Kirby has been getting a lot of love from Nintendo over the past year having starred in the critically-acclaimed Kirby and the Forgotten Land and even in smaller titles like Kirby’s Dream Buffet. The pink puffball isn’t done quite yet though as Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe is out now on the Nintendo Switch bringing one of the better Wii games to modern audiences. Here’s our review of what you’re getting in the enhanced Switch version.
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe sends Kirby back to his 2D roots as you’ll be playing through levels in the traditional side-scrolling format as opposed to 3D like Forgotten Land was. For those unfamiliar with the original game the story revolves around a being named Magolor who’s ship has crash landed in Dreamland. Kirby and friends have to help track down the missing ship pieces so Magolor can return home. Yes, I said Kirby and friends as this game is playable with up to four players locally (sadly no online support still) with the others being able to control Meta Knight, Bandana Waddle Dee, and King Dedede. That is how it was in the original game at least but now any number of players can play as Kirby too which was a smart change as many players want the ability to use Kirby’s copy abilities.
There are plenty of those copy abilities to gain too with powers ranging from fire, ice, electric, and more along with physical abilities like the sword. The Switch version also introduces two brand-new copy abilities with those being Sand which speaks for itself and Mecha that lets you shoot lasers and rockets. Being able to have all four players play as Kirby and use these wide range of abilities is a blast and that alone makes this much better than the Wii version. The additions don’t stop there though as there are many more new features one of which is the Helper accessibility feature. This is most likely intended for less skilled players and sees Magolor swoop in to rescue you from a fall or to give you health. You don’t have to use this but things like this are always nice to see for those who want to enable it.
Other new additions include an Epilogue where you get to play as Magolor and Merry Magoland where is a hub area where you can play some mini-games with your friends. The Epilogue is playable after you finish the main game and sees Magolor having to platform through challenging stages to regain his powers. You gain magic points as you progress and use these to upgrade your abilities. You can still play this mode with up to four players too and while it isn’t very long, it is challenging. Merry Magoland on the other hand lets you play mini-games from across the series like Samurai Kirby, Cbeckerboard Chase, Smash Ride, and others and rewards you with wearable cosmetic masks for your characters. It’s a fun addition and helps to change things up from the traditional side-scrolling gameplay for everyone. Outside of all that you also get the Extra mode which ups the difficulty of the whole game and some fun extras like the Jukebox and Theater.
Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe is a welcome remaster of one Kirby’s better adventures and makes some smart additions to make the whole package more enjoyable. Letting everyone play as Kirby and use his copy abilities is fun and the addition of the new Magolor modes helps to bring some different gameplay to the mix. If you missed out on this one over a decade ago or just want to revisit your memories of it with some new additions then you can’t go wrong with adding this one to your Switch library.
*Kirby’s Return To Dream Land Deluxe is available now on Nintendo Switch. Nintendo Switch version reviewed. Review copy provided by Nintendo for this review.
Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe
$59.99
Pros
- Fun and simple 2D Kirby gameplay for up to four players locally
- Everyone can play as Kirby and use his copy abilities now
- New playable Magolor content is welcome
- Looks much better visually over original release
- Helpful assist features for those who are less skilled
Cons
- No online support
- Not very challenging until you unlock the other mode
