Surprise remaster of its eldest released on Wii in 2011, is Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe worth looking into?
Released at the end of 2011 on the Nintendo console, Kirby’s Adventure Wii – known as Kirby’s Return to Dream Land in North America — quickly established itself as a benchmark of its kind. In the direct line of Kirby’s Dream Landhis first solo adventure released in 1992 on GameBoy, the little pink ball continues its gluttonous journeytirelessly swallowing the enemies that stand in its way.
More beautiful, more complete and above all filled with nostalgia, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe signs an unexpected parenthesis in the universe of the character, just one year after the release of Kirby and the Forgotten World, which left us with an unforgettable memory. Accustomed to more or less successful remasters, Nintendo is once again betting on the nostalgia of its players to seduce thirty-somethings, but also their offspring now old enough to assert themselves, controller in hand. Successful bet ?
A classic platformer, but successful
Nothing new under the sun, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe offers exactly the same plot as the original title released 12 years earlier. As in 2011, the little pink ball witnesses the interdimensional shipwreck of the alien Magolor, after the latter’s ship crashed on the planet Pop. Accompanied by his friends Roi DaDiDou, Waddle Dee and Meta Knight, Kirby will have to explore the four corners of the world to find the missing parts of the Galeronef, and help his mysterious new friend to return home.
Over a series of chubby levels and worlds, Kirby will have to fight his way through sometimes hostile environments, in a very classic 2D platformer. Without revolutionizing anything of the genre, the charm of the little gluttonous ball in Return to Dream Land Deluxe is primarily based on its regressive 3D design and simplistic mechanics, which can be found on any 2D platformer. The level design is nothing innovative, but the recipe still works as well.
Whether it’s jumping, flying by inflating its cheeks or escaping the wave of plasma that threatens to engulf us, the gluttonous ball seduces above all by its ability to swallow anything that moves. A very practical ability, since it has the advantage of allowing the character to absorb the powers of enemies thanks to his ogre appetite
A feast for the eyes, but not only
Who says remaster so logically graphical improvements. We have to admit that if Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe enjoy a slightly sharper and more vibrant visual than its predecessor, the redesign remains timid. We are far from the superb of Kirby and the Forgotten World, released last year for the 30th anniversary of the license. However, the result is a nice tribute to the graphics of the original game released in 2011: it’s round, it’s colorful, and particularly cute.
At this level, the game satisfies us with sparkling eyes and adorable facial expressions. To those who would have preferred a more assertive graphical remaster, remember that Nintendo has every interest in not overdoing it. The remasters of The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening in 2019, then Pokémon Sparkling Diamond and Sparkling Pearl in 2021 had not always found the right words with their unbearable progressive radial blurring of the edges of the screen.
Fortunately, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe does not bet everything on his physique, and also benefits from several novelties in terms of gameplay. Both new and nostalgic players will happily discover the new character powers, which can now adorn itself with a parasol, but also with a festival costume, and even with a mecha armor. For the lucky ones, sparkling enemies will allow you to absorb new overpowering powers capable of destroying part of the environment, like Mario’s Mega Mushrooms.
Finally, on the story side, those who have already played the diet in the original game should not be surprised. Without spoiling the outcome it is sometimes possible to enjoy a brand new epilogue, as well as 20 additional levels featuring the Magolor. Enough to convince former players to put the cover back after 20 years of fasting.
(Trans)mission successful
This new Kirby game does not shine by its difficulty: the simple and disconcertingly easy mode since it is impossible to die. Throughout your adventure, it will thus be possible to have Magolor assist you to take advantage of valuable ingame help, such as the possibility of doubling the healing potions and preventing you from having a bad fall if you fall into a hole. . For its part, the hardest mode should not shake the regulars of the genre.
This is not new, Nintendo and the video game industry in general have often been accused in recent years of betting too much on watered down games, too simple for an audience historically fed to the GameBoy. With Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe, the observation is repeated, and it must be admitted that the game will have a hard time giving you a hard time. However, it may be time to consider Nintendo for what it is: a family video game manufacturer, whose objective is to develop entertaining titles for the general public and especially children. At this game, the company is doing wonderfully, and takes us back with delight to our childhood memories.
The firm is also not mistaken, and centers its gameplay on cooperation between players. It is thus possible to enjoy the title up to 4 on the same console. Except for the episode Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit where it was mandatory to buy two consoles and two karts to hope to play with friends, Nintendo is one of the only developers to have succeeded in local multiplayer video games, with family or friends.
As a group, it is thus possible to enjoy the attractions offered by the Magoland park. The story mode can be played solo but also cooperatively up to four, by offering your friends to embody King Dedede, Waddle Dee or Meta Knight in addition to Kirby. Each character has specific abilities, which has the advantage of bringing a little spice to the gameplay. Collectors will also find their account there since it is possible to accumulate cosmetic masks in order to personalize the appearance of his team. Finally, for the most competitive, Kirby goes into samurai mode in a Battle Royale mode accessible online which will ask you to survive in the midst of 99 other players who are determined to make short work of your case.
Price and availability
With a release for February 24, 2023, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe is a successful return to Planet Pop. Count €59.99 to offer you the new shot of nostalgia from Nintendo, which definitely does not sell off its remasters. At this price, we might have preferred to ignore the graphic improvements to settle for a retro emulation on the Nintendo Switch Online service, which is content for the moment with NES, Super NES, GameBoy titles.
