Kirby Battle Royale

"In Kirby Battle Royale, you can... compete in 10 types of battles... and fight using 13 abilities. You'll send foes flying in fierce battles! In single-player Story Mode... you'll take on battlers in a tournament! In Online Battle you can... compete in battles to earn Ranking Points! Send Meta Knight from the demo version... to the full version to use him from the start! There are many battles... all waiting for a great battler like you! All this and more is in the full version!"

- Kirby Battle Royale sneak peek

Kirby Battle Royale (sometimes written Kirby: Battle Royale), known in Japan as 'Kirby Battle Deluxe! or Kābī Batoru Derakkusu!', is a game in the Kirby series that was released on January 19, 2018 in North America and was released on November 30, 2017 in Japan. The game was released in 2017 on November 3 in Europe, and November 4 in Australia. It is a multiplayer action fighting game that released for Nintendo 3DS in celebration of the Kirby series' 25th anniversary. The game features single-player as well as local and online multiplayer. While Kirby Battle Royale is not the first Kirby game with online features, it is the first to allow players to play directly with each other over the Internet.

Gameplay
Kirby Battle Royale, unlike most Kirby games, is played from a top view as opposed to a side view. The game has a greater focus on implementing Kirby's signature Copy Abilities in a 3D environment, which had previously only been done in Kirby Air Ride (which was of the racing genre) and the second prototype of the canceled Kirby GCN. Move sets had to be changed to accommodate for the new 3D gameplay. Kirby still jumps with A and can attack with B, but now the Y button is also used for attacking. The R button is also used for picking up items and other players, which can be thrown. Copy Abilities no longer have different moves depending on directional input, instead using the B button for normal attacks, repeatedly pressing it for "Intense attacks," holding and releasing it for a "Charge attack," pressing it in the air for "Jumping attacks," and pressing the Y button for "Special attacks." There are a few modes in which the game takes place on a flat 2D plane with a traditional side-view camera, but the controls and physics are the same as in the 3D modes. The game also features button settings, allowing the player to pick a different control scheme from the default (from 4 preset options).

Playable

 * Kirby
 * Green Kirby
 * Blue Kirby
 * Orange Kirby
 * White Kirby
 * Yellow Kirby
 * Waddle Dee
 * Meta Knight
 * King Dedede

NPCs

 * Bronto Burt
 * Channel PPP
 * Reporter Waddle Dee
 * Camera Waddle Dee
 * Microphone Waddle Dee
 * Assistant Waddle Dee
 * King Dedede
 * Knuckle Joe
 * Soldier Waddle Dee
 * Waddle Dee
 * Waddle Doo
 * Bandana Waddle Dee

Opponents

 * Axe Knight
 * Bronto Burt
 * Dededestroyer Z
 * Kirby (species)
 * Green Kirby
 * Blue Kirby
 * Orange Kirby
 * White Kirby
 * Yellow Kirby
 * Meta Knight
 * Robo Bonkers
 * Soldier Waddle Dee
 * Training dummy
 * UFO

Background

 * Babut
 * Bronto Burt
 * Broom Hatter
 * Cappy
 * Chef Kawasaki (pictured)
 * Chilly
 * Coo
 * Fuwa Rover
 * Kabu
 * Kine
 * Knuckle Joe
 * Mumbies
 * Rick
 * Rocky
 * Scarfy
 * Sparky
 * Susie
 * Taranza
 * Waddle Dee
 * Waddle Doo

Other

 * Kracko (Crazy Theater)
 * Moto Shotzo (fires Fuel)

Items

 * Apple
 * Ball
 * Boost Orb
 * Chip
 * Coin
 * Flag
 * Fuel
 * Golden apple
 * Golden Missile
 * Golden ore
 * Puck
 * Missile
 * Ore
 * Super Time Bomb
 * Time Bomb
 * Watermelon
 * Warp Star

Vehicles

 * Blaze Wheelie
 * Electro Shock Tank
 * Rocket
 * Train

Copy Abilities

 * Beetle
 * Bomb
 * Cutter
 * Doctor
 * Fighter
 * Hammer
 * Ice
 * Mirror
 * Ninja
 * Parasol
 * Sleep
 * Spear
 * Sword
 * Tornado
 * Whip

Headgear
The player can use Battle Coins and amiibo to unlock optional costumes to wear in battle. They are purely cosmetic and do not affect play in any way.

Battle Modes
There are 10 Battle Modes in Kirby Battle Royale.

Battle Arena
Battle Arena is a standard free-for-all. Players fight each other to be the last fighter standing. However, KO'd opponents can get back in the fight by mashing the A button, but with less health, and being KO'd again makes it harder to return to the fight.

Apple Scramble
Apple Scramble is a team-based mode involving apple picking. Players collect apples from Mini Whispy Woods and deliver them to their base. One player can collect apples while the other operates the machine to collect the apples.

Coin Clash
In Coin Clash, Kirbys collect coins in a haunted mansion, but have to avoid the ghost that will drain their money.

Attack Riders
Attack Riders is a mode involving collecting chips from other Kirbys; a vehicle can be driven to give the player an advantage.

Crazy Theater
In Crazy Theater, players have to complete an objective before the timer runs out. When playing in 2-vs-2 mode, the first team to reach 10 points wins. When playing in solo mode, the first player to reach 5 points wins. Objectives include :
 * Attack your rivals!
 * Avoid the blast!
 * Carry X apple(s)!
 * Dodge asteroids!
 * Dodge attacks!
 * Dodge the shocks!
 * Stand on the answer!
 * Strike with B-charge-up!
 * Use B charge-ups on rivals!

Rocket Rumble
In Rocket Rumble, Kirbys collect fuel and take them to their rocket, then ride their rockets to see who gets the highest.

Robo Bonkers
In this mode, players attack Robo Bonkers to obtain points.

Slam Hockey
In Slam Hockey, players knock around a giant puck. Hitting rivals with the puck will result in a slam, which is how players obtain points.

Ore Express
In Ore Express, players collect stacks of ore and dispense them into train cars.

Flagball
In Flagball, players in opposing teams bring a colored ball to their flag.

Online Battle
For the first time in the Kirby series, there is an online multiplayer mode (known as Online Battle), where players can join in matches with others over the internet. To date, there is only a "Ranked Matches" option available in Online Battle, which automatically matches players with each other to compete for Ranking Points. Currently, it is not possible to create custom online lobbies with one player serving as host, or to invite people on the player's 3DS Friend List into games.

In Ranked Matches, after attaining a certain number of experience points, players will gain a Level. A completed match will always give some amount of experience points, though finishing in 1st place will produce far more than finishing in 4th. Each Level advancement awards a bonus of Star Coins for unlocking items in the Collection. With more Levels, the Star Coin prizes gradually increase in value, as do the point requirements for advancing a Level.

There are also Ranking Points, which are intended to give an idea of how skillful and experienced a player is. They are displayed next to players' names before a match starts, visible to all others in the match. Until earning 1000 Ranking Points, even a 4th place loss will still award a small amount of points. After reaching that total, losses will subtract Ranking Points. Disconnecting from a match before it has ended is penalized by a more drastic subtraction of Ranking Points.

When four players have been matched together, each player votes on one of three randomly selected game modes. Using their votes, a roulette decides which game mode will be played. Ranked Matches lack any of the post-game special bonuses awarded in Battle Mode, possibly in the interest of fairness. Perhaps for the same reason, Boost Orbs are not available.

Occasionally, the game will announce upon starting up Ranked Matches that a "Team Battle Frenzy" is taking place. During these events, all matches will be in the 2 vs. 2 team battle format. The schedule for these events has never been stated by HAL Labs or Nintendo.

Demo
"Welcome to Kirby Battle Royale. There are many different ways to play this game. Select Story Mode if you'd like to play the start of the story again. If you'd like to jump straight into battle, select Battle Mode. You can also battle with other players who have a system from the Nintendo 3DS family. You can play the demo version a limited number of time in one day. All right! It's time for you to try out a battle for yourself!"

- Main Menu

The North American demo for Kirby Battle Royale was released on January 4, 2018. In it, the intro of Story Mode can be played along with Battle Arena, Apple Scramble along with Crazy Theater (which is unlocked for 100 Battle Coins). Three Copy Abilities are available: Sword, Cutter along with Beetle (also unlocked for 100 Battle Coins). Demo Tickets, which replenish once a day, must be used to play in Battle Mode. Five are given for Single Player, while seven are given for Multiplayer.

As with the demo of Kirby: Planet Robobot, this demo appeared in 3DS demo kiosks at American retail locations, with unique instruction cards placed nearby.

25th Anniversary Polls
On the Official Kirby Website, there was a poll in which individuals could vote for their favorite Copy Ability; the Copy Ability that wins the poll may have a chance to be added into the game. Copy Abilities in this list which are already included in Kirby Battle Royale are marked with Pink Star (a Kirby face). Copy Abilities marked with Red Circle cannot be added to the game. Every standard Copy Ability except for Smash Bros. is included. Voting was allowed once per day until the poll ended on October 2, 2017. The winner was announced on November 7 (which was Mirror); the ability was added in a free software update December 13, 2017.

On November 14, 2017, another poll was opened, allowing voters to choose a Copy Ability to be added to the game. All Copy Abilities already in the game and Copy Abilities that wouldn't be added anyway were removed from this poll. Voting was allowed once per day until the poll ended on December 2. The winner was announced on January 30 (which was Sleep); the ability was added in a free software update on February 1, 2018.

First Poll
Abilities in Bold were already included in the game before the poll results, abilities followed by a star (*) cannot be added.
 * Animal
 * Archer
 * Backdrop
 * Ball
 * Balloon
 * Beam
 * Beetle
 * Bell
 * Bomb
 * Bubble
 * Burning
 * Circus
 * Cleaning
 * Cook
 * Copy*
 * Crash
 * Cupid
 * Cutter
 * Doctor
 * ESP
 * Fighter
 * Fire
 * Freeze*
 * Ghost*
 * Hammer
 * Hi-Jump
 * Ice
 * Jet
 * Laser
 * Leaf
 * Light*
 * Magic
 * Metal*
 * Mike
 * Mini*
 * Mirror
 * Missile
 * Needle
 * Ninja
 * Paint
 * Parasol
 * Plasma
 * Poison
 * Sleep
 * Spark
 * Spear
 * Stone
 * Suplex
 * Sword
 * Throw
 * Tornado
 * UFO
 * Water
 * Wheel
 * Whip
 * Wing
 * Yo-Yo

Second Poll

 * Animal
 * Archer
 * Backdrop
 * Ball
 * Balloon
 * Beam
 * Bell
 * Bubble
 * Burning
 * Circus
 * Cleaning
 * Cook
 * Crash
 * Cupid
 * ESP
 * Fire
 * Hi-Jump
 * Jet
 * Laser
 * Leaf
 * Magic
 * Mike
 * Missile
 * Needle
 * Paint
 * Plasma
 * Poison
 * Sleep
 * Spark
 * Stone
 * Suplex
 * Throw
 * UFO
 * Water
 * Wheel
 * Wing
 * Yo-Yo

Results
As of November 7, 2017, the highest voted Copy Abilities were:
 * 1) Mirror
 * 2) Yo-Yo
 * 3) Sleep
 * UFO
 * 1) Plasma
 * 2) Wing
 * 3) Cook
 * 4) Suplex
 * 5) Sword
 * 6) Missile

On November 6, the 5th and 4th place winners were announced to be Plasma and UFO, respectively, with the top three announced to be revealed the following day.

On November 7, the entire top 10 Copy Abilities were announced. The top three are Sleep (3rd), Yo-Yo (2nd), and Mirror (1st) ; Mirror will be the second to last ability added to the game. On November 24 and November 28, the top 8 Copy Abilities, in no particular order, were revealed by the Kirby Twitter and the Nintendo of America Twitter respectively. The highest voted Copy Abilities were: On January 30, Sleep was revealed to be the winner, with Yo-Yo in second and Suplex in third. Sleep was the last Copy Ability added to the game.
 * Animal
 * Water
 * ESP
 * Suplex
 * Sleep
 * Paint
 * UFO
 * Yo-Yo

Trivia

 * Excluding 3D Classics: Kirby's Adventure, which released before the launch of Miiverse, Kirby Battle Royale is the only Kirby game for the Nintendo 3DS that did not have a Miiverse community in North America or Japan. This is because the Miiverse service was discontinued on all devices on November 8, 2017, before the game's launch in those regions.
 * Kirby Battle Royale released in Europe five days before Miiverse's discontinuation, so it briefly maintained a community. This was Nintendo's shortest-lived, final first-party Miiverse community. The only community that lasted for a shorter time was that of the third-party game Hiding Out, which was created two days before Miiverse's discontinuation.
 * Kirby Battle Royale is the only Kirby game for the Nintendo 3DS that cannot be played with stereoscopic 3D. As with some other 3DS games that lack the feature, such as Pokemon Sun & Moon, this is done to allocate more available processing power for the game's use, without any of it consumed by the need to render the 3D effect. Consequently, Kirby Battle Royale’s loading times are longer than those of any other 3DS Kirby game, and there is a lengthy transition when accessing the Home Menu or starting/exiting the game.
 * Kirby Battle Royale is also the only Kirby game for the Nintendo 3DS that does not ever run at 60 frames per second, owing to its heavier-than-usual demand on the 3DS hardware.
 * Kirby Battle Royale is the third Kirby game to have an E10+ rating; the others are Kirby's Return to Dream Land and Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition.
 * Kirby Battle Royale is the third Kirby game that did not release in Japan first, and the second game to be released in PAL/Europe first (the first game in both instances being Kirby's Avalanche).
 * Nintendo UK's Copy Ability Poll states that Cleaning Kirby debuted in 2009. This is because Kirby's Dream Land 3, which debuted the ability, was not initially released in Europe. European audiences first got a chance to play it when it was re-released on the Wii Virtual Console in 2009.
 * Nintendo of America's Copy Ability poll has an error in that it states that Parasol debuted in Kirby Super Star and Bomb debuted in Kirby's Adventure. This is an error because the abilities are switched, as Parasol debuted in Kirby's Adventure, and Bomb first appeared in Kirby Super Star.
 * The Japanese title may have been chosen to avoid association with the controversial 2000 film, Battle Royale. However, the "Battle Arena" Battle Mode is called "Battle Royale" in-game in the Japanese version.
 * Despite being one of the first different-colored Kirbys in the series, Red Kirby does not appear in the game, being presumably replaced by Orange Kirby.
 * Meta Knight can be unlocked early by sending him to the save data of the full game in the demo version.
 * Kirby Battle Royale is the first Kirby game to be localized into Dutch.
 * Kirby Battle Royale is the first Kirby game to have two primary attack buttons.
 * Kirby Battle Royale is the only Kirby game besides Kirby Fighters Deluxe where Kirby always has a Copy Ability, contrary to some other games where he never has a Copy Ability.
 * When using the Download Play option for local multiplayer, the ten Game Modes are split up into A and B Packs, with five games in each. Likely due to RAM constraints, each pack must be sent separately to the other players' 3DS systems, and only one can be used at a time.
 * Nintendo of America offered a free download of the exclusive Kirby Battle Royale: May the Best Kirby Win! theme to anyone who pre-purchased the game on the Nintendo eShop. Customers reported that the theme they received called itself by the proper title but was, in actuality, the Kirby: Copy Ability Poll theme; the latter theme was released for free on the game's launch day, making the offer less desirable. The issue was somewhat resolved on January 26, 2018, when Nintendo of America released the theme on the My Nintendo rewards program.
 * A US commercial for Kirby Battle Royale featured a man playing chess with a large puppet or costume of Kirby, which knocks the chessboard over. A second US commercial shows another costume of Kirby playing Rock, Paper, Scissors with a man. Surprisingly, it appears that Kirby wins, despite the fact that he has no fingers to make shapes.
 * In the post-match results screens, the losing characters are shown applauding in a very similar manner to fighters in the Super Smash Bros. series.
 * Wherever possible, Kirby Battle Royale always allows matches to end in a tie, or declares more than one winner (a rather common occurrance in Crazy Theater, and a rare, yet possible occurence in Battle Arena, if two people knock each other out at the same time); the only mode that cannot end in a tie is Flagball. There are no tiebreakers. However, a tie in The Cake Royale will be treated the same way that a loss would, with the League Battle being considered incomplete.
 * Kirby Battle Royale is, thus far, the only Kirby game where Sleep is optimized to be a truly usable Copy Ability. It is also the second game where Sleep is able to heal itself, the first game being Kirby: Squeak Squad.
 * Kirby Battle Royale is the first Kirby game to include an ice-centered ability (Ice) without a fire-centered counterpart (such as Fire or Burning).
 * Almost all of Kirby Battle Royale’s music is unique. The only exceptions are the music that plays in the intro upon being ambushed, which is the Kirby Fighters Deluxe theme and Meta Knight themes from Kirby: Planet Robobot.