Kirby might not carry quite the same level of prestige as Nintendo’s most famous platforming mascot, but you’d be hard pressed to find a reason why in Kirby: Triple Deluxe. It’s as inventive as platformers come, unashamedly making use of just about every piece of 3D trickery around to craft some wildly unique, colorful, and thoroughly masterful levels. More impressive is how Triple Deluxe makes such trickery seem absolutely effortless: there are some very clever moments here, but they never come at the expense of solid platforming.

It helps that you’re introduced to Triple Deluxe’s 3D charms gradually. Early levels are standard Kirby fare, where you leap around smashing star boxes and generally making life miserable for your enemies by swallowing them whole and spitting them out a…