In the latest Nintendo Direct, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe was revealed. As a remake of the Wii classic, Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe maintains what made that game beloved with four-person multiplayer including Kirby. Meta Knight, King Dedede, and Bandana Waddle Dee. Levels are full of collectibles, and the roster of Copy Abilities set the standard for polish and move density going into Kirby’s modern era. On top of the brand-new Mecha power and a total visual overhaul, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe is sure to delight new and veteran Kirby fans alike.
There will be more to do after the main campaign is complete. Much like the original game, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe has a remixed hard mode, the traditional Arena boss rushes, and several mini-games that are available for players to challenge alone or with friends. There’s even at least one brand-new mini-game, Magolor’s Tome Trackers. It’s hard to say what other new content Return to Dream Land Deluxe will add, but there is one last feature from the original it should enhance. The Challenges from Return to Dream Land and Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition should be merged together to create the ultimate score attack package.
Challenge Stages Are a Unique Addition to the Wii Kirby Titles
In Kirby’s Return to Dream Land, Challenges were a unique sub-game accessible in Magolor’s ship, though they are an idea that was brought back with the Treasure Roads in Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Challenges open up as Kirby finds Energy Spheres in each stage, with the initial Sword Challenge coming in after seven Spheres are found and the final Item Challenge unlocking after all one hundred twenty are collected. These special stages are quick score-based obstacle courses that are meant to test the player’s knowledge of various Copy Abilities, and provide a lot of replay value for those who enjoy mastering Kirby's surprisingly deep gameplay.
There are seven Challenge courses in Kirby's Return to Dream Land, each with a harder Extra Mode variant. The first six are built around the Sword, Whip, Hi-Jump, Bomb, Water, and Wing Copy Abilities, while the seventh forgoes abilities in favor of using Return to Dream Land’s different held items. Kirby attempts these courses solo, rushing through them as quickly as possible while defeating enemies, avoiding hazards, and collecting Score Coins. At the end, the player is awarded a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum Medal, and potentially some extra lives. It’s not a lot of content, but it is satisfying to prove one’s mastery in a more tense atmosphere than Kirby usually permits.
Return to Dream Land Deluxe Could Expand the Original’s Challenges
Challenges are a great idea, but there aren't many. Of Kirby's Return to Dream Land’s 20 normal Copy Abilities, only six are represented. Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition fit Parasol, Spark, Fighter, and the rarely seen Smash Copy Abilities in its take on the sub-game, although that came at the expense of Hi-Jump, Bomb, and Water. Kirby’s Dream Collection also introduced Combat Chambers and Magolor Races, which Return to Dream Land lacked. It only amounted to thirteen trials serving as a short bonus campaign for a Kirby anniversary collection, but their framing device of Magolor building a theme park as an apology was charming.
To make its own existence as a re-released game more enticing, Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe should feature Dream Collection’s Challenges as a postgame mode. The framing device of Magolor building them would stay the same, but more could be done. Now that they are integrated into an actual Kirby game, more enemies and bosses could be added into Combat Chambers, and more courses could be made for the rest of Return to Dream Land’s powers. Even Kirby's new Mecha Copy Ability could get in on the action, along with special courses made for the other playable characters. There’s a ton of potential in an arcade-like approach to Kirby’s levels, and with these Challenges featuring tighter level design than usual, it would be great for Return to Dream Land Deluxe to go wild.
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe will be released on February 24, 2023, for Nintendo Switch.
