6. U.F.O.
One of Kirby’s stranger powers (and that is certainly saying something) allows the precious pink puff of peril to climb aboard his own personal flying saucer, flitting about the stage and taking pot shots at baddies. It’s among the most overpowered abilities in the series, and like our dude Plasma Wisp, the fact that you don’t have to do any jumping whatsoever removes a lot of the timing and precision normally required to evade bosses.
It’s offset a little by its scarcity, feeling less like your run-of-the-mill abilities and more like a special prize – a gourmet U.F.O., of sorts. In fairness, it’s really not that much cheaper than the power cape in Super Mario World, plus it has the added benefit of letting you see Kirby fly around and shoot things like a vexed space alien from planet squish.
The major drawback of the UFO is that it does not descend well. Should the level require you to drop through a floor, or down a ladder, you’re going to have to miserably fling your vehicle aside, leaving you powerless and vulnerable. As incredible as intergalactic technology may be, it just hasn’t worked out a solution for the perils of the south.
