Reviews of Kirby's Return to Dream Land

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In recent years, Kirby has had quite a few rather interesting outings that took everything we came to expect from his games and threw them out the window for a number of unorthodox directions. He was racing on stars, he was turned into yarn and thrown into an adventure comprised entirely of crafting supplies sans trademark enemy copying, and most recently he's been split into ten versions of himself and controlled only with stylus. While those (and a few other radical departure games for Kirby) were actually pretty excellent in their own right, it's great to see the adorable pink puffball return, not only to Dreamland, but to his roots (there are lots of "return" puns here. I make no apologies for them, or for the fact that this is a "long" review, get ready). This is Kirby at his purest, most concentrated traditional "Kirbiness" in years, and that alone makes this a fantastic game. However, even without looking at that aspect alone, this game is amazing on its own.

The story in Kirby's Return To Dreamland is simple, but functional. An alien has crash landed on Pop Star, and due to some truly good Samaritan impulses, Kirby and the gang decide to help their new extraterrestrial friend rebuild his ship. The story plays out in typical Kirby fashion, that being extremely charming (near cotton candy vomit inducing, and for once I mean that in a good way), and never gets in the way of why you and I pick up a Kirby title to begin with: gameplay and style.

Hal Laboratories has always been known for making incredible games with well-established mechanics that border on perfection (Super Smash Bros., Earthbound, Kirby... need I go on?). Even though Kirby hasn't been sucking, eating, and mimicking in quite some time, I'd argue he hasn't done it better than here. All of the enemy abilities you would expect to copy, such as hammer, sword, fire, rock, even the adorable-yet-uesless sleepy ability, all make a return here and they're as great as they ever were. There are new abilities to copy as well, and they really mesh well with the classics. As in Kirby Super Star (and Ultra, obviously), Kirby's appearance is changed based on who he has viciously digested and copied, and they all look awesome. There really is something fantastic and viscerally satisfying about the traditional Kirby gameplay design, and it's really a blast here. Level designs are stupendous despite their simplicity and when combined with Kirby's puffball float-jump and his copying, it all makes for a truly memorable experience. I haven't had this much fun with a Kirby title since Super Star Ultra. Each copied ability has a range of contextual attacks depending on if you're attacking while standing, aiming, running, and jumping, which makes for a rather deep experience when you consider the many abilities you will acquire over the course of the game. Boss fights are as satisfying and epic as ever in Kirby's history.

There are some new features in the gameplay that are worth mentioning here too. For instance, remember how intuitive and satisfyingly implemented shaking your Wii-mote was in Donkey Kong Country Returns or New Super Mario Bros. Wii? Kirby's Return to Dreamland utilizes that action in much the same way. Some enemies are huge or glowing, and need Kirby's new Wii-mote shaking "super suck" to vacuum them up. Once digested, these foes allow Kirby to perform some truly ridiculous super moves, such as a sword that obliterates most of the screen or a massive fire-breathing dragon(!), and so on. Kirby's super suck ability is also useful for getting rid of impenetrable brick walls. These new abilities aren't really ever forced on you though, and don't feel gimmicky in the least, thank goodness.

If you have friends alongside you, there has been considerable effort put into co-op should you fancy such a thing. Other players can play as Meta-Knight, King DeDeDe, and Bandana Waddle Dee (who wields a spear). Of course, none of these characters can copy enemy abilities, but they each utilize their own weapons and modes of combat to bring to the fight. This makes for a truly unique experience for each player, as totally different complimentary strategies can be implemented. Players 2-4 can also just play as a differently colored Kirby as well, and that's a blast too. The co-op in this game really reminds me of the old days of gaming. Tails' role in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 comes to mind. Lives and progress are only penalized if player 1 dies, and if anyone else does, they immediately respawn next to Kirby. This design really harkens back to a time when playing a game co-operatively was all about having fun together rather than getting a great score or everyone being punished for one person's mistake (and subsequently beating the tar out of that one person). I love it. I always give games extra points for being a great opportunity to bond with my wife, and this game has already done that in spades and I'm sure will continue to do so for a long, long time (Epic Yarn was great for that too). We have had a blast playing this together so far.

Artistically and graphically, Kirby's Return to Dreamland is fantastic. Kirby games are usually the last hurrah for any Nintendo system, historically, and have always been the beaming example of what those consoles were capable of. Now, it seems with the Wii's console lifetime nearing its end, Hal Laboratories really knows how to squeeze out every last drop of capability the Wii has, even seemingly surpassing it. This is one gorgeous game, regardless of the simplistic art style and decidedly under-powered system it's on. It's vibrant and colorful, very stylistic, and nostalgic, which is exactly what I want from a Kirby game. When developers focus on art design over graphical limitation, it always makes for a better experience, and is why many of this generations' most beautiful games have been on the Wii (Metroid Prime 3 and Muramasa: The Demon Blade are both great examples of that). The music is exactly what you'd expect and want from a Kirby title, catchy, cutesy, and joy inducing. I don't think the soundtrack is quite as memorable as past titles, but it is still quite good and fits in the soundtrack canon.

Kirby's Return To Dreamland is a remarkable game. I bought it as soon as I could find a copy from my local *cough cough* because I just couldn't wait (lots of confusion regarding when, exactly, this game released. October 24th, 2011, was incorrect for many stores, evidently). I suspect that many of you are like me here. I grew up loving Kirby's many, varied adventures in Dreamland, from the original 2 Gameboy Dreamland titles, to the SNES classics, to the DS remakes, to Epic Yarn, and now this. It has been quite a ride (on a star, maybe?). It's not a particularly long title. Conceivably, one could beat it in seven hours or so on their first attempt. Of course, there's lots of incentive to keep coming back for completionists. I'd say it's a very good value, and I'm a relatively poor, newly-wed young man who has to pinch pennies. For Kirby purists, the timeless, refined gameplay, beautiful, imaginative art/sound design, and overall charm of Dreamland and its citizens will be enough to make this particular entry a real stand-out for Nintendo's pink mascot. As a longtime fan of Kirby, I look forward to playing this game over and over for years to come, and I give it the highest recommendation. Buy it, devour it, and be entranced by this gloriously triumphant return to Dreamland.

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This Kirby platformer is sickeningly cute, and fun as all heck, especially with more than 1 player. Multiplayer plays like Kirby superstar/ultra meaning the secondary player assist without having to worry about dying which is perfect for an adult who wants to game with a younger person. It's not really difficult (it IS a Kirby title) so I'm sure nobody will be frustrated. It's also very colorful and detailed and the overall presentation is great. Basically it's a return to Kirby's roots, so expect nothing more or less.

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I've read many reviews stating that this game is too simple, too easy, and almost pale in comparison to previous Kirby games. My guess it that these reviewers played through the first handful of levels simply so they could write their review and get their paycheck. I waited until I finished this game to give a full review. That was a good idea.

This game features traditional Kirby platforming, which includes jumping, sucking, floating, copying powers...all the stuff you'd expect. I must say that this has never been done better. Kirby is an extremely fun character to be, as he has endless ways of interacting with the environment and enemies around him. This versatile arsenal of moves and attacks comes at an odd game play sacrific; Kirby is too powerful for the enemies around him. Until you hit world 5, there will be times when you're ditching copy abilities because you're getting bored of being able to demolish everything in your path so easily. It takes away from the game play, and it's a bit of a shame, for the final few levels raise the difficulty quite a bit and show you how much fun the game can be when the bar is raised.

Don't dismiss this as a simple children's game; there's depth and detail found here that makes it a respectable title. You'll have to play the game quite a bit before things get interesting, but it is worth it. The game is a solid length and has a ton of extras to unlock and master. Beat it once and you unlock a more difficult version of the main adventure (which should have been the definitive form of the adventure in the first place).

The reason most Kirby fans will be disappointed with this game is a funny one. It's the most shined and polished representation of the Kirby formula to date, and in fact has been done SO well that its mild difficulty (something that all Kirby games have possessed) makes you wish the developers went the extra mile to put all those fantastic moves Kirby is equipped with to good use. By the end of the game it feels GREAT to be hacking away at bosses with Kirby's abilities. It's just a shame that this feeling isn't existent earlier on.

Overall, you're looking at a very good game that could have been a GREAT game with a little fine tuning. It's worth a rent for those who aren't avid fans of platforming or of this series, and a must buy for those who love the Kirby franchise. Overall I'm happy with buying this, but I can't pretend it's perfect.

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I'm only going to add a few quick words about the coop multiplayer in RtDL. Nintendo's last try was New Super Mario Bros coop, where my 2 boys, ages 5 and 8, couldn't make it through a single level without things degenerating into shouting and crying over accidental friendly fire or stolen power ups. Coop in NSMB was strictly for advanced or older players. They seem to have fixed nearly all of this in the latest Kirby. There is no friendly fire, you can trade power ups, there is no screen-crushing if you fall behind, and you can heal your fellow players. My kids have played a ton of coop and they have worked together way beyond my expectations with almost no problems. Of course Kirby has always been way easier than Mario but I'm glad they put more thought into the coop in this game. Well done!

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I purchased this game at Game Stop on October 25, 2011. My husband and I love to play this game. It is so much fun!! It's not too hard to play. In my opinion, it is easier than the Mario games. My first Kirby Game was Epic Yarn. I enjoyed it, so I figured this one would be good too. My husband thinks that this game is better than Epic Yarn. I would strong recommend purchasing this game.