In 'Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe' the popular hero has new Super Abilities. — Nintendo/TNS
It was easy to miss “Kirby’s Return to Dream Land.” Nintendo released the multiplayer platformer on the Wii in 2011 toward the tail end of the console’s lifespan. Its successor, the Wii U, was on its way to being released, and the “Kirby” project’s standard definition visuals paled in comparison to the high-definition graphics of its peers.
That’s a shame because the first “Kirby” console game in over a decade was an imaginative marvel. In recent years, Nintendo has given the pink puffball more love on the Switch, and now, it’s giving fans a chance to play this overlooked adventure.
Improved graphics and more
With “Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe,” the developer, HAL Laboratory, gives the project a fresh coat of paint, updating the visuals for HD screens. The 2D platformer keeps the essence of the original series as the pink puffball and his friends help out Magolor, a cosmic traveler whose spaceship, the Lor, crash lands on planet Popstar. Kirby and company are tasked with helping repair his star cutter by traveling to five different locales and gathering its missing parts.
Although Kirby is the main character and the one that a single player controls, “Return to Dream Land Deluxe” supports up to three others via couch co-op and the foursome can work together to finish the seven-world campaign. They’ll control King Dedede, Meta Knight and Bandana Waddle Dee, who each have their own distinct weapon.
Four-player havoc
The reason that one player, or all of them (yes, you can have four puffballs) have to be Kirby is that his Copy Ability is needed to overcome obstacles in each level. The protagonist inhales blocks or enemies, which imbue him with their power. With four players jumping around and defeating adversaries, it can be chaotic, but the developer gives players several team-based moves. They can stack on top of each other like a totem and have the bottom player essentially carry players through obstacles. They can also perform a team attack and share recovery items.
Having all these players doesn’t make “Return to Dream Land Deluxe” easier per se because there’s plenty of coordination and tumult on the screen. To be frank, the campaign is rather easy and players can have fun amid the anarchy they create as they tear through levels based on deserts, oceans, tundra, castle, factor and lava themes.
Plenty of depth
Despite the predictable progression, HAL created stages that are fairly inventive, thanks to how developers use the 24 copy abilities. Each one has a surprisingly deep move set, and they essentially feel like characters in a fighting game. Each has unique properties that make them great for sussing out secrets, advancing through stages or battling bosses.
Two new ones are the Mecha and Sand abilities. The Mecha power makes Kirby look like a Gundam robot, but it’s also one of the most versatile with the ability to shoot out mortar fire, blast out lasers and zip through the air. The Sand power is reminiscent of Gaara from “Naruto.” Kirby can hide in it and manipulate the sand to take the shapes of weapons.
What’s fascinating about all the Copy Abilities is that they each have a purpose, and none of them feels like an afterthought. The Water power lets Kirby cool down fiery blocks. The Rock power lets him transform into statues that break through blocks or allows the puffball to slide unharmed through enemies. It’s amazing how HAL made every ability useful in the right context, and it’s up to players to experiment and use them.
New modes and an epilogue
In addition, there are Super Abilities that are Copy Abilities on steroids. When Kirby inhales special glowing enemies, he receives upgraded powers that enable him to smash through walls or take out particularly difficult enemies. The caveat with these power-ups is that they’re limited by time so players have to use them quickly and efficiently. It’s just another layer of depth to a surprisingly deep platformer.The deluxe part of “Return to Dream Land” is that HAL added a series of minigames, challenges, time attack modes and an epilogue that features Magolor. It’s a good amount of extra content that gives the project party game vibes that meld with the multiplayer aspect.
For those who finish the relatively short campaign, the epilogue offers four additional worlds. The epilogue is distinctly separate from the Kirby portion and has a heavy role-playing game elements as players control Magolor and upgrade his abilities. It adds more storytelling and fills out Magolor’s surprising role in the main campaign.
Taken altogether, “Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe” delivers an updated and complete experience that shows some of its age (none of it feels truly novel) but remains satisfying. – Bay Area News Group/Tribune News Service
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‘Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe’
3 stars out of 4
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Rating: Everyone 10 and up
