For years, Kirby – the pink puffball with an insatiable hunger and a devastating in-take of breath – has experimented with new mechanics. Each game since the character's inception has had its own standout power, all the way through to Kirby's last proper outing on the 3DS having the little guy...

Looks great and has a nostalgic presentation overall; Lots of replay value; Great to play with friends; Friend Train is adorable

Incredibly easy and very short; Feels too much like a greatest hits album; Combination powers not quite as awesome as Kirby 64's; Suicidal AI companions

For better or worse, Kirby is Nintendo's most consistent franchise. New entries come often, and they don't stray too far from the "pretty good" mark in either direction. On that scale of inoffensiveness, Star Allies rests a bit on the low end, offering a bland Kirby experience with few new...

Sucks and blows.

Lovely looking; Lots of combinations to experiment with

Far too easy; Rather dull; Doesn't run at 60fps

The core Kirby series has seen something of a revival in recent years, after a long period of interesting yet different spin-off titles taking the main spotlight. Starting off with Kirby's Return To Dreamland , this new era of mainline Kirby games has taken on a character of its own; almost standing...

Nintendo's beloved pink blob Kirby is making quite the debut on Nintendo Switch with Kirby Star Allies . While Kirby's recent handheld adventures, like Kirby: Planet Robobot have been great, the last couple console outings, like the Wii U's Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, have been pretty...

4 player local co-op; Simple; yet satisfying gameplay; Tons of Kirby nostalgia; Beautiful; colorful visuals

No online features; amiibo support is lame; Might feel a bit too short

Kirby has been around for a fair few years now (since 1992 with Kirby's Dream Land, in fact), and this month marks his return in the form of Kirby Star Allies, developed for Switch and with an emphasis on party play.

The name Kirby Star Allies isn't just for show. Whether you're adventuring through Dream Land with up to three friends or playing with competent AI teammates, Kirby's ever-rotating group of uniquely powered pals are the real stars of the show here.

Kirby has always been about harnessing the skills of others. The pink blob's main move is to suck up enemies and take on their abilities. In , Nintendo's B-team captain takes that concept to the next level.

Kirby Star Allies is a fun, satisfying platformer that doesn't offer much in the way of surprises. It's bright, colorful, cheerful, and fairly easy; for this type of game, this is a good thing.

Fun, accessible platforming action; Easy to play on your own or with up to four friends; Multiple game modes

Not particularly challenging; Doesn't offer many new ideas

Kirby has been around since the mid 90s and brought a whole new world and characters nestled in Dreamland. The marshmallow vacuum ball has been defending his home from world enders and tried his hand at other genres for well over a decade now.

Colorful and entertaining; Controls are simplistic; Accessible to all ages

Campaign feels a bit short; Too few characters; Mid boss battle repetition; Needs more grefixxx