Remakes, in many circles, are considered four letter words. I can understand that, there are many remakes that have left sour tastes in my mouth. Did you ever see 1998’s action hit Godzilla? How about Eddie Murphy’s rendition of the Jerry Lewis classic, The Nutty Professor? I know, terrible.

When it comes to video games, I’m not as critical. There’s a reason these games are being remade: they’re good. After all, there hasn’t been a remake of E.T. the Game, or Big Rigs. Would you call the Super Mario Advance series, Metroid Zero Mission, or Pokemon Fire Red/Leaf Green bad games? Heavens no. Not to say all remakes are created equally.

Kirby Super Star Ultra is a remake of one of the best games on the SNES, and arguably the best game in the entire Kirby series. Kirby Super Star isn’t just one game, it’s nine. Albiet, some of these games are minor, forgettable minigames, but most of the games offered are the usual enemy inhaling, ability copying, bad guy bashing Kirby games we so enjoy.

Not all of these games come easy, the game makes you work for them. At first, only a few minigames are offered, and one adventure game, Spring Breeze. Spring Breeze (for those of you who haven’t read the Kirby’s Dreamland feature), is a near remake of Kirby’s first outing on the Game Boy, except this time, you have the ability to use Kirby’s “Copy” ability. Other games include Dynablade, a game where you must stop a giant bird from disturbing Dream Land. Revenge of Meta Knight is the only time Meta Knight has ever becomes a villain, and as Kirby, you must stop him from conquering Dream Land. There are more games offered, but I don’t want to spoil them all.

Kirby Super Star revolutionized the Copy Ability. Before, Kirby would inhale an enemy and would be able to do a simple attack. Abilities in Super Star are more complex, and one ability will allow for many different attacks. For example: The fire ability allows for you to blow flames, as well as hurl yourself as a fireball of doom to burst through enemies. The Ninja ability not only allows you to throw spears, but will also allow you to cling to walls. But where Super Star really sings, is multiplayer.

Kirby, upon using his copy ability, Kirby has the ability to make a helper who has the ability he just sacked. While the helper will lack the ability to suck up enemies and copy like Kirby, they will have the ability corresponding to their type; be it Parasol Waddle Dee, or Sir Kibble, or any of the other helpers available. If you have no one to play with, the helper will be controlled by the computer and help you on your many quests.

So how does Kirby Super Star Ultra stack up to the SNES title? Fairly well I say. Not only are all of the games from the original in the game, but included are some more games, features, and perhaps some of the best fan service Nintendo has offered. The awesome 2 player offered in the original is back, through the local DS multiplayer. Every charming story now has 3D cut scenes (the end of Spring Breeze got to me), and Nintendo has offered some awesome renditions of classic Kirby tunes; most notably, Gourmet Race and King Dedede’s theme.

Some of the new games offered are Revenge of the King, a harder, darker version of Spring Breeze, and Helper to Hero, allowing Player 1 to play as one of the many Helpers, in the classic Boss Battle Romp “The Arena.” And that fan service I hinted at? Meta Knight Ultra lets you play as Meta Knight, for a speed run of every adventure offered in the game.  Yes, you are able to play the entire game as Meta Knight.

The question with most remakes is “Should I pick this one up if I have the original?” Well that depends. Would you like to have the classic Kirby classic in your DS, to play anywhere you want? Kirby Super Star was in my opinion a perfect game. The only way to make a perfect game more perfect is to make it more accessible. Well, that and making Meta Knight playable.

The Awesome

-13 Games in One

-Updated graphics, music, and cut scenes make the game feel surprisingly fresh

-2 Player, arguably better than the one offered on the SNES

-Delicious Kirby Platforming Goodness

-Did I mention Meta Knight is Playable?

The Not So Awesome

-Other than graphics, no new gameplay or abilities offered

-We don’t need no stinkin’ mini games

-Very Easy

The Verdict

Yes, it’s a remake, and yes it’s worth buying even if you’ve already played the game. There’s plenty of fun and surprises in this game to make you feel just as giddy as you felt when you first played Super Star. Super Star Ultra is what a remake should be, keeping all the magic and charms of the original, while reinventing the fun with new features, sprinkled with a healthy pinch of fan service.

Score: 9/10