Following in the same vein of Triple Deluxe, Kirby: Planet Robobot brings more classic Kirby gameplay with a few twists. It's a treat that we are getting another classic Kirby game instead of a spin-off. The gimmick for this title is the Robobot Armor which is a mech suit for Kirby to suit up and control. We are soon introduced to the armor and it is much more powerful. While the armor cannot indefinitely float and fly around like Kirby can, the extra power is a worthwhile trade-off, especially when you can destroy environmental objects that were so deadly to Kirby before. Perhaps more surprisingly, even when Kirby is controlling the Robobot Armor, it can still scan enemies and take on their abilities, which means that the amount of different movesets that this game has is much more than expected.
Planet Robobot is a 2D platform sidescroller with the trademark Kirby ability of inhaling enemies to obtain their abilities. These abilities have a decently sized moveset with multiple button inputs for different moves, and it's always a pleasure to find new abilities to copy and try out. New abilities include the Doctor and Poison abilities, bringing the number of available abilities to over 25 in the game. Even when Kirby isn't using an ability, Kirby can inhale and spit out objects to damage enemies, plus Kirby can float around, puff out air as an attack and slide kick. Continuing from Triple Deluxe, there are two planes such that Kirby can jump between the foreground and background at specific points in the levels. Enemy placements plays around this element, since you might have enemies in the background attacking Kirby.
The 3D effect works well most of the time and it's used to great effect when there are environmental hazards but they only look like it'll hurt Kirby, however they actually allow Kirby to walk right through. There are five normal levels in each world, plus one extra level if you collect all the CodeCubes in each level (with the exception of the last world with two extra levels instead), and a boss fight level. As there are six worlds, this adds up to 43 levels in the game. From the very first level, Planet Robobot is so much fun. Experienced players will be able to settle in right away while newcomers will find that it's easy to pick up and understand the mechanics. It is not a hard game at all and there are some light puzzles in each area if you want to collect everything.
The levels are good and the environments are varied, you will be travelling through casino themed worlds, urban areas, underwater and forests. The bright colorful aesthetic will ensure that you are never bored at all. Not only that but the game will often change the type of gameplay including a sidescrolling shoot 'em up and race-like stages. Stickers are the collectibles here and there are so many of them to get. Annoyingly, at the end of the level where it reveals what stickers you are getting, they are random with no guarantee that you will get a new one. These stickers aren't as cool or nostalgic as the key chains from Triple Deluxe but you can use these stickers to customize your Robobot Armor. Boss battles are frequent and it is nice that Planet Robobot does not reuse many bosses from previous games.
Due to the robot theme, each World's boss is usually robotic and their battles are fantastic. The first World's boss was extremely fun with various stages in the battle which reduces the predictability and potential repetitive nature. Kirby has a health bar so Kirby can take more than a few hits before you lose a life but this also means that the bosses also have a health bar. Thankfully, bosses' health isn't so ridiculously large that it becomes a slog. The plot is better and more robust than you would expect but still remains fairly thin and light on content. Basically, Planet Popstar is being invaded, with a gigantic robotic thing latching its five drills onto the planet and it is up to Kirby to save the planet from being converted into a robotic wasteland.
There is a bit more backstory to the plot that you can read during pause menus than what is told during the main story levels. The ending presents a lot more plot info that makes it engrossing and allowing you to feel that the characters aren't just an excuse for the platforming gameplay. The final boss was great. Naturally, you will get to fight as Kirby and also in the Robobot Armor. Without spoiling too much, the final three fights were fantastic, different and extremely fun. It actually introduces a new gameplay element which was surprising but the mechanics are so solid that you don't mind it, plus, it made the ending that much more epic. The game as a whole is easy, you will usually die by accident and it is never frustrating. The checkpoints are frequent and you'll probably rack up 80+ lives by the end of the game.
Unfortunately, Planet Robobot is also a bit short, you can finish your first playthrough in roughly 7 hours and that's with collecting all the CodeCubes through rerunning a few levels. Never fear though, in true Kirby fashion, after finishing the game it'll unlock another mode called Meta Knightmare. In this mode, you get to play as Meta Knight through all the levels again at a harder difficulty, even with changes in the boss fights and plot elements. The Arena is also unlocked upon finishing your first playthrough and it allows Kirby to fight bosses in successive battles without constant healing items. Lastly, there are two minigames. The first minigame is Kirby 3D Rumble which is comprised of only three levels. It plays like normal except that instead of a 2D sidescrolling design, you play on a 3D plane.
While playing on a 3D area in Kirby 3D Rumble sounds interesting, the controls are intuitive and easy. You aim for highscores, getting bonus points by finishing the level fast, not taking damage, having a full combo or collecting all coins. The second minigame is Team Kirby Clash and you can play this one with friends. It's an action RPG where you fight boss after boss and level up. You pick a copy ability first though. While these minigames won't capture your attention, they'll give you 30 mins to an hour's interest. Overall, Kirby: Planet Robobot is a fantastic platforming game. Kirby's design is so charming and with the excellent level designs, relaxing gameplay and some of the best music in a Kirby game, Planet Robobot is one of the best games available on the 3DS.
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