Kirby: Triple Deluxe[a] is a 2014 action-platform game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the tenth main installment of 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. The game follows Kirby as he embarks on a journey through six worlds to rescue King Dedede from Taranza.

Kirby: Triple Deluxe
Packaging artwork
Developer(s)HAL Laboratory
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)Shinya Kumazaki[3]
Producer(s)Hiroaki Suga
Hitoshi Yamagami
Designer(s)Yuki Endo[4]
Programmer(s)Yoshihiro Nagata
Artist(s)Tadashi Kamitake
Composer(s)Hirokazu Ando
Jun Ishikawa
SeriesKirby
Platform(s)Nintendo 3DS
Release
  • JP: January 11, 2014[1]
  • KO: April 17, 2014
  • NA: May 2, 2014
  • EU: May 16, 2014[2]
  • AU: May 17, 2014
Genre(s)Action, platform
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

It received generally positive reviews upon its release. Praise went to the level design, the new Hypernova ability, soundtrack, graphics, use of 3D, and extra content. However, it received some criticism for its low difficulty level. Kirby: Triple Deluxe was succeeded by Kirby: Planet Robobot for the 3DS in 2016.

Gameplay

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Kirby: Triple Deluxe is a platformer displayed in a 2.5D perspective. Some enemy attacks also emanate from the background. Kirby can eat a rainbow-colored Miracle Fruit to become Hypernova Kirby, which allows him to inhale extremely large objects. Bandana Waddle Dee also throws Assist Stars at Kirby, which, by pressing the Y button, can heal Kirby.

New copy abilities include Beetle, which allows Kirby to use a Japanese rhinoceros beetle's horn to impale enemies, slam them on the ground, or carry them around; Bell, which lets Kirby wield twin bells, use them as a shield, and attack with sound waves; Archer, which lets Kirby fire arrows and use fake trees and boulders to avoid enemy attacks; and Circus, which allows Kirby to ride on a giant rolling ball to bowl over enemies, juggle flaming bowling pins to attack enemies above him and use exploding balloon animals as weapons. At least 20 copy abilities from previous games return, including Wheel, which was absent from Kirby's Return to Dream Land.

Two new subgames are Kirby Fighters, a Super Smash Bros. style fighting game where the player can customize their own Kirby and give him 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 starring King Dedede, who jumps on drums while avoiding enemies and collecting coins to the tune of classic Kirby songs. The main game is single player only. Players can also find and collect keychains which depict characters from previous Kirby games.

After the main story mode is completed, players unlock an extra mode called Dededetour!, featuring King Dedede as the playable character. In this mode, all of the bosses are replaced by their "DX" counterparts, who sport different color schemes, are more powerful, and have new attacks. At the end of this mode, Dedede fights Shadow Dedede and Dark Meta Knight, who are King Dedede's and Meta Knight's evil clones from the Mirror World.

Plot

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After a relaxing day, Kirby heads home for a good night’s rest. While he is sleeping, a large seed falls from the clouds and lands nearby, creating the Dreamstalk that lifts Kirby’s house in the air. In the morning, a shocked Kirby heads to Castle Dedede, which has also been lifted by the vines. Once he reaches the gates, however, Kirby notices an arachnid-like being named Taranza entering the castle. Effortlessly, Taranza takes out the Waddle Dee guards and kidnaps a surprised King Dedede, carrying him up the Dreamstalk. Kirby gives chase, fighting Taranza’s minions along the way. After following Taranza throughout multiple regions, the adventure reaches its conclusion in Royal Road, the capital city of Floralia, the kingdom in the sky.

When Kirby finally reaches Taranza, he attacks Kirby using a brainwashed King Dedede. After an intense fight, Kirby is able to defeat the king and free him of his brainwashing. Taranza reveals that he has been working for Floralia's self-proclaimed Queen, the vespid-being Queen Sectonia, and that the Floralians planted the Dreamstalk in the hopes of summoning Dream Land's hero to their aid. Mistakenly believing King Dedede to be that hero, Taranza kidnapped him on the orders of Queen Sectonia, who wants to use the Dreamstalk to take over Dream Land. Queen Sectonia scolds Taranza for his failure, blasting at him with her staff that causes him to fly away from the tower before turning her sights on Kirby.

Kirby faces Queen Sectonia and wins. Kirby and Dedede celebrate, but Sectonia merges with the Dreamstalk and turns into a giant flower-like monster. She begins to spread vines all over Popstar, ripping out pieces of land for her kingdom and preventing anyone from getting close enough to attack her. With Dedede's help, Kirby manages to get through Sectonia's vines and confronts her once more.

After a hard battle, Kirby eventually defeats Queen Sectonia, but Sectonia grabs Kirby with her vines and tries to crush him while Kirby cries for help. King Dedede and Taranza (with a change of heart) come to Kirby's rescue, freeing him and giving him a Miracle Fruit to finally defeat the queen. Kirby finishes off Queen Sectonia by inhaling her giant laser blast and spitting it back out at her, destroying her utterly. With Floralia rescued, Kirby is ferried back home by the People of the Sky, and the Dreamstalk is purified, fully blooming and becoming a permanent fixture of Dream Land.

Optional scenes

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At the end of Dededetour!, an extra mode featuring King Dedede as the protagonist, King Dedede encounters a clone of himself from another dimension, Shadow Dedede. After the real Dedede beats the shadowy clone, he encounters Dark Meta Knight, who has come back for revenge. Dedede, however, defeats him, sending him back into the mirror he came from. He then uses his hammer to destroy the mirror.

At the end of The True Arena, a boss rush that is unlocked by beating the game, Queen Sectonia uses the Miracle Fruits to revive herself. Kirby then fights Soul of Sectonia, a harder version of Queen Sectonia with brand new attacks. Defeating her first form makes her rip herself out of the Dreamstalk for the final (bonus) boss of the game. She is capable of many new attacks, some of which reference previous Kirby final bosses such as Marx and Drawcia. Upon her final defeat, Queen Sectonia explodes in a flurry of blue petals, as a single large, sparkling blue petal is seen drifting down the screen.

Development

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The game was announced on October 1, 2013, during a Nintendo Direct presentation.[5][6] However, the title of the game was not actually revealed until over a month later, when it was mentioned in a recap email sent by Nintendo after that November's direct.[7] The game's title originated from developers wanting to incorporate the letter X due to the game being the 10th main installment in the Kirby series, as well as reflect the capabilities of the Nintendo 3DS.[8] The game's release in Australia was accompanied by the launch of a pink Nintendo 2DS.[9]

Enhanced versions of the two minigames featured in the main game, titled Kirby Fighters Z and Dedede's Drum Rush Z, were released as standalone titles downloadable from the Nintendo eShop on July 23, 2014, in Japan and August 29, 2014, in North America as Kirby Fighters Deluxe and Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe and it was also available in Europe on February 13, 2015. These versions feature new stages and gameplay features, with additional content unlocked if save data from Kirby: Triple Deluxe is detected.[10]

Kirby Fighters Deluxe would later a receive a follow-up on the Nintendo Switch in September 2020, titled Kirby Fighters 2, using the Kirby Star Allies engine. It features more content, online play, more copy abilities (including the new "Wrestler" ability), and playable characters besides Kirby.[11]

Reception

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Critical response

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The game received positive reviews, holding an average of 80 on Metacritic based on 68 reviews and an 80.62% on GameRankings.[12][13] GameSpot awarded the game an 8 out 10, praising the level design, graphics, soundtrack, use of 3D, controls, and lasting appeal.[20] Polygon gave it a 7.5 out of 10, praising its innovative level design but criticizing the overall aesthetics as "simple" and "drab" in comparison to earlier games.[23] Hardcore Gamer gave the game a 4 out of 5 calling it a "one of the best handheld iterations in the beloved Nintendo franchise."[30]

However, IGN's Jose Otero gave it a 6 out of 10, praising its boss battles and use of the 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."[22]

Sales

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As of March 2015, the game has sold 1.78 million units worldwide.[32] 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.[33]

Notes

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  1. ^ Known in Japan as Hoshi no Kirby Triple Deluxe (星のカービィ トリプルデラックス, Hoshi no Kābī Toripuru Derakkusu, lit. Kirby of the Stars: Triple Deluxe)

References

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  1. ^ Costabile, Christopher (November 15, 2013). "Kirby: Triple Deluxe For 3DS Floats Into Japan on January 11th, Teaser Site Goes Live". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  2. ^ Goldfarb, Andrew (February 13, 2014). "Kirby: Triple Deluxe Release Date Announced". IGN. Archived from the original on February 14, 2014. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  3. ^ Gaston, Martin (April 28, 2014). "Why is Kirby always angry in the US? Nintendo explains". GameSpot. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  4. ^ Babich, Andrea (June 7, 2014) [May 16, 2014]. "Kirby Triple Deluxe - Recensione". IGN Italia (in Italian). Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  5. ^ Karmali, Luke (October 2013). "New Kirby Title Announced For Nintendo 3DS". IGN. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  6. ^ Brown, Andrew (October 1, 2013). "Kirby 3DS Title Revealed". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  7. ^ Pereira, Chris (November 15, 2013). "NEW 3DS KIRBY GAME GETS TITLED KIRBY: TRIPLE DELUXE". IGN. Archived from the original on April 12, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
  8. ^ Moser, Cassidee (May 4, 2015). "Director Explains the Meaning Behind the Name Kirby: Triple Deluxe". IGN. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  9. ^ Te, Zorine (May 11, 2014). "AU New Releases: Kirby: Triple Deluxe to be released alongside pink 2DS". GameSpot. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  10. ^ Ashcraft, Brian (July 9, 2014). "Nintendo Reveals Stand Alone DLC Kirby Games". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  11. ^ "Kirby Fighters 2 – Launch Trailer – Nintendo Switch". September 23, 2020. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2020 – via Youtube.com.
  12. ^ a b "Kirby: Triple Deluxe". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
  13. ^ a b "Kirby: Triple Deluxe for 3DS Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on July 16, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
  14. ^ Carter, Chris (April 28, 2014). "Kirby: Triple Deluxe for Nintendo 3DS review". Destructoid. Archived from the original on May 4, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  15. ^ Agnello, Anthony John (August 23, 2019). "Kirby: Triple Deluxe review". Digital Trends. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  16. ^ Carsillo, Ray (April 28, 2014). "Kirby: Triple Deluxe review". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Archived from the original on May 1, 2014. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  17. ^ Edge Staff (April 28, 2014). "Kirby: Triple Deluxe Edge Review". Edge. Archived from the original on May 3, 2014.
  18. ^ Schilling, Chris (April 28, 2014). "Kirby: Triple Deluxe review". Eurogamer. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  19. ^ "Kirby Triple Deluxe Review from Game Informer". Game Informer. Archived from the original on January 21, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  20. ^ a b Walton, Mark (April 28, 2014). "Kirby: Triple Deluxe Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on April 30, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
  21. ^ Towell, Justin (April 28, 2014). "Kirby: Triple Deluxe for Nintendo 3DS review". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on May 4, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  22. ^ a b Otero, José (April 28, 2014). "Kirby Triple Deluxe Review". IGN. Archived from the original on July 20, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
  23. ^ a b Riendeau, Danielle (April 28, 2014). "Kirby: Triple Deluxe review: brainpower". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on July 5, 2014. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
  24. ^ Bivens, Danny (January 31, 2014). "Hoshi no Kirby: Triple Deluxe". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  25. ^ Rose, Bryan (April 28, 2014). "Kirby: Triple Deluxe review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on May 4, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  26. ^ Castle, Matthew (May 16, 2014). "Kirby Triple Deluxe ONM Review". Archived from the original on October 18, 2014.
  27. ^ Wahlgren, Jon (April 28, 2014). "Kirby: Triple Deluxe for 3DS review". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on June 29, 2018. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  28. ^ Greenwald, Will (June 2, 2014). "Kirby Triple Deluxe (for Nintendo 3DS) Review". PCMag. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  29. ^ Robertson, Andy (May 17, 2014). "Kirby: Triple Deluxe review – a solid game that fails to soar". The Guardian. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  30. ^ a b Beck, Adam (April 28, 2014). "Review: Kirby Triple Deluxe". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved May 11, 2014.
  31. ^ Parish, Jeremy (April 28, 2014). "Kirby: Triple Deluxe review". USGamer. Archived from the original on February 1, 2018. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  32. ^ "Supplementary Information about Earnings Release" (PDF). Nintendo. May 7, 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 15, 2019. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  33. ^ 2023CESAゲーム白書 (2023 CESA Games White Papers). Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association. 2023. ISBN 978-4-902346-47-3.

Booklets

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