If there's two things Nintendo's platforming star Kirby's known for, it's his pinkness and his insatiable appetite. While the former is fairly self-explanatory, it's the latter that forms the basis of pretty much every Kirby game ever. You see, the Kirbster is a unique being, with a rather unusual digestive tract - not only is it a bottomless void able to absorb the powers of his swallowed enemies and give him the ability to use said powers as his own, it also, somehow, results in an instantaneous wardrobe change. Depending on which bad guy he swallows, he may be blessed with a massive sword to swing around, the ability to shoot lasers or a pocket full of explosive bombs - but what's even stranger is how that manages to affect his appearance. Whether it's a Link-style green cap, a jester's hat or a pair of fuzzy animal ears, he seems to have a never-ending supply of headgear - and no obvious pockets to keep them in.
But bad guys aren't all he eats. Packing away anything from hamburgers and cherries to bricks and bombs, it seems his stomach is the very definition of an indestructible tardis of enemy devouring pain. Thanks to the TV show, we know that Kirby's innards are akin to a big, black void, although quite how the rest of his digestive system works still remains a mystery. What we do know though, is that he'll eat pretty much anything you put in front of him, sometimes getting himself in a pickle because of it - and his newest 3DS game, Kirby Triple Deluxe, is no exception. Here's a run down of the top five strangest things we've seen the little guy swallow so far:
Beetles
Looks painful...
While we couldn't stomach chowing down on a creepy crawly or two, eating insects is apparently a delicacy enjoyed in many parts of the world - a delicacy that Kirby is all too happy to sample for himself... When he gobbles up a beetle, his unique copy ability means he can harness the power of the "king of the bugs", in the form of a rhino beetle-like horned helmet. With it he can charge at enemies, knocking them up into the air or stacking them up on his horn, before slamming them down into the ground. Beetle Kirby also has the added advantage of a pair of wings, letting him flutter up the screen in an albeit rather pointless display - after all, even without any special powers, he can blow himself up like a balloon and wave his chubby little arms to float around the level. We suppose the Beetle transformation gives his little limbs a much-needed rest at least.
Can Kirby Eat It? Yes he can!
Clowns
Show off.
In much the same vein as beetles, Kirby's new Circus transformation happens when he swallows a clown. Having never tasted one ourselves, we kind of imagine they a papery flavour, sort of like confetti, perhaps vaguely reminiscent of those 'Rainbow Drops' we ate as children that tasted like coloured polystyrene. Kirby doesn't seem to care though, quickly donning a silky Big Top for a makeshift hat, before bonking his enemies with juggling batons, leaping through flaming hoops and over-inflating balloon animals, which damage nearby enemies when they pop. The only downside is that the orange and purple Big Top hat doesn't really suit him, and Kirby also has an annoying tendency to backflip off any nearby cliffs while doing his clowning around.
Can Kirby Eat It? Yes he can!
Bells
Bell-tastic.
Mmmm, crunchy. High in iron and low in calories, Bells aren't particularly high on our list of things we'd like for tea, but our pink pot-bellied protagonist doesn't seem to care, all too happy to gorge himself on this particular breed of chiming enemies. Another one of his new powers, the Bell transformation gives Kirby a whole new arsenal of musical moves, which mostly seem to involve giving his enemies a bit of a bell-ting (ho ho ho). Sending sound waves scattering round the screen, you can knock out whole swathes of enemies with his Ding Finale, chuck his hand bells at far away enemies or even use them to whack underwater baddies - and lets not forget a large metal bell makes the perfect thing to hide in if you want to avoid enemy attacks.
Can Kirby Eat It? Yes he can!
Snowman heads
Make sure you get the heads the right way round...
From the title, it's sounds less cute and cuddly platformer and more sinister, but we can assure you that it was easily one of the most adorable puzzles we had to solve in the game. Slipping and sliding through a snow covered level, we came across several snowman bodies whose heads had all been misplaced. Fortunately for the snow people, their heads are three times the size of Kirby, and as such are far too large for even our pint sized hero's appetite. Instead, he resorts to his tried and tested vacuum-like mouth to pull each decapitated head around, eventually reuniting the two parts of the snowman, resulting in happy faces, extra lives and even a couple of collectables. In the world of Dream Land, it pays to be a good Samaritan.
Can Kirby Eat It? Kind of...
Trains
Next stop - Kirby's stomach.
Or more specifically, trains decorated with the faces of Kirby's enemies. In one wild west-themed level, we found a number of Waddle Dee themed steam trains hurtling across the screen, threatening to flatten our porky puffball as he crossed the tracks. But not even the legendary pink eating machine can't tackle a whole train - at least not without a bit of help. Gulping down one of Triple Deluxe's brand-spanking new Hypernova fruits, a brightly coloured berry that only grows in certain spots, his super sucking stomach gets kicked up several notches, pulling everything in sight into his black hole belly - trains included. Crazy, but that's how it goes.
Can Kirby Eat It? Yes he can! (With the help of a Hypernova fruit)--------------------------
Hungry for more? Marking the pink puff's first foray onto the 3DS, Kirby Triple Deluxe is out now for the Nintendo 3DS - stay turned for our review tomorrow!
