Super Kirby Clash is a free-to-play four player co-op action game for the Nintendo Switch.
Play as the iconic pink puffball and fight various bosses, either with up to three friends or AI party members. You can choose from up to four classes. Each class is set apart by their movesets and specific abilities such as the balanced yet offensive Blade Hero, slow but powerful Hammer Lord, reliable Doctor Healmore, and the supportive Beam Mage-who’s special ability lets it freeze time for bosses by filling up a gauge.
The gameplay itself is a traditional Kirby game: Each class has its own movelist with special moves you can execute by charging the attack button, using a directional input, or attacking while running. Each class stands out and has its own unique purpose with Doctor Healmore being the obvious healer, Sword Hero and Hammer Lord classes being great for raw damage, and the Beam Mage having the unique ability to stop time for a boss, which makes it vulnerable to attacks. This is incredibly helpful if you have a Hammer Lord in your party and unleash powerful charge attacks.
The gameplay is focused almost entirely on Quests, where you and your party fight a variety of bosses from different Kirby games, such as Mr. Frosty, Blocky, and Whispy Woods, as well as giant versions of regular Kirby enemies like Waddle Dees, Waddle Doos, Kabus, and Kibbles. There are no levels, but the game’s focus on combat and co-op make for compelling bursts of simple fun by yourself or with friends.
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As a “free to start” game, as Nintendo put it, it has the structure of most mobile games where you have the option to buy in-game currency used for in-game items, but it’s totally playable without spending a single penny. The currency, Apple Gems, can be earned from Quests, by completing optional objectives called Hero Missions, and from other players by ringing a bell in town.
By completing a certain amount of Hero Missions, you can unlock more items in the shop such as weapons, armor, support items, and stickers-which are used to communicate with other players. There are also items called Codexes listed under the Support Item section of the shop which can increase the drop rate of items, the EXP you earn from doing Quests, and the Stamina gauges of each class permanently. By spending real money on Apple Gems, you can also increase the level of the Apple Gem Tree in town, which gives you more gems as daily bonuses.
Even though this was only recently released, what I played so far has been a blast! I didn’t need to buy any gems, was able to play online successfully in Party Quests, and earned plenty of gems through normal play and by focusing on Hero Missions for extra gems. Of course, I’ve just started playing it, so expect to hear more from me as I get further into the game.
You watch some gameplay we’ve recorded below.
