EPIC MICKEY: REBRUSHED
SETTING 10/10
I've always been a fan of the overgrown apocalypse aesthetic, no matter how overplayed it may be in today's
creative age, and this game does it really well here. The setting is both desolate and vibrant in a way
that made me involved in the world and more curious about what may have happened in this new place Kirby's
found himself in. The game could have used the new setting and the narrative mysteries it creates as an apportunity to throw a bunch
of nonsense storytelling gimmicks in your face (ie. new characters that spill exposition constantly), but it doesn't!
And I really appreciate that. It's not afraid to let the player wonder and use their imagination until the reveal pays off at the end.
GAMEPLAY 7/10
I mentioned above that Kirby games got a bit too easy for me, and that still stands true in the Forgotten Lands.
I did find myself going through sections of levels with my brain off just jumping around getting bad guys. The Big Mouth
sections help break up the gameplay a bit, and I expected these sections to be way too gimmicky and not fun,
but I honestly had a blast every time one popped up. My favorites are the vending machine, using a boat
with the ring mouth, and of course... the car!! I loved the car sections and I love how they set it up
time attack style so you can keep doing those sections to perfect your time.
The hub world Waddle Dee Town was kinda nice, even if I never really got up to anything there. I appreciate the
effort to give the player a few cute activites to do, and the battle colloseum is cool. I think the thing I got up to
the most in town was getting toys out of the gacha machines.
I did enjoy the level missions and the star quests around the map. The missions kept me engaged during the levels
and they're actually fairly challenging sometimes! They are implemented in ways that make eploring and
observing level details really rewarding. And the star quests challenged me to use powers
I may not have otherwise wnated to use in fun, short burst style levels.
Which kinda leads to my only real gripe about the gameplay... I found most of the powers kinda... boring.
I was really only drawn to a handful of them, the sword, the gun and the hammer being stand outs. To compare,
I started up Kirby Superstar right after I beat this cause I was on a Kirby high, and I found most of the power ups
in Dyna Blade way more engaging and fun. There were also instances where I would upgrade a weapon, which is
a really cool mechanic in general, but would be kinda disappointed by the upgraded version. Overall, I felt like
once I gravitated towards one or two powerups, I would just go to the hub world and grab those ones every
time and would feel no incentive to try other powerups. To that end, I enjoyed doing the star road stuff
since it forced me to use a power I wouldn't normally pick.
GRAPHICS 10/10
I love the graphics!! The colors in this game really pop out at you, especially on an OLED Switch and the tilt shift thing going
on makes it feel like you're playing with toys the whole time. The big boss enemies are pretty intimidating and they are rendered
really nicely. There's a scene in the beginning when a big huge gorilla guy looks through a window at you and then reaches in
to nab you and the whole sequence was done really well. There's also a part at the very end that I don't wanna spoil that had my eyes popping out of my head at it.
Like I mentioned above, I've always liked settings with overgrown ancient ruins that are actually modern day buildings, and this
game's take on it is great. Kirby games by nature are bright and poppy and bursting with color, so it's refreshing seeing
the barren wasteland that is our modern day civilization all collapsed and run down and rendered with such a lively aesthetic.
MUSIC 7/10
Just like the graphics, Kirby music is pretty much always catchy and snappy to match the colors. While it's always fun,
I find that there are only every one or two standout tunes in any given Kirby game.
I did enjoy the theme song with lyrics that this game got! And a few of the level themes were really hummable. Not much
to say about the music honestly, but it gets a 7 because I never found myself hating it, and the songs I did like I really liked!
FUN! 7/10
This game is fun!! Fun enough for me to finish at least! I don't do that very often so it must say something. I will say I had
the most fun towards the end of the game, during the last world and lead up to the final bosses. The challenge really ramped up
during those sections and the final boss fights kept me on my toes. I also had the most fun I think doing the Star Road challenges.
They really forced me to think outside of my usual power ups and I like that they're just neat little platforming levels you can blow
through quickly and practice your best times.
All in all, Kirby and the Forgotten Lands is a great game for Kirby fans, platform fans and fans of super cute little things
running around being cute. Despite some boring segments and power-ups that sometimes fell flat, overall this is a fun Kirby outing
with a lot of depth and room to experiment and cut your battle chops.
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