Kirby stays true to his sidescrolling roots in his latest outing on the 3DS.

Kirby is back and this time invading your Nintendo 3DS. While gamers in the West will have to wait for an unknown amount of time before getting a chance to play, Japanese 3DS owners have had the chance since last weekend. After a week on the market, the game has already sold over 200,000 units and scored a 35 out of 40 from Famitsu. For Kirby fans, or even people on the fence about the series, there is quite a bit to like about the pink puffball’s latest adventure.

The game starts with Kirby waking up to realize that his house is hanging from a huge beanstalk. Assuming Dedede is at fault here, Kirby traverses to his archenemy’s castle only to find him being captured by the mysterious Daranza, a spiderlike character who is causing the mischief. From here, players must climb the beanstalk and go through the unknown world of Floarald to find out what is happening.

Kirby: Triple Deluxe is a return to the traditional side-scrolling Kirby format, akin to Return to Dream Land on the Wii. Environments are cute and colorful, powerups are plentiful, and Dedede is back. The controls in the game are standard for a Kirby game. Enemies and various items can be inhaled with the B button, jumping is performed with the A button, and players can use a guard function similar to what was found in Kirby Super Star and Smash Bros. by pressing one of the shoulder buttons. Triple Deluxe contains a total of 26 copy abilities, five of which are new: the Beetle, Bell, Circus, Sniper and Hypernova. The first four are fun, but conventional. Although it is not often available, Hypernova changes the dynamic of the game. The Hypernova comes in the form of a bean. Once touched, Kirby flashes a rainbow of colors and his inhale ability becomes significantly amplified. Sections of levels are designed around this ability, serving up set pieces for Kirby. For example, one stage has a ghost moving between different furniture and items spread throughout a room. To defeat it, players must inhale the various items the ghost inhabits until the room doesn’t have any more hiding places. After inhaling the ghost, the exit for the stage appears. It’s a unique gameplay mechanic and is highly entertaining.

Triple Deluxe has three modes from the start of the game: the story mode, which is outlined above, Kirby Fighters, and Dedede’s Drum Dash. Kirby Fighters is similar to Smash Bros. in that up to four players fight each other using Kirby’s different power-ups as a base for their character. The game can be played with up to four people locally or through Download Play. If you opt for the single player mode, you are put through a series of seven fights against other Kirby characters on Easy, Normal, Hard, or Extremely Hard difficulties. The fights start off one on one, but additional Kirby’s are added until you are fighting three others at the same time. It’s a time attack mode, where players are trying to clear all seven fights as fast as they can. It’s a joy to play and gives a peek at what Smash Bros. could be like on the 3DS.

Dedede’s Drum Dash is a side scrolling rhythm game starring King Dedede. The game has players moving Dedede from left to right by jumping with the rhythm on different drums that are placed throughout the level. Set to classic tunes from Kirby games, players have to press the A button and direct Dedede to the center of these drums to launch the king higher into the air to collect medals. Each stage is scored based on how fast they are completed, how many medals are collected, and whether or not the player has taken damage. It’s extremely easy to play and fits in perfectly as a pick-up-and-play game on your 3DS.

I haven’t yet completed Kirby: Triple Deluxe, but what I have played has been very enjoyable. Honestly, I’m not the hugest fan of the pink puffball and generally find gameplay in the traditional series to be a bit slow and floaty. While I do still think this is the case, the Supernova power-up and other game modes are really entertaining. Look forward for a review of Kirby: Triple Deluxe soon.