Kirby: Triple Deluxe is a 2014 video game created by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the tenth main game in the Kirby series. The game was released in Japan on January 11, 2014, in North America on May 2, 2014, in Europe on May 16, 2014, and in Australia on May 17, 2014. In the game, Kirby goes on a journey through six worlds to rescue King Dedede from Taranza.
The game received mostly positive reviews when it was released. People praised the level design, the new Hypernova ability, music, graphics, 3D effects, and extra content. However, some critics noted that the game had a low difficulty level. Kirby: Triple Deluxe was followed by Kirby: Planet Robobot for the 3DS in 2016.
Gameplay
Kirby: Triple Deluxe is a platformer game shown in a 2.5D style. Some enemy attacks come from the background. Kirby can eat a rainbow-colored Miracle Fruit to become Hypernova Kirby, which lets him inhale very large objects. Bandana Waddle Dee throws Assist Stars at Kirby. Pressing the Y button allows Kirby to heal using these stars.
New copy abilities include Beetle, which lets Kirby use a Japanese rhinoceros beetle’s horn to stab enemies, hit them on the ground, or carry them; Bell, which allows Kirby to hold twin bells, use them as a shield, and attack with sound waves; Archer, which lets Kirby shoot arrows and use fake trees and rocks to avoid enemy attacks; and Circus, which allows Kirby to ride a giant rolling ball to knock over enemies, juggle flaming bowling pins to attack enemies above, and use exploding balloon animals as weapons. At least 20 copy abilities from earlier games return, including Wheel, which was not in Kirby’s Return to Dream Land.
Two new subgames are Kirby Fighters, a fighting game similar to Super Smash Bros. where players can customize their Kirby and choose one of ten copy abilities to battle other Kirbys in stages based on levels from previous Kirby games; and Dedede’s Drum Dash, a rhythm game featuring King Dedede, who jumps on drums while avoiding enemies and collecting coins to the music of classic Kirby songs. The main game is only for one player. Players can also find and collect keychains that show characters from earlier Kirby games.
After completing the main story mode, players unlock an extra mode called Dededetour!, where King Dedede is the playable character. In this mode, all bosses are replaced by their "DX" versions, which have different colors, are stronger, and have new attacks. At the end of this mode, Dedede fights Shadow Dedede and Dark Meta Knight, who are evil copies of King Dedede and Meta Knight from the Mirror World.
Plot
After a peaceful day, Kirby returns home for rest. While sleeping, a large seed falls from the sky and lands near Kirby’s house, growing into the Dreamstalk, which lifts the house into the air. The next morning, Kirby notices his home has been raised and travels to Castle Dedede, which has also been lifted by the Dreamstalk’s vines. At the castle gates, Kirby sees a spider-like creature named Taranza entering the building. Taranza easily defeats the guards and kidnaps King Dedede, taking him up the Dreamstalk. Kirby chases Taranza, fighting his followers as they travel through different areas. Their journey ends in Royal Road, the capital city of Floralia, a floating kingdom.
When Kirby reaches Taranza, the creature uses a hypnotized King Dedede to attack Kirby. After a tough battle, Kirby defeats the king and frees him from the hypnosis. Taranza explains he was working for Queen Sectonia, an insect-like ruler of Floralia. The Floralians planted the Dreamstalk to summon a hero from Dream Land, and Taranza kidnapped King Dedede by mistake, believing him to be that hero. Queen Sectonia wants to use the Dreamstalk to take over Dream Land. She scolds Taranza for failing and attacks him with her staff, sending him away before turning her attention to Kirby.
Kirby battles Queen Sectonia and defeats her. Kirby and King Dedede celebrate, but Queen Sectonia merges with the Dreamstalk, transforming into a giant flower-like monster. She spreads vines across Popstar, tearing land to build her kingdom and blocking others from attacking her. With King Dedede’s help, Kirby fights through the vines and confronts Queen Sectonia again.
After a difficult battle, Kirby defeats Queen Sectonia. However, she grabs Kirby with her vines and tries to crush him. King Dedede and Taranza (now helping Kirby) rescue him, giving Kirby a Miracle Fruit to finish the fight. Kirby inhales Queen Sectonia’s powerful laser and spits it back, destroying her. Floralia is saved, and Kirby is taken home by the People of the Sky. The Dreamstalk is cleansed and fully bloomed, becoming a permanent part of Dream Land.
In the extra mode, "Dededetour!", King Dedede faces a clone of himself, Shadow Dedede. After defeating the clone, Dedede battles Dark Meta Knight, who seeks revenge. Dedede wins, breaking the mirror that brought Dark Meta Knight into the world.
In "The True Arena," a special challenge unlocked after completing the game, Queen Sectonia uses Miracle Fruits to revive herself. Kirby fights a stronger version of her, "Soul of Sectonia," which uses attacks inspired by previous Kirby bosses. After defeating her first form, she emerges from the Dreamstalk for a final battle. She is defeated, exploding into blue petals, with one large, sparkling petal floating down as the story ends.
Development
The game was announced on October 1, 2013, during a Nintendo Direct presentation. The game's title was not revealed until more than a month later, when it was mentioned in a summary email sent by Nintendo after its November Direct presentation. The title came from "3DX," as developers wanted to include the letter X to show that this was the 10th main game in the Kirby series and to highlight the features of the Nintendo 3DS. The game was released in Australia at the same time as a pink Nintendo 2DS.
Improved versions of two minigames from the main game, Kirby Fighters Z and Dedede's Drum Rush Z (called Kirby Fighters Deluxe and Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe outside Japan), were released as separate downloadable games on the Nintendo eShop. These versions were available in Japan on July 23, 2014, in North America on August 29, 2014, and in Europe on February 13, 2015. These versions added new levels and gameplay features, and extra content could be unlocked if saved data from Kirby: Triple Deluxe was detected.
A new version of Kirby Fighters Deluxe was later released for the Nintendo Switch in September 2020. This version, called Kirby Fighters 2, used the engine from Kirby Star Allies. It included more content, online multiplayer, additional copy abilities (such as the new "Wrestler" ability), and more playable characters besides Kirby.
Reception
The game received positive reviews, with an average score of 80 on Metacritic based on 68 reviews and an 80.62% on GameRankings. In Japan, four critics from Famitsu gave the game a combined score of 35 out of 40. GameSpot awarded the game an 8 out of 10, praising its level design, graphics, soundtrack, use of 3D, controls, and lasting appeal. Polygon gave it a 7.5 out of 10, praising its innovative level design but criticizing the overall aesthetics as "simple" and "drab" compared to earlier games. Hardcore Gamer gave the game a 4 out of 5, calling it "one of the best handheld versions in the beloved Nintendo franchise."
However, IGN's Jose Otero gave it a 6 out of 10, praising its boss battles and use of 3D but strongly criticizing its low difficulty. He stated, "Kirby Triple Deluxe 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. I admire that it tries to give us more powers and abilities to play with than ever before, but that empowerment shouldn't come at the expense of any real difficulty."
As of March 2015, the game had sold 1.78 million units worldwide. As of December 31, 2022, Kirby's Triple Deluxe had sold 2.66 million copies worldwide, making it the 27th best-selling game for the Nintendo 3DS.