Every The Legendary Starfy Game, Ranked

Summary

• Starfy's original trilogy now available on Nintendo Switch Online for Western audiences to enjoy for the first time ever
• The series evolved from classic platformer to Metroidvania style gameplay with Starfy 4, a notable transition in gameplay style
• The Legendary Starfy marks the hero's debut outside Japan, considered the best game in the series with new features and multiplayer options

The Legendary Starfy is a bit of a dark horse when it comes to Nintendo’s franchises. Well, a dark starfish, we suppose. While the character has technically been around since 2002, he began as a Japan-exclusive. It wasn’t until an appearance as an Assist Trophy in 2008’s Super Smash Bros. Brawl that Western audiences got a taste of his sea-spinning shenanigans.

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To remedy this drought, a recent update has brought much of the character’s history to English-speaking shores for the first time ever. The original Starfy trilogy is now available via Nintendo Switch Online, making this the perfect time to dive in for those unfamiliar. Wondering which game is the best to start with? Allow us to break it down.

5 Starfy 1 (Densetsu No Starfy)

A Starfish Is Born

The game that started it all. Starfy’s first adventure came to Japanese GBAs in 2002, bringing with it a fresh take on the platforming genre. Positioned as a “Marine Action” game in its native Japan, Starfy leaned hard into an aspect of platforming that most games prefer to avoid: water levels. Starfy’s ultra-smooth swimming, and his signature spin attack, made navigating the high and low seas an absolute breeze.

The first game was a fairly by-the-numbers affair, seeing Starfy take on his nemesis Ogura, an ancient, long-sealed eel, to save his home kingdom of Pufftop. Much like Kirby (a comparison we’ll be returning to, no doubt), the game featured animal familiars to befriend and mini-games to get shamefully engaged with. It remains a solid title, but, as is the case with most game series’, future entries were able to iterate and expand on it meaningfully.

4 Starfy 2 (Densetsu No Starfy 2)

Bigger And Better

In a rapid turnaround, Starfy’s second adventure hit Japanese shelves almost exactly a year after his maiden voyage. Ambition was the order of the day here. Ogura returned as the primary antagonist, but this time brought along ten devilish children to aid him. This meant ten boss battles, in the vein of Mario’s Koopalings, and ten fresh worlds to conquer before the final showdown.

In addition, Starfy 2 also greatly expanded our hero’s moveset, with staples like the Air Jump (effectively a double-jump), Shooting Star, and Dash n’ Slide. It also introduced the ‘Stuff’ feature, which would become a series staple.

This was essentially a character customisation feature, letting you dress Starfy up in clothes and accessories earned by completing specific in-game challenges. This paired wonderfully with Starfy’s cute, quirky presentation, and topped off a stellar sequel with aplomb.

3 Starfy 3 (Densetsu No Starfy 3)

It's Dangerous To Go Alone...

Developer TOSE was on a serious hot streak back in the early 2000s. After getting Starfy 2 out in a year, it brought the final entry in the original trilogy, Starfy 3, to shelves in just 11 months. The real surprise? It was undoubtedly the best one yet.

The major addition in this volume was Starly; an alternate playable character who fell into that classic ‘Player 2’ tradition by being a pink, female version of our main protagonist. Starly had a voice of her own and stakes in the story, however, putting her a cut above many similar characters in gaming.

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Said story involved our freshly-formed starfish duo working together to take down Ogura once more, this time being aided from behind the scenes by true series big bad, Evil. Yes, you read that right; the big evil force at the heart of Starfy’s narrative is simply called ‘Evil.’ Incredible stuff.

Actually facing this boss demanded you take on a post-game treasure hunt for Evil Crystals, which gave this game a lot of longevity. It also refined every other aspect of the series, making it the perfect title to wrap up the GBA trilogy before the DS games arrived to shake things up.

2 Starfy 4 (Densetsu No Starfy 4)

Swimming On Two Screens

After a two-year hiatus, Starfy returned to spin through the seas once more. Only this time on new hardware. Starfy 4 marked the series’ transition to Nintendo’s much-beloved touchscreen handheld, the DS, and also a fairly significant transition in terms of gameplay, too. No longer was Starfy a game about conquering linear levels. Now it was more of a Metroidvania, with explorable levels and abilities that paved the way to progress.

Starfy 4 was also notable for its controversial decision to remove the mini-games that had been a series staple up to this point. This certainly wasn’t ideal, but the new gameplay style went a long way to making up for it, to the point where it was still a series high point for the time.

Interestingly, thanks to the Nintendo Switch Online releases of the original trilogy, this is now the only Starfy game that hasn’t been released outside of Japan. Given all it brings to the table as a transitory title, that’s a crying shame.

1 The Legendary Starfy

Our Hero's Overseas Debut

Not all video game heroes are created equal. Link got to be a Legend right off the bat, whereas Starfy had to wait ‘till his fifth entry before he officially gained his ‘Legendary’ status.

In a way, this is a hugely appropriate decision. Since this was the first Starfy game released outside of Japan, it makes sense to reference the reputation of a hero new players haven’t seen yet. Even if it makes little sense to keep the rest of the series from them for so long.

The Legendary Starfy gets a lot of points just for coming out in North America, but it’s also the best game in the series on its own merits. Everything great about Starfy 4 returns here, just dialed up a notch. The exploratory levels now feature Side Quests for you to complete, beefing up the playtime. The abandoned Mini-Games even return, now with multiplayer options to boot.

It can be a little tricky to track down these days, but if you have the means then it’s well worth experiencing the zenith of the Starfy franchise. Especially if you enjoyed the original trilogy on Nintendo Switch Online.

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