Kirby Triple Deluxe manages to feel both familiar and fresh. The core gameplay of platforming and power-stealing is still intact, but the presentation and use of the 3DS’s unique abilities make this one of the finest Kirby games in a long time.
As the game begins, King Dedede is kidnapped by the mysterious Taranza, and whisked away into the cloud world of Floralia. Kirby is able to follow them thanks to a magical bean that grows into the dreamstalk. Like most Kirby games, there’s not a whole lot of story here. But that’s OK, because the gameplay is fantastic.
Triple Deluxe squeezes every feature out of the 3DS, and uses them to great effect. First and foremost is the 3D effect itself. Enemies shuffle between the background and foreground, so you have to really pay attention to where you’re going at all times. Kirby’s actions in the foreground often have effects in the background. For example, in several levels, the foreground is merely an illusion, while there’s a mirror in the background that shows where the enemies and platforms really are - so if you’re just paying attention to the foreground, you’ll find yourself taking damage from invisible enemies, or falling through a platform into spikes. Other moments have Kirby holding an enormous pole that stretches into — and destroys things – in the background. It’s an interesting mechanic that adds a lot of depth (pun intended) to the gameplay. The gyroscopic controls also come into play when shooting Kirby out of cannons or solving simple puzzles. This mechanic isn’t relied on heavily, but it’s a nice touch and is used well in the final boss fight.
You’ll find staples of almost every major platforming game here: underwater sections, spikes and spinning wheels of fire – and that’s a good thing. Triple Deluxe pays homage to classic platforming elements, but remixes them in 3D and adds in some Kirby charm and its own spin on things. Levels are varied and don’t rely on any one mechanic for too long, preventing you from becoming bored through over-familiarity.
There’s one gameplay aspect, though, that had us yawning - and that’s Hypernova mode. Scattered throughout the dreamstalk worlds are magical trees that give Kirby access to the Hypernova power-up. This power greatly amplifies Kirby’s inhaling abilities, allowing him to swallow enemies and objects that he normally wouldn’t be able to. He uses this power to demolish everything in his way. Everything. Having this power is akin to being invincible. In the beginning, it’s fun to be able to swallow trees whole or move giant wrecking balls; but after the novelty wears off, these sections quickly become dull. There’s no fear of being killed by enemies, and some of the animations required to suck in a horde of monsters or a large statue take a long time, and slow the pace of the game (as a side-note, we’d bet money that this will be Kirby’s Final Smash attack in the upcoming Smash Bros. installment).
The biggest drawback however, is the relatively low level of difficulty compared to other games in the genre. There’s not a single enemy in the game that poses a serious threat, so long as you have a copy ability equipped. We know the copy abilities are iconic to Kirby games, but this game is a lot more fun if you play without them. It’s much more challenging, and you actually have to play the levels carefully instead of just breezing through them and tearing apart every opponent in your way. The copy abilities themselves are fun and useful, but some of them are incredibly overpowered. There’s no need to get up close and personal with the sword when you can just grab the bow and arrow and snipe your enemies from afar.
Boss battles are fun and sometimes challenging, but again, you can demolish most bosses in about 30 seconds if you have a half-way decent copy ability; it’s a shame, because these encounters make great use of the handheld’s 3D capabilities, but much of their splendor is lost by the fact that they’re total pushovers.
The main adventure takes about 10-15 hours to complete, but that’s if you just race through the main levels - there’s so much else to do and collect that you can easily double that figure if you’re the sort of player who insists on gaining 100% completion. You collect stars throughout the levels, which function like the coins do from Mario games. You also collect keychains, which are novelty art collectibles from past Kirby games, and sun stones that are hidden in each level. Gather enough sun stones in a world and you can access that world’s boss level. Gather every single one of them and you access the world’s special level, which usually provides a fun deviation from the regular level design. All the special levels feature a boss from a previous Kirby game that’s had its look and attack patterns remixed. Typically, you don’t have to go out of your way to find the sun stones, although in later levels they can be a bit tricky to find, even for the experienced player.
In addition to the main game, there are four extra modes to explore. Dedede’s Drum Dash takes the form of a rhythm-action game, where you take control of King Dedede and bounce on drums – timing your jumps just right to get extra height and collect stars on the way to the end of the level.
Then there’s Kirby Fighters, a watered-down Super Smash Bros. clone where you can choose one of Kirby’s copy ability forms and fight against other Kirbys in an arcade form. It’s not a deep fighting game by any means, but it’s surprisingly fun - and a great thing to pick up and play with friends.
Lastly, there’s the Arena, which is a boss rush mode, and Dedede Tour, which allows you replay the game as King Dedede with harder enemies.
Kirby: Triple Deluxe is a delight to play, pure and simple. The worlds are bright and shiny, and it uses the 3DS’ capabilities to great effect. The music is poppy and pleasant, and the mechanics are varied and interesting, but stay true to the series’ roots. It’s not particularly difficult - and sometimes Kirby can feel overpowered - but there is so much to do and see that the game is definitely not one to be missed for fans of platforming adventures. Simply put, Triple Deluxe is one of the greatest Kirby games ever made.
