Kirby: Triple Deluxe arrived on the Nintendo 3DS in 2014 as the tenth main entry in HAL Laboratory’s long-running series. It is a side-scrolling platformer with a trick: the handheld’s 3D screen lets Kirby move not only left and right but between the foreground and the background.
Japan got the game on January 11, 2014. Other regions got it in May. That single idea — depth as a mechanic — does more work than anything else here.
Trailer, via IGN.
A Dreamstalk Lifts Kirby’s House
The setup is pure Kirby. One night a giant seed falls from the sky and grows into an enormous vine called the Dreamstalk, lifting Kirby’s house, Castle Dedede and much of Dream Land into the clouds. Kirby wakes to the chaos and heads for the castle, where he watches a spidery being named Taranza abduct King Dedede and carry him up to the sky kingdom of Floralia.
Kirby gives chase through six worlds, battling Taranza’s minions to rescue the king and find out who is truly behind the invasion. The story escalates into a fight with a hypnotized Dedede, then with Queen Sectonia, Floralia’s self-proclaimed Queen, who merges with the Dreamstalk and turns into a giant flower-like monster. It is a lot of escalation, and it lands.
Hypernova Kirby and the Miracle Fruit
The headline new ability is Hypernova. Kirby eats a rainbow-colored Miracle Fruit and becomes Hypernova Kirby, able to inhale extremely large objects. It is a blunt instrument, and the game knows it — the inhale-everything power is used in specific parts of stages to clear whatever blocks the path.
The copy abilities carry more texture. Beetle lets Kirby use a Japanese rhinoceros beetle’s horn to impale enemies, slam them on the ground or carry them around. Bell gives him twin bells he can use as a shield and as a sound-wave attack. Archer fires arrows and uses fake trees and boulders to dodge. Circus rides a giant rolling ball to bowl over enemies, juggles flaming bowling pins and uses exploding balloon animals as weapons.
At least 20 copy abilities return, including Wheel, which was absent from Kirby’s Return to Dream Land. Bandana Waddle Dee throws Assist Stars that heal Kirby when the Y button is pressed.
Kirby Fighters and Dedede’s Drum Dash
The extras are generous. Kirby Fighters is a Super Smash Bros.-style fighting game where players customize a Kirby with one of ten copy abilities and battle other Kirbys on stages based on levels from previous Kirby games. Dedede’s Drum Dash is a rhythm game starring King Dedede, who jumps on drums, avoids enemies and collects coins to the tune of classic Kirby songs.
The main game is single player only. Players also collect keychains depicting characters from earlier Kirby games, and the 3DS StreetPass feature delivers bonus items.
Dededetour! Unlocks After the Credits
Finish the main story and Dededetour! opens up, with King Dedede as the playable character. Every boss is replaced by a “DX” counterpart with a different color scheme and more power.
That is a real second campaign, not a victory lap. It is also where the difficulty finally shows up.
The Difficulty Problem
The criticism that has followed Kirby: Triple Deluxe since 2014 is its low difficulty, and it is fair. The main campaign rarely pushes back. Hypernova in particular turns whole stretches into a formality — you inhale the thing in front of you because the game has decided you will.
The level design is the counterargument. Moving between the foreground and background is not a gimmick bolted on; enemy attacks come from the background too, and the 2.5D perspective keeps the screen honest. The soundtrack and the graphics hold up, and the extra content is where the value sits.
Kirby can eat a rainbow-colored Miracle Fruit to become Hypernova Kirby, which allows him to inhale extremely large objects.
Where the Story Goes
| Stage of the game | What happens |
|---|---|
| Dream Land | The Dreamstalk lifts Kirby’s house and Castle Dedede |
| Castle Dedede | Taranza kidnaps King Dedede |
| Six worlds | Kirby chases Taranza’s minions |
| Royal Road, Floralia | Kirby fights a hypnotized Dedede, then Queen Sectonia |
| Dreamstalk (merged) | Dedede helps Kirby get close to the giant flower-like Sectonia |
| Dededetour! | Unlocked after the main story, with “DX” bosses |
What the 7.9 Says
Kirby: Triple Deluxe is a confident handheld platformer with a strong central idea and a soft center. The 3D depth, the copy abilities and the two subgames make a full package. The main mode’s difficulty does not.
The 7.9 out of 10 matches the published critical aggregate, and it is the right number. It is a game worth the cartridge space. Play Dededetour! if the main story feels weightless, because that is where Triple Deluxe stops being polite.
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