Kirby Fighters (series)

The Kirby Fighters series is a competitive multiplayer focused subseries of the Kirby series, including two full-scale games and one Sub-Game. The series mainly revolves around player or CPU controlled Kirbys fighting on dynamic arenas (stylistically similar to the stages in the Super Smash Bros. series), until all but one are defeated and a winner is crowned. All entries also contain an additional singleplayer mode, which all culminate in a unique final boss.

Games

Kirby Fighters

The Kirbys fighting in Flower Land

Kirby Fighters originally released as a sub-game in Kirby: Triple Deluxe. Kirby Fighters established most basic concepts that would return in later entries of the series, such as Items that randomly appear during battle and arenas that can interact with the Kirbys in various ways. Players are also able to use Download Play to play against each other, requiring only one copy of Kirby: Triple Deluxe for four Nintendo 3DS systems. Other features, like a more important singleplayer campaign and Rare Outfits would be introduced in Kirby Fighters Deluxe.

Kirby Fighters Deluxe

The Kirbys fighting on Butter Building

Kirby Fighters Deluxe is an expansion of the original Kirby Fighters that carries over most features and original content. It also introduces new features, such as a more diverse singleplayer mode (now including bosses alongside plain fights against other Kirbys), Rare Outfits, six new stages, and two extra Copy Abilities to use if data for Kirby: Triple Deluxe is found on the system. Notably, most content related to Shadow Kirby, including his battle stage (Another Dimension) and boss fight were removed in favor of including Team DDD as a final boss along with their battle stage, the Fountain of Dreams. Shadow Kirby remains as an unlockable color for multiplayer, however. Core gameplay remains as it was in the original Kirby Fighters sub-game and has received no major changes, aside from the new stages and Copy Abilities.

Kirby Fighters 2

A Story Mode battle between Kirby and Bandana Waddle Dee, and a blue Kirby

Kirby Fighters 2 is a sequel to the original two Kirby Fighters and Kirby Fighters Deluxe games, and the first in the series to be released for Nintendo Switch instead of Nintendo 3DS. Five new Copy Abilities are introduced, four being returning abilities from earlier games, while Wrestler was created specifically for Kirby Fighters 2. Additonally, five new characters (Bandana Waddle Dee, King Dedede, Meta Knight, Magolor, and Gooey) are now playable as Buddies, based on their appearances as Dream Friends in Kirby Star Allies. Nine new stages are added, with every previous stage (besides Another Dimension and Flower Land) returning.

Kirby Fighters 2 puts a much higher emphasis on the singleplayer modes, with there now being more than one. Story Mode can be played in either single or multiplayer, and follows a new plot. Story Mode also contains more depth than previous singleplayer campaigns in the Kirby Fighters series, introducing randomized items between each floor that Kirby and his buddy can pick up for performance bonuses. Single-Handed Mode, the other singleplayer option, is much more in line with what one may expect from a typical Kirby Fighters game: Kirby or another character plays nine rounds against random opponents, with the last being the final boss, Shadow Kirby.

Multiplayer has not been significantly changed from previous entries, aside from the other new content. However, an online multiplayer mode has been added for the first time in the series.