The Legendary Starfy is the fifth title in the Starfy series, a successful franchise of games that involve Starfy and his friends experiencing underwater adventures, but it is actually the first to hit western shores. For the first four games of his career, Starfy was relegated to the confines of Japan. But with the seemingly perpetual worldwide success of the DS, Nintendo finally took a gamble and introduced Starfy to America with The Legendary Starfy. But will Starfy enjoy the same success here as he did in Japan?

The Legendary Starfy, much like its predecessors, is an underwater platformer. Starfy must make his way to the end of the level by swimming through paths and using his signature spinning move to defeat enemies. The levels are well designed with branching pathways and various doors leading to different parts of the level as well as a healthy mix of underwater and above water platforming. Starfy has commonly been likened to the Kirby games what with both franchises having cute characters and colorful worlds, but the two are similar in a gameplay perspective because of their relatively non-linear levels. The first level of each world usually introduces a new gameplay mechanic and the game leaves the rest of the world's levels to expound on that mechanic and demonstrate its various uses to the player, typically making for some pretty creative level designs.

Players begin the game with a limited set of moves--Starfy can only move, spin, and jump at the game's outset. However, you will quickly discover new abilities, such as running and floating, that let you go places you could not before, which helps to keep the game from becoming too stale and samey. Additionally, Starfy's different abilities allow the game designers to incorporate a variety of puzzles such as breaking down walls of solid ice with your spin attack or pushing boulders to block cascades of water. Players will also find an array of transformations that allow Starfy to transform into various animals, such as a fire-breathing dragon or a seal, adding even more variety to the levels.

To add replay value, the developers have incorporated hidden treasure chests into each level. These chests usually hold different costumes, which Starfy can dress up in on the menu screen as well as the individual diary entries of the myriad number of characters. Additionally, some levels hold hidden doors that, when entered, open entirely new levels. The treasure chests and doors can be tricky to find at times, often hidden away behind secret paths. Considering how many chests and doors there are to find, completionists will probably be kept busy for a while.

Like any platformer, The Legendary Starfy features a boss battle at the end of every world. Ranging from a giant squid to an equally huge penguin, the bosses are varied and keep things interesting. Uncovering their weak points takes some doing and thinking, especially in the latter parts of the game.

If there is one major complaint anyone's going to have with The Legendary Starfy, it's that it is too easy. While I am not usually one to lament a lack of difficulty in a game, even I have found myself asking for a bit more challenge from the game. The enemies are scarce and usually only take a single hit to defeat. Additionally, the player is never forced to make jumps with pin-point accuracy. Without at least a hint of difficulty, the game can fail to be engaging at times. However, the game still manages to be fun and creative enough for the almost non-existent difficulty to be a non-issue for players who merely demand that their games be fun.

Another complaint is that while Starfy's interactions with his underwater friends are bitingly cute, they also tend to interrupt the gameplay very often. It's common for just one level to have two or three interjections that interrupt your platforming. It feels like they just break up the flow, especially in a game that has no need for an indepth story. On the other hand, other players will just see these scenes for what they are--disgustingly cute and charming conversations.

Graphically, The Legendary Starfy doesn't push the DS' hardware very much. Aside from the backgrounds and some boss battles, there aren't many 3D effects. This is the opposite of a bad thing, however, as the sprite work present in the game is excellent. The characters animate smoothly and the great use of 2D environments and characters ultimately provide a better looking game than pure 3D would have. The game also uses color to great effect with a wide array of colors, making the game a very pretty one.

Compared to Starfy's previous outings, The Legendary Starfy's music is rather understated. The game's music seems to be more background music than anything. Contrast that to the other games where the music always sticks out. Despite its tendency to hang in the distance, the music still manages to be pretty good once you manage to take note of it. The sound track will certainly appeal to those who happen to be fans of happy, catchy, and charming tunes.

Overall, The Legendary Starfy is a competent platformer. It doesn't do much to differentiate itself from its brethren but considering America has not yet seen the other games, this is practically a moot point. The game is fun and imaginative and deserves a spot on any platformer fan's shelf. Fans of Kirby, especially, will definitely want to pick it up. However, players who do demand some challenge from their games might want to pass on Starfy's first American outing. The rest of you should definitely take a look.

Final Score: 7/10