It is time to revisit another classic Nintendo character game from the Wii with Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe. The original game was released back in October of 2011 and was recently remade and added to the Nintendo Switch in February of 2023. Yet another classic game gets rereleased for a newer console so it is time to see whether or not this game holds up as good as other Wii games turned Switch games. So come back with me to Dream Land with Kirby and let’s find out if this game still holds up.
The story of Kirby’s Return to Dream Land is that a spaceship called the Lor Starcutter crashes onto Kirby’s home planet of Popstar. Kirby, Meta Knight, King Dedede, and Bandana Waddle Dee proceed to investigate the ship and discover an alien named Magolor. His ship lost five vital pieces and 120 energy spheres and it is up to Kirby and his friends to help Magolor repair his ship and figure out exactly what happened to his ship that forced it to crash.
The gameplay of Kirby’s Return to Dreamland has a lot to it. 1.) pressing the A button allows Kirby to jump, the more the button is pressed the higher Kirby goes. Pressing the B button while in the air allows Kirby to drop down quicker which is helpful when wanting to avoid air obstacles. 2.) Holding the B button activates Kirby’s iconic copy ability which lets Kirby suck up and use the abilities of whoever or whatever he ingests. He can also ingest projectiles that can be shot back at enemies by pressing B. The B button also acts as the attack button once Kirby ingests an ability he can either use either a light attack by pressing it or unleash a heavy attack by holding it down. 3.) Holding the X button allows Kirby to access an inventory of items which provides him with items from energy drinks that can restore his stamina to a crackler which gives Kirby a projectile weapon that can destroy any enemies and blocks in his path. 4.) Pressing the Y button allows Kirby to drop whatever ability he as equipped and drop whatever item he is holding in his hands. 5.) Finally there is the joystick which not only lets the player move left or right it also lets Kirby interact with doors and people by moving it upwards. It also lets Kirby drop down quicker by pressing it downwards.
There are 26 standard copy abilities that Kirby can use, two of which never appeared in the original Wii version and one that debuted in Kirby Star Allies. There are also five Super abilities that give Kirby the power to wipe out an entire screen filled with enemies and any structures in his path. Another thing about this game is that Kirby is not the only playable character Meta Knight, King Dedede and Bandana Waddle Dee are all playable with their own unique weapons and advantages especially in co-op mode. Magolor also becomes playable in the Epilogue after completing the story mode of the game.
When it comes to the exploration of Kirby’s Return to Dream Land there are a total of 7 worlds each with several stages that each have a certain number of galactic gears out of 120 that can be collected to access special challenge rooms and mini games for single player or multiplayer fun.
There are multiple game modes within Kirby’s Return to Dream Land. There are six game modes; Story mode, The Arena which is a boss rush mode with limited recovery items, Extra mode which access the mode Magolor Epilogue: The Interdimensional Traveler which is unlocked after completing the story mode, The True Arena and finally Merry Magoland. Merry Magoland is an area where Kirby can play mini games with either local co-op or online with up to 3 more players. At Merry Magoland Kirby can earn items and masks through playing mini games that can be worn in the story mode at anytime by any player that joins the game. There are a total of 18 items in the game and 90 character masks.
The visuals for the game have been greatly improved since it’s Wii release with many of the colors and textures standing out. The game almost looks like a classic comic book with many colors that pop out in a beautiful way. The audio and sound effects of the game have also been greatly improved with many of the sound effects and audio improved from the original especially when Kirby goes under water and he sounds like he is under water.
Overall I had a really fun time playing this game. I enjoyed all the stages and levels as well as the mini games which all had their own unique challenges. I also enjoyed the overall atmosphere and aesthetic of the game and hope there are more games like this for Kirby in the future.
Overall Grade: 9 out of 10
Reviewed On: Nintendo Switch