Kirby Triple Deluxe is the 13th game for the 22 year old series and the first original release for 3DS. It offers a fun and colourful platformer which is both typical of the franchise and of Nintendo.
If you aren’t familiar with the Kirby franchise, you basically have to run through side scrolling levels, solving basic puzzles and defeating enemies by inhaling them. Swallowing some of them will steal their abilities. Kirby also has the ability to fly by sucking in air and inflating his body. In this version, you must also jump between the foreground and background of the levels in order reach your objectives.
The Story:
Kirby is fast asleep when a giant beanstalk emerges from under Dream Land and carries his house and King Dedede’s castle into the sky. Upon awakening, Kirby finds himself atop a beanstalk leaf. Noticing his rival’s castle, he bolts inside only to find that the true culprit is a creature named Taranza. Taranza captures King Dedede and flies off. Kirby chases after them, ascending the beanstalk, determined to save King Dedede and set things right in Dream Land. But let’s be honest, this game isn’t really driven by the story. The plot is there to loosely connect the different levels more than anything else.
The Good:
Kirby’s familiar platform and puzzle gameplay is a good fit for the 3DS. The cute and colourful cartoony style also thrives on the portable console.
Each level features a good variety of puzzles, enemies and different powers. You don’t have to complete all the objectives in order to finish the game but the extra marks offer an added challenge for the experienced gamer. I also enjoyed the Hypernova, a power up that enables Kirby to vacuum up almost everything and everyone in front of you. On paper it looks like it would make Kirby overpowered and unbeatable and it kind of does but more importantly, this mechanic allows for a new range of puzzles.
I also really enjoyed the “Kirby Fighters” multiplayer mode. This Super Smash Bros. type brawl game can be played with up to 4 players via Download Play. It’s not as polished as Super Smash Bros. but it’s a good mini game to play with a friend or two.
The Bad:
Even if this game is targeted for a younger audience, I found it too easy. Running through all the levels to collect every sunstones and hidden keychains doesn’t seem to offer a big enough challenge to balance it out.
I also appreciate how there’s a wide variety of skills and powers in Kirby Triple Deluxe however I don’t see their point. You don’t need them to complete the game and I actually found certain boss battle to be much easier without them. Some of them can even make this game easier than it needs to be.
The Verdict:
Kirby Triple Deluxe is a beautiful and vibrant game and a good addition to the Kirby line however, it’s not for the more experienced gamers. It’s great for young children or anyone looking to try platforming games.
Kirby: Triple Deluxe is available for the 3DS and 2DS.