Throughout the years, Kirby has appeared in multiple spin-off games that were fun, but maybe not necessarily original (see: Kirby’s Avalanche, a Puyo Puyo clone). Bucking the trend to a degree, Kirby’s Star Stacker is a falling-block puzzle game that is both original and fun. Even with King Dedede’s laughing and taunting, Star Stacker manages to deliver a solid puzzle game. 

The goal of the game is to stack star blocks throughout the playfield that enclose Kirby’s friends, Kine, Rick, and Coo from Kirby’s Dream Land 2. The idea of enclosing blocks and not just matching them makes for a unique twist on typical falling-block puzzles. The new gameplay idea can take a little time getting used to but with patience, it all clicks together. Star Stacker can become challenging, especially at higher difficulty levels, with King Dedede slamming his fist on the ground to make new rows of blocks rise with regularity.

With oodles of Kirby all over the game, Kirby’s Star Stacker has a decorous presentation, including pleasant-yet-repetitive music and cute Kirby character animations. While playing King Dedede laughs at you, which is both funny and somewhat maddening. Kirby’s Star Stacker is a charming game with deeper puzzle gameplay then you may have expected. Star Stacker is worth of any player’s time, especially if they have a deep infatuation for Kirby and novel puzzle games.