During the Nintendo Direct that took place on March 8th, 2018, Nintendo announced that there will be multiple playable characters in the side-scrolling, 2.5D platforming brawler. The game will include many fan-favorites, including King Dedede and Meta Knight as playable characters.

During the video we learn that many characters will be added to the game post-launch, including Rick, Kine and Coo, from Kirby’s Dream Land 2 on the Nintendo Game Boy, Marx from Kirby Super Star, and Gooey from Kirby’s Dream Land 3 on the SNES. This is in addition to King Dedede and Meta Knight also joining Kirby in his adventures. The first character update will be made free starting March 28th.

You can check out the brief trailer showcasing the additional playable characters, who will eventually make their way into the title after Kirby Star Allies launches on March 16th for the Nintendo Switch, courtesy of ProsafiaGaming.

The addition of the new and returning characters would likely make a ton of Kirby fans moist around the thumbs.

It’s not hard to see that the game has a strong appeal for gamers who enjoy a mixture of brawling combat and platform-oriented gameplay. In a way Kirby Star Allies is a lot similar to New Super Mario Bros. where the focus is on cooperative platforming and utilizing teamwork to get through the levels.

Of course, in Kirby Star Allies there’s a much more dedicated focus on brawling and beating the crap out of anything in your way. I especially love the fact that a lot of Meta Knight’s moves seem to come directly from Super Smash Bros. Brawl. I love it.

I don’t know if this is the sort of game that will have wide appeal on a hybrid console like the Nintendo Switch, but it will release come March 16th next Friday. A free demo for Kirby Star Allies is available to download right now from the Nintendo eShop.