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A worthwhile Kirby revisit | Full Review - Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe

1K View2023-02-27

The added Deluxe in the title does not really do the game’s title justice, as Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe is a full-on remake of the original game, which was released for the Wii console back in 2011.

🟩Pros

+Accessible difficulty options, great for all ages

+A fun platforming adventure

+Local coop play up to 4 players

+A plethora of fun coop minigames

🟥Cons

-No online coop play

Kirby’s re-Return

Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe is a remake and enhanced edition of the original Wii title from 12 years ago. It takes the exact same story and gameplay, but revamps the graphics to modern standards, and it is beautiful.

The game takes players on a 2.5D adventure through a colorful and whimsical platforming world. The game's updated graphics bring Kirby's world to life like never before, with vibrant colors and detailed environments that create an immersive experience for players. It doesn’t matter if you are playing on an OLED Switch or the OG one, the colors are amazing.

Credits to GameXplain's youtube channel for the comparison

The differences not only lies in the upgraded graphical capabilities of the Switch, but also expresses a slight change in art-style, coming from a full 3D graphics to a more sharper cell-shaded design filled with more detail and life.

In Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, players control Kirby as he embarks on a journey to collect five scattered pieces and Energy Spheres of a crashed spaceship so he can return a stranded alien back to his home planet, with the help of three other characters - Meta Knight, King Dedede, and Waddle Dee, playable up to four players in cooperative mode.

Gameplay Analysis

The gameplay manages to strike a balance between accessibility and challenge. The game's controls are intuitive, and the premise overall is lighthearted and cheerful, making it easy for players of all ages and skill levels to pick up and play. At the same time, the levels are designed to be challenging enough to keep players engaged and entertained. They are also designed with co-op in mind, filled with opportunities for teamwork and coordination.

The game's core gameplay is similar to previous Kirby games, with players controlling Kirby as he inhales enemies to gain their abilities (called copy-abilities) and progresses through levels by solving puzzles and defeating bosses.

This core gameplay mechanic is immensely satisfying, with over 25 copy abilities to try out and experiment with. Each of these delightfully animated abilities have their own movesets and effects, keeping the gameplay fresh all the time throughout the campaign, and even throughout re-plays.

The level design is well-crafted and filled with creative obstacles and enemies. The levels are intricately designed to be fun to explore and offer plenty of secrets to discover for players who are willing to take their extra time to find collectibles such as Point Stars, Energy Spheres and Stamp Tickets. Most if not all of the bosses are returning from the game. The countless boss battles in particular, are one of the highlights of the game, with each one offering a unique challenge that requires quick reflexes and strategic thinking.

Differences from the original Wii version

Compared to the original game, not only the graphics have been significantly updated, but many gameplay elements and changes have been added as well. Three new copy abilities have been added, and some of the existing ones have been slightly reworked to reflect changes done in newer games.

This version of the game includes several new copy abilities, such as Mecha, allowing you to control an offensive mechanized armor, and Sand, allowing you to control sands and perform attacks such as sandfists and dust devils, which add new ways for players to approach challenges and keep the gameplay fresh.

There is also an easier game mode called “Helper Magolor” which if toggled, will function as a guidance and offer additional help to the players by way of tossing potions, ability stars, or flat out saving Kirby from death.

Additionally, significantly more sub-games (minigames) are now available to play with friends, complete with a new charming amusement park section to house these sub-games instead of a menu selection only. All of which provide fun and engaging diversions from the main story, and is almost a game on its own, completely playable with up to four players.

Lastly, after the main campaign, there is a bonus game mode that features another main character in which I am not going to spoil. Again, it is playable with up to four players.

The game’s main campaign is easily beatable under 10 hours, but with a plethora of sub-games and fun overall co-op gameplay, it's not exactly hard to replay this game again and accumulate countless hours of fun.

Is the Full AAA price justified?

For a 12 year old game, I can say the full AAA price of $60 is justified for newcomers because it is a full-on remake with nicely updated graphics, art-style, with a plethora of gameplay elements and minigames added. For those just revisiting, it is still a highly considerable purchase that you can make anytime — there’s no point in waiting for a price drop, as Nintendo first-party titles do rarely go on sale.

Unfortunately, while there are online social and sharing features integrated into the game, there is no option for online-play, and thus, the 4-player multiplayer aspect is only local. A 4-player online co-op would have been a welcome feature.

Conclusion:

Overall, Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe is a platforming game that excels in its core mechanics, level design, coop play, and fun factor. It's a memorable and much recommended experience that is sure to delight lovers of the platforming genre; and the new graphics and added features such as the mini-games make it a worthwhile purchase for both newcomers and fans of the original game.

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