I had a dream – a few weeks ago, right after the new Kirby 3DS game got announced. It was described as a multiplayer action game which instantly brought my mind over to Amazing Mirror 2. However, I then had a dream where during E3 2017 Nintendo announces a sequel to Kirby Fighters Deluxe. Rather than just Kirby it now had a host of characters and played like a more competitive version of Kirby Fighters Deluxe. A simpler Super Smash Bros. game if you will. It was even accompanied by Sakurai, who had been brought on to the project due to it being Kirby’s 25th anniversary, and it looked glorious. However, it was just a dream and I never thought it would happen. Until…
“Action FIGHTING game.” Now it is specifically being called a fighting game and suddenly my dream is looking more like a reality. And I think this makes sense, Kirby has a fighting game already in Kirby Fighters Deluxe which was popular and could welcome so more polish. Plus this is Kirby’s anniversary so having a game that tries to bring in all of Kirby’s history is a good idea and a fighting game could do just that. As for the Sakurai part it doesn’t really matter for this game’s existence or this article, but considering his thoughts on the Switch it seems possible his next game isn’t on the platform (at least yet). I guess we’ll find out at E3 (and if we are right, feel free to call me a seer and take all my words as gospel 😉 ).
With this intro out of the way I thought I would share my thoughts on the characters, we could see in another Kirby Fighters Deluxe (as well as some extra features).
The original Kirby Fighters Deluxe came with 12 playable fighters which just happens to be the same amount as the first Super Smash Bros. game. With this in mind, I decided that this sequel should have the same amount as Melee, being 25. There is also a big theme throughout the cast with many being based on or around Kirby’s copy abilities as they make the most sense for a fighting game. The movesets are already there, after all.
Is it 12 or 13?
First I want to talk about the changes made to the original 12 characters of Kirby Fighters Deluxe… or should I say 13? Afterall, they were all Kirby however there was no standard Kirby moveset as they were all based on his copy abilities. So for this game we need an actual, plain, Kirby who can copy his opponents powers. For the rest of his moveset he either plays like standard Kirby in his games or we give him the Smash Kirby moveset, which is an ability in the games.
As for the actual 12 copy abilities, I felt it was best to give these movesets to new characters and in nearly all cases it made sense that the original enemy took that power back. In Kirby Super Star you could turn enemies like Waddle Doo and Knuckle Joe into helpers who were playable with complete movesets. I am thinking something like that for them here. The two just mentioned would be Beam and Fighter respectively. The remaining 10 would be made up of Waddle Dee (Parasol), Sir Kibble (Cutter), Poppy Bros Jr. (Bomb), Bio Spark (Ninja), Spynum (Archer) and Bonkers (Hammer).
Now we only have four abilities left and for these characters, I decided to take some liberties. The most obvious of these is Sword which has been given to Meta Knight as he helped make that ability a thing and functions as a more advanced Sword Kirby when playable. Next is Bugzy who, as a beetle already, makes sense to represent the Beetle ability. Whip was a tough one and I thought of originally having Wester take that on but after discussing things over with our Kirby expert, Nirbion, I decided that this is the best way to implement Prince Fluff into the game. Last is Bell whose original enemy isn’t the right shape for the way Kirby uses the power. As he dual wields I thought this is what Taranza could use as he has multiple arms. He also originates from the game Bell does so it fits thematically as well.
The Obvious Omissions
With the original 12 out of the way it is time for some obvious candidates. King Dedede needs to be playable in this game, both as Kirby’s rival and the second major character of the whole series. Then it came time to look at the rest of Kirby’s copy abilities and pick new ones that need representing in some way. Bandana Dee is a fan favourite character and brings the Spear ability along with him. We have three elemental abilities with Fire, Ice and Spark/Plasma that are too important to ignore, thus their respective enemy with popularity got chosen. Burning Leo, Mr. Frosty and Plasma Wisp. Finally I went for two abilities that are popular and have had recent resurgence with Birdon (Wing) and Simirror (Mirror). These two also naturally suit themselves to a fighting game. That’s 20 characters down so what about the final five?
Big Bads or Misunderstood Monsters?
There are, of course, popular Kirby characters who exist outside of the games copy abilities and I felt like it was important to include some of these characters as well. Most of these fall under the villain category but I had to make sure they weren’t too big for the Smash style of fighting found here.
Going from left to right we have Dark Matter from Kirby Dream Land 2. Not only does he represent the Dream Land trilogy well (as his species are the main antagonists) but he saw a reappearance in Planet Robobot and thus a resurgence in popularity.
Next is Marx, the big bad of Kirby Super Star. I was not sure if I should make him playable or keep him as a boss character but Nirbion convinced me that his pre-final form would work in the game. He could also use Kirby’s Circus ability quite well.
Galacta Knight comes in next who has been a very popular villain since his debut in Kirby Super Star Ultra. He has constantly reappeared as a rival to Meta Knight and that alone gets him a spot here.
From one popular villain to another, Magalor appears in his pre-final boss form. He can use various magical attacks and could potentially adopt some moves from Kirby’s Doctor ability as well. A recent resurgence in Team Kirby Clash Deluxe also helps his cause.
Finally, we have the newest character on the list being Suzie. From Planet Robobot, she would, of course, use her own Robobot in this game as well. I was worried about the size of the Robobot making it hard to implement but creatively I can shrink it down without damaging it and when Kirby sucks it in he could turn into a robot version rather than growing a Robobot out of nowhere.
And with that I have covered all of the characters I think would be in a Kirby Fighters Deluxe 2 but I have a few extra tidbits I want to get out before I go.
Encore of Extras
First of all, I wanted to address some characters who are popular but don’t make good playable characters. Wheelie is one of these but I thought he might make a fun item instead. You can ride him around to knock down your opponents. The first Kirby Fighters Deluxe also had bosses you fought on some stages and these should return. Kracko and Dyna Blade can both come back but we can also add Nightmare, Heavy Lobster and Queen Sectonia in order to get some form of representation for them. Master Hand and Crazy Hand could also cameo as secret bosses. There are also stage hazards which is were Kirby’s Animal Buddies come into play as well as Lololo & Lalala, Adelaide (or Paint Roller) and the alway popular Whispy Woods.
There are also some modes that this game could have other than just fighting. A Boss Rush, a Story or Adventure Mode and maybe even a mode like Team Kirby Clash. Also, we gotta have something like the trophy gallery here. The last few main-line Kirby games have all had a kind of character index you can unlock as well as a sound test so I have no reason to feel these wouldn’t be here again, especially because it is Kirby’s 25th anniversary.
With that, we’ve come to the end of my thoughts on a sequel to Kirby Fighters Deluxe. We will likely find out at E3 2017 what Kirby’s anniversary title will entail and with recent comments from HAL I feel confident enough to stick to my guns on this title. Let me know what you think of my article (especially when this comes true) in the comments below and let’s look forward to a new potential Smash-esque fighter.
Let’s lead this article out with some little development notes I had for this article, including cut characters! I know you like them so take a look below and have a nice day.
Development Notes: Cut/Considered Characters:
- Blade Knight: the helper for the Sword ability. I was worried Meta Knight adopting that would be a disservice to him, but Meta Knight does everything Blade Knight does and more, so it felt pointless. A clone, maybe?
- Lololo & Lalala: They would need to work as a duo and could even reference Adventures of Lolo. However, like Ice Climbers, 3DS limitations could get in the way. Maybe in a Switch sequel.
- Rick: Rick was on the roster pretty much up until the end when I realised I forgot someone important. Could use Needle and other abilities of his.
- Gooey: He was considered as an animal buddy but would end up a Kirby clone. In the end, I felt Rick was more important/popular.
- Paint Roller: A bit like Rick, Paint Roller was on the roster until later into development. He was eventually cut for someone more important to the series.
- Adeline: she was considered over Paint Roller early in development but I felt the latter was agiler and worked better in a fighting game.
- Wester: Kind of mentioned above but Wester was planned as the Whip helper. Eventually felt he wasn’t popular enough to be playable and Prince Fluff could take his moveset with no problem.
- Pillah: Pillah would have represented the Doctor ability. Like Wester he isn’t very popular. Was eventually just scrapped entirely.
- ESP Ability: Considered a character who uses the ESP ability. Nirbion even recommended Suzie if the Robobot was too big.
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This is pretty neat! I do wish to see these characters become playable, but I do have a bad feeling it might end up being some…generic looking…only-Kirbys-allowed fighting game. But as being the 25th anniversary, I do agree these characters need a chance to be playable at some point.
Using these characters as representing copy abilities is an interesting choice. I could think of something more if possible, but that’ll include characters that doesn’t represent copy abilities. Here are the lists I could think of…
Gaw Gaw: First appeared in Kirby Squeak Squad, this character contains the ability of Animal, and its the ability that first debuted in that game. This ability have movesets as well, and using claws as attacks can be another unique part than simply sword and knuckles.
Broom Hatter: She contains the Clean ability, which first debuted in Kirby’s Dream Land 3. Although it doesn’t have a moveset, I don’t think they’ll mind adding new moves to it. Not to mention Broom Hatter was planned to become Kirby’s Clean Helper in the cancelled Kirby GC game, so her inclusion may fit well.
Tac: While Copy ability doesn’t have an exact moveset, I do think Tac can do something more unique rather than copying abilities or kidnapping characters. I think he can turn invisible only in a certain time as defense.
Capsule J: This character represent Jet ability, and I think using it’s tackle ability may work perfectly than Wheelie. There are 3 types of this guy, but maybe it’ll end up using Capsule J3 instead, because the first one looks like…Twinbee.
Gim: This character may be easily forgotten, but the Yo-Yo ability has been a popular ability since Kirby Super Stars, and he’s the only one who contains such ability. This can at least differentiate with the Whip.
Chef Kawasaki: Cook may not have a moveset, but using frypans, throwing dishes, ladle to capture opponents…this guys has a unique moveset. And since he was quite popular in the anime as well, I think this guy needs a chance to fight for a first time.
Adelaide/Drawcia: Paint may not have a moveset either, but maybe they can think of something unique rather than blinding opponents. Adelaide may be a best choice due to her popularity, or Drawcia instead due to her return as a showcase figure in Rainbow Curse.
Gryll: She may not be that familiar as being a character from a puzzle game, but since we need a Magic ability representative other than Boxy, I thought Gryll may be a best choice due to her being a witch. Not to mention she made a return as a sticker in Planet Robobot. (And why I’m using “her” to Gryll is many fans in Japan refer Gryll to be female)
Squishy: While he doesn’t have a copy ability, I thought he may be a good representative for the Water ability. Squishy has been appearing a lot in the Kirby games, so I thought it’ll be an interesting choice for bringing a squid as being playable. And you know why Nintendo thinks squid is more important…
Rick: I could imagine that he can use all kinds of copy abilities that he learned from Kirby 2 and 3. Turning into a boulder as a dash attack, spinning an umbrella as his up attack, dropping down from air with his needle facing downwards as his jump down attack…man, I think he should be in Smash. (lol)
Daroach: He has been popular since his debut in Kirby Squeak Squad, and I’ve heard many fans requested him to be in Smash sometime during the Brawl development. While its not a copy ability, he possess the Triple Star, so maybe it’ll be interesting to have a character using a weapon for the final boss battle.
And that’s pretty much it at this point. I know this may look too much, but I thought it’ll be good to look at it.
PS to NantenJex: By the way, I’m pretty much ready with the Dream articles that I’ve sent you not too long ago. Is everything okay? I’m just wondering when’s a best time to post it…
My personal thoughts and suggestions:
– Daroach would be a popular yet unexpected character that would coincide with the Magic ability.
– I would definitely include the whole Dream Land 2 crew. Rick = Animal, Coo = Wing, and Kine = water.
– Making Magolor the Doctor character is a really good call. Most probably assume that he would get ESP due to the ESP Robobot Armor’s appearance, but Doctor fits the intellectual nature of the character just as well. You can even replace the pills with bolts and gears.
– I don’t think base Kirby would necessarily be given the Smash Ability. Unlike in Smash Bros, most of the cast lacks a grab attack to counter Stone. I think he could be given a unique base moveset just for this game, however.
– As iconic as they may be, I’m not sure if Spark, Fire, and Ice could make it into a fighting game in their current form. They all rely on attacks that rely on shielding Kirby and stunning enemies. They work better for a platformer than for a fighter.
Well done. I propose 02 as a boss character, a personal favorite.
Interesting ideas, I like it! So much so that I made a Tricider poll for such a concept. You can add as many characters (and arguments for and against characters) as you want! I already added the characters on this poll, the rest is up to everyone else…
http://www.tricider.com/brainstorming/3Yxp7PBSnet