Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe review: fresh paint, same canvas

Third world Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe, a coral-filled ocean with crystal-clear water, I noticed an animation I hadn’t seen before. Kirby inhaled a bubble which could hit blocks and break enemies when I press B. The bubble was adorable, and almost as cute is the life-saver Kirby uses when floating above the water. However, I soon realized it was just an improvement to my previous underwater combat experience that made me feel more vulnerable. It also aligned with Kirby’s land actions. It was a slight alteration to the existing set, even though it seemed like it was an evolution.

The bubble serves as both a metaphor and functional function for the time that I was with it. Dream Land: Return to the FutureThe author is charming and delightful but ultimately unsubstantial.

Image: HAL Laboratory/Nintendo

Dream Land: Return to the Future Is a Nintendo Switch Remaster of the 2011 Dream Land: ReturnWii version, which includes a more difficult endgame and a larger collection of minigames. After agreeing to help an interdimensional traveler who’s crash-landed on your planet, you guide Kirby through side-scrolling levels and absorb enemies to copy their abilities: Sword and Beam have become ubiquitous in the series, but there are also two new ones, Sand and Mecha (the latter turns you into a hovering robot complete with orange safety goggles). Deluxe It is important to emphasize multiplayer. Four friends can leap across Planet Popstar with each other.

Kirby tends to oscillate between experimental and classical. Kirby’s Epic YarnThe Wii’s crafts-themed Wii Game, whose release came just one year prior to the original Dream Land: ReturnThe latter is illustrated by the example given below. Perhaps it’s inevitable that I mentally compared Deluxe to last year’s Kirby and The Forgotten Land, the main franchise’s first fully 3D entry, which is another firm example of the series pushing things forward. The game was fascinating to me. I loved its use of human-made locations like carnivals and malls. There were also many collectibles that could be used for progression, such as the gacha machine for minis or the gacha machine for collecting coins.

By contrast, Deluxe is traditional — as remasters are wont to be — but it’s also, in many aspects, dated. There are minigames at the end of each stage, world hubs and a portal that takes you to the boss, but with slight differences. It has collectibles, but they don’t gate anything in the story, instead unlocking challenge levels and rooms in which to play around with copy abilities. Even though the levels are simple and straightforward, designers seem concerned that people will lose their way. A giant blinking arrow appears after beating the boss to show the exit to the next level.

Image: HAL Laboratory/Nintendo via Polygon

Kirby games were always marketed towards children and their families. Complaining about their difficulty is a little like sitting at the kids’ table and wondering why the chairs are so small. Unlike Nintendo’s other major franchises, which teach you their intricacies through repeated mistakes, Kirby is always like playing with pillow armor on, and Deluxe is no different: There are systems upon systems to ease the difficulty down, from multiplayer with more skilled friends or family to a “Helper Magolor” who gives you health potions and carries you across pits (something I would have appreciated when I was learning how to jump in platformers for the first time). All of these systems are great and enhance the learning experience of how Kirby navigates the world.

Many games from the Kirby series are a great example of young people’s appreciation for novelty and creativity. There’s a distinction between being easy — something every Kirby game that’s ever released has been, to some degree — and being repetitive. More frequently than not. Dream Land: Return to the Future rests on what’s worked in the past rather than trying something new.

Image: HAL Laboratory/Nintendo

My favorite moments Deluxe These were those where friction was most common. Usually, it happened when the game introduced a new mechanic to me and I needed to adjust. It felt easier than it was to hold a candle and navigate through darkened rooms. Or to avoid a gelatinous wall of death scroller by going sideways, which I did, but that seemed to be more difficult. Although these moments are rare, they were memorable.

The most significant addition to my life was the one I felt. DeluxeThe Magolor Epilogue is where you control the titular character and navigate new places. The premise is great — your character starts depleted of power and you have to build up their stats by collecting energy spheres in an RPG-like progression that’s unlike anything found in Kirby’s mode. But while Magolor initially has a different play style than Kirby, restoring his powers gradually brings his moves more in line with the pink puffball’s levitation and copy powers. No, Magolor can’t use copy abilities, and yes, they shoot an orb instead of a star. The differences end here. Magalor eventually becomes derivative of Kirby while navigating stages that, while different from Kirby’s levels, share assets and challenges with them, and overall, have less detail and charm. Although it offered a refreshing change, the game quickly became stale. This remaster’s main selling point is Magalor Epilogue, which lacks longevity.

Image: HAL Laboratory/Nintendo

Dream Land: Return to the FutureThis is a remaster that has received a new coat of paint, but with few significant changes. It’s certainly polished; the only thing that actively impeded my experience was a sprint input that is really hard to trigger, leaving you waddling slowly away from things like the aforementioned scrolling wall. But I remain disappointed by its conventionality — its contentedness to not only avoid pushing the ideas of the 2011 original forward (a criticism that may be less important to those who prefer a more traditional Kirby) but to also abstain from experimenting more with its brand-new material.

Multiplayer seems like the best way to enjoy this game. Perhaps with someone younger who is able to appreciate the new decor and combat, but not get stuck. Subgames and the epilogue modes do not provide much in terms of gameplay. Continue reading content, they don’t actually add much substance. It offers a range of options for those who have missed the Wii game and would like to experience the co-op. But if you’ve experienced the original, Deluxe is just a larger version of the same — a little flashier, a little longer, but nothing unmissable.

Kirby’s Return to Dream Land DeluxeNintendo Switch will release the game on February 24, 2019. Nintendo provided a prerelease code for the game’s review. Vox Media is an affiliate partner. They do not affect editorial content. However, Vox Media might earn commissions from products sold via affiliate links. Find out more. additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.