Kirby's Return to Dream Land (Wii Review) by Carl B.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: HAL Laboratory
System: Wii
Release Date: October 25, 2011

October 27, 2011, by Carl B. - Kirby is one of the strangest franchises in Nintendo's history. It has had an anime adaptation and plenty of handheld versions, but Kirby hasn't seen a traditional release on a Nintendo console since Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards in 2000. Nintendo released Kirby's Epic Yarn around this time last year, a game that was originally meant to be a completely new IP. While Epic Yarn was certainly a great game, it did lack the unique Kirby charm that's been missing since the Nintendo 64 version. Kirby's Return to Dream Land is the answer to hardcore Kirby fans that have been waiting for a more contemporary Kirby title to finally release: it has all the charm the series is known for, it's very well polished, and is incredibly fun.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land has been in development for nearly half a decade. It started off as a Kirby GameCube project, but the title saw multiple delays and console jumps. It was intended to release in 2005, then disappeared and resurfaced for a 2009 release, but in the end it didn't come out until October 25, 2011.

Has the wait been worth it?

Back to basics for Kirby.

The Kirby series, for me, has always been a polarizing franchise to review. Every game in the series is a ton of fun, and Kirby is one of my favorite characters in the industry. What makes it so difficult is the fact that traditional Kirby titles have always been incredibly easy. They present next to no challenge whatsoever, and if players do find themselves in a jam, they can always float away using one of Kirby's iconic abilities.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land is no different from main entries in the past, but what makes it so good is that it takes the best parts of Kirby's Adventure and Kirby 64 to make the definitive 2.5D Kirby title.

Kirby's latest adventure takes him back to Dream Land where he must help an alien named Magolor fix his crashed spaceship, the Lor Starcutter. To do this, Kirby must travel to the many worlds of Dream Land's Pop Star to collect the missing ship parts.

Each world in Return to Dream Land is different than the last, with the world's various stages taking on a similar theme. While the game certainly isn't particularly challenging, players are punished for dying, unlike in Kirby's Epic Yarn where Kirby merely lost gems for being killed by enemies. Players shouldn't have any trouble in the game levels, but bosses can get challenging if Kirby doesn't have a good power copied.

Multiplayer mayhem.

Every so often players will stumble upon short, optional levels that are slightly more difficult than what the rest of the game provides. These small "levels within levels" are completely black and white and has one side of the level chasing Kirby, taking away a life if he's caught by it.

There are plenty of new enemies in the game, each with a new power for Kirby to consume and absorb. My favorite of the new copy abilities is the Whip, which gives Kirby a cowboy hat and a devastating Whip attack. Many familiar copy abilities return, including the Sword and Rock. Unfortunately, Kirby's Return to Dream Land does not allow players to combine multiple copy abilities as seen in Kirby 64. To make up for this, however, Kirby can perform a variety of attacks with copy abilities depending on the button presses by the player.

The biggest shake up to the copy ability formula is the introduction of Super Abilities. These are available to Kirby every once in a while and give him an enhanced version of some of the copy abilities found in the title. The most common Super Ability is the Ultra Sword, which allows Kirby to destroy every enemy on screen – and even some of the environment – with a gigantic blade. Super Abilites have a timer that eventually runs out, so it's best to make the most of them while they're available.

Kirby using the Ultra Sword.

Adding to the replay value of levels is the addition of magic gears. These gears are used in the Lor Starcutter to unlock fun minigames and training for Kirby, among other activities, by finding them in levels. They're completely optional, much like the KONG letters in the Donkey Kong series, but they do offer a worthwhile reward for fans that like to 100% games.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land also features a multiplayer component that is very similar to that of New Super Mario Bros. Wii. An extra three players can drop in or out at any time and either play as different colored Kirbys or as Meta Knight, King Dedede, and a Waddle Dee. Multiplayer adds little to the gameplay, aside from the ability to suck up teammates as Kirby and fire them at enemies. The game is so easy that multiplayer makes it an instant cake walk.

The visuals in Return to Dream Land are very polished and give off that unique Kirby feel that fans have been waiting a long time for; however, the visuals are still pretty basic and ultimately pale in comparison to the genius of Kirby Epic Yarn's visual to gameplay integration. Return to Dream Land's soundtrack is fantastic, offering plenty of catchy and lighthearted tunes.

The Verdict

Sound
15/15 - An upbeat soundtrack that adds to the atmosphere of the title.

Graphics
16/20 - Very polished, but simple and not as artistically done as Epic Yarn.

Appeal
18/25 - Longer than Kirby's Epic Yarn. Offers little to no challenge, especially to veteran fans.

Gameplay
34/40 - Plenty of new copy abilities with some twists not seen in other games. Traditional Kirby mechanics are all here.

Overall
83/100 - Kirby's Return to Dream Land isn't as great as Epic Yarn was last year, but it's still a very good title and a nice return to form for the series.