This review contains spoilers
Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe is one of those quirky 3DS Kirby spin-off games that not a lot of people seem to care about. Seems to be pretty similar to the likes of Kirby Fighters, Kirby's Blowout Blast, and Team Kirby Clash Deluxe, except two of those got Switch versions (and even a sequel in the case of Kirby Fighters) while Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe has been left to rot as an exclusive to the 3DS eShop. It's a real shame honestly, this game feels pretty unique and I don't think it deserves to just officially die out in a month from now when the shop closes. I mean, emulators will always keep it alive, but I think Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe could make for a nice port for HAL to put on the Switch. It doesn't rely on any 3DS features that the Switch doesn't also have (aside from the whole gimmick of Dedede's jumps making him go up to the top screen at times but that definitely isn't necessary to keep).
Also, just as a disclaimer: I have always been pretty terrible at rhythm games, so this is coming from the perspective of a total rhythm idiot. I tried my hardest to get the platinum medal on every course, which I managed to do for all of them...EXCEPT the final level. I don't think I can ever do that one without spending a ton of time attempting to master it, so I figured I'd just take the basic gold medal and leave it at that.
For those who don't know, Dedede's Drum Dash was a side-game in Kirby Triple Deluxe. This game essentially is just an expansion with more levels and some small extras like masks you can slap on Dedede's magnificent mug and viewable trophies you get for reaching milestone scores in the game. I imagine the trophies were included partly as a Miiverse boasting thing, but...well, yea that's long since been shut down. Anyway, I remember Drum Dash was by far my favorite side game in Kirby's Triple Deluxe at the time it came out but I barely remembered anything about it, so this expanded version was a nice memory jogger. Its sort of a rhythm game and an obstacle course type of game, where the terrain is a bunch of drums you jump off of and you have to avoid hazards along the way. The rhythm part is in how the levels are structured, which tends to go along to the beat of the music, as well as a backbeat you need to keep track of if you're looking to get the platinum medals. Press A at a certain timing in Dedede's jump arcs to do the backbeat. Seems simple, but it gets really hard to keep up in the more difficult levels, at least for me. Keeping up a good sense of flow is important; if you just barely graze a drum or land on the far side of it, Dedede will be sent into the air flailing which ruins your backbeat combo. You get a score after beating each level that will get bonuses added to it with each special criteria you fulfill. The criteria includes: Time Bonus, No Damage, All Notes (there are note coins to grab in each level), and Backbeat Perfect.
I have to say, this game has made it to where if I ever hear C-R-O-W-N-E-D again I will immediately think of the pain I felt trying to beat both of the levels with this theme in it. I'm not kidding when I say that I spent two hours late at night to try perfecting the first C-R-O-W-N-E-D level and I still had to try again the next day. Ironically enough, it only took me four tries the next day, so maybe I just really didn't click with it until then. Certainly taught me that I'm still not any good at rhythm games, that's for sure. The other levels also took me anywhere from just a few tries to several attempts to get the platinum for. The other big spot of misery for me was Level 6 of the second set of levels, which was just so difficult to get right for me but did feel satisfying once I finally got the platinum for it after god knows how many attempts. As I mentioned earlier I just completely gave up even trying to get the platinum for the last level, I had a hard time just beating that level normally so I figured I shouldn't go for the platinum or I'd go insane. The thing about Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe is that, if you just want to finish levels normally, there's pretty much nothing to worry about. So long as you're fulfilling like two of the criteria for getting extra points, you can get up to a gold medal pretty easily and call it a day there. However, if you really want that platinum, well you're going to have to work for it. The problem is that getting in the rhythm of jumping at the right time to get all the notes, getting a Perfect Backbeat, and avoiding obstacles all in one run is ludicrously difficult for me at times. The backbeat especially was the direct cause of so many fails for me, the amount of times I accidentally moved slightly too far and sent Dedede flailing to regain his balance or the times I missed just one beat and had to restart was countless. Some levels were more forgiving than others with the Platinum medals, but for the most part if you mess up once you're not getting it. This isn't too bad because obviously the levels aren't long (aside from the final level which felt like it dragged on for forever), but man when you're as bad at this whole perfect rhythm thing as I can be it's so painful. I did enjoy my time with the game, though; it's a pretty fun rhythm game. I don't want my salty rant for a Kirby game of all things (and one I haven't seen anyone else complain about) to take up the brunt of a review. I like the base idea a lot and there's a surprising amount of content here.
Despite my previous rant, yea I really think this is a solid little game. It's never gonna blow your mind, but it does what it sets out to do well and its charming. I could see this being a gateway for more people to get into a rhythm game since it's Kirby and it stars our beloved king of Pop Star. I'm a little sad I couldn't finish the job in getting the final platinum medal, but I really think I'm better off not doing it. Definitely not gonna lose any sleep over it.
Also, just as a disclaimer: I have always been pretty terrible at rhythm games, so this is coming from the perspective of a total rhythm idiot. I tried my hardest to get the platinum medal on every course, which I managed to do for all of them...EXCEPT the final level. I don't think I can ever do that one without spending a ton of time attempting to master it, so I figured I'd just take the basic gold medal and leave it at that.
For those who don't know, Dedede's Drum Dash was a side-game in Kirby Triple Deluxe. This game essentially is just an expansion with more levels and some small extras like masks you can slap on Dedede's magnificent mug and viewable trophies you get for reaching milestone scores in the game. I imagine the trophies were included partly as a Miiverse boasting thing, but...well, yea that's long since been shut down. Anyway, I remember Drum Dash was by far my favorite side game in Kirby's Triple Deluxe at the time it came out but I barely remembered anything about it, so this expanded version was a nice memory jogger. Its sort of a rhythm game and an obstacle course type of game, where the terrain is a bunch of drums you jump off of and you have to avoid hazards along the way. The rhythm part is in how the levels are structured, which tends to go along to the beat of the music, as well as a backbeat you need to keep track of if you're looking to get the platinum medals. Press A at a certain timing in Dedede's jump arcs to do the backbeat. Seems simple, but it gets really hard to keep up in the more difficult levels, at least for me. Keeping up a good sense of flow is important; if you just barely graze a drum or land on the far side of it, Dedede will be sent into the air flailing which ruins your backbeat combo. You get a score after beating each level that will get bonuses added to it with each special criteria you fulfill. The criteria includes: Time Bonus, No Damage, All Notes (there are note coins to grab in each level), and Backbeat Perfect.
I have to say, this game has made it to where if I ever hear C-R-O-W-N-E-D again I will immediately think of the pain I felt trying to beat both of the levels with this theme in it. I'm not kidding when I say that I spent two hours late at night to try perfecting the first C-R-O-W-N-E-D level and I still had to try again the next day. Ironically enough, it only took me four tries the next day, so maybe I just really didn't click with it until then. Certainly taught me that I'm still not any good at rhythm games, that's for sure. The other levels also took me anywhere from just a few tries to several attempts to get the platinum for. The other big spot of misery for me was Level 6 of the second set of levels, which was just so difficult to get right for me but did feel satisfying once I finally got the platinum for it after god knows how many attempts. As I mentioned earlier I just completely gave up even trying to get the platinum for the last level, I had a hard time just beating that level normally so I figured I shouldn't go for the platinum or I'd go insane. The thing about Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe is that, if you just want to finish levels normally, there's pretty much nothing to worry about. So long as you're fulfilling like two of the criteria for getting extra points, you can get up to a gold medal pretty easily and call it a day there. However, if you really want that platinum, well you're going to have to work for it. The problem is that getting in the rhythm of jumping at the right time to get all the notes, getting a Perfect Backbeat, and avoiding obstacles all in one run is ludicrously difficult for me at times. The backbeat especially was the direct cause of so many fails for me, the amount of times I accidentally moved slightly too far and sent Dedede flailing to regain his balance or the times I missed just one beat and had to restart was countless. Some levels were more forgiving than others with the Platinum medals, but for the most part if you mess up once you're not getting it. This isn't too bad because obviously the levels aren't long (aside from the final level which felt like it dragged on for forever), but man when you're as bad at this whole perfect rhythm thing as I can be it's so painful. I did enjoy my time with the game, though; it's a pretty fun rhythm game. I don't want my salty rant for a Kirby game of all things (and one I haven't seen anyone else complain about) to take up the brunt of a review. I like the base idea a lot and there's a surprising amount of content here.
Despite my previous rant, yea I really think this is a solid little game. It's never gonna blow your mind, but it does what it sets out to do well and its charming. I could see this being a gateway for more people to get into a rhythm game since it's Kirby and it stars our beloved king of Pop Star. I'm a little sad I couldn't finish the job in getting the final platinum medal, but I really think I'm better off not doing it. Definitely not gonna lose any sleep over it.