After the excellent Kirby and the Forgotten Land, the most famous little pink ball of video games gets a new Nintendo Switch episode, returning to 2D with a remake of Kirby’s Adventure Wii. Beyond the obvious facelift, this title promises a large amount of new content to make it more than just another remaster. Does it justify the “Deluxe” label?
Oh, look, a new Kirby on Nintendo Switch! Well, a “Deluxe” episode isn’t particularly new, nor is a port of an older canonical installment in the main series. HAL Laboratory’s franchise is somewhat familiar with this, and if you’re not too familiar with its history, it can be confusing.
A little less than a year after the excellent Kirby and the Forgotten Land, which finally brought the series into 3D, the pink ball is (as the title suggests) back… in a 2D game. With Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe, is the series resting on its laurels with a lazy remaster, or does it deliver a complete, original, and generous port that lives up to the “Deluxe” concept, making it another must-have on the hybrid console?
Kirby’s Adventure Wii Remastered
Released in 1993, Kirby’s Adventure is the first game to truly establish the identity of its universe.
Created in 1992 by Masahiro Sakurai, the character of Kirby began his video game career on Game Boy with the short but adorable Kirby’s Dream Land, and then offered himself a high-quality first color adventure on the NES the following year, giving the console a beautiful swan song.
Released in 1993, Kirby’s Adventure is undoubtedly one of the best titles for Nintendo’s first home console, with the adorable little pink ball becoming one of its mascots, especially in Japan where its popularity is particularly high. Several episodes of the franchise will never leave the archipelago, and some will still be released on the American continent but will never cross the Atlantic.
To top it all off, we will have somewhat haphazard title translations in Europe, causing confusion. But above all, it is primarily the platformers, like the title we are testing here, that will be released in Europe regions.
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land (ou Kirby’s Adventure Wii en Europe) est, lui, sorti en 2011 sur Wii.
En effet, lorsque débarque Kirby’s Adventure Wii sur notre Vieux Continent à l’automne 2011, alors que la Wii entame la dernière étape de sa glorieuse existence, il y a un peu de quoi être perdu pour nous autres Européens avec un titre pareil : s’agit-il d’un remake de l’épisode NES, alors que la Game Boy Advance l’avait déjà remis au goût du jour pour ses 10 ans avec Kirby : Nightmare in Dream Land ? En vérité, il s’agit d’un titre trompeur, qui n’a pas grand-chose à voir avec Kirby’s Adventure si ce n’est la gestion de son hub connectant les différents niveaux. Intitulé “Kirby’s Return to Dream Land” aux États-Unis, et “Hoshi no Kābī: Yume no Izumi no Monogatari” au Japon (NDLR : traduisible par “Kirby des Étoiles : Le Conte de la Fontaine des rêves”), il s’agissait bien d’un épisode 100% inédit, davantage aux allures de reboot que d’un quelconque remake. C’est ce jeu qui revient aujourd’hui sur Switch, en HD et avec pas mal de nouveautés justifiant son nouveau titre, en plus de sa volonté de prolonger les célébrations des 30 ans de Kirby.
Kirby a fêté ses 30 ans en 2022, et la célébration de l’événement s’achève avec Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe.
Where is the Deluxe version ?
Indeed, when Kirby’s Adventure Wii arrived on our Old Continent in autumn 2011, as the Wii began the final stage of its glorious existence, there was some confusion for Europeans with such a title: was it a remake of the NES episode, even though the Game Boy Advance had already updated it for its 10th anniversary with Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land?
In truth, it was a misleading title, which had little to do with Kirby’s Adventure other than the management of its hub connecting the different levels. Titled “Kirby’s Return to Dream Land” in the United States and “Hoshi no Kābī: Yume no Izumi no Monogatari” in Japan (Editor’s Note: translatable to “Kirby of the Stars: The Tale of the Fountain of Dreams”), it was indeed a 100% new episode, more of a reboot than any remake.
It’s this game that returns today on Switch, in HD and with quite a few new features justifying its new title, in addition to its desire to extend the celebrations of Kirby’s 30th anniversary. Kirby celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2022, and the celebration of the event concludes with Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe.
Where is the Deluxe version?
The 2011 game’s adventure mode is replicated identically, but in HD, and it is still playable in co-op.
As is the case with many ports or remasters, we won’t insult you by reviewing Kirby’s Return to Dream Land (aka Kirby’s Adventure Wii in our region) again, and instead refer you to our review from November 2011, which awarded it a very nice 16/20, which it still fully deserves. It is indeed a solid platformer, very enjoyable to play both solo and with others (up to 4 locally), and a better installment than Kirby: Star Allies, the only 2D entry in the series released on Switch so far.
As for its adventure mode, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land is reproduced identically in its entirety: you will find exactly the same worlds and levels, with objects and enemies placed in the same locations. Local co-op is also excellent because it doesn’t make the “player 1” the main player, which changes Kirby and the Forgotten Land, and we still regret not being able to enjoy it remotely (a constant in Nintendo games, already lamented on Luigi’s Mansion 3).
A mix of good and bad
Indeed, in the Kirby series, a Deluxe version implies a whole lot of new features. Here, the major additions to the program are closely related to Magolor, a character who first appeared in the series in Kirby’s Return to Dream Land in 2011.
The first concerns the management of mini-games, which are back in this new version. The original title contained only two, unlockable with 20 energy spheres collectable in the story mode levels, and they are of course back here; but this time, they are not alone, far from it! This time, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe introduces Magoland Park, an all-new hub dedicated to mini-games, unlockable early in the adventure, and with a much larger quantity here, justifying a massive side quest of rewards and achievements to unlock in the form of missions.
It’s worth noting that the said hub is the only area of the game locked at 30 frames per second, probably because it is managed in three dimensions, but this is not particularly important, as the mini-games are as smooth as the adventure mode levels, whose 60fps are never compromised.
Still playable with up to four players (and also solo against bots!), the mini-games of Magoland Park are very entertaining when they’re not downright super fun, and have a little something of Mario Party.
Since online leaderboards are offered, and it is possible to compare your statistics with players from around the world (including solo and its challenges, as in Kirby and the Forgotten Land), we can only regret that these genuinely fun mini-games are not playable online, with the exception of the Kirby Samurai 100 mode, which serves as a small cherry on top of a rather tasty cake.
This mini-game will push you to sharpen your reflexes to the max to be the fastest to draw your katana at the appearance of an alert, facing 99 other players simultaneously! However, it’s a shame that it can only be played competitively once a day, and that it gets repetitive quickly. Very fun at first, but ultimately a bit anecdotal.
A little tour of Magoland Park in Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe, with two mini-games and the online game Kirby Samurai 100
Is Magolor Epilogue a real bonus?
Magolor controls like Kirby, but he doesn’t acquire his powers in the same way.
However, the real added value of this Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe lies in the solo experience, with the introduction of Magolor’s Epilogue, an entirely new game within the game to unlock once the main adventure is completed.
The star character of the base game, whose real story we won’t reveal for anyone who has never played Kirby’s Adventure Wii, the “interdimensional traveler” (sic) is stripped of all his powers here and must recover them in an adventure in the form of a platformer/action game based on the main game engine.
You will need to collect magic points across various levels to restore all his abilities (magic sphere, levitation, bomb, etc.) and his health, which is reduced by half (as in the base game’s Extra mode), and even improve them through a simple but effective skill tree.
In the Epilogue of Magolor, you will need to restore the hero’s abilities using magic points.
More action-oriented than an exploration-based adventure game, The Epilogue of Magolor also encourages you to perform combos to increase the amount of magic points collected by defeating your opponents. There are no collectibles to find to unlock additional content, but rather a series of levels that may appeal to you depending on your taste for scoring.
By improving the talents of this unwitting hero, you will unlock short optional challenges based on regained abilities, slightly extending the game’s overall length, even though the epilogue is not very long (allow around six hours maximum to complete it). Especially, compared to Kirby, who does not evolve much in the base game, seeing Magolor regain his abilities and grow in power is quite enjoyable. This epilogue is a valuable bonus that enriches the story of Kirby’s Return to Dream Land!
Discover the Epilogue of Magolor in Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe, with two levels and a bonus stage.
A Deluxe Edition that is worth it
However, unlike Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, where the “new game” was accessible from the title screen without having to unlock it, The Epilogue of Magolor is closely linked to the base game’s story, which you need to complete before playing.
This won’t be a burden for fans of the original title, who will enjoy revisiting the colorful, ingenious, and secret-filled levels of Planet Pop. For newcomers, the experience will be even more enjoyable, discovering not only a high-quality 2D platformer in Kirby’s Return to Dream Land, but also a rewarding and qualitative bonus after 8 to 10 hours of gameplay.
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land was already an ideal entry on the Wii for discovering the franchise and the 2D gameplay that has always made it successful, and it remains so two generations of Nintendo consoles later. Paired with its Extra mode and arena challenges for the most dedicated players, it was already a complete title at the time and holds up well on the Switch, with a more than respectable amount of new content to enjoy solo or multiplayer.
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe has nothing to be ashamed of compared to its 3D big brother, and it is undoubtedly one of the most complete ports/remasters on a console that has seen many, but not many as rich as this one.
Conclusion
Strengths
- A great platformer, solo or multiplayer
- Multiplayer adventure is a fair co-op experience
- New mini-games, very fun
- Kirby Samurai 100, a genuinely cool idea
- Accessible to all profiles
- New stylish powers for solo Kirby
- The Epilogue of Magolor, a solid and convincing addition
- Very generous in terms of content
- This Kirby looks great in HD
Weaknesses
- A pity that the Extra mode is not unlocked by default
- Local multiplayer only
- None of the mini-games are playable online
- The Samurai 100 mode becomes limited and repetitive
Editor’s Verdict
Despite not being heavily promoted by Nintendo and seeming like a typical late console lifecycle port, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe surprised us. Beyond a beautiful HD remaster that brings it visually on par with Kirby Star Allies (which it surpasses in terms of gameplay experience), HAL Laboratory’s title stands out for its substantial amount of new content that generously extends its lifespan.
Both in single-player and multiplayer, this new installment of the franchise is more engaging than one might have expected, offering numerous hours of enjoyment and earning its “Deluxe” label!
