Kirby: Triple Deluxe

Kirby: Triple Deluxe is a platformer for the Nintendo 3DS and an installment in the Kirby series. Developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo, it was released January 11, 2014 in Japan and May 2, 2014 in North America, and was released May 16, 2014 in Europe. ^[1] ^[2] ^[3] ^[4]

Gameplay[]

The game is a platformer played in a 2.5D perspective, with the main controllable character being the titular Kirby, who can move between the foreground and the background with the use of a Warp Star. Kirby has the ability to copy enemies' moves; new copy abilities introduced in the game include Beetle, which grants Kirby a rhinoceros horn, Bell, which allows Kirby to use twin bells for a variety of moves, Archer, which lets Kirby fire arrows in any direction, and Circus, which has Kirby use circus-themed moves such as bowling over enemies with a giant rolling ball, in addition to returning abilities from previous installments.

Two minigames are also included: Kirby Fighters, a Super Smash Bros.-style fighting game where players customize their own Kirby with copy abilities to battle other Kirbies, and Dedede's Drum Dash, a rhythm game starring King Dedede, who jumps on drums while avoiding enemies and collecting coins to the tune of classic Kirby songs.

Reception[]

The game has received positive reviews. Gaming Age gave it an A, calling it "one of the best 3DS releases this year, and certainly not a title I’d urge any Nintendo, or old-school action/adventure fan to miss." ^[5] Game Trailers gave it an 87, saying that "the game earns the Deluxe in its title, and almost everything here is well done. Charming and light like its hero, Kirby Triple Deluxe has some real substance under all the pink fluff." ^[6] Game Informer gave it an 85, commending it for "[doing] a better job than most Kirby games at retaining a consistent upward slope of challenge throughout." ^[7]

Nintendo World Report noted that "there are annoyances here and there, but [the game] is still a strong entry in the franchise." ^[8] Joystiq gave it an 80, saying that it "doesn't reach the heights of Kirby Super Star (SNES), but it's still one of the finest Kirby adventures to date." ^[9] GameSpot called it "an absolute diamond of a game, [which] cements Kirby's place as nothing less than a bone fide platforming superstar." ^[10] Destructoid stated that it was "another winning entry in the franchise [and delivered] the core Kirby experience alongside of a few very well done extras, which is pretty much everything a fan could ask for." ^[11]

Edge Magazine gave it a 70, saying that "[Kirby's] 3DS debut is too uneven to be essential, but too charming for fans to miss." ^[12] Nintendo Life called it a "pleasant package that doesn’t push the envelope very far." ^[13] IGN gave it a 60, reason being that "it may look great and has some clever ideas for how to use 3D, but falls into a rut of simple platforming and puzzles that rarely require any thought or skill." ^[14]