Two Player Review: Kirby's Wii Adventure/Return To Dreamland
Kirby's Wii Adventure/Return To Dreamland is the standard Kirby affair. For those who had been annoyed with gimmicky games such as Epic Yarn or Mass Attack, will be pleased to hear the return of sucking up abilities and infinite flight as you go through levels, occasionally fighting mini-bosses, and generally trying to make it to the end.
This game has a much publicised ability to play as regular cast members Meta-Knight and King DeDeDe, as well as a Waddle Dee with a bandana. This is actually not as good as you'd think it is, and the reasons for it are the main reason why this game is not a true co-operative game.
Don't get me wrong, Meta-Knight, Waddle Dee, and DeDeDe aren't completely useless, they all have the unlimited flight capabilities, and have good primary and secondary attacks that do them wonders in boss battles. It's just that Kirby so completely and utterly trounces them all with his multiple and varied abilities.
[sub]
Of course, you can just play as four different Kirby's[/sub]
In this game, Kirby gets the choice of twenty eight different abilities. Not all of which are admittedly all that good, but almost all of which make Waddle Dee, DeDeDe, and Meta-Knight's uses limited. Considering that the other three characters are essentially just permanent Spear (Waddle Dee), Sword (Meta-Knight) and Hammer (DeDeDe) abilities without any variety, and it's easy to see why they can become redundant.
Okay, DeDeDe, Waddle Dee, and Meta Knight cannot lose there abilities if they take damage (like Kirby does) as some form of compensation for not being able to change their abilities, but this doesn't help the game in any way when only Players 2, 3, and 4 can choose to play as them. Player 1 always has to be Kirby, making DeDeDe, Meta Knight and Waddle Dee nothing more than assisting players rather than actual options for playing as. those three essentially have to help Kirby, but they don't do anything for themselves.
Progressing through the main levels is a point of contention for player two. For some reason, rather than implementing the same screen lock shown in Epic Yarn, whereby if the two players tried to split too far apart the camera would block either player from moving further until one relented, here a forced lock has been placed on player one. What this means essentially is that player two cannot get too far ahead, or behind, of player one, or s/he's forced to teleport back to them. Essentially this means player one
[sub]
I'm sure Kirby's not compensating for anything...[/sub]
The levels themselves are further compounded by sections for the Super Abilities. These are essentially sections that take up about a third of some levels, and rely on Kirby using some super-powerful ability to destroy obstacles to progress. With Player 2 already forced to stick close to Kirby, these sections become an exercise in tedium, as your forced to watch as Player 1 does all the work killing every enemy and destroying every obstacle with you not really doing anything useful. It's at these points that you might as well enjoy the games quick drop out ability and watch on until the next bit you can actually help with.
The levels themselves are generally so simple and Kirby's health and supply of food is so generous there is seldom a point in getting through any level where you actually need more than one person, bar perhaps some of the treasure puzzle rooms that with two people go from "precariously catch the important item before it's lost forever" to "position Player 1 in such a place so that when Player 2 presses the switch, the item falls on Kirby's head", or the levels where Player 2 can carry a candle and light the room while Player 1 does everything.
Infact, the only point where having more than one person playing this game becomes at all worthwhile to Player 2 is with the bosses. Since Meta-Knight, DeDeDe, and Waddle Dee cannot loose there weapons based abilities if they're hit, they can essentially just suicide the bosses, doing most the work.
[sub]
The natural place for Player 1 in any boss fight is hiding while everyone else kamikazes the boss[/sub]
This is the single best strategy, and will see you survive any boss. For good reason too, if Player 2 dies, he simply respawns near enough where he was, still equipped with an ability, and having merely lost one life from the total. But if Player 1 is clumsy or stupid enough to die, you get a brief death animation, then all players are forced to go back to the start.
This happens in both bosses and in levels. Co-op mode might as well be called Bodyguard mode, as that's what you'll spend a lot of time doing in this if you're Player 2. Sure, in Epic Yarn, it was impossible to die, but at least other players weren't so heavily penalized for one persons mistake.
This game's multiplayer is a lot like playing Sonic and Tails in Sonic 2. Player 2 is largely useless in getting to the bosses, but then makes fighting the bosses a total cakewalk. Playing this game in co-op will be very familiar to anyone who ever played a Sonic game in co-op, finding only certain situations where Player 2 actually gets to do anything useful, and a lot of periods where there's simply no need for him or her.
[sub]
And naming your sixth level "Egg Engines" doesn't make people think of Sonic any less[/sub]
The truly sad part is that it wasn't all that long ago that we had a proper co-op Kirby game, Kirby's Epic Yarn. It's just a shame that while that was a proper co-op game featuring Kirby, it wasn't a proper Kirby game. Kirby's Wii Adventure is what Kirby fans have wanted for ages, but anyone wanting to play as Meta Knight or DeDeDe properly are better suited with Smash Bros Brawl, anyone who wants proper co-op play should get Epic Yarn, and everyone else should get this.
Don't assume from this that the game is awful. It's not. At least, not as a singleplayer game, or as a game you can give to your little brother and then help him with when he gets stuck without taking the controller from him. But as an actual start to finish co-operative platformer, it does too much wrong to bias the game too heavily for Player 1 for it to be too much fun in multiplayer. There's no point in the game where Player 2 is essential, and no real reward for having two players. Yes, in some ways, it makes the game easier, but has been said time and time again, easier doesn't necessarily mean fun.
This is a one player game where Player 2 gets to help. It's not as bad as Super Mario Galaxies "Player 2 can use the Wii-mote to shoot star bits at enemies" rubbish, but Player 2 has no real bearing on gameplay. S/he cannot help with anything beyond attacking on-screen enemies, his or her death makes no difference to progression, and there are many sections where it's easier not to have him/her around. It's kind of the opposite of a co-operative experience, when the biggest helpful thing Player 2 can do is stop playing.
[sub]
Oh, and giving Kirby a piggyback ride when his feet get tired[/sub]
Kirby's Wii Adventure will simply leave Player 2 bored. It's the kind of game you own if you're that guy who volunteers to play games with their friends, but doesn't quite get that that means sharing some of the fun around. Player 1 will sit there contented to be winning, while Player 2 grows continually bored, wishing he was having half as much fun Player 1 was. Not quite as bad as forcing someone who's never played a game before to play without explaining the controls and handing them a rubbish broken third party controller, but hardly the proper co-operative fun you'd expect the game to be either.
Kirby's Wii Adventure/Return To Dreamland is the standard Kirby affair. For those who had been annoyed with gimmicky games such as Epic Yarn or Mass Attack, will be pleased to hear the return of sucking up abilities and infinite flight as you go through levels, occasionally fighting mini-bosses, and generally trying to make it to the end.
This game has a much publicised ability to play as regular cast members Meta-Knight and King DeDeDe, as well as a Waddle Dee with a bandana. This is actually not as good as you'd think it is, and the reasons for it are the main reason why this game is not a true co-operative game.
Don't get me wrong, Meta-Knight, Waddle Dee, and DeDeDe aren't completely useless, they all have the unlimited flight capabilities, and have good primary and secondary attacks that do them wonders in boss battles. It's just that Kirby so completely and utterly trounces them all with his multiple and varied abilities.
[sub]
Of course, you can just play as four different Kirby's[/sub]
In this game, Kirby gets the choice of twenty eight different abilities. Not all of which are admittedly all that good, but almost all of which make Waddle Dee, DeDeDe, and Meta-Knight's uses limited. Considering that the other three characters are essentially just permanent Spear (Waddle Dee), Sword (Meta-Knight) and Hammer (DeDeDe) abilities without any variety, and it's easy to see why they can become redundant.
Okay, DeDeDe, Waddle Dee, and Meta Knight cannot lose there abilities if they take damage (like Kirby does) as some form of compensation for not being able to change their abilities, but this doesn't help the game in any way when only Players 2, 3, and 4 can choose to play as them. Player 1 always has to be Kirby, making DeDeDe, Meta Knight and Waddle Dee nothing more than assisting players rather than actual options for playing as. those three essentially have to help Kirby, but they don't do anything for themselves.
Progressing through the main levels is a point of contention for player two. For some reason, rather than implementing the same screen lock shown in Epic Yarn, whereby if the two players tried to split too far apart the camera would block either player from moving further until one relented, here a forced lock has been placed on player one. What this means essentially is that player two cannot get too far ahead, or behind, of player one, or s/he's forced to teleport back to them. Essentially this means player one
[sub]
I'm sure Kirby's not compensating for anything...[/sub]
The levels themselves are further compounded by sections for the Super Abilities. These are essentially sections that take up about a third of some levels, and rely on Kirby using some super-powerful ability to destroy obstacles to progress. With Player 2 already forced to stick close to Kirby, these sections become an exercise in tedium, as your forced to watch as Player 1 does all the work killing every enemy and destroying every obstacle with you not really doing anything useful. It's at these points that you might as well enjoy the games quick drop out ability and watch on until the next bit you can actually help with.
The levels themselves are generally so simple and Kirby's health and supply of food is so generous there is seldom a point in getting through any level where you actually need more than one person, bar perhaps some of the treasure puzzle rooms that with two people go from "precariously catch the important item before it's lost forever" to "position Player 1 in such a place so that when Player 2 presses the switch, the item falls on Kirby's head", or the levels where Player 2 can carry a candle and light the room while Player 1 does everything.
Infact, the only point where having more than one person playing this game becomes at all worthwhile to Player 2 is with the bosses. Since Meta-Knight, DeDeDe, and Waddle Dee cannot loose there weapons based abilities if they're hit, they can essentially just suicide the bosses, doing most the work.
[sub]
The natural place for Player 1 in any boss fight is hiding while everyone else kamikazes the boss[/sub]
This is the single best strategy, and will see you survive any boss. For good reason too, if Player 2 dies, he simply respawns near enough where he was, still equipped with an ability, and having merely lost one life from the total. But if Player 1 is clumsy or stupid enough to die, you get a brief death animation, then all players are forced to go back to the start.
This happens in both bosses and in levels. Co-op mode might as well be called Bodyguard mode, as that's what you'll spend a lot of time doing in this if you're Player 2. Sure, in Epic Yarn, it was impossible to die, but at least other players weren't so heavily penalized for one persons mistake.
This game's multiplayer is a lot like playing Sonic and Tails in Sonic 2. Player 2 is largely useless in getting to the bosses, but then makes fighting the bosses a total cakewalk. Playing this game in co-op will be very familiar to anyone who ever played a Sonic game in co-op, finding only certain situations where Player 2 actually gets to do anything useful, and a lot of periods where there's simply no need for him or her.
[sub]
And naming your sixth level "Egg Engines" doesn't make people think of Sonic any less[/sub]
The truly sad part is that it wasn't all that long ago that we had a proper co-op Kirby game, Kirby's Epic Yarn. It's just a shame that while that was a proper co-op game featuring Kirby, it wasn't a proper Kirby game. Kirby's Wii Adventure is what Kirby fans have wanted for ages, but anyone wanting to play as Meta Knight or DeDeDe properly are better suited with Smash Bros Brawl, anyone who wants proper co-op play should get Epic Yarn, and everyone else should get this.
Don't assume from this that the game is awful. It's not. At least, not as a singleplayer game, or as a game you can give to your little brother and then help him with when he gets stuck without taking the controller from him. But as an actual start to finish co-operative platformer, it does too much wrong to bias the game too heavily for Player 1 for it to be too much fun in multiplayer. There's no point in the game where Player 2 is essential, and no real reward for having two players. Yes, in some ways, it makes the game easier, but has been said time and time again, easier doesn't necessarily mean fun.
This is a one player game where Player 2 gets to help. It's not as bad as Super Mario Galaxies "Player 2 can use the Wii-mote to shoot star bits at enemies" rubbish, but Player 2 has no real bearing on gameplay. S/he cannot help with anything beyond attacking on-screen enemies, his or her death makes no difference to progression, and there are many sections where it's easier not to have him/her around. It's kind of the opposite of a co-operative experience, when the biggest helpful thing Player 2 can do is stop playing.
[sub]
Oh, and giving Kirby a piggyback ride when his feet get tired[/sub]
Kirby's Wii Adventure will simply leave Player 2 bored. It's the kind of game you own if you're that guy who volunteers to play games with their friends, but doesn't quite get that that means sharing some of the fun around. Player 1 will sit there contented to be winning, while Player 2 grows continually bored, wishing he was having half as much fun Player 1 was. Not quite as bad as forcing someone who's never played a game before to play without explaining the controls and handing them a rubbish broken third party controller, but hardly the proper co-operative fun you'd expect the game to be either.