The pink blob is back, he’s hungry and he’s ready to fight for a bite of that sweet deluxe cake in Dedede’s Cake Royale tournament. But the king isn’t making it easy for him, cranking out Kirby copies to square off against in an array of minigame challenges and battles. Here are a few tips you can use to push past those imposters and fast-track your way to the top.
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The right tool for the job
Playing through the game’s single-player campaign, the Cake Royale, you’ll unlock a slew of classic Kirby abilities for use in both the main story and in the game’s separate online and battle modes. With a potential 13 abilities to choose from, it pays to know which one to use in the right situation across each of the game’s various event types.
Sword
Don’t discredit the first ability the game gives you; its Spin Slash (hold/release B) is great if you can pull it off in amidst your foes as it inflicts high damage, knocks opponents back and stuns them all at the same time.
Where Sword really shines though is with its vertical attacks. Both Cleave (B, B, B) and Sword Spin (B during jump) are perfect for repelling opponents in vertical stages like Flagball and, to a lesser degree, Attack Riders and Robo Bonkers.
Beetle
Best serves newer players yet to unlock some of the more advanced abilities. Rocket Horn (hold/release B) holds particular potency in Battle Arena or as a means of ousting rival teams from answer panels and the like in Crazy Theatre.
Fighter
Ideal for Coin Clash, Robo Bonkers and Attack Riders, where moving around the arena quickly is key.
Fighter’s basic Kick move (Y) both inflicts damage and allows for fast horizontal movement around any arena.
Whip
This should be your go-to choice whenever Ore Express is on the cards. Kirby’s whip grants the additional reach needed to snap up precious ore right out from underneath your opponent’s grasp by using Whip Grab (Y).
Alternatively, pick up and throw your opponents with the same attack.
Parasol
Great for defensive players, making it the ideal choice for your first playthrough of the later stages of the main campaign. Parasol Barrier (hold B) holds value in rounds where deflecting projectiles may come into play, such as Crazy Theatre (apples), Rocket Rumble (fuel/bombs), Robo Bonkers (missiles) and Ore Express (ore).
Parasol Drill (hold/release B) is also a powerful move within Battle Arena, ensuring you remain protected before slamming into and moving your opponents around the arena.
Hammer
Offers many of the same benefits as Sword but with far more punch in every hit. Best used in conjunction with a teammate wielding a faster weapon as each attack requires a longer windup and leaves you vulnerable for longer after every swing.
Ice
It’s no surprise that Ice is the final ability you unlock within the Cake Royale. Ice Wall is the perfect power to pull off in the midst of a round of Apple Scramble. Especially on the stages where a single point against you is an automatic loss.
The moment the round starts, sprint over to the nearest choke point between your opponent’s tree and their trap doors or lever. Once both opponents are gathering apples, throw up an Ice Wall (hold/release B) to temporarily block their route back.
When the wall eventually does shatter, use Ice Ball (Y) to push your opponents back far enough to throw up another Ice Wall whilst all the while your teammate is happily gathering and depositing apples into your own trap door for an easy win (which is less of a guarantee if you’re playing alongside a low-level AI companion – they’re not the brightest sparks on the battlefield).
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