"Stories of the Past, Technology of the Future." |
Kirby: Android of Death is a platformer released on the Nintendo Switch, following in the steps of recent games such a Planet Robobot and Star Allies. It is also a prequel to an upcoming Kirby game, Kirby: Paradox Hour. The game was completed and published on May 5th, 2018.
Plot Synopsis[]
Planet Pop Star is visited by an extraterrestrial android, who has begun setting up bases and releasing destructive machines. With her motive being unknown, Kirby must set out on his own to find out her end goal and stop both her machines and the regional threats she has unleashed.
Full plotline and cutscene descriptions can be found here.
Characters[]
Gameplay[]
Android of Death retains most of the gameplay elements introduce in Return to Dreamland, but puts greater emphasis on combat than previous entries. In so doing, the game plays like a hybrid between a standard platformer and a beat-em-up. Kirby's basic movement and abilities have been changed to fit the new pseudo-3D control scheme, but the moves themselves are mostly unchanged. Since and now controls Kirby's lateral movement only, moves that previously required players to press or now use or respectively.
One addition made to support this dual-gameplay style is Star Power, represented by a power meter that fills as Kirby deals and takes damage. When it is full, Kirby can execute a powerful Star Technique by pressing . Each ability has a unique Star Technique that functions as a finishing move. These moves also have context-sensitive applications that can be used to solve puzzles and open alternate routes.
Abilities[]
Levels[]
In a departure from past titles, each world in Android of Death consists of a giant map made from interconnected levels; rather than entering a golden door at the end of a level, a new stage picks up right where the previous one ended. Some levels have split paths, and will lead to multiple levels. The path connecting two levels goes through a safe room; from these areas, Kirby can fast travel to any other safe room with the Warp Star. Even outside these areas, Kirby can travel to one of them, and can choose to leave a spawn point behind - he can fast travel to that specific point from the safe rooms at will. Only one spawn point can be active at a time.
Levels are laid out as wide hallways, allowing Kirby to move a little along the Z-axis. Most of Kirby's attacks are still restricted to the X-Y plane he is on, but this isn't the case for all of them: some can home in on foes or be guided in 3D space, while others cover a wide area around or in front of him. Kirby can still access various techniques for abilities through the traditional button combinations.
The primary collectable in this game are Mix Discs, which contain remixes of past Kirby tunes to play in the Jukebox. Each level contains 3 hidden Mix Discs: the specific songs found in each level can be found under Mix Disc Tracks. Each world also contains one secret level, containing sections similar to the Challenge Rooms from Return to Dreamland, requiring mastery of four different abilities to complete. Clearing these challenges and defeating the Ultra mid-boss at the end rewards the player with one of five Cover Pieces, fragments of the cover of an ancient book. The cover itself isn't used until the following game, but collecting all 5 unlocks a secret ending cutscene.
Scarlet Sunset A calm hillside in Dreamland, tinted red as twilight approaches. A series of destructive excavations has damaged the landscape. Who could be behind it?
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Pink Pasture - Rolling hills set against the setting sun. Serves as the standard starting level, introducing basic movement, copy-abilities, and the like. Connects to High-Yield Field. |
High-Yield Field - Farmland that is currently being used to grow vegetables. The latter half of the stage is on fire, due to a rampaging Fire Lion, who is fought as the world's mid-boss. Connects to Secret Shaft. | |
Secret Shaft - A mining shaft excavated by an unknown machine. The cave was likely the home of the Fire Lion from before. This stage has many secret areas, including the entrance to the secret level, Heavy Metal. Connects to Crab Crest. | |
Crab Crest - The top of the highest hill in the area. The level is occupied by the world boss, Hermech Crab. Upon its destruction, Kirby sees an airship take off from a distant coast and fly out of sight. Kirby heads to where it left from on his Warp Star to investigate. | |
Heavy Metal - A secret inner cave sealed off from Secret Shaft. The level contains various challenging rooms that require use of Fire, Stone, Whip, and Cutter abilities. The level ends in a battle with Fire Lion Ultra. |
Icicle Isle A frosty beach off to the north, with quick-flowing currents and icy fog. Strange energy signals can be found here, but the hostile environment makes exploration difficult.
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Rapid Ride - Rushing rivers that flow into the icy bay below. The water moves too fast to swim against - Kirby can instead jump along rafts that flow down the river. The river leads to Cool Coast. |
Cool Coast - The chilly bay of Icicle Isle. The level's first half consists of the sandy beach, where Bonkers is fought. The second half extends into the icy water - from here, continuing on the surface leads to Making Waves, while diving beneath the surface leads to Deeper Creeper. | |
Making Waves - The rough waters between the coast and an island in the center of the bay. The wind is too strong to float against, and the water is too cold to swim in. By carefully platforming along icy blocks, Kirby will eventually reach Arctic Circle. | |
Deeper Creeper - The deeper water near the bay's floor, warmed by strange energy flowing along the ground. Almost the entire level involves swimming, so an underwater weapon is advised. Some sections dip into dry, underwater caves, one of which contains the entrance to Energy Field. Otherwise, Kirby will eventually arrive at Arctic Circle. | |
Arctic Circle - An icy, windswept island in the middle of the bay. The island contains trace amounts of the strange energy found on the bay floor; these are being analyzed by Flochilla, which Kirby must fight as the world boss. Upon its destruction, Kirby pursues the damaged Flochilla into the forest on his Warp Star. | |
Energy Field - A secret underwater cave, brimming with the energy from the bay floor. After challenging rooms that require use of Ice, Water, and Parasol, Kirby must battle Bonkers Ultra. The final segment of the level makes prominent use of the Hammer ability. |
Gigantic Gyro A massive supercomputer erected in the midst of an alpine forest. Whoever sent out the two probes must also of built this - but what could it be for?
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Woodwork Way - The woods surrounding the massive tower. The trees themselves need to be scaled to get over the wall surrounding the building, leading to Tower Grounds. |
Tower Grounds - The courtyard just outside the tower, as well as the ground-level floor. Grand Wheelie is encountered inside of the tower, amd must be defeated to continue. The ground floor contains two elevators, taking Kirby up to either Top Stopper or Belter-Skelter. | |
Top Stopper - The internal workings of the tower, run by a variety of gyroscopes. The level portion is a long climb up the machine, maneuvering between the gears within. Reaching the top floor leads to Performance Peak. | |
Belter-Skelter - A series of silicone conveyor belts, which are used by the computer for data storage. Kirby may find difficulty running against the fast-moving belts, forcing him to float in some places. The level ends in a second elevator, leading up to Performance Peak. | |
Performance Peak - The main computer room on the top floor. LiSA has already finished setting up the computer, and leaves before Kirby can confront her - he must instead fight Krackulator, modules controlled by the machine. Kirby then pursues LiSA to her supply depot, the Imperial Iliad. Reentering the elevator instead of fighting Krackulator takes Kirby up to Liftoff Run. | |
Liftoff Run - The roof of Gigantic Gyro, where various aircraft and recon drones land and takeoff - navigating this area requires use of the Wheel, Beam, Spark, and Bomb abilities. The level ends in a fight with Grand Wheelie Ultra. |
Imperial Iliad An ancient fortress, repurposed as an air base and supply depot. The scale suggests immense ships are expected to dock here - find a way through their defenses!
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Grand Gates - The gates sealing off the outer wall. The rooms within the wall make up most of the level, where Kirby must battle through waves of enemies. Once through the wall, Kirby reaches Ship Shapes, but cannot enter it until he destroys the generators in the three surrounding towers. Kirby can also reach the Inner Sanctum through a secret door. |
Ancient Tower - A tower decorated with blue banners, housing water cooling towers and icy hazards. Kirby must reach and destroy the blue generator here. Kirby will also fight Shuri the ninja if he visits this tower third. | |
Battle Tower - A tower decorated with red banners, and filled with fiery machinery. Kirby must reach and destroy the red generator here. Kirby will also fight Shuri the ninja if he visits this tower third. | |
Carrier Tower - A tower decorated with yellow banners, housing charging stations and flying drones within. Kirby must reach and destroy the yellow generator here. Kirby will also fight Shuri the ninja if he visits this tower third. | |
Ship Shapes - The base of the large central tower, connected to the three major towers around it. As Kirby climbs the tower, he will have to enter the various ships under construction in the docks. Climbing the entire way up leads to Astro Observatory. | |
Astro Observatory - The tower roof, opened up to the night sky and filled with astronomy equipment. LiSA, now recognizing Kirby as a threat, sets the Stellasphere to destroy him while she observes his techniques. Upon its destruction, she retreats to the Laboratoreum with Kirby in pursuit. | |
Inner Sanctum - The basement of Grand Gates, untouched by LiSA's conversion of the fortress. Kirby must pass several trial rooms, utilizing the Ninja, Fighter, Beetle, and Archer abilities, before facing off against Shuri Ultra. |
Laboratoreum LiSA's home base, constructed around her spaceship. It's time to dismantle her operations and find out what her plans are - but not until after a fierce battle!
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Lab Gates - The entrance to the Laboratoreum. The gates are protected with energy fields and cannons, which must be destroyed while enemies swarm in. Once all the gates are penetrated, Kirby is confronted by Gigant Edge before he can proceed. Kirby can choose to go to Bio Brain or Cube Tubes via shuttle. |
Bio Brain - The internal control structures for the defense systems, composed of biological machines. Kirby must destroy them to reach Central Control. If he hasn't gone to Cube Tubes, Kirby can get there using the shuttle. | |
Cube Tubes - The main data-storage units of the base, protected by drones and traps. Once the tubes are destroyed, Kirby can reach Central Control. If he hasn't gone to Bio Brain, Kirby can get there using the shuttle. | |
Central Control - The central research center of the Laboratoreum, where LiSA is at work. With nowhere to go, she fights Kirby by herself. During the battle her armor is destroyed, forcing her to retreat. Following her leads to Havoc Hall. | |
Havoc Hall - The hallway leading to LiSA's ship at the heart of the base. Kirby must hurry down the hall or be shut out by the blast doors, forcing him to battle more enemies. One of these rooms leads to X Sector if he chooses to get sealed inside, otherwise he reaches the Launch Deck. | |
Launch Deck - The housing room for LiSA's ship, where she fights Kirby in her true form as Calamity LiSA. Her suit is critically damaged after the battle; she self-destructs in a bid to defeat Kirby, leading to the destruction of the Laboratoreum. | |
X Sector - The secret testing rooms based on observations made about Kirby. He will need the Sword, ESP, Crash, and Mike abilities to clear the tests. At the end, Kirby faces off against Gigant Edge Ultra. A secret room can also be found in here, leading to an alternate battle with Ice Dragon. |
Bosses[]
Android of Death has many different types of bosses. Mid-bosses are encountered in the middle of each world; unlike past titles, each is fought only once. World Bosses are fought at the end of each world, and are tougher, multi-phase battles against powerful foes. Both types of bosses have Ultra variations, fought on higher difficulties of Star Warrior Way. The Ultra versions of the mid-bosses are also encountered in the world's secret stages. There is also a secret mid-boss encountered in the main game, and a secret final boss fought only on the hardest difficulty of Star Warrior Way.
Mid-Bosses[]
World Bosses[]
Sub-Games[]
There are two main subgames in Android of Death. The first is Mecha Defenders , a 3D fighting game, and the second is Star Warrior Way , the usual boss rush mode.
Mecha Defenders[]
Kirby mans a robot suit to battle various mechanical menaces! Each level takes place in a larger mech on a grander scale.
Mecha Defenders is a 3D fighting game starring Kirby and Mecha Kirby, a machine similar to the Robobot. The goal of each match is to defeat the boss monster as quickly as possible, while maintaining Mecha Kirby's health and energy.
Mecha Kirby has a few basic attacks. It can execute a close range punch combo or a long range rocket punch with , shoot rapid-fire lasers with , and charge a giant laser by holding . Pressing will make the mech jump, and it can hover for a short time by holding . The mech dashes with , and can block with .
Mecha Kirby has both health and fuel. The machine self-repairs, so its health is always refilling, but if it takes significant damage it can lose all its health. It will be left vulnerable while it heals up again, which also costs lots of energy. The mech loses fuel gradually at all times, and every move costs energy to execute. Some use more than others, with the charged laser consuming the most energy. If Mecha Kirby ever runs out of fuel, Kirby automatically fails the mission.
During a battle, Mecha Kirby can clash with a variety of attacks: in these situations, Kirby can perform certain inputs to gain the upper hand:
- Punch Parry: If Mecha Kirby punches at the same time as an enemy, he enters the Punch Parry mode. Counter directional punches by pressing in the correct direction, and when there is an opening press ! Mash once the opponent is vulnerable to rack up damage.
- Dash Parry: If Mecha Kirby dashes into a foe that's charging towards him, Kirby enters Dash Parry mode. Mash the button until the enemy tires out, then either press to jump over them, throwing them behind you, or spin to swing them around you, throwing them forwards.
- Beam Parry: If Mecha Kirby fires his charged laser at the same time an enemy fires one, Kirby enters Beam Parry mode. Hold to keep the laser going, but release it regularly to prevent it from overheating. Once the laser reaches the enemy, it will deal massive damage and stun them for a while.
- Grapple Parry: If Kirby presses while shielding near an opponent, he can enter a special Grapple Parry. While the opponent is grabbed, Mecha Kirby can do four things - deal lots of damage with rapid punches by mashing , fire a laser to break its armor by holding , lift and throw the target into hazards with , or slam the foe down with , knocking loose energy if possible. Large projectiles and objects can also be picked up this way.
There are a total of eight bosses in the game. Upon completing each battle, Kirby is given a medal rank based on how much health and energy he had remaining, how fast the battle was won, and how much damage Kirby did to the environment (the more the better!). The possible ranks, from worst to best, are Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum (with a lower Copper rank if Kirby fails the mission). In order to battle the last boss, each of the previous seven must be beaten with at least a Silver rank.
Star Warrior Way[]
Star Warrior Way is a boss rush mode, similar to The Arena and The Ultimate Choice from past games. Much like Ultimate Choice in particular, there are several preset difficulty levels to choose from, rather than the two separate Arena and True Arena modes. At the same time, there aren't as many difficulty levels to choose from, with only four difficulty settings. Way of the Student and Way of the Warrior are available after the story mode is complete, while Way of the Master and Way of the Legend must be unlocked by clearing the prior difficulty levels.
The difficulty level determines how many foes will be fought in each round, whether they appear in their regular or ultra forms, if the game's secret bosses will be encountered, how much health Kirby has, and how many healing items are available between rounds.
Mix Disc Tracks[]
Scarlet Sunset Mix Discs from Scarlet Sunset contains remixes from Kirby's Dream Land and Kirby's Adventure.
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Pink Pasture - Green Greens / Float Islands / Bubbly Clouds |
High-Yield Field - Stage 1 (KA) / Vegetable Valley / Yogurt Yard | |
Secret Shaft - Butter Building / Orange Ocean / Ice Cream Islands | |
Crab Crest - Fountain of Dreams / Ending (Adv) / Grape Garden | |
Heavy Metal - Boss Battle (Adv) / Vs. King Dedede / Vs. Nightmare |
Icicle Isle Mix Discs from Icicle Isle contains remixes from Kirby's Dream Land 2, Kirby's Dream Land 2, and Kirby and the Crystal Shards.
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Rapid Ride - Big Forest, Cloudy Park, Kine the Fish |
Cool Coast - Iceberg (DL2), Dark Castle, Wielder of the Rainbow Sword | |
Making Waves - Sand Canyon, Iceberg (DL3), Ripple Field | |
Deeper Creeper - Miniboss (DL3), Ripple Field Medley, Credits (DL3) | |
Arctic Circle - Battle Among Friends Medley / Rock Star / Grab-Grab Battle | |
Energy Field - Dark Matter Medley (DL2), Hyper Zone Medley (DL3), 0^2 battle |
Gigantic Gyro Mix Discs from Gigantic Gyro contains remixes from Kirby Super Star (Ultra), Kirby Squeak Squad, and Kirby and the Amazing Mirror.
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Woodwork Way - Together with Spring Breeze, Marshmallow Castle, Candy Mountain |
Tower Grounds - Halberd Medley, Vs. Meta Knight, Friends and Sun | |
Top Stopper - Having Fun Outside, Treasure Scuffle, Gazing into the Blue | |
Belter-Skelter - Rainbow Route, Radish Ruins, Mustard Mountain | |
Performance Peak - Olive Ocean, Carrot Castle, vs Dark Meta Knight | |
Liftoff Run - Vs. Galacta Knight, Vs. Dark Nebula , Dark Mind Medley |
Imperial Iliad Mix Discs from Imperial Iliad contains remixes from Kirby: Canvas Curse, Kirby's Epic Yarn, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, and Kirby's Return to Dreamland.
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Grand Gates - Training, Room Guarder, World of Drawcia |
Ancient Tower - Rainbow Falls, Dusk Dunes, Lava Landing | |
Battle Tower - Fountain Gardens, Vs. Yin Yarn, Future City | |
Carrier Tower - Battle Alone, Vs. Claycia, Kirby Rocket's Big Blastoff | |
Ship Shapes - Cookie Country, Hyah! Super Ability, Exciting! Boss Battle | |
Astro Observatory - Road to Victory, Challenge Stage, Vs. Landia | |
Inner Sanctum - Drawcia Medley, Vs. Dark Crafter, C-R-O-W-N-E-D |
Laboratoreum Mix Discs from the Laboratoreum contains remixes from Kirby Triple Deluxe, Kirby Planet Robobot, and Kirby Star Allies.
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Lab Gates - Floral Fields, Hypernova Medley, Attack! |
Bio Brain - Moonlight Capital, Revenge of the Enemy, Dirty and Beauty | |
Cube Tubes - Patched Plains, Spinning Roulette, Haltmann Works Medley | |
Central Control - Robobot Medley, Money Machine, Mind in a Program | |
Havoc Hall - Vs. Boss (Allies), Infiltrating the Jambastion, Prayer Song to God Medley | |
Launch Deck - Star Flung Medley (Planet Towera, Star Lavadom, Planet Caverna), Sacred Square, Vs. Hyness | |
X Sector - Moonstruck Blossom, P-R-O-G-R-A-M Medley, Void Termina Medley |