Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe

While we're questioning the eleven-year absence of Kirby spin-offs, we must also ask: why did it take it so long for King Dedede to get his own game? I mean, really, who doesn't love the gluttonous, self-proclaimed king of Dream Land? His plush design, self-centered antics, not-quite-a-good-guy but not-quite-a-villain morality and penchant for bugged-out eyes have won over many a Kirby fan, myself included, and it is simply ridiculous HAL Laboratory has not granted his own Popstar-trotting adventure to the gaming populace. No matter how you look at it, a downloadable rhythm game ain't gonna cut it!

Still, you could do with a lot worse than Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe. Like its brother Kirby Fighters Deluxe, this spin-off is also based on a Kirby: Triple Deluxe sub-game by the name of Dedede's Drum Dash, wherein the penguin king hopped along on giant drums to reach the goal all the while clapping and bouncing to the beat of classic Kirby tunes (or perhaps not so classic: not many may recognize the secret Extra song was from Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition) Requiring careful precision of jumping, clapping, and navigating obstacles, these four levels were not only among some of the most difficult of Triple Deluxe’s trials, but introduced a welcome dosage of variety hardly explored in the series hitherto (that’s to say, rhythm; only one of Mass Attack’s mini-games springs to mind)

However, let us be forthcoming and admit that Drum Dash is the lesser of the two: personal taste may say otherwise, but four sets of bite-sized rhythm games don’t live up to the replayability of a Smash Bros-inspired fighter, let alone the content provided within. Indeed, even with the upgrade to seven challenging songs, Drum Dash Deluxe hardly offers the breadth of potential playtime offered in the other three Kirby eShop spin-offs (Team Kirby Clash Deluxe and Kirby’s Blowout Blast, for those needing a reminder), offering little in the way of unlockables and lengthy playtime.

But that’s hardly any reason to dismiss it; indeed, perhaps its deeper embracing of the “pick up and play for a tiny bit” philosophy than the other three limits its potential, but let’s not fault HAL for what were certainly time constraints for a downloadable spin-off (not to mention the undoubtedly tough work Hirokazu Ando and co. had in composing and/or syncing the songs with the gameplay). Furthermore, I could perhaps build an argument there is more incentive to purchase this spin-off than Fighters Deluxe: note that none of Drum Dash’s four songs reappear as levels in Drum Dash Deluxe, with all seven levels instead being composed of entirely new songs. With Fighters Deluxe hardly emitting any content and focusing on being an expansion pack, Drum Dash Deluxe posits itself as a (mostly) new experience.

Given how much more flexible Fighters Deluxe is within its gameplay system, this may seem like a disingenuous claim, especially when considering only four out of the seven songs are entirely new compositions in themselves. However, that hardly matters within the context of actual gameplay: in introducing new obstacles such as blinding banners and drifting clouds, there's less room for error in a game already strict on mistakes. Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe is a game dependent on the sensitivity of button pressing -- a light touch only sends the penguin king up a bit, but a deliberate press sends him rocketing. In the midst of clapping to the beat, we are juggling and measuring distance, presses, hazards to dodge, and coins to grab.

It goes without saying that Drum Dash Deluxe is a tough challenge; granted, it's nothing a little effort can't solve in terms of completing the actual songs, but as always in Kirby, the true difficulty lies within 100% completion. We are eventually granted harder versions of the original seven songs, and earning Platinum Medals for those is nothing to sneeze at; indeed, even I'm still struggling in earning the Platinum Medal for the C-R-O-W-N-E-D Reprise -- a deadly roll coal of every hazard and collectible, wherein timing begs absolute perfection and every hit to Dedede's health bar bruises our very souls.

As opposed to Drum Dash’s emphasis on recorders, Hirokazu Ando experiments with a variety of styles for the non-rip arrangements. Given how perfectly the recorder style meshes not merely with Kirby but a goofy spin-off such as this, it’s a slight disappointment in this regard (especially considering the aforementioned Dream Collection song is arranged again via recorders, but is reserved only for the credits). Still, that’s hardly reason alone to dismiss these new arrangements, although I feel compelled more to judge them on their rhythm-based merits via gameplay.

And for what it's worth, it certainly plays well enough: the entire appeal of these games is overcoming timing through muscle memory, the end result being a triumphal, energizing catharsis. The use of Dedede as a physical avatar heightens this feeling: his engaging obstacles and whatnot turns it into something of a pseudo-platformer, the coin grab set-ups being just as deliberate as those of Super Mario Bros. I'm certain there are other music games that use similar methods -- believe it or not, Kirby and Dedede grooved it up in a Taiko: Drum Master RPG spin-off -- but it's my first time witnessing one featuring such a level of elaborate physicality.

At the same time, I can't fault anyone being wary on a purchase when considering the light content -- aside from the songs, the only other content worth mentioning are unlockable masks of Kirby’s biggest stars. Cute, sure, but cosmetics feel particularly shallow not merely relative to the different costumes within Fighters Deluxe, but in a game appealing solely with its operation. There is great allure to personalized customization within games encouraging us to play however we wish; there is little such appeal found in strict, linear marches like this.

Again, however, I cannot criticize Drum Dash Deluxe for anything regarding length: when considering the genre involved, it only makes sense it embraces the "timewaster" philosophy more than the rest of the 3DS Kirby spin-offs do. It's a pleasant diversion we're meant to play for just an itty bit at a time, then move on to meatier, more fulfilling activities as the day progresses. It demands as much as it should, entertains as it should, and appeals as it should. Not bad for Dedede's first solitary outing, but surely HAL has enough confidence to produce own proper galaxy-spanning quest, right? As Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS say, he's already perfect, and really, who can argue with that?