchises. But is it really true that Kirby doesn’t have any bad games? A “bad game” could mean something different depending on who you talk to. It could mean that the game isn’t fun to play, or it could mean that the game is poor by Kirby standards, but not terrible objectively.
Regardless, today we’re looking at some of the less-loved entries in the Kirby series to see how they hold up today. One thing is true: Kirby doesn’t have any bad main series games. Even Kirby Star Allies, which is regarded as one of the weaker recent titles, isn’t bad – it’s inoffensive at worst. In other words, the Kirby games we’re talking about today aren’t main series games, but the smaller ones that tend to fly under the radar.
Kirby Tilt ‘n’ Tumble
Kirby Tilt ‘n’ Tumble is a Game Boy game that uses built-in motion controls that let you roll Kirby around like a ball. It’s also available on Nintendo Switch Online where it’s adapted the Switch’s built-in gyroscope as well. And although there’s definitely some interesting value to be found with the motion control gimmick, it gets very old very fast. The motion controls make precision platforming incredibly difficult, and when you fall off a ledge the game punishes you fairly harshly. At least in our experience on Nintendo Switch Online, the wonky and wobbly motion controls kill Kirby so often that it’s extremely difficult to clear without the built-in rewind feature. Maybe Kirby is easier to control on the original Game Boy, but unless the motion works significantly different then it’s clear that Kirby Tilt ‘n’ Tumble isn’t one of the pink puffball’s highlights.
Kirby Battle Royale
If you search online for reviews, you’ll find that Kirby Battle Royale is generally the worst-reviewing Kirby game in recent memory. It was one of the last games released for Nintendo 3DS during 2017 when Switch was already out. Despite being full price, Battle Royale has very little in terms of single-player content with a main campaign that’s over in just a couple of hours. That leaves the online mode, which of course is no longer active. Kirby Battle Royale isn’t awful, but it lacks longevity and it’s very forgettable. Outside a few fantastic music tracks, of course.
Super Kirby Clash
As a Kirby superfan, this is the only Nintendo Switch Kirby game that I couldn’t get into no matter how hard I tried. Super Kirby Clash is centered around multiplayer. It works well enough if played on the same system, but the game’s online functionality is very difficult to work with. There’s lots of input lag, stuttering, and freezing, which makes playing the game online feel like a chore. Not to mention that the game itself runs at 30 frames per second rather than 60, which makes Super Kirby Clash feel rough and jagged compared to other games in the series. The positive is that it’s free-to-play, and it isn’t as aggressive about its monetization as other free-to-play games we’ve seen from Nintendo in the past.
Kirby Fighters Deluxe
This game released as a standalone title just a few weeks before Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS. And after that game launched, Kirby Fighters Deluxe flew under the radar forever. As one of the smaller (and cheaper) titles in the series, there isn’t much content here – a fairly small number of Copy Abilities to choose from (especially compared to Kirby Fighters 2) and a complete lack of online multiplayer do bring this game down. That said, it only cost $7 USD while it was still available in the 3DS eShop, so it’s a lot easier to excuse these flaws. You could also lump Team Kirby Clash Deluxe into this category – it’s in a similar boat, a smaller Nintendo 3DS title with not a lot of content but a cheap price.
The fact that we could only come up with four or five “bad” Kirby games does tell you how high-quality this franchise is. The good news is that the Kirby games that are light on content – like Kirby’s Dream Buffet, Kirby Fighters Deluxe, Kirby Fighters 2, and the like – are never sold for full price. They’re small filler games to hold you over until the next major Kirby game. And all of the major Kirby titles are quite good – there are some slightly weaker entries like Kirby Star Allies and Kirby Squeak Squad, but they aren’t bad by any means.
Do you think there are any “bad” Kirby games – or, are there any that you just couldn’t get into? Feel free to let us know in the comments down below. If you want to read more on Kirby’s main series entries, you can do so over at his official website.
