Nearly identical to the similar bonus mode in Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Kirby Fighters Deluxe is a really fun 4-player fighting game. You can choose between a wide variety of Kirby’s copy abilities and fight against friends or the computer in neat, sometimes interactive stages. Unfortunately, it falls apart as a single-player experience and is limited to only local multiplayer. It’s a novel mode that while fun, might have been best left inside of Triple Deluxe.

In the multiplayer, which can be played with one copy using Download Play, Fighters Deluxe is a blast. The copy abilities feel different and unique, and this game brings out all the depth and nuances of the abilities in a way Kirby: Triple Deluxe doesn’t. It does contain a novel twist that makes it a more compelling fighter at times. When a player is defeated, they come back as a Ghost Kirby that floats ploddingly around the screen. If you successfully land an attack on a live player, you can come back into play. It’s a fantastic way to keep players engaged, even if one is being dominant. The multiplayer is still sorely lacking online play, but fortunately Download Play saves it to an extent. So if you ever find yourself among 3DS-owning friends, it is an excellent game to play. The whole package is essentially the same as the multiplayer in Triple Deluxe, but it adds new abilities (if you have Triple Deluxe already) and team matches.

As a single-player experience, Fighters Deluxe is just a series of progressively harder duels against computer-controlled Kirby clones or a remixed version of a boss, the latter of which is new in the separate eShop version. It’s still fun in the way that fighting against computer-controlled players in Smash Bros. can be, but it’s not substantial or varied. The copy abilities might be wildly different, but the progression in each single-player adventure isn’t.

Kirby Fighters Deluxe is a nice standalone version of a fun bonus mode from Kirby: Triple Deluxe that I can only really recommend if you ever see yourself playing local multiplayer. Fighters Deluxe just isn’t that compelling of a game in single-player to be worth a full purchase, especially when you can just as easily find a friend with a copy of it or Triple Deluxe and play Download Play if need be.