Kirby has never been more popular than now.
Last years Kirby and the Forgotten Land is already the pink blob’s best-selling game of all time, but as enjoyable as that 3D adventure was, Kirby fans knew in their hearts that Kirby’s true home was a side-scrolling 2D platformer, and this “latest” offering is further proof of why. .
We say “latest” with inverted commas because Return to Dream Land Deluxe isn’t an entirely new game – it’s a major remaster of the somewhat underrated Wii title released in 2011.
It may have been over a decade since the game was originally released, but the solid gameplay is timeless, and it seems like all that’s needed is a fresh coat of paint for an entertaining adventure.
Buy Kirby Return to Dream Land Deluxe
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe (Nintendo Switch)
In case you missed it the first time, Kirby’s Return to Dreamland tells the story of Magolor, a spaceship whose starship Lor Starcutter crashes into Kirby’s planet Popstar.
Magolor says he will take Kirby and his friends on a trip to their home planet Halcandra if they can help him recover the scattered pieces of his ship. There may be more to it, but that would be telling.
Experience typical Kirby platforming as players make their way through seven hovering worlds, inhaling enemies and stealing their powers.
The most obvious difference to those who played the Wii version is the jump in visual detail. At first glance it might look like a straight remaster, but put the game next to the original and it’s clearly something much more important than the base job. The landscapes have been recreated in more detail, for starters.
There are also a few new additions to the game that weren’t in the Wii version, including a couple of new abilities. One of these, the Mech suit, makes its debut here and may actually be our favorite Kirby ability ever, such a ridiculous way to power up his flying and attacking abilities.
In many ways, Return to Dream Land Deluxe is exactly what you would expect from a game in this series. The main story mode isn’t much of a challenge for platforming veterans—we beat the game with 78 lives to spare—but since the first Game Boy title in 1992, the series has always been created with newcomers in mind (both for Kirby and the genre in general).
As such, the story mode is a perfect starting point for younger players – if you’re older looking for something forgiving enough to avoid getting too frustrated early on, this is definitely it.
This is further strengthened by the fact that the story can be played by up to four players simultaneously, with King Dedede, Metaknight and Bandana Waddle Dee making up the necessary numbers. This makes it an ideal game for parents, children and siblings to play together.
It’s not quite perfect – by the time you reach the credits, you’ll have experienced some repetition, particularly in that many stages have a hidden wormhole section where you pass a moving void and then face a mini-boss called the Sphere Doomer. .
“Story Mode is the perfect starting point for younger players – if you’re older looking for something forgiving enough to avoid getting too frustrated early on, this is definitely it.”
This happens about 15 times throughout the main story mode, and even though the void section and the Sphere Doomer fight change each time, it can still feel like you’re going through a lot of the same motions. It’s not a deal breaker by any means, as these sections are still fun, but the lack of variety is a little disappointing.
In terms of easy difficulty, those looking for more of a challenge (or any challenge at all) are served by the game’s many other modes, most of which unlock once Story mode is beaten.
Extra Mode is a more challenging version of the main game, with various tweaks and secrets added to keep it interesting, while Arena mode offers a series of boss battles that must be defeated one after the other.
With all that in mind (plus some extra secrets we won’t reveal here), there’s definitely still a challenge to be found for more experienced players – they just need to put in the 7-8 hours needed to win. main story first.
For those who owned the Wii version and are wondering what’s different, two new modes have been created just for the Switch version, including a post-game mode called Magolor Epilogue: The Interdimensional Traveler.
In the same way that Bowser’s Fury was attached to the Switch port of Super Mario 3D World and offered players a different take on Mario gameplay, Magolor Epilogue is a reasonably sized, all-new adventure with different mechanics than the main adventure.
Here, players control Magolor, who starts out very weak. By defeating enemies and collecting the “magic points” they leave behind, players can use those points to upgrade Magolor’s abilities, furthering the leveling process of the RPG-lite.
Also new is Merry Magoland, an amusement park mode where players can choose from a selection of mini-games spanning the history of the Kirby series.
Each of these mini-games has its own achievements, and completing them earns the player tickets that can be used to unlock masks for other Kirby characters. Once you’ve selected a mask, you can put it on and take it off during gameplay – even during main modes – by pressing in on the right stick. These masks are a silly addition, but they made us laugh, so we’re all for it.
Buy Kirby Return to Dream Land Deluxe
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe (Nintendo Switch)
All of this comes together in a remake that offers much more than a simple refresh of everything that was available over a decade ago. A lot of work has been done here to make this a feature-rich package with enough additional content to really make it worth dipping into if you own the Wii game.
As a first game for a younger player or a newcomer looking to get into the platforming genre, there’s little better to offer, while those looking for a challenge will eventually get one after spending hours working their way through the original Story mode. .
Completing 100% in both Story and Extra modes, clearing Arena battles, earning every ticket in minigame mode, and unlocking every mask takes a lot of time regardless of skill level. worth your money.
