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Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe Review: Grab some friends

It's way more enjoyable in a crew.

Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe is another in a string of Nintendo classics that have been ported to Switch while the pubilsher bides its time ahead of a new console.

While that assessment might sound harsh, 2011’s Return to Dream Land was a treat on the Wii back in the day, and Deluxe could be a treat for youngsters or groups that haven’t encountered it yet.

Deluxe is old school, unabashed Kirby. There’s no yarn to be found, only inhaling, flapping and expelling. You suck up enemies to launch at others, you hold down the suck button to vacuum larger things and get a larger area of effect accordingly when you regurgitate.

Despite that all having the ability to sound rather sketchy, proceedings are wholesome as hell and suitable for players young and old. As a one-player affair, Deluxe is relatively easy (though that obviously changes as the age of your player decreases); as a four-player entry, you’ll barely notice enemies are in your path.

Oh, and Copy Abilities mean you can look like Link, swing a giant sword, wield a magic wand that has pretty much no transphobia attached to it, and more. Said abilities make an easier game just that much easier, but you’ll be having too much fun to notice.

That’s pretty much the point; absolutely destroying the side-scrolling playing field with friends can be frenzied, hilarious and a visual spectacle. If you’ve done this before, you already know what I mean — and may find things a little less enjoyable this time around — and if not, let me whole-heartedly recommend you rope in some friends before you start your adventure.

In fact, everything about Deluxe should be enjoyed with as many friends as you can muster (well, up to three, obviously). The new addition to proceedings is a mini-game park called Merry Magoland. While you can tackle the content within as a solo player, it’s far more fun doing so with your friends… and actual stakes.

The mini-games presented are varied and can be fun when engaged by a group at best; at worst, the whole mode can be seen as a means to pad out Deluxe itself — a video here shows that the story mode can be completed by group of four in a little over four hours total.

Is it worth close to $80 AUD? Not really — and especially given its aforementioned difficulty and duration details. If you have this on Wii, you’re not really missing out; the new mini-games are equal (if not inferior) to the myriad mini-games you have on that same console, or on your newish Switch.

If you’re a massive Kirby fan, this is for you. If you’ve got a passing interest, wait for a sale. It’s not that this is bad, or unpolished… it’s just another repacked game with a value proposition that lacks.

Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe heads to Nintendo Switch on 24 February 2023.

6.5 out of 10

Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe was reviewed using a promotional code on Switch, as provided by the publisher. Click here to learn more about Stevivor’s scoring scale.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe

24 February 2023
Switch
 

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About the author

Steve Wright

Steve's the owner of this very site and an active games journalist nearing twenty (TWENTY!?!) years. He's a Canadian-Australian gay gaming geek, ice hockey player and fan. Husband to Matt and cat dad to Wally and Quinn.