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Kirby: Triple Deluxe Review – Sucking Has Never Been Better

Whenever anyone asks who are gaming’s biggest badasses, one name that always comes to mind is Nintendo’s Kirby. Obviously he’s not as rough and rugged as Marcus Fenix or Solid Snake, but the eight-inch pink hero is totally not afraid to bang out an opponent with extreme prejudice for the smallest reason. He chased and beat up a team of mice just because he stole his strawberry shortcake and on many occasions took out King Dedede, a supposed friend, whenever he gets a little greedy. He can fight for more heroic reasons as well, from saving his planet Popstar to saving the galaxy; but if there’s one thing Kirby doesn't result to, it’s solving things rationally and peacefully. Now in Kirby: Triple Deluxe, he’s out to save Dedede after being kidnapped, and you can be guaranteed that pink little fists will fly.
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Like other Kirby games, Triple Deluxe is a platformer where the main gameplay element has the pink fluffball gaining certain enemies’ power when he ingests them. In terms of abilities, Kirby staples like Sword, Fire, Ice and Hammer return, he get some fairly recent ones like Spear and Whip, and like in many games, we see new ones. In fact, Triple Deluxe adds one of the most best and one of the most worst abilities in Kirby history: Archer and Circus respectfully. The Archer equips Kirby with a bow and arrow and allows him to snipe enemies from a distance and shank enemies with an arrow in close range, but the Circus one has him performing acrobatics and juggling, and it’s very hard to hit enemies with it alongside it looking dumb.
The more complex movesets for each ability returns from Kirby Super Star, and I couldn't be happier. Having each ability do a dozen different moves really makes the game consistently fresh and allows you to capitalize on any situation. However at the end of many levels, you don an ability called Hypernova. These parts are much like the Mega Mushroom sections in New Super Mario Bros., where you go out and decimate the landscape, just with Kirby’s gigantic appetite. While each Hypernova part is unique, there are way too many of them. And let’s face it, you’re pretty much doing the same thing: suck everybody and everything in your path.
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If there’s one thing that sticks out of Kirby: Triple Deluxe, it is the incredible use of 3D. Stages are multilayered much like the 3DS indie hit Mutant Mudds, so expect Kirby to go from the foreground to the background very often. The level design is very focused on it and HAL used it to the game’s advantage with some nifty design. Some stages use it for platforming purposes where you go from one layer to another, and some use it for more unique, puzzle-like uses, like having a ghost house mirror in the background show you the real dangers, or having Kirby carry a large electric pole that destroys things in the back and foreground. Enemies and obstacles will also try to fool you to be in Kirby’s way and the 3D will actually tell you that some actually aren't and are in the foreground. While it’s not impossible to play without the 3D, like if you had a 2DS, you will have to really pay close attention to see how deep something or someone is in the level.
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Now the game’s called Triple Deluxe because it has three different games to it. Other than the normal campaign, we first see Dedede’s Drum Dash. Drum Dash is a rhythm game tailored around four popular Kirby songs and having King Dedede bounce on drums to the beat. Hitting the A button will allow Dedede to jump higher which will allow him to collect coins and dodge obstacles and thus gain a better score. It’s pretty fun, which was why I was upset there was only four songs to it.
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The last mode is Kirby Fighters, which is practically a mini-Super Smash Bros. starring only Kirbys with different copy abilities. While it doesn't have the best AI, it does well with what it’s got, and harder difficulties can really test your ability. The game has stages based on popular Kirby locales with their own gimmicks and items popping up to help or hinder you; so other than the fact that the Kirbys have life bars, you’d practically think it’s Smash Bros. The game does allow multiplayer up to four people, and it supports download play, so only one person needs a copy to play.
Kirby’s a lot like the last 3DS game I reviewed, Yoshi’s New Island, and that it’s much like other games in the series. However unlike Yoshi, Kirby: Triple Deluxe still controls well and adds enough new stuff to keep it fresh and fun. The other two modes are great distractions from the campaign but they won’t keep the cartridge in the 3DS once you beat the story. It may not be some revolutionary platformer like Kirby’s Epic Yarn, but it’ll suffice to entertain while it lasts.
Rating
8.0
Pros
  • Abilities Have Movesets Again
  • Looks/Sounds Great
  • Amazing Use of 3D
  • Kirby Fighters Only Needs One Copy for Multiplayer
  • Archer Ability is One of the Series' Best
Cons
  • Not the Longest Entry
  • Not Enough Songs in Dedede's Drum Dash
  • Circus Ability is One of the Series' Worst

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