PixlBit

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what makes Kirby: Triple Deluxe a special game. It’s not particularly challenging, it doesn’t do anything revolutionary, but every time I play it, I can’t help but smile. When it comes down to it, I have to believe that the exceptional level design is the root of it all. HAL Laboratories plays with the depth offered by the 3DS and takes every opportunity to create interesting set pieces and enemies that crisscross the two planes within each level. Hidden secrets, intriguing puzzles, and fun use of Kirby’s abilities combined with these set pieces help make each and every level in the game special.

It’s interesting that each level does feel so unique and exude so much personality because nearly everything in the game is lifted from a prior entry in the series – from abilities to enemies to boss battles. However, Triple Deluxe puts a unique spin on everything. Abilities have a wider variety of moves, akin to Kirby’s Smash Bros. representation, enemies travel in three dimensions despite the game taking place in two, and bosses have been rethought to offer a fresh challenge.

The most notable and interesting new offering is the Hypernova power-up. In select levels, Kirby will encounter a glowing rainbow tree that sprouts a seed. When touched, Kirby will suddenly have the ability to suck up, well, basically everything. At first, the ability is used mostly for show and pure tactile enjoyment (it feels great). But as the game progresses, it’s employed to solve puzzles and make new pathways as well, which keeps it fresh throughout the quest.

Another positive change is that levels feel much larger than they did in past games, with many divergent paths that hold both hidden key chains and sunstones. Unlocking hidden pathways via puzzles and conquering the challenge rooms that lock away some of the sunstones is always fun. Many of these rooms offer a challenge that requires both speed and puzzle solving, but plenty of others seek only to further imbue character into the experience by providing an entertaining set piece.

Key chains play a significant role in providing Triple Deluxe with charm and offer up an easy objective to latch onto. With hundreds to unlock, many of which can only be found in certain levels, it’s something you can constantly work on as you progress through the quest. Each key chain represents a character or enemy from a past game in the series, in sprite form, rendered into 3D. They are visually appealing and informative on the roots of the series.

Outside of the core game and its many collectibles, players can jump into a couple of the ancillary modes that offer up some nice diversions. Kirby Fighters is Smash Bros.-esque, pitting Kirbys with varying powers against each other, with a healthy dose of items thrown in the mix to make things interesting. You can even take on the CPU-driven quest and fight your way to the end with any given Kirby ability. If you can manage to get a few friends together I can see this mode being good fun.

In addition to Kirby Fighters is Dedede’s Drum Dash, a rhythm game that requires you to bounce and clap to the beat while avoiding enemies and collecting coins. The mode features only a few different songs to bounce along to, but there’s a lot to master within each track to max out your high score. Though novel, I didn’t spend much time with the mode and won’t likely be revisiting it in the future.

Like Kirby Super Star, from which this game derives much influence, there’s even more to unlock after you clear the main quest, thus lengthening the experience. However, the main quest itself is still the real draw of the experience and it’s a solid one at that. While I don’t think Kirby: Triple Deluxe will be for everyone, anyone who does give it a shot will undoubtedly crack a smile as they progress through the lovingly created levels that are simply bursting with personality.