Kirby and cake. Cake and Kirby. Life can’t get much better than that….or can it?

Everyone’s favorite little bubble of joy somehow got cuter in Nintendo’s Kirby Battle Royale, available for the 3DS system. There’s not just one Kirby. Nor are there just two Kirbys. In fact, this game has nothing but Kirby. King Dedede got himself a new Kirby printer and has set up 10 different types of battles and up to 15 abilities as each bouncy puff aims for a delectable confection.

The introduction starts with Kirby looking pretty in pink as he ventures to the tournament. Along the way he finds Bandana Waddle Dee, who also has cake on the mind but is super tired, so Kirby picks him up and together they venture off on a delicious adventure. Of course, once they get to the stadium with the warp star, Bandana Waddle Dee is suddenly fine. They must battle the Soldier Waddle Dee to enter, but Kirby is still stuck doing all the work for this friendship for Dee to just tag along.

Players will get a taste for the impending Kirby overload when a blue Kirby hops out of the bushes and attacks, but it’s nothing compared to what’s waiting beyond the gate. Players can go solo or go multiplayer with up to three pals in local or online battles. To celebrate Kirby’s 25th anniversary, Nintendo hosted an online poll to decide Kirby’s new copying ability and the winner of the first round is—dramatic drum roll here plz—Mirror. With this, Kirby can create a mirror image of himself to confuse the other Kirbys and then perform multiple attacks at once. It’s a lot of Kirby-ing. In the second round of voting, Sleep was the winner (isn’t it always?). With this ability—which is to be included in an update—Kirby acts all drowsy to deceive the others and then lets his instincts sneakily take over while he sleeps.

With the 10 battle modes, kids can choose from lots of different game types. There’s the classic Battle Arena, in which players aim to be the last Kirby standing while others cheer in the stands. I’m a big fan of the Apple Scramble, which callenges you split into two teams, bang on a tree to knock down some apples, and then toss them in a chute, where you can also toss your opponents, which is kinda fun. But Slam Hockey is most definitely my jam. In a battle that adds a twist to my favorite sport, a giant puck is up for grabs and the goal is to throw it at opponents to knock them out of the rink. Look for this variation in the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Kirby Battle Royale is great for all types of Nintendo fans, offering great new games and abilities, but throwing it back to the ball of fun we’ve always known and loved.

About the author

Kristen Nelson

Kristen Nelson

Kristen Nelson is an assistant editor at Adventure Publishing Group. She does weekly toy reviews for The Toy Insider and contributes to the trade magazines The Toy Book and The Licensing Book. She is an expert in Penn State sports, as well as with numerous cooking techniques. Kristen has been crowned the Queen of Potatoes, but her friends call her Lady Spud. When not yelling at the TV during football or hockey games, she is often binge-watching virtually any cooking show. You can delve into her witty mind and follow her on Twitter @Krypton_87.

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