One, it was becoming really, really long. Like, it ended up needing three posts on GameFAQs just to hold it.
Two, it was really fun to write.
And so I first thought, "maybe I should put this somewhere where I can go on for longer without running out of space" and then I thought "would it maybe be fun if I did a review for every ability in the game instead of just the three I got here?"
And so I came to the conclusion that I would post any and all ability reviews I came up with on here, my blog where I post random silly things like reviews for abilities in Kirby. So without further adieu, here's the first of my Ability Reviews, Water Kirby!
Water
“Look out—you’re a water wizard! Ride the waves and cool down hot flames! Your Water Gun is supercharged too!”
Basic Description
Water is a Kirby ability that has seemed like an obvious addition for quite a while, what with it being a classical element that was only previously represented through Ice and, in Squeak Squad, Bubble. Naturally, Water has some inherent advantages when it comes to getting around stages with water in them, and above-ground it has a very fluid feel to it. It’s my personal favorite of the new abilities introduced in Return to Dream Land due to its fun, and highly useful, nature in battle, along with its mobility advantages. Outside of its basic usage, all of Water’s moves can also solidify lava, making it a vital ability for several puzzles.
Aesthetics
To me, an important part of Kirby is how fun all the abilities look, and Water doesn’t disappoint! Water equips Kirby with a crown comparable to the other “elemental” abilities’ crowns, featuring a gold band with a water droplet-esque design on the front surrounded by two swirls that bring to mind waves. The crown is topped with a transparent column of water that waves along with Kirby’s movements, and the top of Kirby’s head peeking through the water is visible as a dark blue. The only aesthetic concern is that the water column looks a tad bit awkward - while abilities like Fire, Spark, or Ice have crown parts that can be imagined as free-standing, Water’s doesn’t seem like it should be able to stand up at all. In addition, the transparent effect allows any characters sitting on top of Kirby or items being held by Kirby to be clearly visible as clipping through the hat, which is a bit odd looking.
Moveset
(Damage amounts are approximates and averages taken from testing with the Metal General, and are all per hit)
1: Wave Attack (120 damage) - Kirby spits a small wave of water forward that travels in a steep ark in the air and quickly zips along the ground. It’s a quick but weak projectile, taking multiple hits to kill all but the weakest enemies. Unfortunately, it’s also a bit unwieldy and Kirby cannot rapid-fire it very quickly. It certainly works as a projectile, but it’s hardly Water Kirby’s most useful move.
Dash: Surf (40 damage (hit), 160 damage (wave)) - Instead of dashing normally, Kirby will ride a small bit of water. The surf travels slightly faster than the normal run, but also has less traction, having trouble turning around once it gets going. It gets its biggest use in puzzles, as the dash automatically solidifies lava that Kirby runs on as well as granting him full immunity to running on lava, even certain types that can’t be solidified. In addition, if Kirby runs into any enemies while using Surf he will bounce off harmlessly, even doing a tiny bit of damage to the enemy if it is a normal enemy. Surf also has a slightly more powerful way of doing damage - if Kirby gets going fast enough and quickly changed directions, he will release a short-ranged wave of water in the direction he was initially going that can damage enemies. It’s not very powerful or particularly useful, but it’s definitely a nice touch. Finally, though there aren’t a lot of places to do so, Surf can also be used to dash along the top of bodies of water.
Dash+1: Wave Surf (320 damage) - Here’s where Water Kirby gets good. The Wave Surf amps up Water’s normal Surf, putting Kirby on a large wave that sprouts from below his feet and can damage enemies considerably. He stays on the wave for about two seconds, and the wave can help launch Kirby up slopes. If it hits a vertical wall, the wave will dissipate, but if the wall is only a single block high Kirby will fall nicely on top of the block. Wave Surf can also cross gaps quite effectively, able to dash right across gaps of two blocks. Most importantly, Wave Surf has some very nice invincibility frames - Kirby simply cannot be damaged while performing the move and will travel through most enemies and obstacles in the way, only being deflected if Kirby himself hits a Gordo or something comparable. The only issue with Wave Surf is that it’s a little bit unwieldy at first, as the move cannot be manually canceled. On one final note, when Wave Surf is used Kirby is surged upward for a moment, reaching slightly higher than when the wave settles. This is a relatively minor property of Wave Surf, but there are certain circumstances where this additional height can help Kirby grab or hit things that the rest of the attack will miss.
Up+1: Geyser (160 damage) - It turns out the column of water on Kirby’s head isn’t just for show - Geyser sees it expanding and shooting upward from Kirby, damaging any enemies above him. By holding up and tapping 1, the Geyser can continue indefinitely, and by releasing up it can be quickly canceled, making it fairly easy to throw out. Unfortunately, the water is stopped by ceilings and has an incredibly small horizontal range, so its usage is fairly limited. Kirby is also immobile while doing the move, so it has the potential to put him in danger if the player cannot cancel the move quickly enough.
Down+1 in midair: Fountain Hover (80 damage) - Kirby will shoot a steady stream of water downward as long as 1 is held, keeping him bobbing up and down slowly in one spot in midair. He can move left and right while performing this move, and can be aimed up and down by holding the respective buttons. However, he will always try to return to a default distance from the ground, and will move especially quickly back upwards if he is moved towards the ground, so be careful not to lose control. In battle it’s very weak, but can potentially keep Kirby above enemies that can’t get very high into the air.
Down+1: Water Crown (160 damage) - Kirby thrusts his fist downward, creating a small burst of water from the ground. This… is very unwieldy, probably one of Water Kirby’s worst moves, since it has such a small range. Kirby IS invincible while doing it, however, so with good timing it can potentially be used to dodge dashing attacks from small enemies.
Hold Down, then Up+1: Rainbow Rain (40 - 210 damage) - Kirby summons the powers of friendship and creates a rainbow around him with a flourish, damaging enemies all around. It hits multiple times and each hit does more damage the closer the move is to finished, easily making it Water’s most powerful move, especially against bosses, and it hits a very large area around Kirby to boot. In addition, Kirby is completely invincible during the duration of the move, so it can be used to dodge and doesn’t require as precise timing as Water Crown due to it lasting longer. It can even be rapid-fired by holding down during animation! This is Water Kirby’s best offensive move alongside Wave Surf. Its only real downside is that it leaves Kirby immobile while the move is being performed, and having to hold down can make it a little tricky to pull off. But it’s worth it to destroy your enemies with epic water rainbows!
1 underwater: Enhanced Water Gun (at least 120 damage) - While in the water, Kirby’s normal Water Gun is, well, enhanced. Instead of a single bubble, Kirby shoots two twirling bubbles that go about double the length of the normal Water Gun. This is especially useful as it can go right through blocks and enemies that it breaks, as opposed to the normal Water Gun only hitting one thing at a time. It’s definitely not the most useful underwater ability, though, so it may not see much use.
Overall
Water is a powerful ability, if only for its Wave Surf and Rainbow Rain being very effective against bosses that sit static for any period of time. The added bonus of its most powerful moves giving Kirby a lot of invincibility to work with helps quite a bit, too. It isn’t the most fun ability to use against normal enemies, though, since the majority of its moves are either weak or simply hard to hit with. Overall, it’s a fairly high-end ability that may not be a lot of fun to use in normal stages.
Aesthetics: 8/10 - pretty, but some clipping issues and the water column seems almost out of place
Power: 9/10 - tears through any bosses that have periods of not moving, which is most of them
Fun-Factor: 8/10 - hurt somewhat by the lack of interesting mobility moves, and many of its moves are impractical or very situational
Overall: 8.5/10
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