Kirby’s Return to Dream Land marked a turning point for Kirby when it released on the Wii in 2011. Previous entries had mostly deviated from the traditional formula fans had come to expect, and tended to vary in quality from title to title. Return to Dream Land brought the series back to its fundamentals, eventually paving the way to the fantastic Kirby: Triple Deluxe, and its spiritual sequel Kirby: Planet Robobot.
Kirby’s come a long way since, with its first fully 3D entry in the form of Kirby and the Forgotten Land launching last year on the Switch. With a successful transition to the third dimension, and a relatively underwhelming 2D entry in Star Allies, it feels all too right for Return to Dream Land to receive the deluxe treatment. While the value proposition is questionable for those looking to double-dip, the end result is a content-packed experience that’s as timeless as it is charming, and one worth jumping into for any new fans of the franchise.
After watching an interdimensional ship known as the Lor Starcutter crash on planet Popstar, Kirby, Meta Knight, King Dedede, and Bandana Dee go to investigate. The pilot of the ship, Magalor, reveals to the gang that parts of the ship have been scattered across Popstar, and he can’t return home until the Starcutter is repaired. Selfless as ever, Kirby and co. set off to find the missing pieces in exchange for a trip to Magalor’s home world of Halcandra.
It’s a standard Kirby plot that any fan of the series can predict from the outset, but that doesn’t stop it from being a heartwarming little adventure across Popstar. It largely serves as the backdrop for the gameplay, but it’s cool to see Kirby’s mainstay villains set aside their differences to help Magalor. Throw in some revamped cutscenes and a few late-game story beats to keep things moving, and you end up with a cute little adventure about friendship and camaraderie that feels right at home in a Kirby game.
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe is largely the same experience as the original when it comes to the main story, with a few new bells and whistles to boot. It’s a very traditional 2D Kirby game, with a heap of Copy Abilities, collectibles to hunt down, bosses to battle, and platforming challenges to overcome. It’s a bit of mindless fun when playing solo that never overstays its welcome, but the game really excels in cooperative play, where all manner of chaos unfolds as you move through levels that introduce new mechanics and ideas that keeps you on your toes.
The Copy Abilities are where Return to Dream Land really shines. There’s a truckload of them to play with here, some of them new to the Deluxe version, but each one feels unique and fleshed out. It keeps the level to level progression varied, and it feels like there’s always something new to learn with each new ability you encounter. It all comes to a head with Super Abilities, where swallowing Super enemies grants Kirby temporary Copy Abilities that are vastly stronger than usual, allowing you to completely decimate enemies with attacks that fill the screen in glorious fashion.
While Kirby has never been about difficulty, Return to Dream Land has a noticeably flat difficulty curve throughout the main story, that only picks up a little bit towards the end. Part of this is due to the Super Abilities, but Return to Dream Land doesn’t go out of its way to challenge you in general, even when it comes down to hunting the Energy Spheres hiding in each level. There is decent incentive for collecting these, though, as they unlock doors on the Lor Starcutter that grant access to Copy Ability rooms and most notably – Copy Ability Challenges.
These are short and sweet platforming challenges that really test your aptitude with individual Copy Abilities. The idea is to make it to the goal with as many points as possible, through defeating enemies, collecting coins, and avoiding damage. It’s easy enough to get bronze and silver rankings for these, but the real chase comes from hunting down the gold ranks. The need for efficient use of Copy Abilities and precise platforming kept me coming back attempt after attempt so I could reach the ever-tantalising gold ranks for each challenge.
The two biggest inclusions in this package, come in the form of Helper Magalor and the Magalor Epilogue. The former serves as a helper mode where Magalor can double Kirby’s health, prevent him from falling into bottomless pits, as well as providing Copy Abilities during boss fights. Helper Magalor is an entirely optional inclusion, but one that’s much appreciated, and will no doubt help those who make use of it. The Magalor Epilogue is where a bulk of the new content lies, and unlocks upon completion of the main story.
The Magalor Epilogue is a thoroughly enjoyable 2-3 hours that Kirby fans are bound to love. Set after the events of the main story, Magalor wakes up in a realm between dimensions without his powers. You’ll traverse bite-sized levels and collect Magic Points that can be used to further upgrade Magalor’s abilities. Similar to the Copy Ability Challenges, each level in the Magalor Epilogue is ranked based on the amount of Magic Points you accrue in each level. You’ll find hitting higher ranks quite difficult early on, but as you progress through the worlds and unlock new abilities for Magalor, you can return to these stages to go after even higher scores.
There’s quite a bit to upgrade here, and the wide selection of abilities you can improve lends some player choice to the experience. Running through to the credits is fun enough as is, but it can’t be understated how satisfying it is to return to prior stages to get better rankings. You’ll rack up high combo counts that yield more Magic Points, gain access to powerful new abilities, and wipe the floor with bosses who initially proved more difficult the first time around due to Magalor’s limited skill-set. It’s a great inclusion with a decent chunk of playtime if you look to get the highest ranks on each stage, and also ties up the narrative quite nicely by the end of it all.
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A Kirby game isn’t a Kirby game without all the extra modes and subgames to play around with as well. Return to Dream Land Deluxe does not disappoint in this regard, with the series staple Arena Mode, Extra Mode, and a collection of simple yet entertaining Subgames to play with friends. Arena is the same as ever, giving players the opportunity to go up against a gauntlet of all the bosses in the game with any Copy Ability at your disposal. Extra Mode also adds some value for completionists, offering a more difficult version of the main story that unlocks the True Arena upon completion.
The Subgames are a particular standout in Return to Dream Land Deluxe. A lot of them are returning, with only two new ones accounted for in this package, but the quality standard here is quite high. They’re all small in scope and only take a few minutes to see through, but each offer a fun little distraction to play with friends aside from the main story. All of these are set within Merry Magoland which touts countless challenges to complete for cosmetic goodies, serving as a whimsical backdrop to the carnival-like nature of the Subgames.
While most of the Deluxe treatments typically upscale visuals to the Switch’s HD resolutions, Return to Dreamland Deluxe seems to have received some extra TLC. This game is gorgeous, and fits right at home on the Switch. All of the worlds feel distinct and varied with bright, energetic colour palettes and a striking art style that is always easy on the eyes. Special mention should go to the reworked backgrounds, which are so packed with detail and sense of place, it’s hard not to gawk at them each time you see a new one. This is coupled with rock-solid performance in both handheld and docked modes, making for an all-round smooth and fluid experience.
While Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe is a no brainer recommendation to those who’ve yet to jump in, it’s a bit more complex for those who’ve experienced it before. The new stuff here is fantastic, there just isn’t all that much of it, so whether or not the enhanced visuals and the Magalor Epilogue can justify the price is up to you. If you do take the plunge, you’ll be greeted with one of Kirby’s best 2D adventures, made even better.
