I know what you’re thinking. In Kirby Star Allies, by way of Kirby’s classic ability to inhale and assimilate enemies, isn’t every character your ally? Isn’t this even moreso the case with Kirby’s new ability to charm enemies by throwing hearts at them?
There’s a difference between Kirby allies and Kirby friends. Kirby friends are the equivalent of helpers — enemies you can turn into friends to use their abilities throughout the level. They’re tools. Kirby allies are moreso actual characters, intended for fans to fall in love with and pine for their cameos in new versions. Kinda like this!
Given the nature of Kirby games, the list of allies is quite similar to the list of villains. It’s normal for characters on either side of the line to swap allegiances for a short time. So you’ll forgive us if we include Meta Knight just because he’s awesome and cute. Nobody’s a full-time villain here.
The names are similarly … similar. With monikers from Lololo to Lalala to Dedede, you’d be forgiven for thinking the naming of Kirby characters fell to an executive’s three month-old child. Tsk, tsk. Nepotism.
We know there are some animal friend cameos planned from the likes of Nago, Pitch, and ChuChu. But which of these strings of repeated syllables do we hope to see in Kirby Star Allies? For that we’ll have to reach back across the franchise for our favourites.
Meta Knight
Friend or foe? You never really know. Meta Knight, leader of the meta knights (because that’s so meta), looks very much like an armoured version of Kirby. His motivations have always been mysterious, and despite breaking his mask, we’ve never seen his face.
Even when Meta Knight is fighting against Kirby though, you have to respect him. He’s nothing if not honourable, and will offer Kirby a sword to make the fight fair.
We hope to see more of this character both because he’s a fan favourite, and because we want to know more about him. His mystery is part of his charm, but throughout the series each appearance has revealed something new.
In Meta Knightmare Ultra we learned he’s on a quest to become the greatest warrior in the galaxy. In Revenge of the Meta Knight we learned he hates laziness. And in the anime, we learn that Meta Knight does take into account the greater good, which is ultimately his reason for helping Kirby.
Chef Kawasaki
Racking up what must be the most appearances in the Kirby series (yes, other than Kirby, you pedantic scoundrel) is Chef Kawasaki, another villain-turned-friend.
Kawasaki is the perfect compliment to Kirby. On one hand, we have a hero who can’t stop eating. On the other, we have an ally who can’t stop cooking. Boom.
Kawasaki is also the source of one of Kirby’s most powerful abilities: Cook.
Don’t let the understated name fool you. This effectively clears the entire screen of enemies other than bosses. Due to its power, this is one of the few Copy Abilities that only gives you one use.
Kirby Star Allies has a lot of powerups just floating around mid-level, so we’re not sure the game has much use for a character that would dole out tasty treats for Kirby’s benefit. The level design itself is already quite liberally sprinkled with things for Kirby to eat.
Even if we don’t see Chef Kawasaki, it’d be great to see some continuation of the robotisation of characters, a la Mecha Kawasaki.
Adeleine
The child painter who could bring her creations to life, we don’t just hope to see a Kirby Star Allies Adeleine, we hope to see more Adeleine in general.
She can be sweet and paint into reality items or creatures to help Kirby. But the last time we saw her she was possessed by Dark Matter, turning on Kirby. Adeleine as an enemy is extremely dangerous, bringing a conga line of past bosses into existence with a flick of her brush.
This is an idea that could use a lot more exploring, both thematically and in terms of gameplay. If Drawn to Life can animate whatever pixel art abominations we put together, imagine the same idea with the backing of Nintendo.
Whether or not we’re controlling her, and whether or not she’s on our side, it’s a super cool ability that deserves more screen time.
Angie
There’s a lot of potential for newer characters from Kirby’s Epic Yarn to make a jump into more traditional 3D cartoon graphics, and we think a great candidate would be Angie. Even moreso than Prince Fluff.
This smiley angel would carry you to your teammate whenever you wished, and would save you from fatal falls — at the cost of a few beads. It’s a similar role to Lakitu in Mario Kart.
We haven’t seen any of Angie so far in the promotional material, and we probably would have if she played a major “saving Kirby’s bacon” kind of role. But this is a series that loves cameos. Anything’s possible.
We could see all or none of the above allies. But we are slowly building a list of all the friends (and their abilities) for you to assimilate in Kirby Star Allies. Check it out here.
