In recent years, the Kirby franchise has been in full swing. With Kirby’s Dream Buffet and Kirby and the Forgotten Land (test report), fans received two new titles in 2022. However, when it comes to releases, Nintendo is known for its two-pronged approach. In addition to new titles, new editions of popular classics are also regularly published. For Kirby fans, the year 2023 started accordingly with a new edition of the Wii classic Kirby’s Return to Dream Land, which was first published in 2011. With the Nintendo Switch version, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe, players can expect more than just a graphical refresh of the platformer adventure.
Once again, players are taken to the planet Pop, home of the little pink hero. A crashing spaceship destroys the idyll – Kirby and his friends are on the trail of the whole thing. The captain of the Starship Lor, Magolor, asks Kirby for help because all the spaceship parts were scattered all over the planet in the crash. So it goes together with Kirby on the search for the individual parts of Magolor’s spaceship, once across the planet Pop. In our test, we show how the new edition performs and what else the deluxe version has to offer.
Stranded on Planet Pop
The journey through Planet Pop consists of seven worlds with a total of 37 stages. It takes players to areas such as the raisin ruins or the fruit ocean, each world with its own theme. In classic platforming action, you must traverse obstacles and defeat any enemies that stand in Kirby’s path. Above all, Kirby’s diverse set of skills plays a major role. The Water ability literally washes enemies away or takes them by surprise, while the Beam ability grants Kirby a wand filled with powerful energy. Depending on the level, there are a variety of ways to use the skills. These can be obtained by calling out opponents or collected directly in the game world. In addition to the already known skills, the new edition also offers three new skills: sand, festival and mech skills.
All pictures of Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe in the test
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe
The parkour interludes are loosened up again and again with small boss fights, the search for hidden magic gears or bonus levels. In addition to the abilities, the activation of so-called super powers such as dragon flame or giga hammer offers a visual spectacle in the meantime. Here, Kirby receives powerful powers for a short time, with which he can smash a large number of opponents and even entire level backdrops. Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe relies on a playful atmosphere and strong staging instead of tricky gameplay interludes. This creates an easily digestible gaming experience that can be comfortably enjoyed with the Switch on the sofa. The relaxed style of play not only makes the title a pleasant casual platformer experience, but also lends itself perfectly to a local co-op mode. This is exactly what players now get with the new edition.
The transition between single and multiplayer mode is smooth. All you have to do is remove the Joy-Cons from the switch and reconnect them in the menu. Players can slip into the role of King Deedee, Meta Knight or the Waddle Dee assistant and accompany Kirby on his quest for the spaceship parts. At every point of the adventure you can switch between single player and co-op mode, so you don’t have to create an extra save. There is also a great surprise for those who have completed the story mode. Upon completion of the mode, Nintendo will present players with the Magolor Epilogue 20 entirely new levels, adding a few extra hours of gameplay to the title. During the epilogue, players accompany the already familiar Magolor in search of his powers. Just like in Kirby’s role, you smash enemies and overcome obstacles.
As a classic platformer adventure, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe is a little more linear than newcomers like Kirby and the Lost Land (review). Although some secret passages can be revealed in places, otherwise it always leads the player to the right edge of the screen. While in the Wii Original you had to use the gears you found to unlock the mini-games, players in the Deluxe Edition can look forward to a new, freely accessible mode. The Funny Magoland mode is just a push of a button away and we’re in the middle of a motley amusement park.
Magoland’s minigames
Once in Jolly Magoland, players will gain access to a total of 11 mini-games. In addition to some new additions such as Magolor’s book hunt, many well-known mini-games from the Kirby franchise are returning. Included are “Checkerboard Skirmishes” from Kirby 64: The Crystal Shard, or “Eierdotte” from Kirby’s Adventure. Playfully, Magoland is based on the Mario Party franchise and also offers a Magoland tour. In this game you play four different attractions (mini-games) locally against friends or against computer-controlled opponents. Eggs are inhaled, bombs are thrown and targets are shot.
Each of the mini-games plays excellently with both stick and motion controls and offers a manageable amount of time to play. However, online support is only available for the Kirby Samurai mode, in which 99 players compete against each other to see who can draw their sword the fastest. In addition to accessing the mini-games, the charming amusement park also serves as a reflection of game progress. The park continues to grow with new statues of vanquished enemies, while souvenir wearable masks can be unlocked to don during Kirby’s adventure.
Additional game content can be found on Magolor’s spaceship, which is always accessible from any world. In addition to access to the mini-games and training rooms, skill tests can be unlocked depending on how many magic gears have already been collected. These test the player’s skill with one of Kirby’s many abilities – over time. The potential of the skills is particularly evident during the exam, which presents itself as a nice little challenge for in between.
With its additional content, Nintendo strives to deliver varied content outside of story mode as well. While elements such as the Hero Trial offer entertaining tasks, Funny Magoland, in particular, quickly becomes exhausting. If you rarely use local co-op modes in video games, you have to have fun with the computer-controlled opponents. It does add up to some enjoyable hours of gameplay nonetheless, but we find the Jolly Magoland mode to be a charming touch from the developers rather than a powerful expansion like the new Magolor epilogue.
Graphics and technical implementation
Especially when it comes to a new edition of a classic, the graphic implementation has to be right in order to strike the fine line between nostalgia and today’s graphic standards. While the Wii original is based on the classic 3D look, the new edition shows itself in a bright cartoon look in cel-shade style. Thanks to the deluxe version, the backdrops in particular come into their own on the Nintendo Switch.
There is also nothing to complain about in terms of the technical implementation, because Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe always shows a fluid image even in intensive animation sequences such as boss fights. During our playing time we could not record any technical problems or crashes.
Preis
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe is available from 45 euros for the switch.
Conclusion
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe is a classic platforming adventure reimagined. In addition to the extensive graphic redesign, the title primarily convinces with its content additions, which offer a considerable bonus with Magolor’s epilogue. Kirby’s abilities cut a great figure in interaction with the level backdrops and are the center of the relaxed gameplay. The new mode Funny Magoland gives a charming picture and gives access to 11 mini-games. In the long run, however, this becomes quite monotonous, especially due to the lack of online support.
With the easily accessible co-op mode, the title is great for fun hours with friends and family, as well as fans of classic Nintendo adventures. If you are not yet sure whether the Kirby adventure will meet your personal taste, you can make your own impression with the free demo of Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe.