- Pronouns
- He/Him
Release Date: February 24, 2023
Price: $59.99
Number of Players: Single System (1-4)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: HAL Laboratory
Genre: Action, Platformer
Game File Size: 6 GB
Supported Languages: Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese
On a peaceful day in Dream Land, a flying ship warps in from Another Dimension and crash lands! Investigating the crash site, Kirby and his friends meet Magolor, a mysterious magician from a distant planet. The core parts and Energy Spheres of his ship, the Lor Starcutter, have been scattered throughout Planet Popstar. Kirby and friends agree to help Magolor find the missing pieces and restore the ship.
But what lies in another dimension? What dangers will Kirby and his friends run into on their adventure? And what's the deal with Magolor? To find out, Kirby and pals will need to explore Dream Land and beyond in an action platforming adventure packed with puzzles to solve, enemies and powers to encounter, and bosses to overcome.
Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe takes the Wii original and gives it an HD face-lift. Graphics have been enhanced, music has been remastered in higher quality, and characters and designs have been updated to their modern looks. Controls have been updated to not use motion controls, and characters and copy abilities have been given updated movesets to match recent games. There are also some additional options, such as the “Auto Swallow” mechanic from Kirby and the Forgotten Land and an easy mode in the form of a “Helper Magolor” that will give you items in stages and save you from bottomless pits. Want a taste before you buy? Try out the demo on the eShop!
The adventure doesn’t end when you reach the ending! Like with the original release, Deluxe offers a bevy of more difficult modes. Unlock Challenge Stages with the Energy Spheres you collect, testing you on your knowledge of specific copy abilities (including new stages based on the Mecha and Sand abilities). Complete the story mode, and you’ll be able to take on all of the game’s bosses in The Arena, or brave a harder version of the story mode in Extra Mode. If you can conquer Extra Mode, The True Arena awaits…
In the story mode and in Merry Magoland, play as Kirby and his friends - up to four players can join in on the fun in single system local multiplayer. Player 1 always plays as Kirby in these two modes. Other players can play as different colored Kirbys or can play as one of the other three characters. Unlike with Kirby, only one of each extra character can be on your squad at a time.
| Character | Description |
|---|---|
| Everyone’s favorite pink puffball returns for another adventure! Inhale your enemies and spit them back, or use one of 26 Copy Abilities for new attacks and unique ways to solve puzzles. |
| It's the return of the king! Sporting his redesign from Kirby and the Forgotten Land, King Dedede brings heavy hammer swings and special techniques from his classic boss fights. |
| The lone swordsman returns! Combine the mobility of Wing with the slicing power of Sword. Meta Knight has plenty of tricks of his own up his mask… |
| The returning player 2 of the modern Kirby games is here! Bandana Waddle Dee's big heart is only matched by the power of his spear! |
By swallowing enemies or finding Copy Essences, Kirby can gain new powers! These can be used to fight enemies and solve puzzles to find Energy Spheres. Experiment with different techniques for the best results - you can always pause the game to figure out your moves.
Alongside all 23 Copy Abilities from the original game, Deluxe features two brand new copy abilities and one returning ability from Kirby Star Allies, making for a grand total of 26 Copy Abilities.
Copy Ability | Description |
|---|---|
| Use robotic armor to shoot laser beams, punch with metallic fists, utilize fire and electric attacks, and more. You can even hover with a jetpack! |
| Manipulate the earth around you to unleash sand blasts, create dust devils, grab faraway items, and even build sand castles! Dodge attacks by hiding in a sand pile. |
| This screen-clearing, one-time use ability from Kirby Star Allies turns enemies into food and Point Stars. Party hard with your friends! |
Alongside these, use devastating Super Abilities to tear through foes and solve special puzzles. Use them to uncover dimensional rifts - brave the timed platforming challenge and defeat the Sphere Doomers to claim additional Energy Spheres.
The original Wii game only contained two subgames, Scope Shot and Ninja Dojo. While Scope Shot has been removed in Deluxe, the overall subgame package has been supercharged with the addition of Merry Magoland. In this amusement park built and run by Manager Magolor (what a swell fellow!), there’s a whopping ten subgames to enjoy alone or with friends, a new high for the series. This includes the returning Ninja Dojo, two brand new subgames, and seven subgames returning from previous Kirby games. Each subgame has multiple levels, increasing in difficulty and complexity as they go - can you master them all?
| Subgame | Original Game | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Kirby's Adventure | Catch eggs and avoid bombs thrown by a robotic King Dedede! |
| Kirby Super Star | When the ! shows up, press the button as quickly as you can! The warrior with the fastest reflexes will come out on top. You can also play Samurai Kirby 100 online - see if you have the fastest time againt 100 ascyncronous players! |
| Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards | Cause blocks to drops and force your opponents off the map. Lose all of your lives and you're out. As players leave the game, the board shrinks. The last player standing wins! |
| Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land | Use your frying pan to swat a bomb back and forth towards your opponents in increasing amounts of speed. Mistime your button press and you're out. The last player standing wins! |
| Kirby & the Amazing Mirror | Charge up and aim accurately to tear the biggest hole you can through Planet Popstar. Good timing is key! |
| Kirby: Squeak Squad | Ram your Smash Star into enemies and your opponents to knock them off the arena and gain points. The player with the most points when time runs out wins! |
| Kirby Super Star Ultra | Shoot cardboard cutouts to earn points, but don't forget to reload! Watch out for the Bombers - they'll stun you and cost you points if you shoot them. |
| Kirby's Return to Dream Land | Time your shuriken strikes to hit each target as close to the bullseye as you can. The more accurate your strikes, the more points you will earn! |
| NEW | Find the book that Magolor is thinking of before your opponents! Use the color and the shape on the book to identifty them, though be warned that Magolor's memory may be a bit fuzzy. The player with the most points when time runs out wins! |
| NEW | Shoot down your opponents in a top-down arena! Fire a quick straight shot or a slower lob shot, and power up your weapon by hitting foes. Don't forget to pick up ammo, and look out for the devastating Super Blaster. Lose your health and you're out. And don't stall - Kabula will arrive soon enough. The last player standing wins! |
Play subgames and complete missions to earn stamps, and get enough stamps to earn extra goodies. You can gain items you can carry into stages, such as health restoration or offensive tools. You can also unlock up to 86 unique Character Masks for Kirby and friends to wear, each representing a character from other Kirby games.
Completing the story mode unlocks a brand new playable adventure starring Magolor. Following the events of the story mode, the interdimensional traveler has been stripped of his powers and is left stranded between dimensions. It is up to you to restore Magolor’s power and help him find a way back home by exploring twenty unique levels packed with new and returning enemies.
At first, Magolor will only have a jump and a basic attack. Throughout the adventure, Magolor can find special items to grant him new abilities. Defeating enemies and performing combos earns Magic Points, which can be spent to enhance those abilities. Through this system, Magolor gains both new attacks and improved mobility options, slowly building back to the moveset seen in games such as Kirby Star Allies. The order in which you select upgrades is completely up to you.
Like the story mode, the Magolor Epilogue can be played by up to four players. Each player will take control of a different colored Magolor. All upgrades applied to the main Magolor will apply to all players.
Metacritic: 80
OpenCritic: 81 (Strong)
See the review thread for a more detailed breakdown!
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. Also fun to play with friends or family 
