I’ve been playing Kirby: Triple Deluxe for the last week, and I must say it’s been an interesting experience. I haven’t played a Kirby game extensively since Kirby SuperStar on the SNES, so it’s been a while. There were a number of new items and features throughout the latest game in the series, but when it all comes down to the nitty-gritty players will find that Kirby: Triple Deluxe is familiar territory. So even if this is your first Kirby title in a while, or ever, you should have no problem getting into the gameplay mechanics or the setting. For this preview, I’ll look at the several modes you’ll encounter throughout gameplay.

Story Mode is the centerpiece of the game. Kirby finds himself in a conundrum one night when a giant beanstalk swoops down from the sky and manages to lift him and his house high into the sky. It’s not known exactly who or what is behind the magical beanstalk, but Kirby soon finds reason to investigate further when he sees King DeDeDe’s castle nearby. Once he enters, he discovers an unknown fiend entering the castle and nabbing King DeDeDe rather easily. The fiend grabs DeDeDe and ventures up further into the beanstalk, with Kirby following in hot pursuit.

>Kirby Fighters is also available upon starting the game. In this mode, you’ll be able to choose a selection of abilities for Kirby to use. Once you choose one, you duke it out in a series of battles against other abilities, such as Fighter, Sword, Ninja, and Hammer to name a few. Players are able to duke it out againstcomputer opponents, eventually beating all abilities and recording your own time. It’s also possible to battle via local multiplayer, and there’s even a training mode that will let you warm up.

DeDeDe’s Drum Dash is another game available from the start. This is different than the other modes in the game as it’s more rhythm based and doesn’t have much to do with the story. It’s just a fun little side game to play. As the title might lead you to believe, you’ll be playing as King DeDeDe. Players have him jumping along drums to familiar Kirby tunes throughout the series, such as the Gourmet Race and Green Greens. Pressing A at the right time will lead you to bounce high on the drums, allowing Dedede to collect coins in the sky. There are also enemies in the way tryingto thwart players from obtaining a high score, so be weary of that.

There are also two other modes available once players complete story mode. I won’t get into these two extensively, but I’ll touch upon them briefly. The Arena has players battling the end bosses of each stage as well as the mini bosses Kirby encounters throughout various other stages in the game. You’ll be timed in this mode as well, so managing health and ability throughout is essential. There is also another mode that I won’t name, but it is another time attack-esque mode, this time playing throughout the main course again. There’s an extra twist, but you’ll have to play it in order to figure out what it is!

The different modes in Kirby: Triple Deluxe offer a wide variety of things to do and accomplish. You can battle your friends in Kirby Fighters, beat it out in DeDeDe’s Drum Dash, or go through story mode and unravel the mystery that Kirby’s been entangled in. Kirby: Triple Deluxe is out May 2, and I will have a review before then so make sure to check it out for further analysis!