Kirby: Triple Deluxe had a few small mini-games built into it, one of which was Dedede’s Drum Dash, a rhythm platform mini game that featured the spheniscidaean monarch. The mini-game has a new release as a standalone, slightly expanded version. I clatter across the kettles, traipse up the tomtoms, and sidle around the snares to review this game.
Those of you who didn’t play Kirby: Triple Deluxe will have not only missed out on a really brilliant game for the 3DS, but also a group of wonderfully fun mini games, one of which was Dedede’s Drum Dash. In this game, you play as the titular King Dedede as he bounces across a series of drums while collecting coins. There’s no story and you play for score. Bonus points are awarded for taking no damage, for collecting every coin, and for hitting the off-beat. The standalone deluxe edition of the game includes more stages and more game mechanics than the mini game, such as coins that have to be collected in a specific numerical order. There are also a number of strange drums: drums that collapse, drums that fly, drums that flip over to reveal an underbelly of spikes, and so forth.
The game, simply, put, is fun, but short. Expect to finish the game (but not complete it) in under two hours. Once you complete the first six stages, you unlock a further six, as well as some bonus stages and masks that you can make Dedede wear. Unsurprisingly, collecting all the masks requires the save data from Triple Deluxe. Completing the game with all top medals will obviously take a bit longer than just simply finishing each stage, and requires a good deal more manual dexterity and finger acrobatics than you’d think. It’s not simply a case of heading onward, fearless penguin, especially with the more esoteric drums.
For the price, it’s not a bad choice; the caveat is that this game is a short, simple affair. It’s no Elite Beat Agents or Theaterrhythm: Final Fantasy, and it lacks the depth of other, more elaborate rhythm games. I had fun with it, but obviously, its length reduces its attractiveness. There’s a fair amount of replay value, though, if you’re a perfectionist and want to collect every single precious medal.
Final Score: 7 Drumming Prawns out of 10
Detailed Information
Developer: HAL Laboratories
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo 3DS (XL), Nintendo 2DS, New Nintendo 3DS (XL)
RRP: R91 (eShop)
Age Rating: PEGI 3
Website: https://www.nintendo.co.za/Games/Nintendo-3DS-download-software/Dedede-s-Drum-Dash-Deluxe-950473.html