Kirby Fighters 2

Single-player isn't what Kirby Fighters 2 is about. Nor is it about the relatively serious tone of online multiplayer. Kirby Fighters 2 is a rare gem in that it's a local multiplayer-orientated game that, in 2020, was not developed by a small studio working on a micro-budget. This game, to me, is a reminder of the dozens upon dozens of hours I would play Super Smash Bros. on the Nintendo 64 with family and friends, at a time before anyone cared about a "meta-game" or the tiered rankings of dozens upon dozens of characters. Kirby Fighters 2 gets the party fighting game genre right back to the most simple of basics, and it's adorable in the process. That's a win-win.

Given that it arrived with practically zero fanfare, Kirby Fighters 2 is a surprisingly brilliant Smash Bros.-style spin-off that simplifies its big brother's control system but still offers a healthy amount of depth with its 22-character roster. Its Story mode, in particular, is a clever and compelling way to make each battle feel important, and that mode alone lasts long enough to make it a worthwhile purchase for solo and co-op gamers.

For a title that dropped out of nowhere, Kirby Fighters 2 is filled with all the charm of the average Kirby title but without a world map to explore. The fighting is fun and challenging with a surprising amount of variety in characters. The gameplay can almost start to feel repetitive at times but with fights being so short most of the time it’s easy to switch it up and hop back in feeling refreshed. There’s a lot of value here that gives in to what could be a ridiculous amount of gameplay for people who love completing every challenge. Anyone looking for a Kirby title with faster-paced combat and a focus on fast-paced fights should dive into Kirby Fighters 2.

Kirby returns home with the continuation of his fighting saga. Simple but full of fun and at a low price. We miss being able to select more varied characters.

Cute, immediate and sometimes a bit ruthless, Kirby Fighters 2 is a lot of fun for its price.

Kirby Fighters 2 is a good game if you’re going to play with four players. It you’re not, the lack of depth becomes apparent and the novelty wears out quite soon.

Kirby Fighters 2 is a fun game without great aspirations that lacks content and gameplay. Despite that, it is very enjoyable and a good option as an alternative to other brawls on the market.

Kirby Fighters 2 will certainly appeal to fans of the franchise, as will anyone who enjoys playing as the Kirby characters in Super Smash Bros. It’s not a game to which you’ll likely return, however, once the initial charm wears off.

Beyond a new ability and some rogue-lite elements, Kirby Fighters 2 doesn’t do much to add or change the Kirby formula, and that’s not a bad thing. Kirby’s combat has proven it can sustain itself time and again, and not only is Kirby Fighters 2 no exception, it’s arguably the best out of the bunch.

Kirby Fighters 2 is a fun diversion on the Nintendo Switch that celebrates the history of Kirby and his cohorts in this fun fighting game with over the top visuals, audio and at times mayhem. Check it out if you’re looking for something a little different and challenging, particularly on those higher levels of that tower in the story mode.

If you are a Kirby fan or if you want a different and sweetened fighting game, Kirby Fighters 2 is a very good option. It is not a revolution in its genre but it's enough to offer compliant and fun combat, especially when playing with up to three players. Story Mode might need more bite and variety.

Kirby Fighters 2 is an unremarkable fighting game that doesn’t really do much to separate itself from Super Smash Brothers. The fighting is decent and the story mode is fun, but there’s little reason to carry on playing once you’ve climbed the tower, especially with the multiplayer servers already feeling empty a few weeks after release. At less than half the price of Ultimate, Kirby Fighters 2 is a great compromise if you’re looking for a simple fighting game.

Kirby Fighters 2 delivers an upgrade from the original but still lacks depth. there are enough characters, but in fact, they are all the same more or less. The attacks are similar for every character for instance. Still, there is enough to do in the game. most of the characters, levels, and outfits need to be unlocked and the story is quite long. Just because of that the game is fun to play for the price of twenty euros.

Kirby Fighters 2 can be a nice introduction to fighting games, especially for children. But don’t get deceived: the first levels might be easy to beat, but the later ones will prove challenging even for those familiar with the genre.

Kirby Fighters 2 achieves nearly all of its glory in Story Mode, but there’s still some fun in short bursts if you have friends to play with or enjoy the time trials. Skip online unless you’re playing with friends. But even that risks your sanity.

While its combat may not add a revolutionary formula to the genre, the game's simplicity and accessible nature, along with an engaging cooperative mode and multiplayer experience, make this a game to consider by those looking for a fun work set in the Kirby universe, not to mention that longtime Kirby fans will get their share of rewards.

Choose from a cast of Kirby’s most iconic copy abilities—including the brand-new Wrestler ability—and duke it out to be the last Kirby standing. Familiar friends and foes like Bandana Waddle Dee and King Dedede also make an appearance as playable characters in the Kirby Fighters 2 game, available exclusively for the Nintendo Switch system.

It's a fun but forgettable brawler that franchise fans will gobble up.

Kirby Fighters 2 can’t compete with Super Smash Bros and other major fighting games, but it doesn’t have to. It’s the game you play when you don’t have the time for something more complex and involved. [Issue#249, p.82]

Super Kirby Clash is a much better title, and it's free! [Issue #50 – January/February 2021, p. 20]

This is a very pleasant package that’s not as fully equipped as it could be. There’s a lack of diversity with what you can really do, even just down to the options. I don’t think there is anything particularly bad here, it’s just unimpressively lacking. So for what it’s worth, I think you’d get a few hours of enjoyment out of this budget title. Just don’t expect anything that you can’t find elsewhere.

Kirby Fighters 2 is a joyful and an easy going game that's a little bit on the conservative side in terms of the design choices. Its the perfect choice for old time Kirby fans, and also young players, who are not yet ready to partake in epic showdowns of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Kirby Fighters 2 has the right stuff buried underneath its foundation: you just have to dig to get there.

Kirby Fighters 2 gets a recommendation for die-hard fans of Kirby in particular and to parents looking for a game that's not too expensive and easy enough to get a grasp on for younger kids who won't mind that this is all about Kirby and no other character. There is nothing intrinsically bad about it and it is a fun experience in multiplayer, no doubt, but strip it out of the Kirby license and this falls short in terms of actual content variation. Hardcore fans of brawlers with deep gameplay mechanics like Smash Bros. will find this one somewhat lacking.

The whole package is one that boasts a terrific core set of mechanics but stumbles in its ability to highlight them. A limited range of modes, a frustratingly slow unlock path for its roster and some odd difficulty gating in the campaign form an unavoidable weight around the neck of an otherwise charming experience. For $30 AUD it’s a steep asking price, especially when Super Smash Bros Ultimate is sitting right there, but fans of Nintendo’s morphing pink blob may get a kick out of this attempted impersonation.

Kirby Fighters 2 is a solid title and can provide some simple fun. It’s almost too simple to hold your attention for long, though, and while there’s a lot to unlock, I was tired of playing it far before I had finished. While it’s understandable why it plays so much like Smash Bros since the developers at HAL designed the early games in that series, it doesn’t do enough to set itself apart to really find a niche. Hardcore Kirby fans may find enough to justify a purchase but for most, there’s an obviously better option available on the same system which is far more worthy of your time.

Kirby Fighters 2 is an adorable, polished brawler that is sure to make you smile - but not for long. The game is great while you're unlocking and using new abilities, but you'll soon be forced into repetition after repetition while playing, and that'll suck the fun out of things. Good for young gamers and less experienced players, but there are better options.

Comprehensively adorable and approachable, Kirby Fighters 2 is a solid entry point into the fighting genre. It's phenomenally beautiful and plays tightly, but the story's difficulty spikes and limited game modes see Kirby's latest outing falling short of stardom.

The idea of Kirby smashing opponents in a brawler is simply good. However, Kirby Fighters 2 is a simplistic title, with no deep, low innovation value and very short in terms of enjoyment.

Kirby Fighters 2 is a kid-friendly fighting game that holds rather limited appeal.

Kirby Fighters 2 is, however, the definitive confirmation of the fact that there is nothing left to squeeze out of the old Kirby minigames and that it is therefore time to move on, possibly once and for all.

Kirby Fighters 2 is a shallow brawler aimed at kids and newcomers who are just entering the bigger, deeper world of fighting games.

Kirby Fighters 2 is a fighting game that slightly resembles Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Unfortunately, its combat system feels way slower.

While Kirby Fighters 2 is fun for a night with a co-op partner, there's little entertainment beyond that. There are better Kirby games out there. Try those instead.

Kirby Fighters 2’s repetitive single-player gameplay and online issues make it hard to recommend. You might like it if you’re a die-hard Kirby fan but it’s lacking in quite a few ways.

Similar to Super Smash Bros. but much easier and with a very simplistic fighting system.