Greetings, 'Shroom writers. This is Lord Bowser here with something new for you folks today; in an attempt to revive Palette Swap some more, I'll now be writing for ''Game Soundtrack Reviews''! I hope you guys enjoy this section as much as you enjoy my other four sections, and please try to give Palette Swap some much-needed love and attention ;~;

{| class="infobox" cellpadding=2 cellspacing=4 align=right width=300px style="padding: 4px; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; background: pink; font-size:12px"
| align="center" colspan="2" bgcolor="#ff009F" style="font-size:145%;" | '''''Kirby: Planet Robobot'''''
|-
|align="center" colspan="2" | [[File:KPR.png]]
|- style="background:#ff009F;"
|'''Released'''
| {{releasedate|USA|June 10, 2016}}
|-
| '''Developer'''
| HAL Laboratory, Inc.
|- style="background:#ff009F;"
| '''Composers'''
| Hirokazu Ando, Jun Ishikawa
|}
Anywho, let's get that bumbling intro out of the way. The debut game for my section will be the game I based my forum theme this past month on; ''Kirby: Planet Robobot''. Please be aware that from this point on, there will be major spoilers for this game, so if you are offended by such material, head out now while you still have the chance.

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''Kirby: Planet Robobot'' ranks among my all-time favorite games for many reasons; the gameplay, the level design, the gimmicks, ''the lore'', and last but certainly not least, the soundtrack. K:PR's soundtrack is richly high quality, especially for the 3DS, which isn't exactly known for its superb soundtracks. The {{ShroomYoutube|zUUdUEJhkl4|title theme}} already starts off very well, as it has a much darker and suspenseful undertone than those of previous ''Kirby'' games, such as ''Return to Dream Land'' or ''Triple Deluxe''. The title theme is also an excellent song for other reasons, which will be elaborated on later.

Moving on, the {{ShroomYoutube|McudYg2SqJI|Robobot Armor theme}} is another pretty strong track, especially given the fact that it is played near the beginning of the game and repeats throughout. K:PR follows the tradition started by ''Return to Dream Land'' in that Kirby has a unique powerful gimmick, relating to his abilities, often used throughout the whole game; in RTDL, it was Super Abilities, in ''Triple Deluxe'', it was Hypernova, and in K:PR, it's Robobot Armor. This is likely the best track of the three gimmicks (though RTDL could possibly give it a run for its money), as it conveys a feeling of hi-tech power and seriousness.

As is with most recent ''Kirby'' games, there's a high amount of fanservice in the form of references to older games, and K:PR is chock-full of them in the form of stickers, level designs, and of course, music. The first such occurrence of this is in World 1-4, where {{ShroomYoutube|gpF_awcmihk|a remix of Sand Canyon 3}} from ''Kirby's Dream Land 3'' plays. This was a highly praised song by many long-time ''Kirby'' fans, including myself, so hearing this song return from a nearly-forgotten game and remastered beautifully like this was great to hear. Other good returns include the {{ShroomYoutube|VEjnsgP-t-Q|Core Kabula theme}}, which comes from ''Kirby's Dream Land''; the {{ShroomYoutube|BTK-KU_2vxQ|Factory Inspection theme}}, which comes from ''Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards''; the {{ShroomYoutube|MqSm7uUkFpo|World 5-3 theme}}, which is a remix of Dark Castle from ''Kirby's Dream Land 2''; and my personal favorite, the {{ShroomYoutube|HvdRfRyhDYs|Dark Matter Clone theme}}, which is a remix of Dark Matter's battle themes from ''Kirby's Dream Land 2''. In other games, excessive fanservicing can get tiresome or even annoying, but the ''Kirby'' series seems to have a magic touch, as the fanservicing is done in such a way that all fans can truly appreciate it, even myself.

[[File:GSR122-1.gif|thumb|left|300px|And a-1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4...]]
Of course, K:PR isn't just remasters upon remasters; there's quite a few awesome original tracks here too. {{ShroomYoutube|iE5cthvOcQA|Lively Street}}, the main level theme of World 2, is a very fitting track, as it obviously tries to be reminiscent of a small town; this is fitting because all of World 2 is a subtle ''EarthBound'' reference, a game that also features small towns as important settings. In a similar vein, {{ShroomYoutube|tnq22rOA0Q4|City of Sound}}, the main level theme of World 5, also gives off big-city vibes, as obviously implied by the title. However, not only is the song catchy, the buildings in the background of the levels in World 5 flash lights in tune with the song, which is a very neat touch in my book.

World 6, however, really hits the point home that this game has an excellent OST. The two main level themes of this world, {{ShroomYoutube|S6iB8lrQpjA|Haltmann Works Co.}} and {{ShroomYoutube|19CoVMvJatw|Virtual Dimension}}, are excellent tracks that really convey the importance of this world. The first track seems to tell the player that this is the final stretch, and seems to both encourage yet intimidate them at the same time. The second track sounds like a random mish-mash of technological noises upon first hearing it, but once you start listening to it more, it sounds almost frightening, almost as if you were trapped in some sort of digital hell and must escape. And finally, one of the best tracks in the entire game in my opinion, plays in the second-to-last main level in World 6; {{ShroomYoutube|fQCX4lrXzMg|One Last Shot}}. The song is named like so, because this game follows another tradition started by RTDL; an endgame level which is essentially annihilating everything in your path using the game's gimmick, which in this case is the Robobot Armor. This track is emotional in the sense that it provides you with a boost in determination, like a sort of "You got this!" feeling, something much needed at this stage of the game as the final boss is imminent.

The final themes heard in the main game of K:PR are among some of the top tracks not just in the game, but in the series overall in my view. {{ShroomYoutube|xdZ7n2Kz_NM|President Haltmann's battle theme}} is all over the place musically, switching between wildly different instruments such as violins, pianos, and guitars frequently. This is meant to represent Haltmann's insanity after losing his daughter, Susie, to a mysterious accident, and I feel like it captured that emotion perfectly. Later on, when Kirby copies the Halberd using the Robobot Armor in order to face off with Star Dream, one of the most epic songs I have ever heard in a ''Kirby'' game plays; {{ShroomYoutube|tMHk9oRHPn0|ROBOBOT HALBERD MODE}} displays the sheer awesomeness of Kirby literally becoming a giant starship in order to fight a sentient robot bent on universal destruction, and really sets the stage for the upcoming dogfight. However, the brilliantly-composed songs don't stop there. At all.

Kirby, now in full Halberd mode, heads for the stars in order to face off against Star Dream, a maniacal robot bent on destruction for the prosperity of its creators, the Haltmann Works Company. Its first-phase battle theme, {{ShroomYoutube|ocVqHhVU3FU|Mind in a PROGRAM}}... It's simply astounding. This theme is definitely the best song in the game and in the series in my opinion, and ranks near the top across all video games for me. It's a mix of beauty, intimidation, encouragement, suspense... It just truly captures just how high the stakes are for Kirby, and tells us that Star Dream isn't messing around or pulling any punches like previous final bosses would. Next comes Star Dream's second-phase battle theme, {{ShroomYoutube|HpLdQcwtjac|Virtual Space Manipulator}}. Veteran ''Kirby'' fans may note a resemblance this song has to 02's battle theme from ''Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards'', and with good reason too; Star Dream at this point has taken on an appearance bearing a striking resemblance to 02, as it has fused with the Access Ark to become a sentient planet. This theme is just plain scary, and really serves to intimidate the player into thinking "Can I really stop this...?", a feeling quite rarely felt in the relatively-easy ''Kirby'' series.

Finally, however, comes Star Dream's third-phase theme. After damaging the Access Ark and revealing the hidden Galactic Nova underneath, Star Dream puts up one last-ditch attempt to destroy Kirby, all while the {{ShroomYoutube|jhlWHPw0sN0|Vagrant Counting Song of Retrospection}} plays. Remember the title screen theme, and how I mentioned it was an excellent song for other reasons? Those reasons are explained here; this song is a heavy remix of the title screen theme, though with references to the Heart of NOVA theme from ''Kirby Super Star'' mixed in. While this is still underneath Mind in a PROGRAM in my book, this song is still a masterful composition, featuring fanservice, originality, and intensity; a truly great combination.

[[File:GSR122-2.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Bravo, HAL. Bravo.]]
I've gone on long enough gushing about K:PR's OST, so I'll end it off with one last song. Once the player earns 100% completion on their save file, they unlock a special ending cutscene, a staple of recent ''Kirby'' games. However, K:PR diverges yet again from the standard formula; ''Kirby'' ending cutscenes are usually a happy celebration featuring the main characters from the game, though K:PR changes that completely. It is instead titled {{ShroomYoutube|Qp-rjS2VFjo|Exclusive Performance Video}}, and consists of Susie singing the recurring "The Noble Haltmann" song from throughout the game privately for President Haltmann. This is a bit of an almost somber performance, as Haltmann simply silently claps at the end without any sort of fanfare, but this is still a fitting ending video for a game as relatively dark as K:PR is compared to the rest of the series.

And with that, I conclude my review of ''Kirby: Planet Robobot'''s soundtrack. I hold it in very high regard to this day, and still consider it among one of the top game soundtracks I've come across. Tune in next month here at Palette Swap, where I'll cover some more excellent gaming songs. I hope you enjoyed my debut section, and thank you for reading!