What I’m trying to say is, every time Nintendo has some spastic new idea, it sticks Kirby into it, and by and large, it does it to usually high degrees of success. However, Kirby Battle Royale represents one of the few times that one of Nintendo’s experiments with their pink puffball of a mascot has not worked out, in spite of how fundamentally sound the core idea seems to be upon first glance.

Battle Royale‘s premise is simple, and has little to do with PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, and the ad hoc genre that its success has spawned- what happens if you take Kirby, with his extremely versatile pool of moves and powers, and stick him into a multiplayer action game? Especially once you throw in Nintendo’s signature chaos and unpredictability into the mix, as well as their imaginative takes on popular multiplayer modes… it should be a slam dunk, right?

"Kirby is meant to be an inviting series of games that anyone can pick up and play, where the fun comes from engaging with the game rather than trying to master it. Which works well for a single player game! It doesn’t work well for a competitive player vs player style multiplayer one, which is what this game tries to fundamentally pitch itself as at its core.."

Except it isn’t. Kirby: Battle Royale should work in theory, but it comes off feeling flaccid. The reason is, sadly, Nintendo’s adherence to what Kirby is- it is meant to be an inviting series of games that anyone can pick up and play, where the fun comes from engaging with the game rather than trying to master it. Which works well for a single player game! It doesn’t work well for a competitive player vs player style multiplayer one, which is what this game tries to fundamentally pitch itself as at its core.

The sad part is, Kirby’s various moves and transformations translate over to multiplayer rather well in theory. The issue is that their implementation is extremely simplistic. You keep the same inputs across transformations for your attacks and movement, and those attacks and movement options rarely vary functionally– so while they might look different, the end result often ends up being much the same. Which means that in the end, there is no player skill or input required, and it just becomes a contest of attrition, to see who can button mash their way to victory first.

The thing is, though, that to begin with, you probably won’t even play the game multiplayer- you’ll play it single player. Paradoxically, this is where the game seems to be at its best, in spite of the multiplayer trapping that the game seeks to fashion itself with.

The premise is silly, as it always is in a Kirby game- it involves King Dedede cloning Kirby endlessly and pitting him against himself, and the game keeps things interesting by putting various restrictions on what you can and cannot do, forcing you to be creative. The campaign also acts as a nice tutorial for Kirby’s abilities (there are 16) and the various battle modes (there are 10). It’s a shame that it’s so short- you will be done with it in well under a half dozen hours-  because what follows this is far more disappointing than your time with the campaign might suggest.

"Paradoxically, single player is where the game seems to be at its best, in spite of the multiplayer trapping that the game seeks to fashion itself with."

You can either battle against CPU opponents, which becomes an exercise in tiresome dreariness because of how easy to predict they become, or you can try to go online and try to battle random players. Online mostly works well (there can be minor lag sometimes), but without any way to communicate with other players, it becomes an exercise in you mashing the buttons to dash and attack your opponents, while they do the same, and hoping that your blows connect more and before theirs do.

In local multiplayer, on the other hand, the game shines, relatively speaking- and it makes it easy for you to set it up, too. The game supports Download Play, which means only one of you needs to own a copy of the game (everyone else will just download some data from that player, and then they can jump in). Local multiplayer becomes fun, as you all scream and laugh- in many ways, it evokes the best of Nintendo’s couch multiplayer experiences. But Battle Royale lacks the skill depth that something like Smash can demand, or the unpredictability and chaos that something like Mario Party can offer. It’s fun, should you decide to play it- but you have no reason to decide to play it, there are superior offerings even within Nintendo’s catalog, even within Nintendo’s 3DS catalog.

In spite of the general disappointment and underwhelming nature of the game, however, the one thing that is clear is that it is a really well made game with typically high production values- which, of course, is something you expect from a Nintendo game. Graphics are colorful and cheery, and instantly catch the eye and engage your attention, while the soundtrack is typical Kirby fare. Neither of these are going to win any awards, per se, but Kirby: Battle Royale is a decidedly pretty game, with a pleasant soundtrack that manages the enormous feat of never getting grating or annoying.

I think, much like Rainbow Curse on the Wii U, this is a game that would best work for younger players and they are likely to enjoy the game’s simple controls, and the ability to win even if they’re not necessarily good at the game. Households with younger kids and 3DS systems would stand to benefit the most from Kirby: Battle Royale. For everyone else, this is one of the few times that Nintendo’s pink puffball has managed to falter.

This game was reviewed on Nintendo 3DS.

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT

Square Enix’s Dissidia Final Fantasy series has always been very interesting to follow. After all, on paper, a crossover fighting game between Final Fantasy characters should be awesome, right? Dissidia takes a more nuanced approach though and Dissidia Final Fantasy NT is perhaps the most significant addition to the series yet. Ported over from arcades, Dissidia NT focuses on 3 vs. 3 battles with characters split into four classes – Vanguards for attacking, Assassins for their agility, Marksmen for range and Specialists with unique traits.

There’s the new Bravery system for attacking, switching between characters during combat and a revamped story mode which introduces more story information as battles take place. With over 28 characters including series greats like Sephiroth, Cloud, Squall and whatnot along with a number of Summons, there’s a lot of variety to enjoy. Dissidia Final Fantasy NT releases on January 30^th 2018 for PS4.

Kirby Battle Royale

Kirby hasn’t exactly been top-tier in many gamers’ hearts after Kirby’s Epic Yarn. That being said, Kirby: Planet Robobot sold moderately well and received positive critical acclaim. So when you look at Kirby Battle Royale and its premise of battling a bunch of other Kirbies in arena combat from a top-down perspective, it feels…weird. There’s a campaign, co-op, multiplayer and much more. However, it’s been released for Europe already and reviews have been less than positive. Kirby Battle Royale arrives on January 19^th 2018 for the Nintendo 3DS so it’s worth checking gameplay footage before putting down any cash.

Lost Sphear

The next RPG from the studio behind I Am Setsuna, Lost Sphear combines an evolution of the Active Time Based system with a mystical new world. The result is a smaller but more personal experience. The story follows a man who faces a power that could tear reality apart. Using “Memory”, the man must restore lost parts of the world. As you’d expect, there are allies to meet, items to gain and equipment to use as you level up en route to saving the world. Lost Sphear releases on January 23^rd 2018.

The Inpatient

Originally scheduled to launch in November 2017, Supermassive Games’ The Inpatient was delayed to January 23^rd 2018 in North America and January 24^th 2018 in Europe. Developed for the PS4 and PlayStation VR, The Inpatient acts as a prequel to Until Dawn, the narrative-focused horror adventure game. Players will head to Blackwood Sanatorium sixty years prior to Until Dawn and play as an amnesiac trying to recover their memories. Along with NPCs reacting to voice recognition, The Inpatient’s overall story will be influenced by the decisions you make.

Dragon Ball FighterZ

Developed seemingly in response to Capcom’s Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite, Dragon Ball FighterZ has it all. There’s 3v3, fast paced combat and the mechanics resemble that seen in Arc System Works’ Guilty Gear. Dragon Ball fans don’t have to worry though – you can still rush your foes, teleport and smash them against the floor and power up to different Super Saiyan forms. We know that Goku, Trunks, Vegeta, Goku Black and many other heroes will be making an appearance and players can expect a robust story mode divided into three arcs. Dragon Ball FighterZ is out on January 26^th 2018 for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Full Metal Furies

Remember Rogue Legacy? If you haven’t played Rogue Legacy, it’s an amazing Metroidvania rogue-lite where each new life sees you playing as a descendant navigating a crazy castle. Its developer Cellar Door Games has been out of the spotlight since its release but that’s because it was prepping something bigger in Full Metal Furies. Touted as the first “true co-op” action RPG experience, Full Metal Furies offers four different characters – Alex the Fighter, Meg the Sniper, Triss the Tank and Erin the Engineer, each with their own abilities and skills.

You can play with friends or go it solo, choosing two characters and switching between them at will. The sheer range of abilities allows for lots of customization and you’ll engage in boss battles with a number of phases. That’s not counting the massive world broken up into stages filled with secrets, enemies and the odd hidden dimension. Full Metal Furies is out on January 17^th 2018 for Xbox One, Windows 10 PC and Steam.

Iconoclasts

In development for seven years by Joakim Sandberg, Iconoclasts is a nostalgic action platformer full of personality and amazingly detailed locations. It follows the mechanic Robin as she attempts to fix the world and try to understand her role in it as catastrophe strikes. Iconoclasts will feature over 20 boss battles, 10 locations, numerous difficulty settings and a gorgeous art-style that simply speaks to the retro enthusiast in all of us. It arrives for PC on January 23^rd 2018.

Monster Hunter World

The biggest Monster Hunter game till date will be heading to Xbox One and PS4 on January 26th 2018 with Monster Hunter World. Built as a huge sprawling open world with support for online play, Monster Hunter World features ecosystems full of monsters that interact with each other, new movement abilities like the grappling hook, various weapon types and so on. Players can join squads and meet at common hubs or you can go it solo and participate in high ranking hunts that way. Monster Hunter World releases next month for consoles but PC players will have to wait till later in the year.

Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition

Capcom has been attempting to make up for the sins of Street Fighter 5’s launch with new updates, new stages, new characters and much more. Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition is probably the game we should have had at first with a new user interface, new V-Triggers that can be selected beforehand, Arcade Mode with six different modes that represent every major Street Fighter released till now with some 200 endings, and much more. The roster from the base game along with Season 1 and 2 of DLC combine for a roster of 28 characters. Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition is out on January 16^th 2018 for PS4 and PC.

Batman: The Enemy Within Episode 4 – “What Ails You?”

The second season of Telltale Games’ Batman continues to roll on with Episode 4 “What Ails You” arriving in January 2018. Thus far, we’ve seen Batman run into the Riddler, go face to face with the Agency’s Amanda Waller, eventually fighting against Bane and having to deal with a mysterious new group called the Pact. There’s plenty of intrigue as old villains appear, a new villain named John Doe takes centre stage and you’ll have to make some tough decisions in order to succeed.

Those who haven’t played the first game will be able to engage in investigation sequences and it’s possible to approach certain decisions by either playing as Batman or Bruce Wayne. Crowd Play also makes a return, thus allowing a streamer’s audience to determine how the story goes. Batman: The Enemy Within Episode 4 will be out on January 2018 for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.