Mr Khan

User Score
8.0

Presentation - 9.0
Gameplay - 8.5
Value - 8.0

     The Legendary Starfy, the first entry in the Starfy franchise to make it west of the Ryukyus, is certainly a unique game. The oft-drawn comparison to Kirby is somewhat misinformed, as the game resembles Kirby only visually, through their sharing of a diminutive, smiling protagonist. The game play is halfway between Kirby and Wario Land, but more on that shall be said later.

     The game’s primary appeal comes from its aesthetics and personality. It is definitely a game for children, and is unabashed in its attempt to appeal to the younger set, but the beautiful way in which it does so lends itself great appeal to older gamers who can see the attraction in cutesy games. Basically, if you have a soft-spot for cute, this game is for you. Starfy and his sister Starly are both adorable. Starfy is very similar to Kirby in that he is a silent protagonist, expressing his emotions through a narrow range of infinitely endearing facial expressions and basic noises. Starly, however, is cast from the same mold as the Powerpuff Girls, a chibi-cute tough-girl who is somewhat over-violent in her pursuit of baddies. The brother and sister team can be called upon for local co-op play (single card or multicard), for a double dose of adorable.

     A few other characters in this game touch upon that pure wellspring of cuteness, notably Starfy’s transformations. Not since the PBS Kids’ series Dragon Tales has the attempt to make a Dragon cute come off quite so well as with Starfy’s Monstar transformation.  The other transformations are stranger, but no less endearing. A dugong that can freeze enemies, a giant chicken, whose loud screech annihilates enemies (again drawing a parallel to Kirby and the Mic ability), and a ghost who can phase through certain environmental hazards. Beyond their aesthetic appeal, these transformations add a good bit of variety to the gameplay, though they do not aid the game in its primary problem.

     The primary problem that Starfy has to tackle is difficulty. The game is simply too easy, which may be a problem of greater severity depending on who you are. A platformer based around an aquatic creature in an aquatic world is necessarily going to have problems with easiness, since the primary challenge of a platformer is movement, and when you can freely swim, that challenge largely disappears. There are sections outside the water, but they generally aren’t as challenging as most platformers, either. Except for the final boss, other bosses simply don’t pose a challenge. That said, the ease of the gameplay can sometimes be refreshing, especially in combination with the sheer exhilaration of swimming around with Starfy’s variety of basic moves, such as his spin attack, which makes traversing the marine landscapes a joy.

     The game’s lack of challenge is somewhat made up for through its proliferation of collectibles. Each stage has at least 2 treasure chests, often more, which can contain anything from bits of lore (in the form of diary entries from various main and supporting characters), to pieces of heart (three to add a new heart), to clothing and accessories for Starfy and Starly (strangely only viewable on the pause screen), to power-ups for the four transformations.  In this vein of collection-frenzy, there are also at least three hidden stages available for each of the game’s 8 worlds, adding more value to any dedicated completionists.

     In conclusion, Starfy is really only a game for a certain kind of gamer: A completionist who enjoys a colorful, stylized world, doesn’t crave a punishing challenge, and is well in touch with his (or her), appreciation for cuteness. It sounds like a lot of qualifiers, and it is, but it is a set of qualifiers that are necessary to appreciate many Nintendo games, so it fits in neatly with the collection of any fans of such fare as Kirby, Wario Land, Mario Bros., and their ilk. It doesn’t quite grasp the level of difficulty of those other games, but handily outweighs them in terms of cuteness. Basically, the final score reflects the fact that the game needs to be harder, but otherwise, it’s an ideal adventure.