Miiverse was a social network for the Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. Miiverse allowed users to post game screenshots and videos, as well as hand-drawn images, stamps, or text; other users can reply to or "Yeah!" these posts. Miiverse posts were tied to the game that was active when going to Miiverse, and such posts would appear in that game's community.

For some Kirby games available on the Nintendo 3DS, there existed specific communities for these games labeled "Behind the Scenes." In these communities, only the game developers could make posts, although others could reply or "Yeah!" them. These posts generally delved into the game's development and also expanded on the lore.

Miiverse was eventually shut down on November 7, 2017, at 10:00 pm PT.

The following is a list of the "Behind the Scenes" Kirby Miiverse posts, as well as the main communities. With one exception, every page below is from the North American Miiverse. This list is in order from oldest to newest in each individual category.

Link Date Text Image

Link 05/02/2014 9:04 AM Nice to meet you all, I'm Satoshi Ishida from HAL Laboratory. We're happy that Kirby: Triple Deluxe is finally available in the Americas! I'll be sharing information directly from the development team, including some fun facts to help you enjoy the game to the fullest, so stay tuned!

Link 05/06/2014 9:06 AM Kirby’s copy abilities give him multiple ways to fight, and now he even has a new ability called Hypernova that amplifies his inhale. But did you know that Kirby's regular abilities are actually pretty strong, too? It can be a fun challenge to try to clear a level using only Kirby’s ability to inhale enemies and blocks, then spit them out as Star Bullets. Have fun discovering other fun ways to play the game!

Link 05/09/2014 9:09 AM Although King Dedede has always been Kirby's biggest rival, this time Dedede gets taken away by Taranza at the beginning of Story Mode! Will the king wait patiently for Kirby to come save him? Don't worry, King Dedede fans, you can have fun using him as a playable character as many times as you want in Dedede's Drum Dash!

Link 05/12/2014 9:00 AM The mysterious Taranza whisks King Dedede away to Floralia, but his motives are unknown. As Kirby goes through the stages, you can sometimes catch glimpses of Taranza carrying off King Dedede. Will Kirby ever catch up to Taranza, and what is his true objective?

Link 05/15/2014 5:12 PM In Floralia, not only can you travel from foreground to background, you’ll also interact with these different areas during the game. For example, you can shoot blocks in the background using the 3D Tilt Missle [sic] , or dodge obstacles that leap out from the background such as the Springy Hand and the Waddle Dee Train. Turn up the 3D slider on your Nintendo 3DS system to experience these exciting effects to the fullest!

Link 05/20/2014 5:20 PM Kirby gets a cool horn with the new Beetle copy ability. Try using Horn Upper to scoop up enemies or unleash a quick attack with Rocket Horn. The horn can also catch multiple enemies at once and hammer stakes. Inhale enemies like Beetley and Hornhead to try it out!

Link 05/23/2014 5:18 PM Have you tried the new Archer ability yet? Doesn't Kirby look charming wearing a fashionable hat while sniping enemies with arrows? The Archer ability enables three levels of attacks depending on the amount of power you charge up: the Shot, Snipe Shot, and Magic-Star Arrow. You can also use Arrow Slash to attack enemies up close. Kirby using his Hitman attack while hiding behind a bush is quite a sight, too! For the Archer ability, inhale a Spynum before it hits you!

Link 05/26/2014 5:13 PM The attacks from the new Bell copy ability look quite different from the other abilities. That’s because Kirby strikes enemies with the melody that flows out of the bells in each hand. By continuously attacking enemies with Ring-ding, the attack powers up to Ring-ding-dong, then to Ding Finale. To attack enemies who are farther away, throw the bells left and right simultaneously using Twin Tinker. The bell on Kirby's head can also serve as protection by using Bell Block. To obtain the Bell ability, inhale a Ringle when you see it in the game!

Link 05/28/2014 5:16 PM Circus is a new acrobatic copy ability that enables Kirby to attack enemies with circus routines. His basic attacks, Somersault and Backsault, will hit enemies who are right in front or behind Kirby. There are trickier moves such as Fire-Hoop Jump, where Kirby attacks by jumping through a ring of fire, and Ball Balance, where he attacks by walking on a big ball. To enable the Circus ability, inhale a Clown Acrobot before you get too intrigued by its routine!

Link 05/30/2014 9:15 AM Kirby's adventure in this game takes place in a world called Floralia. Each level floats far away from each other, so you’ll need to defeat the boss of a level and grow a Dreamstalk to travel to the next one. You also need to collect a certain amount of Sun Stones to unlock the boss battles. If you succeed at collecting all the Sun Stones for each level, you may unlock something else, too!

Link 06/02/2014 9:09 AM You can obtain the Hypernova ability by eating a Miracle Fruit. This enables Kirby to inhale massive objects that he couldn't inhale normally. It is a very useful ability, as it allows Kirby to inhale large stones or missiles and spit them at enemies, as well as move big obstacles to uncover Sun Stones. You should definitely give this new ability a try!

Link 06/04/2014 9:20 AM In Kirby: Triple Deluxe, there are certain stages where you can use your system’s gyro controls to get past obstacles. For example, you may have to tilt your system to move a flame ignited on the fuse attached to a moving block and fire a cannon. This section is still nerve-racking for me, and I’ve played the game multiple times already. I hope you can all enjoy this thrilling experience, too!

Link 06/06/2014 9:19 AM Isn't it exciting when the keychains you’ve found are revealed at the end of each stage? There are more than 250 keychains to collect, all featuring characters from the Kirby series! There are rare keychains, too, so make sure to really search every level. You can also trade keychains via StreetPass or use Play Coins on your Nintendo 3DS system for the keychains you want. Good luck collecting them all! Remember to select Keychain Collection on the Selection Screen to check out your keychains.

Link 06/09/2014 9:19 AM I hope you noticed the Bandana Waddle Dee that shows up on occasion to throw recovery items to you. Did you know that if you StreetPass someone, the items thrown by Bandana Waddle Dee get upgraded? Take advantage of this StreetPass function to get through the game!

Link 06/11/2014 11:52 PM In Kirby Fighters, you can select one of ten copy abilities and fight against other Kirbys. In Single Player mode, the battles start out 1 vs 1, then escalate to 1 vs 2 and 1 vs 3. You can also challenge yourself by trying to beat your best battle times. In Multiplayer mode, you can play with up to three friends using local wireless. Make sure you stay on your toes while fighting, though – other characters will show up and get in your way, and there may be traps to look out for in the arena! You can also use Download Play for Kirby Fighters. That means that up to four people who each have a Nintendo 3DS, 3DS XL or 2DS system can play together in the same room, even if only one of them owns the game! Enjoy heated battles with Kirby and your friends!

Link 06/13/2014 9:25 AM In Dedede's Drum Dash, King Dedede is the main character. Listen to the rhythm of the music and push the button on the beat to make King Dedede bounce from drum to drum on his way to the Goal Drum. It feels great to make King Dedede bounce up to the top screen when you push the button at just the right time. First, try to get used to bouncing from drum to drum. Then, once you get the hang of it, have fun trying to aim for a high score by collecting the musical coins floating in the air!

Link 06/16/2014 9:20 AM Today I would like to introduce Flowery Woods, the boss of Level 1: Fine Fields. This boss starts out as just a single flower blooming in the field. However, when Taranza casts a spell on it, it turns into Flowery Woods. After losing all its grace as a little flower, Flowery Woods not only attacks Kirby with large seeds and air shots, but jumps into the background and attacks from afar with long vines. Make sure you check out the flower's transformation scene into Flowery Woods – it's quite a sight!

Link 06/18/2014 9:21 AM This time, I'm introducing Paintra, the boss of Level 2: Lollipop Land. When Kirby chases Taranza into a workshop, he comes across a forgotten painting in there, which is said to depict a pair of sisters separated at birth. The painting is brought to life as Paintra and starts attacking Kirby. Paintra can turn her body into a paintbrush and splatter paint all over Kirby. She'll even splatter paint on the screen so you can't see what's going on! She also has the ability to make drawings come to life. Don't forget that you can see descriptions of the bosses if you pause the game during battle!

Link 06/20/2014 12:16 PM Kracko is the boss of Level 3: Old Odyssey. Kracko has appeared in the Kirby series since the Game Boy version. This time, he has the energy of the sky on his side, so he has more power than ever. Kracko drops barrels and nuts, and can expand his body across the stage and drop lightning bolts, so it's pretty hard finding a safe place during battle. You can get copy abilities from some of the items that Kracko drops, so have fun trying them out!

Link 06/23/2014 9:18 AM Hello, this is Satoshi Ishida from HAL Laboratory. Today I am posting a message from the game director: "Hello, everyone. I am the director of Kirby: Triple Deluxe and I would like to share some small tricks for this game. I'm assuming many of you know that Kirby inhales enemies and spits them out as Star Bullets to attack, but did you know that the more enemies you inhale and spit out at once, the more powerful the attack becomes? The attack powers up even more if you spit the Star Bullets out while dashing! This technique can come in handy, especially during boss battles. There are other tricks to learn, too. For example, Kirby’s Air Shots are more powerful when targets are closer, and if you push down on the controls while hovering you can use Quick Fall. The game's controls are simple enough for new users to play and finish the game, but there are also plenty of complex techniques and moves for more advanced players to master." Thank you for the tips. I hope everyone will give these techniques a try!

Link 06/25/2014 5:10 PM Today, the director will give us a few pointers about the Jukebox option in the Mode Selection screen. “In this game, an Auto button has been added to the Jukebox. Once you turn it on, the tracks will flow automatically, and you can plug in your headphones and put your Nintendo 3DS or 2DS system in Sleep Mode to continue listening to the music. In addition, you may notice the musical notes floating in the background while each track plays. Those actually have a little secret to them. The music in the Kirby series is created by two different composers. The songs with the red musical notes were composed by someone who’s been on board since Kirby's Dream Land. The blue notes appear for songs created by the second composer, who joined the team for Kirby’s Adventure. My personal top 3 favorites are tracks 24 and 90 (with red notes) and track 102 (with blue notes), which is the final boss stage theme called Moonstruck Blossom. You can have fun comparing the different styles of these two composers!" Thank you, director. I didn't know that the color of the notes indicated the composers! You can access the Jukebox after you clear the Dededetour mode. If you haven't cleared it yet, I wish you luck!

Link 06/27/2014 9:11 AM Hello there. This time, the director will be sharing some details behind Kirby’s new Hypernova ability. Take it away! "Hello, everyone. I imagine many of you are having fun with the Hypernova ability. Kirby has always been known for his Inhale ability, but up to now there was a limit to how much he could inhale. For this game, we thought, ‘Why don't we make Kirby's original Inhale ability more powerful than ever?’ And the Hypernova ability was born. It’s really satisfying when you can inhale items and enemies that Kirby usually can't, such as houses, full-length trains, and even the landscape! This game truly is a deluxe experience, with a wide variety of stages to play through as you enjoy both Kirby’s copy abilities and his original Inhale ability. ” Thank you, director. I hope you all will enjoy Kirby's powerful new Hypernova ability!

Link 06/30/2014 9:19 AM Today, I had a talk with one of the lead level designers. "Hello, everyone. Today I am going to talk about Sun Stones, which are essential items that you collect in the game. Sun Stones are hidden in various places within the stages. If you don't collect enough of them, you can’t unlock the boss stages. Make sure to look in every corner of every stage and tackle the puzzles to collect Sun Stones, and continue to the boss battle! Furthermore, to reach the extra stage for a level, you will need to collect every single Sun Stone in it, and you'll need to collect every Sun Stone in every level to achieve 100% completion of the game. Are you bold enough to go for 100%?" Thank you for the pointers! You may need to try out different copy abilities to solve puzzles and collect new Sun Stones, so make sure you experiment with Kirby's abilities.

Link 07/02/2014 9:29 AM Hello! For this update, I talked to the assistant director who worked on the extra stages. "Hello, everyone. I would like to share a little information about the extra stages that appear in Story Mode for this game. Extra stages are special stages that are unlocked when you collect all the Sun Stones hidden in a level. These stages are full of puzzles and traps, and a DX Boss waiting for you at the end. DX bosses are strong enemies with different attacks from the ordinary bosses. These stages also have Sun Stones and rare keychains hidden in them. Have fun challenging yourself in these intensive stages! Lastly, the background tracks that play in the extra stages differ from the other stages. In these stages, you can actually listen to the tracks from Kirby's Dream Collection! Of course, you will be able to play them on the Jukebox, too." Wow, so you can play to the best tracks from Kirby's Dream Collection? Nice! I hope you will all try out the extra stages sometime!

Link 07/04/2014 9:18 AM Hi, everyone. For today's post, we have a message from the assistant director, who was in charge of developing Dedede's Drum Dash. "Hello there! Dedede's Drum Dash is a mode where you need to press the buttons in sync with the music and bounce to the end of the stage. In this update, I would like to give you some tips on how to get higher scores. The points you earn for each level are determined by factors like the amount of time left over when you clear the stage and the number of Musical Coins you got. However, the key is to use the backbeat. Press the A Button when you reach the peak of each jump; if you get the timing down correctly and King Dedede plays the tambourine, you get more points. You should definitely give this a shot if you're aiming for a high score! After you clear a level, you will get different medals depending on your score, from Bronze to Silver, to Gold. There might even be one above Gold...? If you clear Levels 1 to 3 with a certain score, an extra stage will be unlocked. There's a lot of content in this game, so enjoy it to the fullest!" I'm assuming many of you have already played Dedede's Drum Dash, but if you haven't, I'd recommend that you start by just focusing on clearing the stage, then replay to earn higher scores!

Link 07/07/2014 9:25 AM In today's update, the director gave us a little trivia on the level names in Kirby. Check it out! "Hello, everyone. Today, I would like to tell you a little secret about the level names. Not only do the names of the six levels in Floralia match their themes, but they are alliterative too - that is, both words in each name start with the same sound (F in Fine Fields, L in Lollipop Land, etc.). Well, you probably noticed that, but do you know what you get if you line up the first letters of all the levels...? Find out the answer by unlocking them all!"

Link 07/09/2014 9:07 AM Continuing from the last post, the director has a little more to say about level names. "It's not just Kirby: Triple Deluxe - the names of levels in past Kirby games also have hidden meanings. For example, the first level of Kirby: Canvas Curse, Reddy Land, starts with an R, and when you line up the first letter of each of the first seven levels, it spells out RAINBOW. In Kirby's Return to Dreamland [sic], Level 1 begins with the letter C for Cookie Country, and if you line up all the first letters of the first seven levels, it spells out CROWNED. There are little hidden surprises like this throughout the Kirby series, so I hope many of you will enjoy finding these and other items in the newest game." If this has made you curious about past Kirby games, remember that you can find them on the Virtual Console service on Nintendo eShop!

Link 07/11/2014 5:19 PM Today, I had a chance to talk to one of the lead level designers. "Hello, everyone. You know that satisfying feeling when you zip through levels using the Hypernova ability, inhaling enemies and traps left and right? I'm going to give you some tips on how to make it even better! Tip 1: How to move Slide Blocks in one breath Instead of inhaling them from up close, stand back a little so you can get more traction. You can do this in the snowy stage with the giant snowmen's heads. Stand back, inhale, and pull them past all the obstacles in one big breath." (Tips continue in the next post...)

Link 07/14/2014 5:08 PM Continuing from the last post, here's one more tip for using the Hypernova ability from one of the lead level designers: "Tip 2: How to easily defeat those giant mole-like foes, the Mowlee Bros. A total of three Mowlee Bros. appear, and the third one is a bit tricky because he appears from both the higher and lower levels. Did you know that Kirby can actually counter-attack and move around even after he's inhaled one of the large blocks? With some skill, you can spit out the block while jumping down to the lower level, or jump up from the lower level and spit it out on the top one. Try little tricks like this to make the most of the Hypernova ability!" Thanks for the tips! You might think the Hypernova ability is just a super-strong inhale, but it sounds as if there may be more advanced ways to use it. I hope you all give these techniques a shot, too!

Link 07/16/2014 9:14 AM This time, I talked to the assistant director in charge of Dededetour. "Hello! I was in charge of Dededetour, and I'd like to tell you a little bit about this new mode, which unlocks after you've completed the main story. In Dededetour, you get to play through the whole game as the great King Dedede himself, racing to get through the stages as fast as possible. And guess who's waiting for him at the end! King Dedede has some pretty nice abilities. Use them well and you should be able to blast through! Take Dedede Hammer Flip for example - that's got some impressive attack power! Even powerful bosses take a good chunk of damage from it."

Link 07/18/2014 9:19 AM Continuing from the last post, here's some more info from the assistant director who was in charge of creating Dededetour. "Giant Dedede Swing is a great technique that lets you attack while moving. It's actually quicker than a Dash, so it's extra useful during a time attack! King Dedede can overcome any hazard with his abilities. For example, his Giant Dedede Swing can cool down a Fire Block. To see a list of his moves, just pause the game and scroll through the pause menu. Be sure to experiment with different abilities! By the way, the best speed run achieved by anyone on the development team is 0:58:44.45 - just under an hour!" Now that's a real challenge! Why don't you go and practice King Dedede's moves and see if you can beat your own record - or the developers'?

Link 07/21/2014 9:09 AM Today, we'll hear a little from the assistant director who worked on the Arena. "Hi, everyone! The Arena is an area where you can fight mid- and top-level bosses from the Story Mode in a knockout tournament. You have to fight all ten bosses in a row, with Kirby's remaining health carrying over from one round to the next, so it's a real battle of endurance. If Kirby loses all his health, you're out! At the end of each round, you'll be given a short rest where you can pick up some health items and take a breather before tackling the next boss. Be careful, though - there are only a limited number of health items! Of course, to ace each round, you'll want to choose your Copy Ability carefully. If you're aiming for the fastest time, I'd recommend the mighty Hammer! But if you're having trouble surviving, try using good defensive abilities, like the Leaf's Leaf Hide or the Archer's Camouflage."

Link 07/23/2014 9:19 AM Continuing from the last post, here's a little more from the assistant director who was in charge of the Arena. "If you can beat all the bosses in the Arena, you'll become the champion and the time you took will be recorded. Then you only need to activate StreetPass for this game to show off your clear times to other players and see theirs as well. That should give you some extra motivation to get the best possible time!" So, you may be familiar with the Arena from previous Kirby games, but that doesn't make it any less nerve-racking, frustrating or outright insane at times. But don't give up! Just keep trying out those Copy Abilities, find one you like and go for it!

Link 07/25/2014 9:19 AM Heads up! Today we'll be getting some hints from the game director about how to tackle those all-important boss fights. "Hello, everyone! Want to hear some secrets about boss battles? Since this game is playable on Nintendo 3DS, we made the boss battles more three-dimensional, with movement in all directions. Once you take a boss down to half of its health, it gets much more serious, so you'll want to spend the first half of the fight attacking while learning the boss's attack patterns. Once the second half kicks in, you can put your observations to use and fight back - that's when the real battle begins! Keep in mind that the bosses' attack patterns can change dramatically from one half to the next, so sometimes it almost feels like two separate battles. There are some tough fights, but here's the thing about the Kirby series: the bosses are living beings too, so if you lose and have to fight them over and over, they get tired after a while. Their maximum health gradually decreases and they attack less often, until they get pretty weak. Experts may beat bosses on their first try, but even if you're not that great at the game, you'll still triumph in the end! That's how the game is designed."

Link 07/28/2014 9:08 AM Continuing from the last post, here's some more info from the game director about bosses in this game. "Have you noticed that when you pause the game during a boss battle, you get a special screen? Unlike other games in the Kirby series, for this game we wrote a message for every single boss! If you overcome all the other enemies and reach the final boss, you'll find she hides a rather sad secret..." Interesting! So the bosses get tired too. That news should brighten your day if you have trouble with boss battles. When you lose, just take a little break and try again!

Link 07/30/2014 9:17 AM Today, we're going to hear from the lead level designer. "Hello, everyone! As you may know, Kirby: Triple Deluxe features all-new tilting features on Nintendo 3DS. You have to be very precise when tilting the system, so it can be tricky at times, but we hope it adds a bit of variety to the controls. We faced some challenges in development, though: usually when you have 3D visuals enabled and tilt the system, the 3D Screen starts to flicker, so we had to come up with a way to avoid this. By the way, here's a little tilting tip: it can be quite difficult to aim an arrow while at the same time tilting the system to line up with a gap. The trick is to aim your arrow at the target first, and then tilt your system to line up with the gap. When you need to fire several arrows, I recommend returning your system to a neutral position and touching Reset Tilt after each arrow. There are a few tilting tricks you can pick up, but the main thing you need to know is practice makes perfect. Don't forget to touch Reset Tilt if you're having trouble!" So if you had trouble using the tilting controls, please give these tips a try!

Link 07/31/2014 9:00 PM Hello, this is Satoshi Ishida from HAL Laboratory. Here is a message from the assistant director in charge of Kirby Fighters! "Hello! I'm sure you know that you can play Kirby Fighters alone or with up to three other players! I'd like to tell you about a little technique that you can use in both single player and multiplayer. If you keep using Guard for too long, it will break and you will be unable to move. When that happens, try repeatedly pressing directions on the +Control Pad and you'll be able to move a bit sooner. You can use this technique when an Action Star puts you to sleep too. Furthermore, if you use a Mint Leaf, then hold the B Button while moving, you can move around without changing where you're facing. Use this to keep enemies in your sights and don't let them escape!"

Link 07/31/2014 9:02 PM We normally post in the morning but we posted late this evening for a very special occasion. Do you know why August is so special? Well, today is when we say... "Happy Birthday, Kirby! It's 22 years this month since Kirby's Dream Land was released in North America! Since its release in 1992, Kirby has starred in over 10 platformer games, but there are over 20 titles in total if you include every game in the Kirby series! I wonder what everyone's favorite is. For me, it's difficult to choose one particular title, but if I really had to, I'd say...the original Kirby's Adventure! It makes me smile how King Dedede rises above his usual show-off, bad self and expresses his courage in one scene, just like in the new game. When Kirby's Dream Land came out back in 1992, Kirby didn't have his Copy ability, let alone Dash or Slide. It had a small world with five stages, where Kirby fought simply by inhaling enemies and spitting them out. How things have changed in Kirby: Triple Deluxe, with Kirby's super-powerful Hypernova Inhale! Still, even after all these years, Kirby has never got tired of inhaling his foes! Some things never change. I hope you continue to follow the series and look forward to surprising developments in the future, too!" That was a message from the director of Kirby: Triple Deluxe. The hand-drawn illustration in this post is by him as well!

Link 08/04/2014 9:25 AM Continuing from the last post, here's some more info from the assistant director of Kirby Fighters! "In multiplayer mode, you turn into a ghost when your health runs out. Naturally, if you have no health at the end, you lose the match. However, by attacking the remaining Kirbys, you can regain your lost health and come back to life, so it's still possible to rejoin the battle and win the match! Just remember that the more times you run out of health, the longer it takes before you can manifest in ghost form, so you have to play strategically. Also, you can customize settings like ghosts, handicaps, items and number of hazards. If you set handicaps to Auto, they will be adjusted based on the results of your matches. It's a really interesting feature, so I hope you try playing with it and see how it changes over time. (To get to the settings, press the Y Button in the Player Settings.)" There were quite a few tips there that should come in handy during a battle. Try playing around with the settings - you never know what weird combinations you can come up with!

Link 08/06/2014 9:12 AM This time, we have a message from the assistant director in charge of creating Dedede's Drum Dash. "Hello, everyone. I'd like to share the secret to getting the four bonuses in Dedede's Drum Dash, so you can achieve a high score. First, you just need to collect all the Musical Coins in a stage to get the All Coins bonus. Just stay calm and keep going until you get them all! You can get the Time Bonus by finishing the stage with over 30 seconds remaining. The No Damage bonus is achieved by finishing the stage without bumping into a single enemy. The last one is more difficult, but if you complete all of your Backbeats you will get the Backbeat Perfect bonus. The key to getting Backbeats right is rhythm. I think it helps to sing along to the music using a rhythmical "Boom! Tss! Boom! Tss!" so that landing on a drum is timed with "Boom!" and the Backbeat is at the same time as "Tss!" It might be tough, but completing a stage with all four bonuses is more than worth it, so don't give up!" To be honest, I don't have a great sense of rhythm and struggled with Backbeats, so I'm going to give that technique a try myself. I hope you have fun improving your scores!

Link 08/08/2014 9:20 AM Today, we have some more hints for tackling bosses from the game director. "Hello again! I'd like to give you some tips that should come in handy during boss battles. Bosses can attack in many ways but no matter the attack, a determined Kirby will always have a chance to counter-attack. For example, the Level 2 boss Paintra whips out a giant canvas and plays a little game of hide and seek before flying through it to attack. Kirby can counter if he's in the right place at the right time as Paintra goes by. The Level 4 boss Coily Rattler slithers into the background and throws pieces of his body at you. As with Paintra, Kirby can counter with the right timing. However, watch your timing or Kirby could take more damage than he deals! There's also a fight with a certain dark opponent who appears out of three mirrors... Kirby can do a lot of damage if you time it just as the opponent attacks with his sword out of a mirror. It might seem easier to attack when a boss stops moving, like when they are winding up for one of their big attacks, but actually this doesn't really deal the big hits. There's more than one way to fight in boss battles and the strategy used will depend on skill and experience. Any player should be able to beat a boss if they are careful, but getting a perfect victory takes time and effort!" Kirby's Copy Abilities can also do more damage and make fighting boss battles easier. So why not give these tips a try when you fight your next boss battle?

Link 08/11/2014 9:22 AM Today, we have a message from the lead level designer. "Hello, everyone! As with other Kirby games, many stages in this game have secret areas. One of the trademarks of the Kirby series is finding parts of the stage you never noticed before and hunting down rare items, so I hope you find them all! However, these areas are often concealed in the scenery and are easy to miss, so I'd like to tell you how to find two secret areas today - both of which contain a rare keychain! In Stage 3-4, just before getting to the Warpstar, you'll spot a hole which seems a bit different from the rest. This is actually a secret door! The area inside is a blast, so check it out! In Stage 4-2, after using a 3D Warpstar to have Kirby swim in the background, head to the top left to spy a hidden dark hole. This is...you guessed it, a secret door. When you get to this part of the stage, avoid being tempted by the Goal Door and check out the secret area first! There are many secret areas hidden in Kirby's world, so don't leave a single stone unturned!" If you haven't found these two areas already, I hope you'll have fun getting these rare keychains!

Link 08/13/2014 9:18 AM Today we are going to hear from the assistant director in charge of the keychains in the game. "Hello! Did you find all of the keychains yet? If not, I'd like to give you some hints for collecting all 256! The further you progress in Story Mode, the greater the variety of keychains that you can get in a stage. Once you beat Level 4, all of the keychains will become available, so I recommend trying to collect them all as you progress. The stage with the most keychains is Stage 6-7 EX - you can get up to seven if you get enough StreetPass hits! Another effective method is to exchange three Play Coins for a keychain. You can only do this five times, but the counter resets every time you play through a stage to the end."

Link 08/15/2014 9:25 AM Today we are going to hear more from the assistant director in charge of the keychains in the game. "In Kirby: Triple Deluxe, you can receive new keychains using StreetPass! When you encounter another player via StreetPass, a Waddle Dee will appear towards the end of certain levels with a nice gift from that person. The keychains you receive are generally ones from the other player's collection which you don't have yet, so this is a great way to collect them all! There is a rare keychain hidden in every stage in Story Mode (excluding boss stages). The keychains appear in the same place every time, so if you're missing one, talk to your friends and see if they've found it! Lastly, I bet you've noticed the keychains hanging on the upper screen when you're selecting a save file, right? You've probably also figured out that there's a pattern in which keychains appear up there. If you get over 70 keychains, be sure to have a good look!" Well, that seems like a good reason for everyone to use StreetPass for gathering keychains, doesn't it? I wonder what the pattern is for those keychains...

Link 08/18/2014 9:19 AM Today we hear from the assistant director in charge of the goal game in Story Mode. "One of the trademarks of the Kirby series is the goal game at the end of each stage. The goal games vary quite a bit between games. For example, in Kirby's Adventure and Kirby's Return to Dream Land, you have to jump up onto a cloud platform by pressing a button at just the right moment. In Kirby: Canvas Curse, you have to use Dash and a limited supply of ink to try to jump as far as possible. This time round, you have to fire Kirby from a cannon straight ahead of you, into the background. The task is simple: you watch a fast-filling gauge and press the A Button at just the right moment. The fuller the gauge is when you press the A Button, the further Kirby flies! We worked hard to adjust the 3D view and camera angles so that when Kirby is shot out of the cannon, you follow him seamlessly through the air. So try to shoot him as far as possible for a thrilling ride! The clouds you can reach are numbered 1 to 7, with 7 being the closest and 1 the furthest. The further you go, the bigger the reward in health items and Point Stars! Now, I'm going to let you in on a little secret about this goal game... If you finish a stage and play the goal game seven times in a row, and hit cloud 7 the first time, cloud 6 the second time, cloud 5 the third time and so on up to cloud 1, you'll get not only the usual rewards, but also a whopping 30 1-Ups! And to celebrate, Kirby will do his little dance to the end-of-stage music from the Game Boy version of Kirby's Dream Land! Don't you want to give this a shot, just to hear that catchy 8-bit tune?" That sounds very nerve-racking, but very satisfying if you can pull it off! Well, get practicing and good luck, everyone!

Link 08/20/2014 9:16 AM Today, the director of the game has a few words about the audio in Kirby: Triple Deluxe! "I'd like to tell you a bit about the music in Kirby: Triple Deluxe. As you may have noticed, some of the background tracks are borrowed from older games in the series and remixed. We hope you like them! For example, the music in the forest in Stage 1-4 comes from Kirby's Adventure. In that game, this track was in the mountain stage, but it has appeared quite a few times throughout the Kirby series. Then there's the ice area of Stage 3-4 - that music is from the Peanut Plains stage in Kirby Super Star. The newly remixed song is a more tranquil tune that focuses on the piano. By the way, there's another remixed version of this track in the credits, which you can watch from the Theater. Finally, the music in the volcano in Stage 5-5 was originally from the castle at the end of the sixth level in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. So, as you can see, we picked tunes from throughout all the Kirby series!"

Link 08/21/2014 5:25 PM Hello! This is Satoshi Ishida from HAL Laboratory. Here's a collage of drawings submitted by campers in Camp Miiverse! This collage was posted in the Camp Miiverse community to celebrate Kirby's birthday in North America. I bet Kirby's happy seeing so many wonderful drawings. I hope you go check this out! https://miiverse.nintendo.net/posts/AYMHAAACAADMUKl9Z3XR8g

Link 08/22/2014 9:16 AM Continuing from the last post, here's some more info from the director about the audio in Kirby: Triple Deluxe. "One more thing people often forget about audio in Kirby: the voices. Voice is a major component of the final boss battle. Not only does the background music contain a vocal part, but you can also hear the final boss's voice when she launches attacks. Some of the voices in the game were recorded by people in the development team - for example, the voices of the People of the Sky were done by the same sound assistant who composed the background tracks "Moonstruck Blossom" and "C-R-O-W-N-E-D". As in Kirby's Return to Dream Land and Kirby Super Star Ultra, I did the voice for King Dedede myself! However, for the more important voices, we decided we should hire a professional voice actor. So the final boss was recorded by a professional, and I think that really helped set the tone in the final battle. But would you believe it - that actress is the same person who does the voice for Kirby! That just shows the kind of range professional actors have. So when you finally reach that final battle, keep your ears open!" Well, that's it for the audio! Some of the games mentioned in the last post are available on Virtual Console, so if you like, you can compare the new background tracks in this game with the original ones.

Link 08/25/2014 5:10 PM This time, we have a message from the lead level designer, who was responsible for building the landscape and obstacles in levels. "Part of the charm of Kirby games is that you can keep replaying the levels. If you play a level once and then never go back, you're missing out! Today I'd like to introduce some replay challenges! - One-Ability Run The game is designed so that it's possible to play through any stage using any Copy Ability - or none at all. So if you want, instead of using lots of Copy Abilities as usual, try playing through the game using only one specific Copy Ability! After you complete the game for the first time, an area appears below the Dreamstalk called the Copy Ability Testing Room. Go in there, pick a Copy Ability and then play through the stages one by one. I bet you'll discover some new tricks! - No-Ability Run To get a taste of what the very first Kirby game on Game Boy was like, try playing through the game and beating all the enemies using nothing but Inhale and Spit! The game gets that bit more difficult if you try to hit enemies just by spitting things out at them. Prove Kirby can handle anything even without any Copy Abilities! - No-Hover Run Hover is one of those abilities that makes the game a bit easier for newcomers. Experts, however, should be fine without it! Although there are a few places where you have to use it, most stages can be completed without ever hovering. This handicap should keep you on your toes - if you fall into a hole just once, it's game over! As mentioned above, the game is designed so you can complete it with any Copy Ability or with none. So if you want to spice things up a bit when replaying the game, try setting yourself some weird challenges!" It's an odd idea at first glance, but by playing the game in an unconventional way you might discover all sorts of new things about it, places you'd never been, or cool Copy Abilities you rarely used. Try it out!

Link 08/27/2014 9:28 AM Today, the assistant director in charge of the True Arena has sent a few words for us. "Have you all heard about the super-difficult hidden mode known as the True Arena? The True Arena is unlocked after you've completed both Dededetour and the Arena. It works in basically the same way as the Arena, but the bosses have been considerably powered up! They have more health and more moves, and attack Kirby in ever more vicious ways. On top of that, there are some bosses here that don't appear anywhere else!"

Link 08/29/2014 8:53 AM Continuing from the last post, here's some more info from the assistant director in charge of the True Arena. "Another thing that's different about the True Arena is the rest area. Instead of being a nice safe haven, the True Arena version has an eerie and unsettling atmosphere. Instead of Maxim Tomatoes, you can only get ordinary Tomatoes, which give a lot less health. Worse still, one of the two Copy Essences is always Sleep! It's a real hardcore mode for only the most determined players - which makes it feel that much more satisfying when you beat it! Come on, don't you want to experience that? Step up and defeat the most powerful enemies in the game!" Yikes, the True Arena sounds pretty hard, with its array of deluxe bosses. Plus, having no Maxim Tomatoes really hurts. Nevertheless, I will give it a go and I hope you all will too!

Link 09/01/2014 9:27 AM This time, I've got quite a message from the game director. This is part 1 of 3! "Today, I'd like to talk about high scores. In some game modes, you can see a record of your best results, which acts as a little incentive to challenge yourself. Now, would you like to hear the best results achieved by the development team? I think I've already told you about the fastest time achieved by one of our Dededetour staff for all six levels: 0:58:44.45. The fastest level time was Level 2, which was cleared in only 05:07.65 - barely over five minutes! In fact, all the levels except Level 6 can be cleared in around 5 to 7 minutes. Level 6, however, took much longer: 26:51.27! In Dededetour, your time is recorded separately for each level, so if you want, you can just replay the levels you're best at and try to get the fastest time on those."

Link 09/03/2014 7:05 AM Continuing from the last post, here's part 2 of 3 of our message from the game director. "Let's move on to Dedede's Drum Dash, the rhythmical jumping game. For this, the development team's high score (in the super-difficult Extra stage) is 43,435 points. So even after achieving a platinum medal, you can still do better! Another fun experiment is trying to get the LOWEST score possible on Dedede's Drum Dash. It took quite some effort, but we managed to get as low as 1,640 points! So if you want to challenge yourself in new and interesting ways, why not try for the lowest possible score?"

Link 09/05/2014 9:25 AM Continuing from the last post, here's part 3 of 3 of our message from the game director. "Last but not least: Kirby Fighters! My best time on the Easy difficulty, with my favorite Copy Ability, the Hammer, is 01:39.53. I'm actually not that great at it, so it took me well over a minute... I hear it's possible to do it in under a minute if you manage things well, such as making good use of Hammer Flip, herding the enemies so they fight each other, not letting them go near any items, etc. So there you have it. We really wanted to motivate people to go on playing even after finishing the story, so I hope you'll find a wide variety of new challenges to keep you entertained!" Are you impressed by our team's achievements? Perhaps some of you have already beaten them! I'm generally terrible at getting high scores, but this has motivated me to have another go and do better. Good luck, everyone!

Link 09/08/2014 9:25 AM Today, the programming director would like to talk about Hypernova Inhale. "When we were designing the new Hypernova Inhale ability for this game, we worked hard to make it easy to control and tactically useful, but we also wanted to give you a real feeling of exhilaration when using it! Those who've played the game will know that when you use Hypernova Inhale on a large number of objects, such as the Star Blocks in the attached screenshot, they'll all be sucked up in one swift, smooth spiral. That may not seem remarkable, but if you use the normal Inhale ability on a large number of objects, they'll clatter and move jerkily - there's nothing smooth about it at all. It's that change from the clunky Inhale to the super-smooth Hypernova Inhale that makes Hypernova so much fun to use! It wasn't easy to program, though, I can tell you. By the way, Hypernova Inhale also makes a really satisfying sound, so if you've been playing with the sound off, I recommend you turn it on and have a listen sometime! I hope everyone enjoys going Hypernova!" Interesting! So it's a combination of sound and movement that makes Hypernova Inhale such a thrilling new move. Next time you use it, maybe you'll remember reading this and notice the details?

Link 09/10/2014 9:27 AM This time, the lead designer will tell us a bit about the menu screens in the game. "When designing the user interface, we wanted the menus to have the same atmosphere as the rest of the game. So when you're selecting your save file or the game mode, the top screen is bathed in sunshine and the keychains are suspended on a plant tendril, tying into the theme of plants and Sun Stones. At first, those screens had a very simple design, but as the game went through development and we got a better idea of the content, we modified the screens to match, adding things like foliage and curvy shapes to give them a more organic feel. You know the way the keychains tilt and dangle when you physically tilt the system? That wasn't planned - it was an idea from one of the programmers, who just thought, "Hey, I'll try making them move!" and that's how it ended up like that! There are lots of other small details, like the way the save file and mode selection screens change when you've completed the game, or the particular order in which the keychains are displayed according to series and characters. Plenty of care and attention went into their design, so I hope you like them!" Huh! It's easy to skip past menu screens without paying attention, but when you think about it, they obviously have a lot of thought put into them too. Next time you start up the game, be sure to stop at the menus and appreciate the details!

Link 09/12/2014 5:37 PM Today we have a message from the lead level designer about Hypernova Inhale: "I'd like to talk about how you can use Hypernova Inhale to quickly defeat certain bosses. First, let's look at the huge, bird-like Gigant Chicks. You need to hit these with a Mandola Root to defeat them (Mandola Roots are the turnip-like plants growing in the ground). If you wait on the right-hand side of the screen you should be able to defeat the first of the Gigant Chicks as soon as it swoops in, and then wait on the left-hand side of the screen to do the same with the second one. However, for the third one you will need to judge the timing of your attack carefully. When the third chick flies up, wait on the other side, putting the Mandola Root between you and it. Then, just as it begins to move, start pulling up the root to hit the chick. It feels great when you get the timing just right!"

Link 09/15/2014 5:24 PM Continuing from last time, here's some more info from the lead level designer about Hypernova Inhale: "Another boss fight you can quickly beat with Hypernova Inhale is the four dragon-like Winged Eggers. These guys are tricky to deal with, as they whirl all over the place and spit egg-like bullets at you. In order to tackle them effectively, you should go for the strategy of inhale, move and counter, which I've mentioned before. Once you've inhaled a bullet, don't wait for the Winged Egger to complete a full circle. Instead, turn around and aim to hit it when it's halfway round. This should allow you to defeat them pretty quickly! There are plenty of other ways to get creative with Hypernova Inhale! Master it and you'll be able to zip through the game in no time!" So how about that? It seems as if Hypernova Inhale can be used differently depending on which enemy you're facing. Even if you've found other tactics of your own, why not give these tips a try?

Link 09/17/2014 9:18 AM Today we have another message from the game director: "Hello everyone! Today I'd like to talk to you about jumping. In Kirby: Triple Deluxe, the height of Kirby's jump varies depending on how long you hold the button for. The maximum Kirby can jump is 4.3 times his own height. The development team often used the "Kirby" as a unit of measurement for the height of characters in the game (one Kirby, two Kirbys etc). For example, Flowery Woods is roughly nine Kirbys tall. In Kirby Super Star, the height of a jump was fixed at around 3.2 Kirbys. You can't control the height of the jump by pressing the button longer, so it was set comparatively low. Kirby's size relative to the screen has varied throughout the series, along with the themes and content of the games, so his jumping power has always been adjusted to take these factors into account."

Link 09/19/2014 5:35 PM Continuing from last time, here is some more info from the game director about jumping: "While jumping, Kirby can perform headbutt attacks against smaller airborne enemies. In Kirby: Triple Deluxe, the range of Kirby's headbutt attacks gets smaller the higher he jumps, but if performed immediately after a jump they can deal damage to enemies that are horizontally in line with you. Give it a try! If you jump from a platform and fall a distance of six Kirbys or more, Kirby goes into Quick Fall mode, and can damage enemies by landing on them. It's also possible to use Quick Fall whenever you like, by pressing Down on the +Control Pad twice while in mid-air. Normally, when Kirby hits the ground in a Quick Fall he will bounce back up, but if you want to avoid this you can press Down on the +Control Pad just before hitting the ground - Kirby will land on his feet, ready for action! As you can see, there are many different techniques hidden within the basic jump!" That's certainly true! The headbutt attack and Quick Fall might be a bit tricky to begin with, but it feels great once you've mastered them!

Link 09/22/2014 9:27 AM Today we have a message from the leader of the character design team, who is going to tell us about the Beetle Copy Ability. "Hi everyone, I was in charge of designing the Beetle Copy Ability, and today I'd like to share a few insights with you about several aspects of the design. Of course, the main inspiration for this ability was the rhinoceros beetle, but we also wanted to make it more colorful, so we decided to incorporate some elements of traditional Japanese armor into the design. The gold trimmings on the helmet, evocative of samurai armor, aim to complement the jet black color of the rest of it, and I think we managed to give the whole piece a glossiness and elegance which is unmistakably Japanese. The small horn at the back gives the helmet a sense of balance, and was modeled on the secondary horn of the Japanese rhinoceros beetle. Any beetle enthusiasts out there will probably have already noticed that fact! As you can see, we put a lot of thought into the design, and we're really hoping that the ability becomes a long-time favorite among Kirby fans!" Well, it certainly seems as though the team paid a lot of attention to the small details of the Beetle design. Next time you use the ability in game, why not have a look for yourself?

Link 09/24/2014 6:23 PM This time, we have a message from the sound designer about the in-game music. "As you may have noticed, there are many tracks in Kirby: Triple Deluxe that are similar to one another. Today I'd like to talk about how that came about. At the start of the project, one of the tunes that we had already composed had a characteristic rising and falling melody, and I realised that it fitted perfectly with the image of the giant Dreamstalk rising high into the sky. So, we decided to create other tracks based on this melody, and on the music for the first stage, "Floral Fields", and thus hit upon a characteristic "Triple Deluxe sound". For example, the music for Hypernova Inhale and the theme tunes for the bosses are all variations on "Floral Fields", and "Moonstruck Blossom" (track no. 102 in the Sound Test) and tracks 104 and 124 are variations on those variations. The outro music is a further variation of this! So what was this initial tune, which ended up being the basis for most of the music in the game? It was actually "Spring Smash Factory" (track no. 23 in the Sound Test). I hope you will all bear in mind these musical connections as you play through the game!" So there you have it. If you like the music from Kirby: Triple Deluxe, remember to go listen to the tracks in Sound Test.

Link 09/29/2014 9:22 AM Today's message is from the assistant director in charge of Dededetour: "I'd like to talk a little about Warp Holes - indispensable for the purposes of time attack! In Dededetour, you can find extra Warp Holes that aren't there in Story Mode, which allow you to skip through the stages at a speedy pace. Many of these Warp Holes are found in the same locations as the Sun Stones in Story Mode, so it's often the case that a route which seems to be time consuming turns out in fact to be a shortcut! Also, some Warp Holes may be found in unexpected places. As a special treat, I'll tell you about a few of them! - Level 1 (stage 1-1 in Story Mode) On the stage which requires you to use dash, go past the second 3D Warpstar without getting on it, and you will find a wooden crate. Break it and you will find a Warp Hole inside! This is the first Warp Hole in the game, and is surprisingly easy to miss." (Stay tuned for more next time!)

Link 10/01/2014 5:26 PM Continuing from last time, here are some more tips from the assistant director in charge of Dededetour. "Here are two more locations where you can find Warp Holes in Dededetour: - Level 5 (stage 5-1 in Story Mode) - the room which you need Key Dee's key to enter There's a Warp Hole in here, but actually another hidden secret as well. If you look closely, there's a breakable terrain block. Break it to open up a secret route! The Warp Hole along the secret route is very useful as it allows you to skip the mini-boss. - Level 5 (stage 5-5 in Story Mode) There's a hidden Warp Hole on the stage where you fight a series of battles against mini-bosses. After you have fought the first mini-boss and gone through the door, use Kirby's Hover ability to float directly upwards. Of course, there are plenty more Warp Holes to discover, beyond those I've revealed, as well as various hidden pieces of Invincible Candy. I hope you'll have fun trying to find them for yourselves!" So there you go. If you think there might be some Warp Holes that you haven't used yet, remember to go take a look!

Link 10/06/2014 5:26 PM Continuing from last time, here are some more interesting facts about stars and planets from the game director! "There are several moons which can be observed on Kirby's home planet of Popstar. For example, there's a sun and moon duo known to cycle so aggressively you wouldn't know if it was day or night, and a moon that in a previous story got smashed into the shape of a crescent. In the opening cut-scene of this game, when a shooting star trails across the sky, the moon that can be seen above Kirby's house is that crescent moon. In this game, it is a different moon that can be seen during the final battle, but the fact both a moon and finally a sun appear in this symbolic battle scene illustrates how important stars and celestial bodies are to the game's imagery. Once you start looking, I bet you'll see stars and planets everywhere!" So why not see if you can discover all the various celestial bodies hidden throughout the game's many stages?

Link 10/08/2014 6:16 PM Continuing from last time, here are some more interesting facts about stars and planets from the game director! "There are several moons which can be observed on Kirby's home planet of Popstar. For example, there's a sun and moon duo known to cycle so aggressively you wouldn't know if it was day or night, and a moon that in a previous story got smashed into the shape of a crescent. In the opening cut-scene of this game, when a shooting star trails across the sky, the moon that can be seen above Kirby's house is that crescent moon. In this game, it is a different moon that can be seen during the final battle, but the fact both a moon and finally a sun appear in this symbolic battle scene illustrates how important stars and celestial bodies are to the game's imagery. Once you start looking, I bet you'll see stars and planets everywhere!" So why not see if you can discover all the various celestial bodies hidden throughout the game's many stages?

Link 10/13/2014 9:22 AM This time, the lead programmer has a message for us about one of Kirby's in-game actions: "Hi everyone, I'd like to talk to you today about the different ways Kirby's crouch can be used. Kirby can crouch by pressing Down on the +Control Pad, and there are various reasons why you might want to use this particular action - for example, to launch into a slide attack, to drop through a fall-away floor, or even just to chuckle at how cute Kirby looks when he's all squashed up! However, the crouch is actually very useful in another situation - boss battles! Because Kirby squashes himself up when he crouches, he presents a smaller target and is less likely to get hit. In this way, it's possible to avoid certain boss attacks - if Kirby is standing, he gets hit, but if he's crouching, the boss's attack misses him. There are actually quite a few attacks which look as though they would hit Kirby even when he's crouching, but in actual fact are set up so that they narrowly miss. It's only a small technique, but learning and combining lots of small techniques like this is the key to setting new champion records. Why not give it a try?" It's interesting that a technique like crouching can be useful in such an unexpected place. I'm sure that there are many players out there who don't think of using the crouch very often - if you're one of them, why not try out today's tip next time you're in a boss battle?

Link 10/20/2014 5:37 PM Today, the lead designer is going to talk to us about the in-game elements you interact with using Hypernova Inhale. "Hi everyone. Of course we took a lot of care with the design of all the in-game elements in Kirby: Triple Deluxe, like switches, doors and blocks, but today I'd like to talk to you specifically about the ones you use with Hypernova Inhale. I hope that you'll find it interesting! There are various constraints when designing stages and characters, and normally designers have to work within those constraints. However, it was different in the case of Hypernova Inhale. In order to really emphasize Hypernova Inhale and show it off in all its glory, we tried to make it as flashy and over-the-top as possible. For example, the Magic Tube in Royal Road - with the design of the tube itself, the animation of Kirby using Hypernova Inhale through the tube, the Waddle Dees sleeping on the platform in the background and all the various effects, the whole thing is about five or six times larger in scale than a regular interactive element. In the latter half of the development process, some processing problems arose with a few Hypernova Inhale-related interactions which impacted negatively on the gameplay experience. However, thanks to the ingenuity and persistence of the programmers and designers, were able to fix the problems while preserving the flashiness of these set pieces. I hope that you enjoy the design of all the in-game elements in Kirby: Triple Deluxe, from the smallest switch to the largest Hypernova Inhale puzzle!" Well, next time I play, I will definitely pay attention to all the different things happening on screen! I hope all of you will too!

Link 10/27/2014 9:10 AM Today, the assistant director is going to talk to us about The Arena and The True Arena. "Hi everyone. It's the assistant director here. Previously, I talked about high scores and best times for each mode, and this time I'd like to let you know about some strategies we developers use to get good results in The Arena and The True Arena. First of all, our record for The Arena is 05:37.75 - that's right, faster than six minutes! And as for our record for The True Arena, it's a prety nifty 08:41.49! We used the Hammer Copy Ability to get both these records, because its combination of power and ease of use makes it perfect for these kinds of speed runs. For those of you aiming at fast times, and those of you who have yet to complete these modes, I've got a pretty useful hint to share with you: Take full advantage of the periods of temporary invulnerability you gain after being damaged and during certain attacks! After being hit, there is a short period during which you can't be damaged by attacks or by coming into contact with enemies. While you're in this state, you can attack your foes to your heart's content! However, don't get carried away - that invulnerability won't last forever, so be sure to retreat when the time comes."

Link 10/29/2014 9:26 AM Continuing from last time, here's another tip for success in The Arena and The True Arena from the assistant director! "Once you get past the King Dedede fight in the second half of each of the Arena modes, enemies' attacks get much stronger, faster and more difficult to avoid. If you get hit, you don't just get thrown far away; you also lose your ability, leading to a huge loss in time. When you get to this point, use your Copy Ability techniques to get you through! Some Copy Ability moves make you invulnerable while attacking. Good examples that are easy to use are the Beetle ability's Spiral Horn or the Fighter ability's Spin Kick. The trick is to do the move just before an enemy attack makes contact! It may take a while for you to get the hang of this, but you should really give it a try!" These two modes contain some really tough enemies, so if you're having trouble completing either mode, be sure to try these techniques. Then, once you've triumphed, you can start work on getting a good speed run!

Link 11/03/2014 8:57 AM Today, the director has some secrets to tell us. What could they be? “I'd like to talk a bit about how we choose character names. For starters, one of the most famous characters in the Kirby series is the cute little enemy, Waddle Dee. Obviously, it gets its name from its waddling gait. For this game, it was my job to name all the characters and skills, and they each have a little story. For instance, there’s Taranza, the mysterious silver-haired enemy who abducts King Dedede in the opening sequence. We started from the image of a tarantula, but changed the ending to make it more ambiguous – we didn’t want players to be able to tell from the name whether he was an ally or an enemy! In Kirby’s Return to Dreamland [sic], we had a character called Magolor, whose name in Japanese was "Mahoroa". His name was based on the word “magic” ("maho" in Japanese), but there’s also a connection to his ship, the Lor Starcutter (the "Roa" in the Japanese version). Beyond those obvious links, we also wanted his name to sound like “mahoroba”, an old Japanese word meaning “wonderful place”, as a reference to his being an alien from a faraway planet. That’s just a snippet, but I hope it gives you an idea how we go about choosing character names!” There you go, a little insight into character naming. Do you have a favorite character name? If you don't have one yet, try thinking about it the next time you play!

Link 11/10/2014 9:10 AM Today, one of the designers from the character group is going to talk to us about the animation for the Coily Rattler boss on Level 4: Wild World. "Hi everyone. I was in charge of the character design for Coily Rattler and I'd like to talk to you about how I approached animating that character. If you've played Kirby: Triple Deluxe, I'm sure you'll know which character I'm talking about. It's a snake boss, so we had to make it move just like a snake. Snakes use their coils to move forward, and lift their heads up to threaten or attack. When coming up with an idea for an animation, it's usually better to move your own body to get a feel for the movements, rather than just try to think of them in your own head. So, for Coily Rattler, I used my arm to try and model the winding coils. Basically, I just spent ages slithering my arm about in different ways to get a feel for how the snake should move and attack!" So there you have it! The character designers are not only responsible for how the characters look but also how they move. Watch out for Coily Rattler's tricky moves next time you meet him in game!

Link 11/17/2014 9:19 AM Today, the sound designer is going to talk to us about the making of the sound effects in Kirby: Triple Deluxe. "Hi everyone. I was the sound designer on Kirby: Triple Deluxe and I'd like to talk to you about how I made the sound effects. When people think about the sound in games, the first thing that springs to mind is probably the music, but actually the majority of our work goes into creating and adjusting the sound effects. These days, games have so many characters and features, all of them requiring their own sound effects, that it's normal for there to be more than 1000 types of sound effect in a game. That means it's difficult even for us to keep track of all the different kinds of sound effects we make. Of all the sound effects, the ones that took the most work were the sounds that Kirby makes. Kirby can take any Copy Ability the player chooses to any stage, so a lot of forethought, hard work and tweaking was required to make sure that each sound effect wasn't lost or difficult to hear when combined with the other sound effects of enemies or features. This was made particularly difficult by the Kirby Fighters multiplayer mode, where up to four Kirbys equipped with any Copy Ability can appear simultaneously!"

Link 11/19/2014 9:26 AM Continued from last time, here's some more info from the sound designer about sound effects in Kirby: Triple Deluxe. "Compared to producing Kirby's sound effects, or the sound effects of regular enemies and other in-stage features, producing the sound effects for bosses isn't as difficult as you might think - although it does still take some work. That's because the bosses only appear in certain places, and the number of other characters and features that appear together with them is usually low. Because of that, boss sound effects can be created without worrying too much about them having to compete with other sound effects. Next time you play, I hope you will listen to the sound effects and enjoy them just as much as the music. That'd make me really happy!" After you complete the game, an area appears below the Dreamstalk called the Copy Ability Testing Room, where you can pick any Copy Ability you like. Why not give it a visit and have a listen to the sound effects for each of the skills one by one!

Link 11/24/2014 9:17 AM Today, the lead level designer is going to talk to us. "Hi everyone. It's the lead level designer on Kirby: Triple Deluxe here. Last time, I gave some hints to make gameplay easier when using the tilting feature of the Nintendo 3DS, but that wasn't all! Here are some more tips: Tip 1: Whenever you get into an object that uses the tilting feature, or whenever you enter part of a stage where the feature's active, the tilt angle starts at the default center position. Therefore, you can play even if you're lying down! Tip 2: Before lighting the fuse of a Tilt Fuse Box, tilt the Nintendo 3DS to line up the block so it connects with the first break in the fuse, then light it. It's easy for the block to slip when you move Kirby to get into the Cannon, so use the tilting feature to get the flame to a long, unbroken part of the fuse before you move. For example, in world 3-3, where the fuse on the block is arranged in a cross, start by lining the block up all the way to the left, then light the fuse. But don't head for the Cannon immediately! You're better off waiting until you've got the flame to the long part of the fuse in the bottom-right corner of the screen before you move. If you don't get it right first time, just touch the Reset Tilt icon on the Touch Screen and have another go. It might seem a bit daunting, but once you get the hang of it, it's not so hard. We hope you have fun getting the hang of this!" I bet you get a bit flustered once the fuse is lit on the Tilt Fuse Box - I know I do. So let's just stay calm and keep these tips in mind next time we play!

Link 12/03/2014 9:32 AM Today we have a message from the director about the bosses who appear in the latter half of the game. "Hi everyone. I'd like to start by talking about the level 5 boss, Pyribbit. He's a tricky one who likes to jump around all over the place. After having a snake as the boss of level 4, we thought it would be cool to have a frog next! Well, that's not strictly true - but we did think that having had a boss with a long, thin body in the previous level, it would be good to balance that out by following it with a rounder, more Kirby-shaped boss. Coily Rattler's fighting style, in which he slithers from foreground to background, is designed to take full advantage of the 3D feature of the Nintendo 3DS. However, Pyribbit arguably makes even more use of the background in his movement. It's something that is very characteristic of the bosses in this game. Pyribbit uses all of the surrounding landscape to his advantage, including the lake of molten lava and the volcano which lies even further in the background. There are not many chances to counterattack against Pyribbit, so it's important to take the chances that he does give you. For this reason, it's worth watching how he leaps between the foreground and background - if you observe carefully you'll see that there is a fixed pattern to his movement. Also, if you're trying to do a speed run, it's important to try to defeat him before he can perform his more extreme special attacks."

Link 12/05/2014 9:42 AM Continued from last time, here's some more from the director about the bosses in the second half of the game. "In level 6, in the throne room of the castle in the sky, you finally get to fight against King Dedede. These days King Dedede doesn't get much opportunity to show his power, so it's pretty exciting to see him get all fired up! And the point when he takes up a new weapon, the music changes, and he really goes on a rampage which could be seen as the moment when he regains his kingly authority. After this, we meet the real enemy - and we tried to give her a sense of beauty and other-worldliness that is quite different from the final bosses of other games in the series. I really hope that you'll play the game right to the end, so that you get to experience King Dedede on a rampage, and the final boss that awaits you after that!" Interesting stuff, eh? The final boss battle is pretty nerve-wracking, but the ending sequence that comes after it is worth the effort. For those of you who haven't seen it yet, keep trying!

Link 12/08/2014 9:21 AM This time we have a message from the programming director about the user interface: "Hi everyone! 'User interface' is a fairly broad term that means all the various ways in which we transmit information to the player while he or she is playing the game. The file select screen which appears when you start up the game and the in-game health gauge are both examples of the user interface. In the user interface for Kirby: Triple Deluxe there are lots of little touches that most players probably won't even notice! Let me give you a few examples. Firstly, if Kirby ever goes behind the health gauge, the outer border becomes semi-transparent. This is to make sure that you don't lose sight of Kirby - obviously it's important to be able to see him in order to control him! Another example is in Kirby Fighters. When there are three or more combatants, your own health gauge will be displayed slightly larger than the others. This is to help you see at a glance how much health you have left, as this is the most important information! A further example would be the way the pause menu remembers which page you were looking at last - you can close it, then open it again, and it will open on that same page. This means you can, for example, quickly refer back to the explanation of the controls without having to flick through the pages every time. There are lots of other such features, added to try to improve the player's experience as much as possible, but in an unobtrusive way. I hope we were successful!" So there you have it - a lot of ingenuity goes into making the gaming experience as smooth as possible! Be sure to play the game and check it out for yourselves.

Link 12/15/2014 9:18 AM This time we have a message about Waddle Dees, from the lead designer: "Hi everyone. Today I'd like to talk to you about Waddle Dees, who appear in numerous places throughout the game. These cute little characters have appeared in every game in the Kirby series, and I have a real soft spot for them! This game is (I think!) the first time ever in the series that the Waddle Dees have actually attacked Kirby, through such methods as chopping down trees as he passes, or rolling boulders at him. I say "attack", but it's not that Waddle Dees are malicious in any way - it's just that whatever they do, they end up causing problems for Kirby. You can't really hold a grudge against them for that! The idea for this approach came when we were designing the rolling boulders in Fine Fields. Initially, we planned to have completely automated boulder-launching machines, but this would have been a bit too menacing for the overall atmosphere of the level. To avoid this, we decided to have a character just sort of happening to launch the boulders without any evil intent, in a slapstick sort of way. We tried using Waddle Dees, and they were perfect for the role. The way that they're indirectly causing these attacks on Kirby from places where he can't attack them back is just SO Waddle Dee! They're so popular with the team we ended up putting them in similar roles in other parts of the game too - for example, manning the Lollipop Tank or building the giant bonfire that you extinguish using the water bowl. But my favorites are the lumberjack Waddle Dees, industriously chopping down those big trees!" I hope you'll all check out the Waddle Dees and their antics in game!

Link 12/23/2014 9:36 AM Today we have another message from the assistant director in charge of Dededetour: "Hi everyone! Today I'd like to tell you about some level 6 Warp Holes, as I didn't have room to mention them last time. Level 6 in Dededetour is the EX stages and level 6 stages from the story mode linked together in one long course, and it contains more than ten Warp Holes! Here are a few of the more difficult-to-find ones: Stage 3-7 EX (all stage numbers are those of the corresponding stages in story mode): In this section, the Warp Hole appears when a giant snowball that comes rolling after you destroys a hardened block. It's easy to go rushing through this bit and miss it! 6-1: After you defeat Gigant Edge in this gusty section, don't go through the door but instead head to the right, and go up through the opening in the ceiling. There's no visible door, but if you press Up where the moon is you'll enter a secret room...and discover a Warp Hole! 6-5: There's a Warp Hole in the part where you help the People of the Sky. In the section where you use the 3D Helmet Cannon, the Warp Hole appears near the start of the section, after you destroy the first row of Explosive Blocks. 6-5: Also in this part, there's a Warp Hole hidden below Bonkers. You can reach it by passing below the crystal platform. If you go to it first you can skip the fight with Bonkers completely. You can save a lot of time by using Warp Holes - they're ideal for speed runs!" So, on top of the Warp Holes we mentioned in earlier posts, it seems there were more to discover! I hope that both the previous hints and today's hints will help you get a better time on Dededetour.

Link 12/23/2014 9:42 AM Hi, everyone! Satoshi Ishida from HAL Laboratory here. I'd like to bring you all a special holiday message from the game's director. "Happy Holidays! I'm Shinya Kumazaki. As this is a special holiday message, I've made a holiday card to go with it. And as a kind of holiday tour, I'd like to introduce a scene from Kirby: Triple Deluxe that is perfect for this season. At this time of year, the sight of snow in the streets and the sound of bells can really help to set the festive mood. And you can have the same experience in Kirby: Triple Deluxe. You probably know what I'm talking about - the stages with the pure white snowy landscape in the second half of Level 3, Old Odyssey. If you take the new Bell ability with you to these stages, you'll have everything you need for the perfect winter holiday atmosphere. There are even gigantic snowmen that you can build for yourself with the help of Hypernova Inhale - the ideal seasonal activity! Perhaps the rewards that the completed snowmen give Kirby are actually presents? What's more, if you visit Level 3's EX stage, you might be able to find a secret room inside an igloo where some Waddle Dees are sleeping peacefully. It's quite charming to see them resting after a hard day's battle, so keep a look out for it! By the way, if you think the theme of building snowmen seems familiar, that could be because it was also featured in Kirby's Return to Dreamland [sic], in Level 4, White Wafers. That level was also perfect for this season, with glittering snowy vistas as far as the eye can see. Kirby's adventures take him through all kinds of locations, with scenery that can make you feel like you're experiencing many different times of year. Even while you're sitting snug in your own warm homes this winter holiday, I hope you'll join Kirby in exploring a variety of worlds that run the full range of seasons!" How did you like the director's illustration? There's actually something else that's special about this holiday card. If you line this up with the holiday card he posted in the Kirby Fighters Deluxe / Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe Behind the Scenes community on 12/22, they become one illustration!

Link 12/29/2014 7:07 AM Today, the director is going to talk to us about cutscenes. "Hi everyone. It's the director of Kirby: Triple Deluxe here. I'd like to talk to about a particular aspect of development today: cutscenes. The opening cutscene starts in a way that could be picking up from the ending of Kirby Super Star, in that we see Kirby at home snoozing away in bed... But when he awakes, everything's changed! And so a new adventure begins. When creating a cutscene, myself or the cutscene designer would start by sketching out a simple four-frame storyboard to serve as a basis for the creation of the cutscene. For the opening cutscene we decided to keep the plot simple, which suits the fact that Kirby doesn't really speak. Besides, some people just want to get straight into the action, so, with such players in mind, we decided to start the story off quite simply. Also for that reason, we had the idea to reserve deeper background and secrets for the special page, which can be viewed by opening the pause screen during a boss fight. So, the story starts out pretty simple, but in the latter half of the game this changes. As a reward to all the fans who've persevered to get to the later stages of the game, we have some exciting cutscenes to ratchet up the tension. The adventure starts in a straightforward and humorous way, but by the end, it's changed to a climactic battle of good versus evil, with Kirby on a grand quest to save the world. I hope you play right through to the end of the game so you can see the contrast between the opening cutscene and the climactic ending!" You can view cutscenes you've already unlocked in the Theatre in the main menu. So why not check them out!

Link 01/05/2015 9:37 AM Today, the lead designer on Kirby: Triple Deluxe is going to talk to us about the menu screens for The Arena and The True Arena. "Hi everyone! For the design of The Arena's menu, we were aiming for a cool look incorporating the imposing atmosphere of The Arena from past games and the stone motif in Kirby's Return to Dreamland [sic]. In this game, we really wanted to go with a high-quality feel, so we got the designer in charge to take particular care over the qualities of the stone and the title screen effects. The designer particularly had fun with the title screen, which has stuff like flickering flames that provide a contrast to the more simple design of previous titles. Also, the director expressed a desire to emphasize the difference between The Arena and The True Arena, so we started with the design for one being red and the other blue. However, we wanted to make The True Arena a bit more special, so the designer added an exotic pattern to the stone, and put in gold borders to create a sense of luxury, as well as lots of other little touches, so it ended up being a completely 'powered-up' version of the original design. In particular, the specific deep shade of red used for The True Arena was the result of a number of painstaking adjustments. We hope you have fun comparing the designs of The Arena and The True Arena!" Wow! It sure would be interesting to compare the design of The Arena and The True Arena with previous games in the Kirby series too. Enjoy!

Link 01/12/2015 9:19 AM Today, the sound designer is going to talk to us about using different types of sound in music. Let's hear what he has to say! "Hi everyone. I'm here to talk to you about some of the sounds we used in the music of Kirby: Triple Deluxe. Number 22 in the Sound Test mode of Kirby: Triple Deluxe is called Toy Rhythm, and was composed with an old-school NES era sound in mind. Actually, for that sound we weren't just recreating the feel of an NES, we were actually using a real console and sampling the noises we could produce, then mixing those samples into the track to create the vibe we were going for. You've gotta love those old NES sounds! The console we used is unfortunately broken now, but we've still got all those great samples we recorded, so I think we'll put them to use from time to time in future. By the way, you can hear this particular track on stage 2-2, among others, so why not listen out for it next time you're playing the game?" So, a Nintendo 3DS game containing NES sampling, who'd have thought it! If you're interested, why not give "Toy Rhythm" a listen in Sound Test mode in Kirby: Triple Deluxe!

Link 01/19/2015 9:48 AM Today we're going to hear from the assistant director on Kirby: Triple Deluxe. "Hi everyone! I'd like to talk to you about the room you enter first when playing The Arena and The True Arena, where you select Copy Abilities. This room is important because it's where you select the first Copy Ability you'll use to go toe-to-toe with the bosses. It seems like a simple enough area, but actually, creating this room involved lots of trial and error. There are 24 Copy Essences (Sleep ability is not included) arrayed in the room. To begin with we just had the 24 Copy Essences accessible by ladders, and it was twice the size of the current layout. There were a few problems with this. It was difficult to find the ability you wanted, it was easy to get lost, and it took too long to get back to the Warpstar. Then we thought about using the Tilt Gondolas from the Story Mode. In the Story Mode they're mainly used to get from A to B, so we tweaked the speed and the degree of tilt of the ones in this room to make them easier to use in this setting. We also took painstaking care over the placement and display of the Copy Abilities, adjusting the camera behavior to ensure the maximum number of abilities can be seen at once, putting easy-to-use abilities like Sword and Ninja near the center, and grouping all the new Copy Abilities together. All this, to help the player find the ability they want as easily as possible! Because this room is designed to get you to the action quickly, you may not have paid much attention to it. Next time you play, I hope you take a good look!" They sure put a lot of effort into the tiniest of details. Why not check it out the next time you play!

Link 01/26/2015 6:22 AM Today the director of Kirby: Triple Deluxe is going to talk about the game in terms of numbers! “Hi everyone! In Kirby: Triple Deluxe, there are a lot of different enemies. There are more than 70 types of standard enemies, and when you throw bosses into the mix, you’re looking at over 100 types! That’s one of the appeals of the Kirby series, I think – the huge variety of enemies. Kirby copies abilities from enemies after all, so there had to be at least as many enemies as there are Copy Abilities and there are 25 different Copy Abilities in this game, not even counting the special Hypernova ability. The final line-up is truly worthy of the title “Deluxe”! While we’re talking about numbers, it’s not just the quantity of enemy types that earns the game the title “Deluxe”. For example, across all the stages in the game, there are a whopping 300 rooms! (The separate areas that each stage can be broken up into are called “rooms”.) If you add rooms like the rest areas in The Arena to that number, it makes 350. Even in Kirby’s Return to Dreamland [sic], which sees Kirby journeying into the far reaches of space, there were only about 280 rooms (not including those in special modes). So you see, this game really is deluxe! And for every stage, there is a suitable number of enemies and features to fill it…”

Link 01/28/2015 9:28 AM Last time, the director of Kirby: Triple Deluxe talked about the quantities of different elements in the game. Here he is again with some more info. “Before, I talked about regular enemies in the game. Well, I couldn't mention them without also talking about the main bosses Kirby has to get past in each level! And for every standard version of each boss, there is a tougher, badder “DX” version who presents an even fiercer challenge. Add them all together, and you've got 19 different bosses. The DX bosses can be encountered in Dededetour and The True Arena, both of which are unlocked after the main Story Mode is completed. We designed the bosses in Story Mode so that most players should be able to defeat them if they put in the effort, but for the modes accessed after the Story Mode is completed, we designed the bosses to satisfy players who want a tougher test of their skills! So the regular versions of the bosses and the DX versions are there to make sure the game meets the needs of every kind of player – from the casual, to the hardcore!” Woah! When you look at Kirby: Triple Deluxe in terms of the sheer number of elements that make it up, you really get a feel for the scale of the game, don't you?

Link 02/02/2015 9:25 AM This time we're going to hear more about the extra game modes in Kirby: Triple Deluxe from the director. "Hello! In this game there are loads of extra game modes, like Dededetour, where you adventure as King Dedede, or The Arena, the time attack boss battle extravaganza. Today, I want to talk about two in particular: Dedede's Drum Dash and Kirby Fighters. Really, the only thing these two modes have in common is that they are extra game modes and are completely different to Story Mode. Other than that, they're different in every aspect, from the way they were conceived to their playing styles. Dedede's Drum Dash is the first game to feature King Dedede in the main role, and serves to bolster the part he plays in Kirby: Triple Deluxe. This game started as one designer's idea for a minigame where you bounce on drums. But it's no simple rhythm game – it's a challenge fit for a king, requiring good timing and the correct use of three different types of jump! Kirby Fighters originated from a wish to provide a multiplayer element absent from Story Mode. And a Kirby vs Kirby brawl to decide the strongest Copy Ability seemed a cool way to do it! We ended up with a mode that offers not only full-on multiplayer fun, but also a robust single-player mode. These two modes have been given a deluxe update, and are available as downloadable software on Nintendo eShop for Nintendo 3DS. They are called 'Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe' and 'Kirby Fighters Deluxe', and feature new stages and other elements. I hope you'll check them out!" Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe and Kirby Fighters Deluxe are both available on Nintendo eShop. If you haven't already, I hope you'll go take a look!

Link 02/09/2015 9:44 AM Today the director wants to talk about Dedede's Drum Dash. "Hi everyone! Last time, I mentioned Dedede's Drum Dash, the rhythm/action game played as King Dedede. It's an extra game mode in Kirby: Triple Deluxe where King Dedede must hop along from drum to drum. Pressing the A Button as he lands results in higher jumps, and his three different heights of jump must be used to avoid the obstacles and get to the goal drum. For the music on level 3 ('Dedede's Theme' – the tune with that classic Kirby vibe!), we actually incorporated sounds performed by a member of the team. That track is something of a favorite, and it certainly seems appropriate for a mode in which King Dedede plays an active role! The extra game modes in other Kirby titles are often simple games relying on quick reaction times, but, as you might expect from Kirby: Triple Deluxe, its extra game modes are also 'deluxe'. Dedede's Drum Dash is crammed with features and levels – we really wanted it to feel like a full action game in its own right. It's got some tricky areas, but nothing that can't be overcome with a bit of practice, and I like to think the tricky parts are what give you a sense of achievement when you complete the game. Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe, an updated version of the game with all-new levels, is available for download on Nintendo eShop for Nintendo 3DS! As well as tunes from Kirby: Triple Deluxe, it features a load of great tracks from earlier titles in the Kirby series!" Check out more details about Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe at nintendo.com! Remember to take a look at Kirby Fighters Deluxe too!

Link 02/13/2015 9:15 AM The director's here today to talk about Kirby Fighters. "Hi everyone! I've talked here about Kirby Fighters before – the extra game mode where up to four players can all brawl together playing as Kirby. You can choose from ten Copy Abilities, and compete against other Kirby fighters to test which ability is strongest, against the backdrop of many well-known scenes from previous titles. So on one level, this mode is a fun multiplayer experience in which you battle it out with different Copy Abilities, but it also serves to introduce players more familiar with Kirby's recent adventures to music and features from games earlier in his history. We also wanted longstanding fans to be surprised by the inclusion of music like Coo's Theme, or to get a wave of nostalgia when the final boss of the single-player mode is revealed. (Hint: who could really be a match for Kirby, besides...another Kirby?!) Of course, having this theme of calling back to previous games doesn't mean there aren't also plenty of new elements to ramp up the multiplayer excitement – like the table-turning Action Star, or being able to fight on as Ghost Kirby after you've been defeated. Kirby Fighters has been revamped in the all-new Kirby Fighters Deluxe, available for download from Nintendo eShop for Nintendo 3DS! It boasts new team battles, brand new stages and a different final boss in single-player mode!" Kirby Fighters Deluxe and Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe have a Miiverse community, so be sure to visit!

Link 02/16/2015 9:17 AM Here's the assistant director to talk about Dedede's Drum Dash. "Hi there! Before, I gave you some tips for getting high scores by jumping and hitting the backbeat correctly. Since then, I've been delighted to get feedback from many of you saying things like 'Getting the backbeat right is tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, it feels great!' and 'I mastered the backbeat and got platinum!' So, you all know about backbeats, but did you notice that there are different types? If you press the A Button in precise counterpoint to the timing with which you land on the drum, in other words, at the peak of King Dedede's jump, he'll hit a tambourine with a smug look on his face, and the word 'GREAT' will display. But get the timing a little early or late, and it'll say 'GOOD', while King Dedede slaps himself on the belly instead. Get the timing even more off and you'll fail to hit the backbeat, but King Dedede will still clap. It's almost worthwhile deliberately fluffing the timing, just to see his various charming animations! Now, to change the subject slightly, I want to talk about Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe. In this deluxe version of the game, even if you fall down a gap, it doesn't mean it's game over! So long as you have health remaining you can make a comeback and keep playing, making the game slightly more forgiving. But that's not all! We also added a health recovery item and a host of other new elements. Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe is available to download now from Nintendo eShop. Why not take a look?" Remember to visit the community for Kirby Fighters Deluxe and Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe for more details!

Link 02/23/2015 9:26 AM This time, we have a message from the lead programmer of Kirby: Triple Deluxe about making the boss, Flowery Woods. “Hello. Today I’d like to talk about one of the things we really wanted to achieve when creating Flowery Woods. This boss, which appears at the end of level 1, was the first to be made. When we started work on it, one of the programmers said “Let’s make a boss that will surprise even people who fought the last boss from Kirby’s Return to Dreamland [sic]!” The boss in question had a great variety of attacks and animations, and was designed to be suitably climactic. How could we possibly top that with Flowery Woods? The programming team proceeded with a process of trial and error. Whispy Woods, who appeared in previous games in the series, basically never moved from the spot. However, Flowery Woods is more dynamic than that, moving around all over and using its roots in attacks that range across the entire screen. To increase the impact on the Nintendo 3DS screen, which is much smaller than that of a TV, we set up the camera to follow the movement of the character. After a lot of other little tweaks, we finally arrived at the current version of Flowery Woods. To those of you who have Kirby’s Return to Dreamland [sic]: try replaying the final boss and then battling Flowery Woods in Kirby: Triple Deluxe straight after! Did we succeeded in our aim of surprising people even if they had played the final boss of Kirby’s Return to Dreamland [sic]?” I remember thinking that Flowery Woods was remarkably strong for a first boss, but it turns out there was a great reason for that! It might be interesting to compare Flowery Woods to the first bosses in other games in the Kirby series...

Link 03/02/2015 9:16 AM This time, the lead designer from the character group is going to talk about designing the Circus Copy Ability. "Hello! I was responsible for designing the Circus Copy Ability, and I'm going to talk today about the work that went into creating the hat for that ability. When designing a hat for a Copy Ability, we start by thinking about what sort of motif we want it to have. Some are pretty obvious – The motif for the Beetle ability just had to be a beetle, and for the Leaf ability, a leaf, naturally! But what about the Circus ability? What image comes to mind when you think of a circus? There are trapezes, tightropes, lion tamers, clowns, trampolines...the list goes on and on. But all of those would be really hard to work into a motif. Also, if we went for a clown motif, it'd look like a clown Copy Ability. If we chose a trampoline theme, people would think it was a trampoline Copy Ability. A circus is a circus because it combines all those various things, and more. So, how could we reflect that in a single design? I drew sketch after sketch, but kept coming up blank. Until finally, inspiration hit me: a big tent! All the shows at a circus take place inside the big tent, and besides, a big tent really is the perfect motif to conjure up the image of a circus. So, I used the big tent as a base, added a clown face, and voilà – a unique new Copy Ability hat was born!" So you see how the designs for Copy Abilities are reached after trying out a lot of different ideas! It really makes you think about the effort that went into the hats and outfits for all the Copy Abilities in Kirby: Triple Deluxe, doesn't it?

Link 03/09/2015 9:36 AM This time we’re going to hear more from the lead level designer. "Hello! There are quite a few easy-to-miss secret areas in Kirby: Triple Deluxe. If you've managed to find them all, feel free to call yourself a Triple Deluxe expert! Even for players who've played all the way through Story Mode and seen the ending, there are bound to be hidden places you have yet to uncover. Why not seek them out so you can say you've truly “completed” the game! Today, I want to share a couple more easy-to-miss secret areas. • In Stage 4-3, where the spiky stairs are reflected in the big Truth Mirror behind you, look out for the step without spikes about halfway up. Check the mirror carefully so as not to step on a spike! Stand on that step and press up to enter a secret door. Solving the mystery of the mirror will yield some goodies! • In Stage 6-1 there’s a secret door you can enter. After you defeat the mid-boss Gigant Edge, a door appears, but if you ignore that and head right and up, there’s a gap in the ceiling through which you can get outside. There are a few items here, so make sure to grab them, but that’s not all. Take a look at the sky, and you should be able to make out a crescent moon – this is actually a secret door! Float up to it and press up to enter the door. Anyone who managed to discover these secret areas by themselves really deserves a pat on the back, but there are still many more to find. See if you can discover them!" Wow! Did anyone already know about these secret areas? And apparently, there are even more to find! Better get searching!

Link 03/16/2015 9:33 AM Today the lead designer is back to talk about objects, items and more! "Hi everyone! In Kirby: Triple Deluxe we featured a lot of cool characters, objects and items from earlier games in the Kirby series. I'm going talk about a f