Kirby's Return to Dream Land

Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Kirby's back, and is now ready for action and fun!
Protagonist(s): Kirby Genre(s): Platform Platform(s): Wii Nintendo Switch Release Date: Original: NA: October 24, 2011 JP: October 27, 2011 EU: November 25, 2011 AU: December 1, 2011 KOR: September 6, 2012 RtDL Deluxe: WW: February 24, 2023 Developer(s): HAL Laboratory Publisher(s): Nintendo Country: Japan Series: Kirby Predecessor: Kirby's Epic Yarn (by release date) Kirby: Squeak Squad (chronologically) Successor: Kirby: Triple Deluxe

Kirby's Return to Dream Land is a 2D platform game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It is the second Kirby game to be released for the Wii after Kirby's Epic Yarn (but the first mainline game to be on the console), and is the first game in the "Modern Kirby" era.

A remake of the game, Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, was released on February 24, 2023, and adds several new features and game modes to the original game, inclusing the new Magolor Epilogue.

Why It's Back and Better than Ever

Overall

1. This is the first game to be set in the "Modern Kirby" timeline, and has set the standards for all current games in the franchise. It's also nice to see Kirby back in a mainline game after five years (not counting remakes or spin-off titles).
   • It also set the standard of future Kirby games being more story-driven, featuring villains with tragic backstories and general lore hidden throughout the games.
2. The story is simple yet well-written, with a nicely-done twist near the end that Magolor wanted the Master Crown for his own selfish purposes and betrayed Kirby and friends.
3. Beautiful graphics which are a major step up from previous games due to the CGI being much better than it was in Kirby 64, with the colorful visuals and art style really capturing the cartoonish look that the Kirby games are known for.
4. The level design and themes are creative, with many of the worlds having a specific theme, including grasslands, oceans, a tundra, a volcanic area, and even the depths of space!
5. The gameplay is fun and solid while never abandoning the old ideas that its predecessors had. The controls are also tight and responsive, even more so than in previous games and will be improved upon in its successors.
   • The Super Inhale makes its return from Amazing Mirror and Squeak Squad, and is even more useful than in those two games due to it sucking everything in Kirby's path.
   • This game has co-op multiplayer, and the cool part is, up to four players can play at once! This is also the first time King Dedede has been fully playable outside of minor sections in Kirby 64, Kirby Air Ride, and Kirby Mass Attack, while the game also properly introduces Bandana Dee, who uses a spear to attack enemies like Spear Kirby does.
6. There is a wide variety of collectibles found in this game, including Stars (collecting 100 of them grants Kirby a 1-up), Keys (commonly collected from Key Dees so Kirby can open locked gates), Energy Spheres (which are used to unlock new subgames and Ability Challenges on the Lor Starcutter), etc.
7. Fantastic soundtrack composed by Hirokazu Ando and Jun Ishikawa, as you would expect from a Kirby game, with some standout tracks being Woods Wayfarer, the Boss Prelude theme, Nutty Noon, Battle on the Horizon, Lor Starcutter, Raisin Ruins, and C-R-O-W-N-E-D (the final boss theme).
8. There are many Copy Abilities, both returning (Fire, Beam, Needle, Hammer, etc.) and new (Leaf, Spear, Whip, and Water), and each has a special Ability Challenge on the Lor Starcutter to test your skills eith that ability.
9. In addition to normal Copy Abilities, you can also find Super Abilities (which are the game's primary mechanic) that have flashy animations and a unique move set when you use them. The Super Abilities you can find are Ultra Sword, Flare Beam, Monster Fire, Grand Hammer, and Snow Bowl.
   • The Super Abilities are also used to enter Another Dimension, where you escape an advancing wall of doom in the first half, then fight the Sphere Doomers in the second half to obtain an Energy Sphere.
10. There are many call-backs to previous games, which adds to the Kirby series' lore.
11. The game's difficulty is balanced, not being too easy or too hard.
12. The game's main antagonist, Magolor, is often considered one of the best Kirby secondary characters due to his intentions and betrayal being very similar to Marx from Kirby Super Star. Just like the latter, he is also featured as a playable character in Star Allies' "Guest Star ???" mode alongside other characters who are or have been villains (e.g. Marx, Dark Meta Knight, Daroach, Taranza, and Susie).
13. As is to be expected from Kirby games, there are many fun boss fights, including Mr. Dooter, the Sphere Doomers, Goriath, Landia, and of course, Magolor himself.
    • In The True Arena, one of the bosses featured is Galacta Knight, who is just as hard as he was in Super Star Ultra and has his epic song from that game.
14. If you thought the main story was too short and/or easy, you unlock an EX mode (the Extra Game) once you beat the main game once, where you start with less health and face tougher enemies.
15. Besides the Ability Challenges, you can also play two subgames, those being Ninja Dojo (where Ninja Kirby must hit all the targets with his shuriken) and Scope Shot (where Kirby must shoot at the robots' vulnerable parts using a cannon).
16. There is a lot of replay value, in no small part to collect all the Energy Spheres so you can unlock the subgames and Ability Challenges.

Deluxe

1. The remake makes several improvements and changes to the original version, making it just as good, if not better than, that version.
2. Three new Copy Abilities are added, those being Festival Kirby (who previously appeared in Star Allies), Sand Kirby (who can control sand to defeat enemies, including sand castles), and Mecha Kirby (which gives Kirby a robot helmet to defeat foes with mechanical arms and lasers).
3. The graphics are massively improved over the original, with sharper outlines and characters such as King Dedede having designs that are more in line with their new looks. The main game also runs at 60 fps this time around (rather than the 30 fps used in Star Allies and Forgotten Land), while Merry Magoland still maintains a solid 30 fps.
4. A new subgame collection called Merry Magoland has been added so you can play a variety of subgames from other Kirby games, provided you have the tickets to do so. It even includes the subgames found in the original version!
5. Once you beat the main story once, you unlock a new Extra Game mode called "Magolor Epilogue: The Interdimensional Traveler", where you play as Magolor and find out what happened to him after Kirby defeated him in the main game. You can also upgrade Magolor's abilities using Magic Points obtained in the levels you enter, and even fight the Master Crown itself as the final boss!
   • This game also explains how Magolor ended up becoming the shopkeeper for Team Kirby Clash Deluxe/Super Kirby Clash (where his nicknamed "Microtransagolor"), as well as where the Gem Apples from that game came from.
6. This game's primary collectibles are the Masks you obtain from Merry Magoland every time you earn stamps by playing the subgames and/or clear specific requirements (such as beating the bosses of each world). Several of them reference previous games, such as Marx or Gooey.

Bad Qualities

1. The Ability Challenges, for some bizarre reason, are required to complete the game 100%. However, the game never outright tell you that you need to do this, forcing you to use a guide to make this discovery. Thankfully, you don't have to get a higher rank to 100% the game.
   • Also, getting Platinum Medals on each Ability Challenge is easier said than done, considering you have to play near-flawlessly to get them.
2. While EX Mode is still fun and more challenging, it can get a little cheap at timea due to having fewer foods to eat and a lower health gauge.
3. In co-op mode, all players share lives with each other (just like Battletoads), and whenever one person dies, all of them have to start the section over again. Thankfully, each player has their own separate life bar.
4. It can take forever to grind the required Magic Points needed to upgrade Magolor's powers in the Magolor Epilogue.

Reception

Kirby's Return to Dream Land received "generally favorable" reviews from critics and audiences (scoring 77/100 and 8.8/10, respectively, on Metacritic), with praise being directed as a return to form for the Kirby series, as well as the graphics, soundtrack, and story, while minor criticism went to the easy difficulty, moetly from the use of multiplayer.

Return to Dream Land Deluxe was also well-received by critics and audiences, scoring 79/100 and 8.7/10, respectively. The game was praised for expanding upon the original and adding new features, such as Merry Magoland and the Magolor Epilogue.

Trivia

• The first letter of each world spells out the word "CROWNED" (Cookie Country, Raisin Ruins, Onion Ocean, White Wafers, Nutty Noon, Egg Engines, and Dangerous Dinner). This is a reference to when Magolor steals and wears the Master Crown during his betrayal.
  • Also, the first letter of each Dimension of the Magolor Epilogue spells out the word "APPLE" (Aerogree Dimension, Pyred Dimension, Poseiblu Dimension, Locandra Dimension, and Ethereal Altar). This is a reference to the Master Crown being born of an apple tree, as well as the Gem Apples that came from it (which also appear in Team Kirby Clash Deluxe and Super Kirby Clash).

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