Kirby Fighters 2

2020 video game

HAL Laboratory
Vanpool

Publisher(s)NintendoDirector(s)

Tadashi Kawai
Yumi Todo
Jun Taniguchi

Producer(s)

Tadashi Kamitake
Jun Tsuda
Toyokazu Nonaka
Akira Kinashi

Designer(s)Natsuki TsujiProgrammer(s)Yohei FukudaComposer(s)

Kiyoshi Hazemoto
Hirokazu Ando
Yuki Shimooka
Jun Ishikawa

SeriesKirbyPlatform(s)Nintendo SwitchReleaseSeptember 23, 2020Genre(s)Fighting gameMode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Kirby Fighters 2 is a 2020 fighting game for the Nintendo Switch and is the direct sequel to Kirby Fighters Deluxe. Developed by HAL Laboratory and Vanpool and published by Nintendo, the game features characters and assets from the Kirby franchise and uses the Super Kirby Clash game engine. The game released worldwide in September 2020, but was accidentally leaked prior on the Play Nintendo website.

Gameplay

Kirby Fighters 2 is a platform fighting game for up to four players from the Kirby series through local and online networks. Each player can choose an ability based on copy abilities from prior Kirby games, as well as a new ability called Wrestler Kirby, and each comes with a different moveset. While most characters are different variants of Kirby, additional characters such as King Dedede and Meta Knight are playable as well.^[1]

Development and release

Kirby Fighters 2 was developed by HAL Laboratory and Vanpool, and published by Nintendo, using the Super Kirby Clash game engine. The game released worldwide on September 23, 2020, on the Nintendo eShop, six years after the previous title, Kirby Fighters Deluxe. Shortly after, the game received a free demo.^[2] Although the game was released in September, the game was accidentally showcased on the Play Nintendo website as a downloadable title prior to release.^[3]

Game developer Tadashi Kawai created a blog post describing the development process of Kirby Fighters 2. He wrote how the "single-player mode evolved from the idea that "this is a multiplayer game, but I want to develop a mode that is fun, even when playing alone." He also described the game's development during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, when all developers were remote workers.^[4]

Reception

Aggregate score
Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	65/100^[5]

Review scores
Publication	Score
GameSpot	6/10^[6]
Hardcore Gamer	4/5^[9]
Nintendo Life	8/10^[8]
Nintendo World Report	6.5/10^[10]
Shacknews	5/10^[7]

The game was met by "mixed or average" reviews, according to the review aggregator Metacritic.^[5]

References

^ Shea, Brian (23 September 2020). "Kirby Fighters 2 Announced And Released". Game Informer.
^ Craddock, Ryan (21 October 2020). "Free Demo For Kirby Fighters 2 Appears On The Switch eShop". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
^ Doolan, Liam (23 September 2020). "Oops! Nintendo Seems To Have Accidentally Revealed Kirby Fighters 2". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
^ Sephazon, Robert (24 September 2020). "Read HAL's Translated Blog Post On The Creation Of Kirby Fighters 2". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
^ ^a ^b "Kirby Fighters 2". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 21 February 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
^ Button, Chris (23 September 2020). "Kirby Fighters 2 Review – 2 Kirby 2 Furious". GameSpot.
^ Mejia, Ozzie (28 September 2020). "Kirby Fighters 2 review: Throw in the pink towel". Shacknews. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
^ Scullion, Chris (28 September 2020). "Kirby Fighters 2 Review (Switch eShop)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 20 November 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
^ Swalley, Kristin (28 September 2020). "Review: Kirby Fighters 2". Hardcore Gamer.
^ Morningstar, Xander (11 October 2020). "Kirby Fighters 2 (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2020.