Team Kirby Clash Deluxe Review

[Zera]

Greetings, folks! This is my review of Team Kirby Clash Deluxe, the expanded minigame from Kirby: Planet Robobot.

For those who didn't play Robobot, here's my description of the original - "You and three local friends (or computers) use modified copy abilities (Sword Hero, Doctor Healmore, Hammer Lord, Beam Mage) to battle bosses together. Beating them faster earns more score, which can earn shiny medals, and also acts as experience so you can "level-up" and increase your stats. However, the leveling system provides no depth whatsoever."

All of that is still true, but there are two big differences here - 1. There are more bosses (Yay!) 2. This game uses the "freemium" business model (Boo!).

Now you may be wondering, "How could Nintendo's most innocent and pure mascot follow the dark path of free-to-pay?" The answer, I'm certain, is children. Kirby appeals to children, children have less patience and critical thinking than adults, these qualities are exploited for money in freemium games, and Nintendo finally connected the dots. Yes, it's as morbid as it sounds. But hey, it's technically free, right? Let's see how far I can go without paying.

...And as it turns out, not too far. In order to fight bosses, you must spend Vigor, which restores at a rate of 1 point per 7 minutes. Right now I'm at a point where quests cost 10+ Vigor to embark. That's well over an hour - not worth it at all.

The second issue with playing for free is Gem Apples, the premium currency. Apples can be spent in many ways.

• Apples are required to unlock new bosses. 20+ and increasing.
• Apples are required to unlock better weapons and armor. 60+ and increasing.
• 2 apples will refill your Vigor gauge instantly
• If time runs out, 3 apples will give you 30 extra seconds. Further extensions cost greater amounts.
• If everyone dies, 5 apples will revive everyone.

NEVER spend apples on anything other than new quests and gear. Everything else is a waste. Now you may be wondering, "How do you get apples without spending money?" There are two ways - 1. Complete Heroic Missions. These are achievements, which means they run out. 2. Harvest from the Gem Apple Tree every 12 hours. How many apples do you get? A mere five. FIVE!

So, if you want to play this game for free, it will probably take entire years to complete. Time to spend some money.

I spent $3.89 on a "special-one-time-deal" for 500 apples. I then spent almost all of them fully upgrading my "Codex of Vigor", so now I gain 1 Vigor per minute and can play almost as much as I want. GREAT! Also, buying apples upgrades the size and yield of the Gem Apple Tree - now I get not 5, not 8, but 14 apples per harvest. Much more respectable.

Unfortunately, that doesn't change the fact that the game is a grind. You can't just fight each boss once or twice, and move on to the next. You have to fight the same bosses over and over to level-up, or you simply can't progress. Why? Because the bosses are health sponges, and strict time limits ensure that no amount of skill can break the grind. So naturally, you should buy better equipment, but oh crap, you're out of apples. It's kind of sad, really, because the bosses themselves aren't bad at all. But when you're fighting a boss for the fifth time in a row for experience points... it's just not fun anymore.

With that being said, there is a silver lining. If you play with local friends, you will be able to share Vigor, you will have more skill than the AI can provide, and everybody will get +50% experience. This probably won't stop the grind, but it will mitigate it.

Ultimately, I can't recommend Team Kirby Clash Deluxe. The game gets so tedious, requiring so much time or money (your pick), that even if you'd blow $30 on the maximum 3000 apples and get 450 per harvest, you'd STILL be better off spending the extra $10 to get Planet Robobot instead - which includes a less grindy (and therefore better) version of this game in addition to a full Kirby adventure. Indeed, this is probably the worst Kirby game ever made. And now I'm $3.89 short of getting Kirby and the Rainbow Curse. Sigh...

Summary
+It has Kirby in it!
+Great presentation.
+Good bosses.
+Local multiplayer mitigates the grind.
--Apples take forever to gain.
--Health-sponge bosses and strict time limits eliminate skill and enforce The Grind.
-Mediocre AI partners.
-Would you seriously spend $30 on an expanded minigame that's arguably inferior to the original?

4/10 (Bad!)

Lessons learned: Even HAL Laboratories / Kirby is corruptible. Freemium games suck.

[Zapp Branniglenn]

Just downloaded this last night to try out. Was unaware before hand it was a free to play game and was ready to put down money to buy it. Kirby Clash was a great sub mode in Robobot. It's a shame that the stamina elements are so prevalent. 

[Interdimensional Observer]

Guess I'll save the space on my 3DS and not download this. Seems like a quick cash grab. They didn't even bother adding new copy abilities! Where is my Pyromancer? My Mirror Magician? My Thievious Archer? My Redbelt Monk? And how about very low HP but very versatile Smashing Brawler?

So much potential for a burst of fun, alas it was not done.