Last year, Kirby and the Forgotten Land brought the beloved Kirby series into 3D for the first time, receiving very positive reviews, including from us here at iGamesNews, as it exceeded the expectations of critics and fans worldwide. Prior to this, while the main Kirby titles were 2D platformers, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land (2011) on the Nintendo Wii was one of the best-received games in the franchise. As it soon makes its way to the Nintendo Switch on February 24, 2023 with an enhanced HD remaster, let’s find out if Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe is truly a dream come true, or should it return to the land of nostalgia from whence it came.
When a spaceship crashes on Planet Popstar, Kirby and his friends offer to help the mysterious owner of the ship, Magolor, find the missing parts of the craft scattered around the world in order to restart it. If you want an interesting and compelling story to tie into your adventure, the main story doesn’t go beyond a simple, general explanation of your motivations. That’s not to say there isn’t any lore if you’re looking for it, quite the contrary, but the gameplay is what makes Kirby’s Return to Dreamland shine the brightest, and I personally enjoyed it the most.
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe is a level-based side-scrolling platformer where your goal is to reach the end of the stage; defeating enemies, collecting items and finding secrets in the process. As with most games of this genre, Kirby has a set number of lives that can easily be increased by collecting 100 stars or finding a hidden 1-Up. You will lose one of your lives if you fall off a stage, get crushed by a moving platform, or have your health bar drained by enemy attacks. Almost every level feels different from the last, complete with imaginative aesthetics and upbeat music that you can’t help but smile while listening to. Right from the start, Kirby has his standard moveset of jumping, hovering, inhaling, swallowing, spitting, sliding, guarding and dodging, with the real thrill of course coming from his signature copying abilities.
There are a total of 26 copy ability power-ups that can be discovered and used throughout the levels, three of which did not appear in the original; they are Mecha, Sand, and Festival (which come from Kirby Star Allies). As always, copy abilities can be obtained by inhaling and swallowing selected enemies or picking one up from a pod. Each one is completely unique, with a surprisingly robust set of attacks, and there wasn’t one that I particularly disliked. All of them are satisfying to use as you work your way through the stages. Along with copy abilities, you’ll also come across several Super Abilities, mechanics that were created exclusively for Return to Dreamland, and they’re an absolute blast to use, making you feel super powerful.
With the exception of boss fights, the main stages contain hidden energy spheres, and by finding them you can unlock a number of different modes, including special rooms dedicated to testing your copy abilities and challenge stages to really test your skills. These side stages aren’t inherently difficult, but getting a score high enough to earn a gold medal isn’t exactly a walk in the park. I found the Challenge Stages to be a nice change of pace to try every time I collected enough energy spheres to unlock another one.
While the main story is relatively short at just 5-10 hours, luckily there’s more where that came from, with plenty of other exciting ways to explore, including Extra Mode and Arena. What is commonly known as New Game+ in many other games, Extra Mode (unlocked after completing 70% of the main story) allows you to replay the entire game with a number of changes that make it much more difficult. Arena is a boss chase mode (unlocked after completing the main story) that pits you against famous bosses one after another. If you’re looking for an even bigger challenge, you can also try The True Arena (unlocked after completing the additional mode) for an even tougher boss chase.
If you’re one of the 1.79 million Wii owners who bought the original Kirby’s Return to Dreamland, you might be wondering what’s so different about the Deluxe version that it’s worth a double dip. Thankfully, not only is the game now beautifully remastered in HD with updated graphics and detail, Nintendo and HAL Laboratory have also added enough new content to justify costing the same as other controversially priced Switch ports. This includes Magolor Epilogue: The Interdimensional Traveler, a brand new story mode you’ll unlock after completing the main game, as well as Merry Magoland, an amusement park full of highly competitive Mario Party-style multiplayer minigames.
As expected, Magolor Epilogue: The Interdimensional Traveler isn’t as extensive as the main game, but it’s a welcome addition that certainly adds a lot of value to the overall package. Starting with nothing more than a basic attack and jump, in this mode you play as an interdimensional traveling Magolor, who has lost all his powers between dimensions. As you progress through more than 20 unique stages, you slowly acquire and upgrade Magolor’s magical skills by collecting magical spheres dropped by enemies you defeat. The Magolor Epilogue stages are just as imaginative and inspired as those in the main game, but with an interdimensional twist, and I thoroughly enjoyed playing as Magolor.
Merry Magoland includes a total of 10 subgames from the entire Kirby series, and as mentioned before, they are very reminiscent of the minigames you’d find in a Mario Party title. Each subgame can be played alone or with up to 3 friends locally, with multiple difficulty options available. The more you play, the more you earn, as you complete the Stamp Rally card to win masks for your characters to wear. Stamps are collected simply by playing, but you can collect even more by completing the total of 100 available missions. While the subgames aren’t very detailed, they’re all replayable for short bursts of fun, especially if you’re the type of person who likes to work on collecting collectibles. If you want to try out Merry Magoland for yourself, you can play the two subgames via a free demo version available now at Nintendo eShop
It should also be mentioned that the entire main story, as well as the Magolor Epilogue, can also be played with up to four players on a single system. When you play the main story, your friends can play as King Dedede, Meta Knight, or Bandana Waddle Dee, and when you play Magolor Epilogue, you all play as Magolor of different colors. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to gather enough friends to try out the local multiplayer modes myself, but I can only assume that Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe is even more exciting and chaotic with a group of friends or family to share it with.
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe gives a beautiful new coat of paint to one of the most charming 2D platformers of the Wii era. It features expertly crafted level design, fun and easy-to-use mechanics, and incredibly cute, colorful environments that offer a great escape from the often exhausting tasks of the real world. While the main story may not be difficult enough to appeal to more demanding players, it’s still an absolute joy to play from start to finish, and the additional content has enough challenges to mean there’s something for everyone. Irresistible and delightful, Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe has the itch for Kirby greatness as we patiently await the next great original adventure with our favorite pink puffer friend.
8.5/10
A review copy of Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe was provided by Nintendo UK.
