Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe arrives later this month, giving fans old and new a chance to experience the Wii-classic with improved gameplay and visuals. Though diehard fans are already excited to get their hands on the Return to Dream Land Deluxe, recently revealed additions to the title may prove to be the most important factors to its success. February's Nintendo Direct announced new features coming to Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, including an epilogue and multiplayer mode based on the title's main antagonist Magolor. Titled "Magolor Epilogue: The Interdimensional Traveler", this post-game story mode provides old players, or those on the fence, plenty of reasons to jump into Return to Dream Land Deluxe.
The Magolor Epilogue is unlocked upon clearing Story mode in Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe. It follows the titular villain as he journeys to find his way home after the events of Return to Dream Land Deluxe's final cutscenes. Players will control Magolor as he defeats enemies using a basic one-hit attack and slowly regains the ability to use magic. Given its unique story and gameplay, the Magolor Epilogue offers what is essentially a whole new title within Return to Dream Land Deluxe's release.
The Magolor Epilogue's Gameplay Loop Features Unique Character Progression
The Magolor Epilogue sees the villain reduced to a shell of his former self. He is unable to confront many obstacles, as his abilities to both traverse and battle enemies have been greatly reduced by the events of Return to Dream Land Deluxe's Story Mode. Starting with a single basic attack and a limited glide ability, players are tasked with guiding Magolor as he regains the ability to use magic. In a unique gameplay loop for a Kirby title, players will acquire magic points by defeating enemies, then use them to restore and enhance Magolor's magic abilities. Across the game's 20-plus levels, players will choose in which order Magolor's glide and attack abilities should be acquired to best equip him for the journey's many perils.
The Magolor Epilogue also includes Return to Dream Land's signature multiplayer, meaning that up to 4 players can experience the post-game story mode together on the same system. With co-op being a primary feature of the title's main Story Mode, it is nice to see that feature carried over into the new post-game content. It remains to be seen whether other players will be restricted to player one's choices regarding Magolor's abilities and upgrades. This month's Nintendo Direct trailer appears to hint that any additional player that drops in during gameplay will receive whichever abilities player one has chosen at that point in the game, as other players appear to attack with similarly sized projectiles in one scene.
Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe Offers Longtime Fans More Than Unique Gameplay
Post-game modes are nothing new to the Kirby franchise. Past iterations, such as Nightmare in Dream Land's Meta Knightmare, have players control a villain through a similar world and storyline to Kirby's, sometimes with differing objectives or unique bosses. The Magolor Epilogue is different from previous villain modes, in that it tells a new story that attempts to explain how the character returned as a true hero in later entries of the Kirby franchise.
Following his defeat in the original title, Magolor returns in Kirby’s Dream Collection Special Edition's new challenge stages, as a reformed villain. To atone for his past, he builds an amusement park for Kirby, in which the character can take on a host of challenging stages. Magolor returns again in later titles as a fully playable character, making the transformation from villain to hero complete. The Magolor Epilogue will connect the dots between Magolor's defeat in Return to Dream Land and his return in Dream Collection Special Edition, providing longtime fans with a rare insight into one facet of the series' deeper lore.
Aside from his unique epilogue, Magolor is featured in other areas of the title. Kirby joins a tradition of villain theme parks, because Return to Dream Land Deluxe features a hub based on the character, Merry Magoland. The hub accompanies Return to Dream Land's brand-new multiplayer mode, in which up to four players can compete in a list of sub-games. Together these two Magolor-themed additions provide hours of content for fans old and new. When Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe releases later this month, players of all ages will have plenty of reasons to jump in.
Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe releases on February 24, 2023, for Nintendo Switch.
