Kirby's Blowout Blast

Kirby's Blowout Blast
The game that sure went with a blowout blast and eat your heart out, Team Kirby Clash Deluxe!
Protagonist(s): Kirby Genre(s): Platform Platform(s): Nintendo 3DS Release Date: JP: July 4, 2017 WW: July 6, 2017 Developer(s): HAL Laboratory Publisher(s): Nintendo Country: Japan Series: Kirby

Kirby's Blowout Blast is a 3D platform game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the fourth 3DS eShop-exclusive Kirby game, and the second one to be based on a subgame from Kirby: Planet Robobot (in this case, Kirby 3D Rumble), the first being Team Kirby Clash Deluxe (which was based on Team Kirby Clash).

Good Qualities

1. It's a massive improvement over the Kirby 3D Rumble subgame from Planet Robobot, with more fleshed-out levels, better enemy variety, and the new "Blaster Bullet" attack.
2. This is the first Kirby game to be a fully 3D platform game, although Kirby and the Forgotten Land was the first mainline game to be so, and the series' mechanics translate well to the new dimensions.
   • Kirby's new Blaster Bullet move allows him to inhale multiple enemies to create a larger spit attack, thus allowing bigger combos and a Platinum score at the end of each level.
3. Excellent graphics, with all five level types (Green Greens, Float Islands, Castle Lololo, Bubbly Clouds, and Mt. Dedede) being levels from Kirby's Dream Land (the very first Kirby game from his Game Boy days) that were updated for 2017 standards.
   • Speaking of Castle Lololo, this is the first time in 27 years that it has appeared in any Kirby game outside of its music being used.
4. As per usual, the controls are tight and smooth, and Kirby's move set works well in a 3D environment. However, there are also some limitations to his move set to take into consideration for the 3D space, such as limited flight power and slightly heavier jumping that usual.
5. The soundtrack, composed by Hirokazu Ando and Jun Ishikawa, is excellent as always, and is based mostly on Kirby's Dream Land, as all the stage themes are from that game.
6. Unlike Team Kirby Clash Deluxe, this game actually has a menu screen: it features Kirby inhaling the title screen, which is creative.
7. The game has many more bosses than the different Masher models, including Kracko, Kracko Jr., Lololo & Lalala, and of course, King Dedede and his Giant forms (Giant King Dedede and Giant Masked Dedede).
   • While on the topic of Giant Masked Dedede, he is both an intimidating and entertaining boss, using his giant armored hammer to crush Kirby and inhale him quickly unless you're very skilled.
8. Once you complete all of the normal and EX levels with at least a Gold Trophy, you can then access the Secret Path to confront more foes and end with a boss fight against Giant Masked Dedede.
9. Tons of replay value for such a short game, as you can always find a way to improve your score and unlock the EX levels and Secret Path.
10. You can use a Kirby-series Amiibo to change the background music and create golden statues of the characters.
11. Overall, it's a much better way to celebrate Kirby's 25th anniversary than Team Kirby Clash Deluxe, along with Kirby Battle Royale.

Bad Qualities

1. As is to be expected from a Kirby eShop game, this one is short and can be beaten in a little under two hours if you are good at it.
2. Sadly, there are no Copy Abilities in this game, just like Kirby's Dream Land before it.
3. While King Dedede is in the game as the final boss, Meta Knight and Bandana Dee do not appear in the story mode at all, which an be disappointing to some fans. Though the former does appear as two Amiibo-unlocked statues.
   • Also, Whispy Woods and Kabula are nowhere to be seen.
4. While Giant Masked Dedede is an awesome boss, he is also VERY overpowered; this can be excused, however, as it is meant to be a homage to Dream Land.

Reception

Kirby's Blowout Blast received mixed reviews from critics (scoring 69/100 on Metacritic) and mixed-to-positive reviews from users (scoring 7.2/10). The game was praised for its graphics, replayability, and soundtrack, but was criticized for being too short and easy.

Trivia

• This game has many similarities to Kirby's Dream Land:
  • Kirby can't use Copy Abilities in either game.
  • The same five levels are used, with Float Islands and Castle Lololo swapping places.
  • All of the same bosses (except for the Mashers) are used, with King Dedede being the final one.

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