For what seems like an eternity now, Nintendo has been supporting Tetris 99 with new themes based around its upcoming games. Every so often, another “Maximus Cup” event will run that allows players to unlock a new theme by earning 100 points during online competition. It’s a fun little way to revisit an old classic, not to mention a great way to promote upcoming Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 releases with little marketing. One catch, though, is that these themes typically remain locked behind their events and cannot be earned once the weekend is up.
That’s what makes the 49th Maximus Cup different: players will have the chance to earn three previous Kirby themes again.
The #Tetris99 49th MAXIMUS CUP gives you another chance to earn past in-game themes! This time, you only need 20 points to earn each. @Tetris_Official
Round 1: Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Round 2: Kirby's Dream Buffet
Round 3: Kirby's Return to Dream Land DeluxeEvent… pic.twitter.com/6g0TEEQfNO
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) August 26, 2025
As announced on Nintendo’s official Twitter account, the upcoming Maximus Cup event for the weekend of August 29th, 2025, will feature three older Kirby themes for players who missed out. These will be the themes based on Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Kirby’s Dream Buffet, and Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe. Each theme will be available for one day and, unlike previous events, will only require 20 points to unlock. That only requires you to place in the top 25, so it’s not even a tough requirement.
As you can see in the embedded tweet, three rounds will run for 24 hours and allow players to nab each theme. First will be Forgotten Land, then Dream Buffet, and the event will close out with Return to Dreamland Deluxe. All of these date back to before 2023, so it’s been quite some time since they were last obtainable.
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
