A group of players fighting Ignite Edge, one of the enemies in the game
Super Kirby Clash is an action role-playing game where players control Kirby and his team, who must complete quests by fighting an array of different bosses.[1][2] There are four Kirbys in the game. One Kirby is controlled by the player, and the others can be controlled by CPUs or other players.[2] The player can choose a role for their Kirby, as well as a weapon and suit of armor, and interact with the notice board to begin a fight. The role options allows the player to utilize a sword, hammer, offensive spells, or healing.[3]
After every quest, whether the player wins or loses, they will gain experience. This experience allows the player to level up and increase their Kirby's stats. Each quest also costs the player Vigor to attempt, which takes time to recharge. If the player does not have enough Vigor remaining, they cannot attempt quests until it recharges.[2]
In between quests, players go to a small town which serves as the game's hub world.[2] In this area, players can purchase equipment and select a quest to complete. The game also features a currency called Gem Apples, which are used to buy equipment and unlock new quests.[1] Players can purchase these Gem Apples through microtransactions, but they can also be obtained through normal gameplay.[4]
Plot
At the start of the game, a large number of monsters threaten the realm, and Kirby must fight them. Kirby forms a group of fellow Kirbys, named Team Kirby, to stop the threat. They advance through the realm, slaying monsters, until they encounter Parallel Nightmare, the mastermind behind the threat. Team Kirby defeats him and he flees to the Empyrean.
Team Kirby advances towards the Empyrean while vanquishing more monsters, and they eventually arrive. As they do, they encounter what they think is Parallel Nightmare, and fight it. After they defeat him, they realize that they were not fighting Parallel Nightmare, but instead Taranza. They proceed to the Decisive Battlefield, where they encounter Parallel Nightmare again. As they prepare to fight him, he summons the dreaded King D-Mind to fight them. King D-Mind turns on Parallel Nightmare, and flings him away, before being defeated by Team Kirby.
The threat appears to be over, but the monsters return, stronger than before. Team Kirby kills more monsters, and discovers that Parallel Nightmare survived. They chase him to another realm called the Dreamscape and defeat him again. Parallel Nightmare summons a powerful warrior called Aeon Hero to fight them. Aeon Hero kills Parallel Nightmare and engages Team Kirby, but loses to them after a long battle. After the battle, peace is restored.
Several enemies from previous Kirby games were added to Super Kirby Clash, with the game being some enemies' first HD appearance.[6] The game also featured variants of some enemies with different designs and attributes, such as a alternate version of the character Gigant Edge which was given a flaming sword.[7]
Super Kirby Clash was announced during a Nintendo Direct on September 4, 2019,[8] and released on the same day.[9] Later that month, Nintendo held a Tetris 99 Maximus Cup themed around the game. The rewards, obtained for getting more than 100 points, were a Kirby-based theme in Tetris 99 and ninety-nine Gem Apples in Super Kirby Clash.[10][11]
In December 2019, the game reached four million downloads, prompting HAL Laboratory to host a temporary twenty-percent off sale on the game's Gem Apple currency.[12]
The game received "mixed or average" reviews according to video game review aggregatorMetacritic.[13] The game was listed by IGN as one of the fourteen best free-to-play games on the Nintendo Switch.[14]PocketGamer listed it as the fifth best free Switch game.[15]
