Kirby’s Return To Dream Land Deluxe Preview – Hoping To Copy Last Year’s Success

Nintendo is now bringing a substantial portion of its most successful and beloved games to the Switch. Whether you’re talking the enhanced ports like Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD or the collection of emulated classics available through the Nintendo Switch Online subscription tiers, the Switch has rightfully earned its reputation as a place where you can experience both the newest titles from Nintendo, as well as many of its greatest hits. Kirby’s Return to Dream Land is the latest Nintendo Wii title to allow you to travel back in time.

Coming off 2022, which saw perhaps Kirby’s greatest adventure yet (certainly his most popular to date) in Kirby and the Forgotten Land, it makes sense that Nintendo and HAL would want to capitalize on the popularity of the pink puffball. Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe features one of Kirby’s best games. It adds HD visuals, copy abilities and many other improvements. Through a demo, I was able to experience this updated Wii version with several Nintendo employees.

The story of Kirby’s Return to Dream Land carries forward in this Deluxe edition: A dimension-hopping alien named Magolor’s ship has crash landed on Kirby’s Planet Popstar, and it’s up to Kirby and friends/frenemies to collect the pieces so Magolor can get home. Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe allows players to take control of Kirby and King Dedede as well as Meta Knight and Bandana Waddle Dee. This title supports cooperative play up to four players. Each character is unique, but Kirby has the best abilities. He can use the copied abilities that have made him famous. Players don’t necessarily have to fight Kirby because you can always have duplicates.

All the weapons and moves that were in the original version can be copied to the new one. Deluxe allows players to unlock new powerful abilities which can seem as if they have serious firepower. The new ability I got to see was Kirby’s mecha suit, which lets him use a jetpack to float around and blast enemies with weapons like lasers and rockets. The new abilities are also available in the main game. This gives experienced gamers new ways of engaging with the various stages from the previous title. These super abilities, such as Snow Bowl and Ultra Sword are back to give players some of the most potent weapons in Kirby’s arsenal during critical stages.

Magolor Assist is now available to players. It basically serves as an easier option. Players will get 2 full health bars when this mode is enabled. Magolor can also pull you up onto firm ground if you get into a pit. A friendly dimension-hopper will also help you from time to time, bringing either copy abilities or your health. If you’re looking for a challenge, fear not, as Deluxe retains EX Story, which essentially offers up a hard mode of the main game after you complete it for the first time.

Magolor’s Epilogue is also unlocked after beating the game. This section allows you to play Magolor. Because of Magolor’s array of abilities, the gameplay can be compared to Mega Man. You will be on a mission to restore Magolor’s powers after he has lost them during his dimensional journeys. Although Magolor is not a playable character it allows four player co-op. However, each player can control a Magolor and Kirby’s crew. A combo meter is used to track how well the team does in dispatching enemy enemies. Platinum medals are awarded for achieving high combinations.

Slowly, more skills will become available for Magolor as you go through the modes. Your first unlockable skill is his ability to use Magic Bombs to lower himself. You can use Magic Points to further enhance Magolor’s abilities. Nintendo will not say how much this epilogue lasts, though it is certainly shorter than the Kirby-centric tale.

Outside of these story modes, players can venture into Merry Magoland, which is Deluxe’s place to play the series’ subgames. There are 8 out of the 10 returning subgames from old titles so players with a strong love for Kirby can find lots to enjoy. Here, the Nintendo reps will show me Kirby’s Draw. This game first appeared in Kirby Super Star Ultra. You have two choices of control options: Wii-style pointser controls which seem like the right choice for Kirby on the Draw, or more traditional sticks controls. In Deluxe, Merry Magoland also has two all-new additions, though I did not get to see either of those inclusions in action. The new stamp system that rewards players for completing Magoland challenges, with masks which their characters can use in the main game, was something I saw.

Even though Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe was not available to me, I left the store excited to begin this new adventure on my Wii. Kirby’s Return to Dream Land is a game I loved before Forgotten Land. So, it’s a great excuse to revisit the series with enhanced features and more than 10 years of separation.