Kirby vs. the Brainioids

A co-op extravaganza and some weird Mormon art

August’s final week brought a flurry of co-op games to take me through the Labor Day weekend. When our hands weren’t busy with a mewling baby, my wife and I indulged in two impressive co-op excursions. One wasn’t anywhere near my radar, the other I’ve been following for months.

Let’s start with the dark horse. Chip ‘n Clawz vs. The Brainioids is Starcraft by way of Brütal Legend. Its cartoony sci-fi setting reminded me of Ratchet and Clank, but its comic-book flair and jittery stop-motion-esque cutscenes come off as even more wholesome and retro-futuristic.

Combat’s simple enough. You run, jump, and batter every alien in your way. Later, you’ll learn to build ammo stockpiles and add basic third-person shooting to your arsenal. But the game’s real-time strategy elements outweigh these familiar action mechanics.

Throughout its many quick and varied levels, the game tasks you to place extractors to mine “Brainium,” which pays for buildings that spurt out an ever-widening array of units. As you conquer more territory, you’ll set rally points to pinpoint your enemy’s weaknesses and whittle away their fortifications. A headlong charge rarely works; opposing turrets will quickly gun you down if you step out of position.

I quickly grasped the game’s tactical controls, though my wife found them opaque. She focused on collecting brainium and pumping out buildings, leaving most of the strategery to me. That balance worked out for us, but make no mistake: kid-friendly as its aesthetic might be, Chip ‘n Clawz requires that at least one co-op partner bring a patient RTS mindset to its nonstop action rhythm. Should your team clear that bar, the game’s a nifty fusion well worth the sampling.

Meanwhile, Nintendo gave me a great reason to return to my beloved Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Star Crossed World updates the 2022 game for the Switch 2 and remixes its many biomes. My wife and I cruised through the game, collecting its wayward “Starries” to seal away (another) intergalactic threat.

Star Crossed World abounds with tougher enemies and novel secrets. Hit one of its iridescent crystals and the stage will transform. Most often, they’ll spawn new platforms or guide you to optional collectibles. Sometimes, they’ll pop off like the Wonder Flowers of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, summoning a grand ramp that leads skyward or parting the ocean like Moses.

Kirby also encounters numerous new objects to inhale. Each present a new way to traverse, from a bouncy spring to a gear that allows him to ratchet up vertical surfaces. As with the base game, these “mouthful modes” reduce a co-op partner to a side-gunner who can only chuck spears in the direction Kirby’s facing. But that’s the closest thing to a criticism I can point at Star Crossed World — it’s otherwise been as delightful as the original game.

Finally, I wanted to highlight a friend’s passion project. Despite its all-animal cast, Campo Largo is a far more grounded mission story than Broadway’s The Book of Mormon. The first part of this visual novel just released on itch.io. While it focuses on young missionaries in an alternate version of Argentina, Campo Largo’s hardly intended as an advertisement for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Instead, it’s an exhaustively researched and hauntingly personal story that swings from the mundane to the truly weird.

I’ll reiterate, however, that I know Campo Largo’s creator and have watched its painstaking assembly over the years. Take that disclosure under advisement! I can’t claim to be an unbiased reviewer in this case, but I’m excited to see this quirky story reach a wider audience.