“Kirby Triple Deluxe” Review

It’s awfully surprising that in its three years of existence, a Kirby game exclusively for the 3DS has only just been released–especially considering the fact that the Wii featured three retail titles while the DS had four. Be that as it…

It’s awfully surprising that in its three years of existence, a Kirby game exclusively for the 3DS has only just been released–especially considering the fact that the Wii featured three retail titles while the DS had four.

Be that as it may, Kirby Triple Deluxe just might be the best Kirby game available.  Period.

What Is It?

Players that have played a Kirby game before should feel right at home with Kirby Triple Deluxe.  For those unfamiliar with the series, it’s your typical colorful, sidescrolling, action-based platformer that relies on the gimmick of Kirby’s superpowers to give the game even more character.

Why Should I Care?

Kirby can swallow enemies up and copy their abilities to add a nice amount of depth in combat.  Some, such as the Sword and Spear abilities, are pretty general.  They’re obviously extremely useful in close-quarters melee combat.  Others, though, are a little different and bizarre.  Kirby can copy the Circus ability to tumble into other enemies and juggle some projectile weapons to inflict even more damage, while the Rock ability pretty much makes him invulnerable.

Despite all the new and old abilities players will come across, it’s not really this feature that takes the forefront.  For the first time in quite a while, it’s worth noting that this makes excellent use of the 3DS 3D visuals.

How?  While it’s not out of the ordinary, especially after Rayman Legends and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, to be platforming on the main 2D plain as well as in the background plain, Triple Deluxe really makes an effort to showcase the depth you only get with the 3D slider on.  Yes, it’s still completely playable with the effect off, but the blurry flatness of the background just doesn’t compare to the way everything looks in 3D.  The developers weren’t afraid to joke around with it either, as there are some traps in the game that knock Kirby towards the front of the screen, making him really feel the pain.

What Makes it Worth My Time And Money?

As awesome as the new abilities and 3D effects are, if you’re looking for a challenge that the series hasn’t really presented since its NES days, you won’t find one here.  Kirby Triple Deluxe is about as accessible to all audiences as every modern Kirby game has ever been, but don’t let it’s lack of challenge fool you.  There’s a lot of creativity and secrets to appreciate, making this one of the most impressive entries in the series since the 16-bit era.

Those who can’t accept the fact that the game isn’t all that hard should be pleased to know that there are two additional modes available from the get-go.  The first of which is “Kirby Fighters,” a multiplayer Super Smash Bros.-like brawler that pits up to four Kirbys against each other in a fight to the death, using various copied abilities available in the main campaign.  It’s not as deep as Smash Bros., but it’s pretty fun in its own right.

The other mode of play is “Dedede’s Drum Dash,” a rhythmic platformer that requires players to use King Dedede and leap from drum to drum, timing your jumps with the beat to collect coins and clear each stage as fast as possible.  This mode is actually pretty difficult, and the tutorial doesn’t really help much either, so this should more than quench the thirst of players looking for a challenge.

All in all, Kirby Triple Deluxe is a game that anyone can appreciate despite its extreme simplicity.  There are over 25 abilities to copy, each one with its own moveset to learn and puzzles to solve, and the main campaign should take a little less than 7 hours to complete.  Of course, if you want something more, there are other modes of play to enjoy as well, giving Kirby Triple Deluxe a ton of replay value–and yes, there’s something to do once you complete the main game.